White Lies

Chapter 2

After much discussion, Rory allowed Parker to take her to the hospital for a few stitches and to accompany her to pick up Emma. It wasn't necessary, like she had said to him repeatedly, but Rory appreciated his concern and the company.

"What's up, Emmy?" He asked Emma as she raced to greet her mother and gave him an excited high five.

"Hi sweetie." Rory said as she scooped her daughter up. "How was your morning?"

"Mama, you got a booboo!" Her little fingers ran along the Band-Aid. "Are you okay?"

"I'm okay."

Seeing she was still upset at seeing her mother injured, Parker took over with more enthusiasm than Rory could muster. "Your mommy saved the day, Em."

"Really?"

"Yeah, there was this guy," Parker tweaked the story and animatedly told Emma how Rory had saved him. "She's cool, huh?"

"Really?" The little girl looked at Rory in disbelief. "Does Daddy know how cool you are, Mama?"

"No one knows." Parker said quietly. "She's like a superhero."

It didn't feel right, pretend or not, to tell her three year old that Happy was kept in the dark at all. It may have been an overreaction but Rory shook her head, it wasn't a lesson she wanted to teach her daughter. "Daddy knows," she assured Emma. "We're superheroes together and Parker is our sidekick."

Parker laughed and nodded, eyeing Rory as they made their way to the cars. "Good one." He remarked as she shut the back door after strapping Emma in. "Sorry that was inappropriate."

"It's okay. I know you weren't attempting to ostracize Happy. I'm just super mindful of the cohesive family unit, no secrets, mommy and daddy are a unified front type thing. She has no idea that I hate to even look at him right him, she doesn't need to and she never will not that she needs to. We'll get through it."

"I know you will." He draped his arm around her as they walked around to the driver's side of her car. "He's on an overnighter, right?"

"He is."

"Why don't I take you two out for dinner? There's that little pizza joint that opened up, I know you both love pizza and I know you'll both sulk without Happy, mad at him or not."

"Okay." It didn't take much to convince her. "We'll meet you there around six."

"Sounds like a plan."

--

The guys crowded into Jury's and were immediately met with sweet butts holding cold beers. Grateful, the all took them and headed over to catch up with Jury and his VP.

"After you make the drop you're welcome to stay, relax, take a load off." Jury said as he snapped at the bartender for her attention.

"I'm gonna blow a load," Tig chuckled.

"Or before, I'm not sure how SAMCRO functions after a bender."

"Let's do the drop." Happy grumbled. The girls were hot, slutty hot, but he couldn't stop thinking of Rory and it infuriated him.

Jax nodded in agreement knowing Happy and Tig would take the party to another level and be useless the next morning. "Yeah, I need clear heads."

"Jury, I want those two." Tig grinned, licking his lips, as he pointed out the thick, curvy blonde and the tattooed brunette to her left. "For an all nighter."

"Anything you boys want."

"Hap, did you see that one? The purple hair and the huge tits, she was eyeing you up." Tig was giddy as they left the bar.

"Don't led him astray." Jax joked. "Shit I'll be the only one not getting off tonight. Keep the faith, Hap."

"You two could suck each other off." Bobby laughed as they mounted their bikes. "How do you think your old ladies would feel about that?"

Happy and Jax both shuttered at the idea and gave Bobby a few hard thumps.

--

Emma say in the booster swinging her legs happily as she sucked on her milk. Rory and Parker ordered much needed beers and waited on their cheese fries hoping the little one didn't get too out of hand before they came.

"Thanks for this. We both need it."

He shrugged and made funny faces at Emma. "You guys are all I have. I have a better relationship with Em than my own nieces, I like spending time with you."

"You like," she tapped her nose to signal drug use, "With Happy I know that much."

"You wanna talk about that."

Rory looked at Emma and frowned seeing Happy in the girl's profile. "I think the piece of paper changed things. We're having trouble with number two," she pointed over Emma's head. "It's me, the chemo, but it's affecting both of us. It's the mindset you know? If we sat and discussed things we'd be fine, if we got out of heads to see its just us but that's not happening."

"Why?" Parker sat back as their waitress dropped off the fries and three appetizer plates.

Setting a few aside, and blowing on them before handing them to Emma, Rory shrugged. "Pride, I guess and I'm just so mad at him but I don't know why. I guess I blame him for feeling so weird, the marriage was his idea the second baby was mine."

"That was his idea?" There was no hiding Parker's surprise. "I mean I don't know him that well personally but I never thought he'd make that call." Without really thinking, Parker put his hand on her knee beneath the table. "I'm sorry, Rory."

"Thanks, Parker."

They shared a sweet smile and a look certain look that Rory couldn't describe when out of nowhere her phone rang out.

"Is that Daddy?" Emma asked excitedly.

Rory saw it was and nodded. "It's FaceTime baby. Say hi to Daddy." Answering the call Rory never once looked at the screen and let Emma hold the phone.

"Hey baby." His gravely voice filled Rory will an equal mix of hate and love. Her stomach turned as she listened. "Where are you?"

"Out for dinner with Mommy and Parker."

"Oh really?" Rory knew that tone, she looked at Parker and rolled her eyes, before glancing down. "There's Mommy. What happened to your head?"

"Fender bender, I'm fine. How's it going?"

"Slow. Boring." He was outside the Indian Hills clubhouse while the party raged inside. "I'll be home late afternoon tomorrow."

"Why don't you just come home now?" Rory asked with Emma nodding dramatically beside her.

"I'm beat." He said quickly. "Just gonna hang and get a few hours before I come home."

Flashes of Happy and some random Nevada piece of ass filled Rory's head. She couldn't shake the feeling. The anger she felt and the uncertainty between them didn't change how devastating just the idea of his cheating was for her.

"I love you, Happy." She spoke in a whisper but the words were strong. "Please remember that?"

Happy cursed her inwardly. Between those words and the looks on his girls' faces he was feeling guilt over something he'd only imagined doing.

"I do. Love you too, both of you. Tell Parker I'll kick his ass if anything happens to you."

Emma laughed. "Daddy," she whispered excitedly. "Mommy is a superhero, she won't get hurt!"

"Long story," Rory said with a giggle. "Be careful, be good."

"You too."