The black van comes to a stop in front of us as Lyla and I wait at the picnic table. She jumps up and rushes over to greet my brother the moment he steps out of the van. He scoops her up and kisses her. I smile at their open display of affection. I stay where I am, waiting for the crowd to thin out. I smile at Jaxson who catches my eye over Tig's shoulder.
I stand up as he walks over, a huge grin on his face. Gemma holds Abel nearby. I reach up to give Jaxson a hug.
"I'm so glad you're here. I missed you." I tell him. "You kept them safe and you brought your son home."
"Any word on Tara?" He asks. I shake my head as I bite my lip nervously.
"We're stepping into church right away; go keep my mom out of trouble hey?" He laughs as the guys catch up with him and head inside. Opie stops to pick me up and swing me around like he used to when we were kids. I smile against his kutte until he puts me back down.
"Welcome home Op." I greet him.
"Good to be back." He rubs my arm before we follow everyone inside. Gemma decides she wants to stick around for a little while. Nobody's stupid enough to argue with her. She hands Abel to Lyla and follows Jaxson down the hall.
Kozik makes eye contact with me from across the bar, laughing with Happy and Juice. I bite my lip and turn away, only to catch Filip staring at me. His eyes move from me to Kozik and back. Kozik catches him watching us and throws me a sexy smile. I narrow my eyes at him and turn back to Lyla and my nephew.
"What the hell was all that?" She whispers to me.
"Half over-protective bullshit, half pissing contest." She shakes her head laughing at me and I take my nephew from her arms.
"Come here my little man. Auntie Bree missed you." I coo to him. He's laughing and babbling. I kiss his soft cheek and bounce him on my hip. I walk over and sit down on the couch, cuddling with him. A few seconds later, Kozik sits down next to me just like last night.
"You'd make a good mom." He tells me.
"You're insane." I shake my head at him. "What the hell was that by the way?"
"Just wanted to see what his reaction would be." He takes a sip of beer.
"She's not with him." I point out, looking over at Filip talking with Tig.
"No, she's not." He agrees.
Filip's POV
"What's up with that Tiggy?" I ask, pointing toward Kozik and Bree.
"Don't know man." He answers, staring at Kozik. She looks over at me, her face flushes and she turns away quickly.
"What about you and her?" Tig asks, taking a long drink. I can't help but watch her.
"I don't know." I finally look away from her.
"Better figure it out." He says before walking away.
It's dark by the time we get back to TM. Jax and Clay stay at the hospital until Tara is released. For once, everyone is home and safe, until tomorrow. The guys are feeling good when we walk into the bar. Bree is behind the bar, pouring drinks for the gathering group. Her sexy smile is in place but it doesn't reach her eyes. Her normally vivid green eyes are pale and cold.
Happy joins her and they have some kind of tense conversation. She stares down at her feet, shifting from one to another. They finish up whatever they're talking about and she squeezes past Happy and hurries down the hall.
I follow Bree to the dorms, Kozik watches me the entire way. She's sitting on my bed when I walk in; her hands on both sides of her, holding on to the mattress. Her beautiful dark hair falls to the side of her face, hiding her from me. I close the door behind me and take a few steps toward her.
She looks up at me and her face breaks into the beautiful smile I've spent nights thinking about. She moves back on the bed and turns to face me. At closer look, I notice her eyes are red-rimmed and tears well up inside them.
"That's the welcome home I've been looking forward to." I mutter.
"I'm glad you're safe." She says, her eyes dropping back to her lap. "I'm glad you came back."
"She stayed in Ireland." I reassure her.
"Her choice or yours?" She asks.
"I didn't ask her to come with." I sit down on the edge of the bed, next to her.
"Did you want to stay?" Her voice cracks.
"No."
"The logical thing for me to do is ask why, but I don't know if I want to know the answer to that." I reach out my hand to her and pull her to me. She lays her head in my lap.
"This is why Bree. I'm here baby." I try so hard to reassure her.
"And the next time she calls you?" She whispers.
"It will still be you." I move her hair from her face.
"I don't know how to make this work Filip." She looks up at me, her eyes growing cold. Finally she sits up.
"Stay tonight. Just stay here and we'll figure it out in the morning." I'm prepared to beg if I have to. She just nods, emotionless. She goes to the bathroom to get ready for bed and I pull off my clothes before climbing into bed.
When she walks out my mouth falls open. She's dressed in my T-M shirt, unbuttoned. Under it she wears nothing. Her hair is pulled back loosely. I readjust my growing dick and quickly get out of bed again. She slides over and leans against the wall, her hands fidgeting with the hem of the shirt.
"What are ya doin love?" I manage a weak groan when her hand travels slowly down her stomach and between her legs. She buries her finger inside herself and the show in front of me has me suddenly standing a few inches from her. I cover her busy hand with my own, helping her along. She pushes her ass back into the wall harder, coming close to her orgasm already.
"I'm gonna cum Filip." She moans and I slide my free hand into her open shirt, pinching and massaging her erect nipple.
I lower my mouth to it and suck it hard in between my lips. Before she reaches her release, she turns around and pulls me against her in one quick movement. The shirt hangs just above her round, firm ass as she grinds it into me. She guides my fingers back to her wetness begging me for a quick finish. When I ease two fingers deep inside her, her knees buckle a little and I feel her tighten around me.
I quickly pull my boxers down and push into her from behind. She pushes back against me as I pump into her delicious, tight pussy. Her loud moans echo through the quiet room, each one pushing me closer. Suddenly she pushes me away and I growl in frustration. Laughing she walks over to the bed and crawls on it. She lies down on her back, bending her knees apart to give me access.
