Sitting in the SUV, Carly rubs her hand gently over her stomach. Jason's eyes go back and forth between her moving hand and her face. She still hasn't said anything about his proclamation that he's moving in. In fact, she hasn't said anything on the way home from the hospital.
They had arrived a minute ago, but neither moved to get out of the car. Finally, Jason, having been patient long enough, breaks the silence, "What do you think? About me moving in here. You're being awfully quiet."
She turns her head to look at him, a content smile on her face. Reaching her hand for his, she confides, "You never have to ask. You are always welcome in my home." She looks at him seriously, her eyes soft and searching, "I hope you know that, no matter what, my home is your home, no questions asked."
He gives her a smile that conveys both gratitude and love. Giving her hand, entwined with his, a squeeze, "Thank you. I want to be here for everything. But I know it's not that easy. You have the boys, and a husband. There are some things we need to figure out."
She lets out a sigh, looking towards the house, "I won't have a husband for much longer." She shakes her head, then with a gentle look, she tells him, "The boys will love it. Having you around all the time will be a dream. And Michael needs a man around at his age, someone who will help him make good choices. Sonny's just…" She shakes her head. Rubbing her forehead, in annoyance, she complains, "He is probably something else we should talk about. I have a feeling he isn't going to take this well."
Since Jason is convinced Sonny is still in love with her, he has to agree. He compels her, "Let me handle him. I'll tell him what's going on and try to keep him away from you."
A soft smile lights her face, "Thank you. We should tell the boys the good news, that they are about to be big brothers."
Jason's face is worried as he asks, "You don't think it's too soon? Maybe we should ease into that conversation."
"You worry too much," she teases him. She pauses for a moment, then, more seriously, "I want to be the one who tells them, you and me. I'm scared that if we wait, they will find out from someone else. Besides, they love you, as much as their mother does. They are going to be happy about this. I know my boys."
"Okay, if you're sure," he concedes. "When should we do it?"
"Tomorrow, maybe after school if you can be here then." She gets a look of joy, "We get to tell them we're having a baby. Oh Jase, I know it's not what you were expecting or who you were expecting it with, but how wonderful does that sound: our baby? A little human who is part you and part me."
She sees an answering joy in his eyes as he admits, "Wonderful. Really wonderful."
"Can I tell you a secret? I think it's a girl. A blonde haired, blue eyed firecracker that's the best of both of us. Do you think I'm crazy?" She keeps her voice quiet, as though a loud noise will burst the bubble of her happiness.
"Maybe. But I hope you're right." He admits.
A smile lights up her face, "There's no one I'd rather do this with. You are going to be an amazing father. She's never going to doubt that her dad will walk through fire for her."
He looks humbled by her faith in him, admitting, "I'm scared I will mess it all up. But, I promise to always be there for you and our son or daughter." He runs his finger down her cheek. "Plus, our child has an amazing mother. Watching you with your boys is a beautiful thing. The way you make them feel loved and seen and safe… I couldn't ask for anything better for our baby."
A tear falls down her cheek. Jason reaches out and wipes the evidence away. For a long moment, they sit quietly in the dark, staring at each other. The air crackles with a sweet tension, something they can't name, but it fills them both with an excitement for the future.
The moment is broken when Carly lets out a huge, jaw cracking yawn. With an endearing smile, he tells her, "Come on, let's get you inside."
As he's walking her to the door, she asks him, "Are you staying here tonight? When are you planning to move in?"
"Not tonight," he tells her with regret. "I don't want to spring it on the boys. We will see how Michael and Morgan take the news of the new baby and take it from there." When he gets to the front door, he pulls her into a hug. "Hopefully, I can begin moving in tomorrow evening, but we may need to do it slower so we don't upset the boys."
She gives him a hard squeeze, loving how he takes care of her children. A tear slips down her cheek at the beauty of this man making her children a priority, more than their fathers and stepfather ever have.
She reassures him, "Having you here with us will never upset the boys. They practically think you walk on water." She pulls back just enough to look up at him, "I can't blame them. I happen to think you're pretty miraculous myself."
