6

Chapter 501 Weekend Plans

"

They heard Jax's motorcycle outside, but Sack wasn't about to neglect his duty to protect Scarlett just because he thought Jax was outside. When Jax knocked at the door, Sack looked out the peephole before allowing Jax into the house much to Scarlett's amusement.

"What the hell are you still doing here, prospect?" Jax demanded.

Sack blinked at Jax momentarily confused.

"You told me to watch over and protect Scarlett."

"Why are you still here?" Jax said raising his voice.

Sack thought about that for a couple of moments.

"I was protecting her until you got here."

"You don't need to watch over her anymore. That doesn't mean that if you're with her you can let anything bad happen to her."

"I'd never let anything bad happen to Scarlett," Sack said quickly.

"You had damned well better not. Get lost."

"Am I still working for TM or Scarlett?"

"You can work for Scarlett as long as she'll let you," Jax said.

"Come to the store at 9," Scarlett said.

Sack left quickly before Jax could tell him to leave again.

"That never gets old," Jax said with a tired smile.

As soon as Scarlett locked the door behind Sack, she went to Jax and put her arms around his waist and hugged him fiercely. He held her close against him, her head resting on his chest. She shut her eyes savoring the moment thankful that he was back and without any new holes in him. There was something so comforting about having his arms around her.

"If Scarlett doesn't need protecting anymore, I assume that means the problem is taken care of," Decker said.

"Permanently," Jax replied.

Scarlett pulled away to look up at Jax. She could see the exhaustion on his face.

"Did you eat?" she asked.

He thought about that for a second or two.

"No, I guess I forgot."

"We had fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans for dinner. I'll make you a plate." Scarlett knew that Jax loved cold fried chicken, potato salad and baked beans and, best of all, he liked the supermarket deli versions.

"Thank you," he said giving her a peck on the lips. "I'm going to take a quick shower first."

Scarlett followed him into her bedroom.

"I want a proper coming home from danger kiss," she demanded hands on her hips.

"I thought you were here because you were going to join me in the shower."

"I've already had a shower and I don't know you well enough to take a shower with you. Proper kiss or no dinner for you."

Jax slid his arms around Scarlett.

"I kind of like this bossy side of you," he said before lowering his head and giving Scarlett the proper coming home kiss she demanded. The feel of his lips on hers always made her want more.

"Good enough," he asked when he lifted his head and looked into her green eyes.

"It will have to be because my father's here," she said.

"And I'll be taking a cold shower."

Scarlett grinned as she left the bedroom closing the door behind her. She walked into the kitchen got a plate, added a spoon of baked beans and put it in the microwave to take the chill off them without getting them too warm—that was the way Jax liked them best. Since he'd been staying with her, she'd learned a lot of little things about him. She added to the plate two drumsticks, a wing and a helping of potato salad that she sprinkled with smoked paprika—a touch she'd learned from her father that Jax loved.

"Do you want pie?" she asked her father.

"A little piece."

Scarlett cut a sliver of a piece of lemon meringue pie for her and two larger pieces for her father and Jax. She liked the lemon meringue pie in the frozen food case and it was a lot easier than making one from scratch, maybe not as tasty but definitely easier. It also tasted a lot better than the bakery lemon meringue pie.

Scarlett put the slices of pie on plates, got out napkins and silverware and poured Jax a glass of iced tea and refilled her and her father's glasses.

Jax walked in from his shower dressed in summer weight work out pants and a T-shirt—what he usually wore to bed when he was sleeping with Scarlett. When he slept alone, he just wore his boxer briefs.

"You look a lot more awake," Decker observed.

Scarlett faked a cough to cover her laughter. She knew why Jax looked more awake. Her father sometimes saw too much.

"I didn't realize how hungry I was," Jax said digging into his food. "If I'd been alone, I probably would have had a beer and some chips and gone to bed."

"It's handy having a woman around the house," Decker said. He was sitting across from Jax and Scarlett at the breakfast bar.

"Like a pet," Scarlett replied sarcastically. Jax and Decker laughed.

"Esai told me that he wasn't going to hurt you or do anything to you. Said he just wanted to talk and get you to help make peace with the MC."

Decker raised an eyebrow, clearly skeptical.

"Did you believe him?"

Jax shook his head.

"He had to say something to avoid a beating. When he found out his father set him up, he spilled all kinds of interesting information on Alvarez's businesses."

"It's hard to imagine a father setting up his son to be made a permanent non-problem," Decker said. Jax smiled at the way Decker phrased it.

"It's the MC way. The MC and your brothers above your own blood."

"Do you believe that? Can you imagine doing something like that to your son—your real son?" Decker asked.

"No. I don't agree with some of the MC's views on things. I can't imagine betraying someone I love like that."

Scarlett and her father exchanged looks. Scarlett hoped that he meant what he said about not betraying someone he loved. She wondered if she'd ever be able to trust him with the secret of who really killed her mother.

"In the end, Esai died of a drug overdose. Some of the guys and me had to take care of some hood rats who were trying to take our rides. It was a rough neighborhood," Jax said with a smile. "Esai got to avoid the beat down I was going to give him for trying to kidnap Scarlett. He was dead by the time we finished administering some auto theft deterrence."

Scarlett and Decker laughed.

"Is that how you got the cut over your eye?" Scarlett asked.

"Yeah, guy got one lucky punch in."

"Do you need ice packs for your hands? I always keep some in the freezer." Scarlett asked looking at Jax's hands. His gloves protected him from cuts but they were a little red and swollen..

"They're fine," he said reassuringly.

Scarlett looked at him doubtfully. She wasn't used to men fighting and getting hurt.

"I've got some stuff to wrap up tomorrow, but now that we've gotten Esai taken care of, I'll be able to get away for a long weekend to the lake house on Friday. We can come back on Tuesday if that works for you," Jax said his eyes on Scarlett's face.

She flushed from the heat in his gaze. Finally, they were going to get their long romantic weekend together.

"Sounds perfect."

"It works for me too," Decker said enthusiastically. "We'll have a lot of fun."

Jax and Scarlett exchanged looks. How the hell could this be happening to them again?

"

Could this be yet another delay in Jax and Scarlett getting that romantic weekend they have waited so long for?