Chapter 202
Jax's Point of View
The subtle scent of sunflowers and ivy filled my nostrils, the sweet honey scent not too overpowering but enough to make you notice it. I had to admit, the alter looked beautiful decked out in yellow sunflowers, ivy and miniature white daisy's. I wasn't much for girly shit, but this was actually okay. It fit both mine and Rowan's personality. I reached over and pulled a small daisy out of the archway and showed it to Rae, her little fingers fumbling over the delicate petals. She squealed in my arms, flailing her little chubby legs against my side. "Pretty flower." I whispered, chuckling, letting her have the flower, watching it crumble to the ground mere seconds later.
After helping Opie with the bonfire I went and found Gemma and hadn't put Raelynn down since. Her fine blonde hair was pinned back away from her face, making her apple cheeks all the more kissable. The white flower girl dress she had on with a dark blue ribbon around the waist made her look like a china doll. She was adorable and completely mesmerized by me. I stood with her on my hip while she kept touching my beard, wide eyed, saying, "Dadee!"
"Dadee!" It was like she was shocked I was here or as if she were trying to figure out if I were real or not. Her little blue eyes cut right through me.
I kissed her forehead, letting my lips linger against her soft skin. "I'm right here, baby girl, daddy's not going anywhere, ever again." I held her close to my chest and rocked back and forth. Her arms locked around my neck as she nuzzled her head against my shoulder, fighting sleep. "I love you so much." I whispered to her, watching her eyelids become heavy and her breathing slow as she dozed off in my arms, content.
Guests had started to arrive about two hours ago and I was beginning to wonder when they would stop coming. How many fucking people did Lena and Rowan invite? I knew about some, but this seemed like way more than I'd anticipated. Hordes of people mingled by their seats and along the patio leading to the reception area. It was mostly SAMCRO. A few other charters had been invited from different cities. Some girls Rowan went to school with. She didn't have any other family to invite so it was mostly our club family. Alvarez and a few Mayans had showed up. The Grim Bastards and Niners were in attendance as well. It was a real who's who of bad guys.
Laughter and indistinguishable chatter filled the air around me. Everyone was enjoying a beer that they'd grabbed themselves out of the wheelbarrow coolers Lena had made. Opies kids ran by chasing each other, making me smirk. It was good to see them being kids, not trampled by the weight of Donna's absence.
I rubbed Raelynn's back and looked down at Abel. He hadn't left my side since he saw me. I put my hand on his head and he looked up at me, smiling.
"How you doing? Huh?" I grinned.
The sound of Lena's voice made me look up. She smiled and pointed to Abel. "I need to borrow this little guy." She knelt down in front of him and took his little hands in hers. "I've got a very special job for you, do you wanna help me?"
Abel nodded and walked into her arms. Lena spun him around, laughing. "It's almost time! Rowan is gonna knock your socks off, Jax."
I grinned, my imagination running wild, the anticipation almost becoming too much. I was ready to have her in my arms. "I can't wait. This is killing me." My heart fucking stopped when I saw her coming towards me down those patio steps earlier. We'd visited each other while I was in prison, but being back out and seeing her, being able to hold her without fearing a guard would interrupt, was an incredibly surreal feeling. I was so lucky that she loved me and chose to wait fourteen months for me. Not many women can handle having someone on the inside, but from what I've been told she handled it with grace and strength.