He leans forward, kissing her forehead as her words rush through him, making his heart ache with a longing he's still scared to dream. Her faith in him just about takes him out at the knees, yet it also makes him feel ten feet tall and bulletproof.
It's the magic of Carly and their connection. She has a way of getting under his skin, shaking things up, and making him want things he never knew to want. It's dangerous, the way she makes him dream of a life and family of his own. If he fails, if he doesn't measure up, he's not sure he can survive losing Carly and their family again. The first time nearly destroyed him.
Taking a step back, he turns her towards the door, then watches as she closes and locks the door behind her. Walking out to his SUV, he stands and waits for Milo to make his way to him. "Any problems?"
"No, sir. It's been quiet." The guard reports.
Giving a brisk nod, Jason instructs, "I am increasing the guards on Carly, as well as extra protection for the boys. Carly is not to be stressed. If you or any of the guards see her dealing with someone or something that's causing her distress, you diffuse it and get her away. Understood?"
"Yes, boss." Milo confirms.
Jason claps the younger man on the shoulder, "Let the other guards know."
When Milo agrees and goes back to his rounds, Jason stands outside the house. He watches as Carly's bedroom lights turn on, then about fifteen minutes later turn off. He watches as the curtains shift and her pale visage appears in the window looking down at him. She raises her hand and gives him a smile, then disappears into the darkness.
Inside, Jason has a storm of emotions and fears swirling around. But in the center is a sense of peace, a knowledge that this is something amazing and that nothing else has ever felt as right. Though there's a list a mile long of ways this can go wrong, when he and Carly are a team, he has faith they can come out on top. Mainly because they are both willing to fight dirty for the things that are important, refusing to give up even when the odds are stacked against them. With a sense of resolve, he gives the house one last look, then heads to his penthouse to pack.
At six the next morning, he gets a call from Max, "Boss, Mr. Jax just got home. He and Mrs… um… Carly are fighting. Do you want me to go in, you know, to make sure she's okay?"
Jason lets out a growl, then with a bite to his voice, "Yes. Get a couple guys in there with you. Send one to keep the kids away from it. I'm on my way."
He speeds to her house, breaking traffic laws left and right, making the ten minute drive in seven. The SUV is barely in park before he's jumping out and running into the house. Following the yelling, he finds Carly and Jax yelling at each other with Max providing a barricade between the two.
When Jax sees him, he goes to another level of angry. "You slept with my wife! It shouldn't surprise me, you and that thug you call a boss have no integrity. You think you can just take whatever you want, the consequences be damned!"
"Don't you dare talk to Jason like that! Maybe if you were ever on the same continent as me, or if you had just once made me a priority…"
"You would have told Jason no? If I didn't have to travel for business…"
"Business named Brenda?" Carly cuts in with a bite.
His jaw tightens at the dig, but he continues as though there wasn't an interruption, "If I showed you every day that you were my top priority, you would turn Jason down? He could tell you he needs you, and you'd just walk away, back home to me?"
She looks down because she knows there's no scenario where she tells Jason no. It doesn't matter if he needs a distraction from his pain, an alibi, or an organ, if he needs something, she will always come through.
Seeing the truth on her face, Jax turns away in disgust, "Yeah, that's what I thought. I used to think you were better than this, better than them. Apparently, I was wrong. You enjoy being in the muck with the pigs. I should have known that you're just some mobster's slut."
Jason grabs him by the neck, shoving him into the wall. Two guards flank Jason, their eyes narrowed with rage at the way the Aussie is talking about Carly, ready to pummel him themselves. The two muscular, suited men nod in agreement behind their boss as he tells him in a cold, deadly voice, "Don't ever talk to her that way again. I can make you disappear without a trace, and I will happily make Carly a widow. It's in your best interest to keep your soon to be ex-wife calm and happy if you want to continue breathing."