My body covers her as I push deep inside her over and over. Her moans turn to whimpers and I know she's close to another orgasm. I thrust harder and feel her shudder underneath me, sending waves over the both of us. She bucks underneath me, sending me over the edge as I spill everything deep inside her.
Aubrey's POV
The next morning, I sneak out of the room dressed in denim shorts, a black tank top and a long sleeve shirt. I make my way down the hall to the kitchen where Gemma and some of the other girls are already cooking. I pour myself a cup of coffee and jump in to help out. Gemma keeps a careful eye on me as she carries food back and forth from the kitchen.
"Where's my sister?" I hear Opie call and I duck into the bar quickly. Filip is at the bar talking with Gemma and I avoid eye contact with him.
"What the hell are you yelling for?" I ask him with a wide grin. "I'm right fucking here."
"Ever the lady, this one." He laughs at me as he puts his arm around me and kisses my forehead.
"Who's fault is that?" I joke. Everyone chuckles around us. Lyla is wearing a massive grin.
"All right everyone, Lyla has something she wants to say." Opie calls out, everyone quiets down.
"We're getting married." She flashes her hand and the large ring catches the light. Everyone gathers in quickly, hugging the happy couple and offering congratulations.
Shots are pushed into everyone's hands and we all raise them in a toast. Finally we're surrounded by good news. Our family is complete. As we all thin out around the club, grabbing plates of food and having random conversations, Jaxson corners me.
"Got a minute?" He asks as if I have a choice. I nod and we head back to his dorm room. He locks the door behind us and I sit down in the ugly brown chair. He flops down to the bed and sighs loudly.
He fills me in on everything; the deal with Stahl, the issues with Jimmy, how he found Abel and about Tara being pregnant. He tells me everything about Belfast, all the family secrets that came out. I can't believe the burden he's been walking with. He tells me what he needs from me today and later on tonight. He knows I can't be there when he gets arrested; I need to make sure I can provide alibi's and explain things to people.
Part of me is relieved that I won't have to watch this. When he is done, I have my own questions. He knows everything that happened while he was gone and understands why I lied. I need to know what else happened in Belfast.
"Fi and Filip?" I ask; not needing to elaborate what I wanted to hear.
"She wanted to come back with him or for him to stay. He told her no. He kissed her on the forehead and told her goodbye. She wasn't happy about it and she said some pretty nasty things about you but he walked away, ignoring her." He tells me. "What's going on with you Kozik? Tig said you two were looking close."
"Just friends, weirdly enough. There's been some flirting but that's it." I shrug. "I kinda . . . sorta spent the night with Filip." I confess, staring at my hands.
"We heard you. You're crazy. You know that right?" He jokes.
"Certifiable." I agree. I leave him alone after that, letting him pack up his stuff to take home.
The guys are prepping to go in today and it pains me to watch them rush around, making arrangements. I put on a normal face as I work in the garage, watching the drama from a distance. The weight of what I have to do today settles in my chest. I knew the damage this could do to our family but understood why he had to do it. Filip smiles at me from the lot and I blush furiously.
With everything piling up, I need to talk to someone. It's too much. Jaxson is busy today so I head to the one person I know will keep a secret.
When I pull into the cemetery, a rush of sadness hits me. This place is a testament to those we lost. I couldn't help but feel as if our family were broken. Someone had placed fresh flowers on Donna's grave. I set down the pink roses I brought next to them and sat down on the ground.
"I know this is probably the weirdest shit I've done but I didn't know who else to go to. These secrets are killing me Donna. They're killing us. There are some days that I get it; why you wanted out. I never knew what it was like being that far in." I ramble on for some time, tearfully giving my sister-in-law a play-by-play that I wasn't sure if she could even hear. I leave out the parts about Lyla, just reassuring her that Opie is healing. It doesn't feel right to bring that up. It was a long, slow release of tension and by the time I finish talking, I am drained.
"Jesus, now you're talking to the dead?" Jaxson's voice startles me and I peek up at him, squinting in the sun.
"You come to see your dad?" I ask, rising to my feet and dusting off the back of my legs. He stares down at Donna's headstone.
"Of course." He wrings his hands.
"You ever think maybe it would have been better if we all took Donna's advice? Got out of this place?" I ask him.
"I'm not sure anymore sis. I just don't know." He puts his arm around my shoulders and kisses my temple.
"You be careful in there Jaxson and you come home to your family. And if your ass can't pull this off, I'll kill you." I promise him.
"I know you will. I need you to be safe too. Stay out of trouble. Come on, we gotta go." He leads me out of the cemetery and to my car. I give him a hug and kiss, knowing we won't see each other from here on out, not till this blows over.
My phone lights up with calls from Gemma. I ignore her, hanging out in Filip's apartment alone, avoiding her. I watch a movie in silence, not actually paying much attention to what is on the screen. Opie texts me to check in and I let them know I'm safe. The one person I want to text me, doesn't.
Tara's prepaid number finally shows up on my screen.
We're done.
You ok?
Yeah
Hang in there, we'll talk soon.
I turn off the phone and stand up. Jaxson gave me specific instructions, asking for only a few favors. Looking down at the clock on my radio, I realize that by now the guys had been taken in. It was time for me to wait. I take a table at a Lodi restaurant and watch the door, expectantly.
"More coffee?" The bored waitress asks and I nod, still staring straight ahead. The approaching sound of motorcycles calms my weak stomach. Kozik, Filip, Opie and dad make their way across the diner and sit down with me. I finally turn on my phone and pull up Tara's number.
Did you get your letter?
Yeah, are you guys ok?
We're fine. Tell Gemma.
Kozik sits next to me, his arm stretched across the back of the booth casually. Filip watches us from across the table with dark eyes. I move away from Kozik and talk to my brother. He seems at peace for the moment and I know how much he needed what happened today. He smiles a genuine smile and I can't help but to return it.