Money Can't Buy Happiness

Chapter 47

"I appreciate it," she said with a smile.

Sons weren't there just for fun, they wanted to help promote and draw attention to the gym and it seemed to be working. They wouldn't admit it but they also enjoyed the new equipment compared to what they had at the clubhouse.

Katie disappeared into her office to handle some other business but in less than two hours she was interrupted by a sharp knock on the door. Looking up suspiciously, she shut her laptop stood and headed over to open the door.

"Gemma," she said with relief. "What can I do for you?"

"Got a minute?" Gesturing into the office Gemma had hoped to see Katie feeling intimidated, even just in the slightest, but she remained stoic.

"Sure," Katie stepped aside and let her in, shutting the door behind them. "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"You're cute," Gemma scoffed, knowing Katie was being sarcastic. "I think that's part of the problem."

"There's a problem between us?"

"Between you and my son," she said with annoyance. "Suing for custody? That's low."

"It's not Jax," Katie said quickly, "Not that it's any of your business. It's Tara. That's where the problem is."

"You got a problem with Jax, you got a problem with Tara," Gemma said sagely. "You know that, it's how it works with you and Happy too."

Katie slowly nodded, understanding a tiny bit more than she had before. "That's neither here nor there, though. They need to realize she's the one who made this necessary. So he needs to work on that."

"You want me to be honest?"

"I didn't think you were capable of anything less than brutal honesty, Gemma."

Gemma gave Katie a look, one she'd flashed to Tara and Jax before, but didn't go at her with some snappy comeback. "Tara is going to keep picking at your relationship with Jax, just like she tries to do with mine, but it's insecurity."

"Whoa," Katie laughed awkwardly. "I don't think this is really a good conversation to have. She's your daughter-in-law, I'm the enemy, it's kind of a conflict, isn't it?"

"I know my conflicts," she said with a smug grin. "This isn't one of them."

"Okay," Katie said suspiciously. "What are you doing here then?"

Gemma expected the question so her expression didn't change. "I never wanted Tara with Jax," she admitted what everyone already knew. "I tried to keep them apart but-"

"You did a shitty job," Katie chuckled.

Giving her a dirty look Gemma sat in the small armchair by the window and went on. "But I can see how she's good for him and I know why she's doing this. I'm asking you to take it easy on them."

"No," Katie growled. "If she respected me as Charlotte's mom it wouldn't have come to this. I tried. I fucking tried to make it work but she repeatedly disrespected me and the choices I made, with Jax, about how we wanted to raise our child."

Gemma was taken aback by Katie's snap but didn't show it. "And if the roles were reversed? If Happy had a child with another woman? You wouldn't try to have some role just to keep yourself relevant?"

"Relevant?" Kate inhaled sharply. "What the fuck? She's his wife, mother of his sons, there is no one else MORE relevant than her in his life, except maybe SAMCRO."

Scoffing, Gemma uncrossed her legs and leaned forward. "You wouldn't care?"

"No," Katie shrugged. "Actually I would want him to be a proper father but I wouldn't try to parent the kid. Tara sees Charlotte as a threat, Gemma, so she wants to swoop in and mother my child then push me away from Jax."