He watches Jax's face turn purple before finally dropping him to collapse on the floor. As he gasps for air, Jason stares down at him dispassionately. Carly is wringing her hands, though even she is unsure whether it's out of anxiety or anger. She tried to break it to him gently, but Jax knew something was up when she turned her head when he tried to kiss her. The moment she told him about the baby, he blew up, calling her and Jason every name in the book.
She looks at the man who was supposed to be her happily ever after, and wonders how she got it so wrong. He was supposed to be the smart choice, the white knight who rescued her from the dragons of this world. Her eyes shift to look at Jason, watching as he defends and stands up for her. Apparently, the black knight is more her speed. Though as she thinks about it, her black knight has far more honor than Jax ever did.
Stepping forward, she tells her husband, "No one in this marriage is perfect. I'm sorry it ended like this, but I think we both know it was going to end. In the end, we couldn't be what the other needed. But don't think I'm just going to sit still while you throw all the blame on me, making me the bad guy. We both have equal blame in this wreck of a marriage. And now it's time to call it."
Still sitting on the floor, Jax drops his head. When he looks up, his eyes are spitting fire, but they're no longer focused on Carly. Looking Jason in the eyes, he threatens, "You will pay for this. There will be consequences for taking my wife. But…" he suddenly sounds dismissive, "take the tramp. I will give her a divorce. Who wants to be married to soiled goods?"
Jason growls, his entire body turning to stone, "I'm warning you…"
"Don't talk about my mom that way!" Michael yells, storming into the room.
Jason has to catch him as he launches himself at Jax. Pulling him back, he wraps his arms around the struggling boy. He murmurs soothing words to the boy until he begins to relax. When he calms down enough to hear him, Jason holds his shoulder, looking him directly in the eyes, "I'll take care of him. You are upsetting your mother." He gives Michael the slightest shake when he doesn't seem to hear Jason. "Michael! Look at your mother. You need to take care of her; I will take care of Jax."
Michael's eyes jump to Carly, seeing her arms wrapped protectively around her stomach and tears streaming down her face. He looks up, giving Jason a nod. When his uncle lets him go, he goes to his mom, giving her a hug. Carly holds him tightly to her, glaring at her husband over her son's head.
Jason's eyes narrow as he turns back to Jax, "Get out of this house and keep your mouth shut about Carly or…"
"Like hell," Jax yells. "This is my house. I'm staying here, and I'll be damned if I let that slut …"
Carly is barely able to hold Michael back as he leaps for Jax. He screams out, "I'll kill you! Don't talk about my mom like that!"
Jason commands in a booming voice that breaks through Michael's rage, "Michael, stop!" The authority in his uncle's voice has him obeying instinctively. "Go up and pack a bag. You, your brother, and your mother are coming home with me."
He looks uncertainly between Jax and Jason. Carly, seeing his hesitation, gently puts her hand on his cheek, turning his attention to her, "Can you do that for me? Will you please go tell Leticia to pack a bag for you and your brother, and help her so she doesn't forget anything important?"
He gives a reluctant nod, but doesn't leave immediately. He turns rage filled eyes onto Jax, "Don't talk to me or my brother or my mom ever again. I will hurt you if you keep saying bad stuff about her. You pretend to be all nice, but you're really just a bully who's nothing but garbage! I hope I never have to see you again!"
Carly gently runs her hand over the back of his head. "Go ahead. It'll be okay. Jason won't let him hurt me."
Jax scoffs as he rises to stand against the wall. With one more glare, Michael goes upstairs. Jason signals the guard to follow him.
Turning his attention back to his best friend's husband, he says in a deadly voice, "This is your last warning. Keep Carly's name out of your damn mouth! In fact, just stay away from her. Your lawyer can talk to her lawyer. If you mess with her or her kids, I will destroy you before I end you."
"Whatever," Jax dismisses him. Turning his eyes to Carly, she glimpses his sadness before it's quickly covered by anger, "I hope it's worth it, throwing away the life we could've had for this common thug."
"I am sorry it ended this way, Jax." She tells him softly, regret in her eyes. She glances at Jason, "But it is worth it."
She turns and leaves the room. Jason watches her leave, missing the calculated look that crosses Jax's face.
