Home | Happy Lowman/OC (Book 1)

finale

The sun was setting by the time Victoria made it to Jax Teller's house. She felt nervous as she stepped out of the driver's seat of Gemma's SUV and made her way up the sidewalk to the front door.

Victoria didn't know how Tara was going to react to her showing up on her doorstep after the afternoon they'd had, but she did know that Tara needed someone. Gemma was on house arrest, unable to come attend to her, and Lyla was caring for Abel so Tara didn't have so much responsibility on her shoulders.

She'd been filled in by Gemma about the deal Jax made with Stahl, that no one else knew, and now his life was in danger. Sons didn't make deals. They didn't play nice with the feds, and Gemma was terrified for her son's safety. Victoria couldn't imagine how Tara was feeling.

It was up to Victoria, she knew it was, to jump in and help Tara despite the overwhelming hole in her chest stemming from a missing Happy. She knew he'd want her to do this. He'd want her to be there for Tara. Happy had shown her she could stand on her own two feet, that she could make it in his world without his hand to hold, and this would be a true testament to whether or not staying had been the right choice.

She made it to the door and knocked, three quick wraps, and a moment later, the door swung open to reveal Chibs.

"Hey, darlin, what are you doin' here?" he asked, stepping aside to let her through.

Inside, the house was quiet. The television was off, and the only sound came from two more Sons sitting at the breakfast table in the kitchen—Kozik and Piney. They were deep in conversation, and only looked up long enough to say a quick hello.

"I wanted to check on Tara. Is she here?"

"She's in the nursery," Chibs said, pointing her in the right direction.

Victoria thanked him and headed down the hall, swallowing down her nerves.

She reached the right door and knocked on the frame. Inside, Tara sat on a couch, surrounded by sheets of paper. She looked up, wiping a few tears away, and smiled weakly. "Victoria, hey, what are you doing here?"

She stood up and came over, and Victoria enveloped her into a tight hug. It didn't feel weird or awkward. They were two women who'd lost important people today, and it felt good to have some kind of support.

"I thought you might like some company," Victoria said, holding her at arms length. "How are you holding up?"

Tara shrugged, a few more tears falling, and she stepped back into the room, taking her seat on the couch. She patted the spot beside her, and Victoria joined her.

"I shouldn't have let Lyla take Abel. I'm useless when he's not around." She ran a hand over her face. "This house is so quiet without them here."

Victoria sort of understood what she meant. The short amount of time she'd spent at the clubhouse without Happy and half of the Sons felt odd. Granted, she didn't have the history that Tara did, so her loss was probably much more significant and noticeable, but Victoria felt it either way.

"Is there anything I can do?"

Tara looked up at Victoria and sniffed away her tears. "I don't think so, but I appreciate that you came by. This is all so," she paused, leaning forward to rest her elbows on her knees, her head in her hands. "So messed up."

"He's going to be okay. They wouldn't really hurt him, would they?"

"You have no idea what the do to rats in prison," she whispered, voice tight with emotion. "God, why did he do it?"

Victoria reached out and took her hand and gave it a warm squeeze. "Jax is strong. They love him, they'll forgive him."

"No, they won't. Rats are thrown to the wolves. He'll have no protection, no one to watch his back."