A Vow of Silence

Chapter 27.

Nicole

I wiped down the counters as I cleaned up the rest of the kitchen. Dinner was incredibly tense tonight considering what happened with Abel. The young child was the quietest he's ever been, and it pained me to see him so lost and confused. His father was equally quiet, stealing glances at his son every now and then trying to figure out what was going on in his tiny head.

There was nothing I could think of to say to ease both of their pains simultaneously. Abel was dealing with something heavy, something that was far too much of a burden for a child. Jax, on top of everything he's gone through and the constant new things that came with being president, was adding an extra layer to his problems with Abel. Everyone was so close, but yet it felt like they were miles apart.

Wendy had come a little while after dinner. She had been the one to grab everything that belonged to the boys from Gemma's house. I asked her to do this because I knew that if I was left alone with Gemma all hell would break loose. I was so incredibly furious with her and a part of me wondered how Tara managed to deal with someone so insufferable.

Perhaps there were some good times that made up for the bad. But considering my theory of Gemma killing her own daughter-in-law, there just simply weren't enough good times to prevent that I suppose.

"Hey, I guess I better get going," Wendy said getting up from the couch. She shoved her hands in her pockets and shifted her weight from her left to her right leg. "Thank you for doing this Nicole," she said quietly.

I shook my head, dismissing her gratitude. "You don't have to thank me for anything. I told you, Wendy, I'm here to help, I'm not here to replace."

She pursed her lips as if searching for more to say, but then she was interrupted by the sound of Abel's door creaking open. I could hear Abel's light footsteps before he came into view in the living room. Jax looked at his son expectantly, while the child approached his father timidly.

"Hey buddy, what are you doing up?" Jax asked Abel in a soft tone.

"May I have some water, please?" Abel asked, his voice hoarse.

Wendy offered to go grab him some, but I stopped her as I went to do it myself. I brought a small cup back to Abel and he thanked me before taking a sip. I took a few steps back as I watched Jax interact with Abel, while Wendy sat in the chair across from them.

Jax held out his arms for Abel, who willingly went to his father. It wasn't lost on me, the way Abel interacted with his dad. Although he respected him, he loved him dearly and the calming effect Jax had on Abel was evident.

"I want to tell you something, Abel. And I want you to try and really understand, okay?" Jax asked the question gently before Abel nodded his head in agreement. "You remember when I told you that me and mommy got married when you were three years old?"

"Yeah," Abel cocked his head to the side, trying to remember the conversation and its relevance.

"And that you didn't come from mommy's tummy like Thomas did? That's because you came out of another mommy's tummy. Do you know whose tummy that was?" Abel shook his head softly at Jax as the realization showed across his little features. "It was Wendy's tummy. Wendy was your first mommy."

My mouth fell open slightly as I witnessed Jax's confession to Abel. I knew Wendy was Abel's biological mother, however, I didn't think Jax would have fessed up to Abel yet. But the look on Wendy's teary-eyed face told me that she was just as shocked as I was.

"That's some big news, right?" Jax chuckled, "You see, Daddy and Wendy used to be married, but we realized that we were better off as friends. That's why she's here now, she's going to help take care of you now that you need a mommy, okay?" Abel nodded his head softly as his father continued, "There are so many people here that love you, Abel. Don't forget that, okay."

Abel nodded his head and then turned his attention to look at Wendy. I got a bit anxious when I saw the wheels turning in his head. He was so much like Jax in the way that he kept his feelings in. But this was a good thing, him learning the truth.

"Do you want to ask me anything, Abel?" Wendy smiled at him warmly.

"No," he said shaking his head softly. He turned his attention to me and looked me in the eyes. "Are you going to leave now that I have a mommy, Nicky?"

I chuckled softly as I held out my arms for him. He slid off his father's lap and leaned up against my bent knee. "Do you want me to leave now?" I asked him seriously. He shook his head softly, "Then I'm going to stay for however long you want." He nodded his head, seemingly satisfied with my answer.

"Alright, big guy, go on to bed. I'll be there in a minute," Jax said as he sent Abel back into his room. I couldn't help the small smile on my face as I watched Abel walk away. I didn't know how this news would affect Abel from here on out, but I was hoping that his luck would change after this.

Wendy disappeared into the kitchen in a hurry when Abel's door closed, and Jax gave me a look. "That's all you tiger," I said giving him a smirk. He inhaled a sharp breath as he braced himself before heading behind Wendy. I figured that she was just overwhelmed, and I didn't mind them sharing in this tender moment together.

I could hear her repeated gratitude coming from the kitchen. It gave me a fuzzy feeling in my chest to know that at least someone around here got some good news today. It didn't take long for her to leave shortly after promising to meet with me tomorrow to go over a good schedule for Bobby and the boys.

When the door closed, Jax wrapped his arms around me from where I sat on the couch. He pressed a kiss into my neck, which tickled me due to the hair on his face. His lips eventually met mine with a few pecks for good measure. "You good?" he asked me.

"As long as I'm here with you," I caressed his face and went over the lines on his face. "You're tired, baby," I commented. He nodded his head solemnly, knowing that the exhaustion I spoke of couldn't be fixed with a nap or two.

"I know," I said softly, placing a kiss on the rings that decorated his hands. "You down to run away with me? You ready to hang it up, old man?"

Jax snorted, "You make the plan, I'll get the ride," he ended the saying with a smile that earned him another kiss on his pillow-soft lips. "I better go tuck him in before he gets antsy," he said referring to Abel. I nodded my head softly as he walked towards Abel's room. He held onto my fingers until he was too far away to hold on to them any longer.

I watched how he walked away. His shoulders slumped down, the drag of his feet along the carpet. My old man was tired, exhausted even. And there was no relief here in this town, there was no relief anywhere in Charming.