Laugthers filled the car on their way to the grocery store, both women singing along to the song playing on the radio⸺ neither of them hitting the right note. It was the perfect rock song to brighten up the day and make it even better than it already was.
"I'm so glad they could fix your car. I hated to see the sad look on your face everytime you had to get into my boring ass car", Dawn said jokingly. Mocking Cleo for the unconditional love her friend had for her car was always fun.
"Your car wasn't so bad", Cleo shrugged slightly as a smirk made it's way onto her glowing face. "It just wasn't my baby."
"The love you have for your car creeps me out. But then I remember that Tig is my dad. There shouldn't be much that creeps me out", Dawn let out a laugh.
"So the guys can love their bikes like it's their child but I can't love my car or what?", Cleo countered, smirking.
Thanks to the guys, she was able to pick her car up only a few minutes ago at TM. After the accident they had told her it was impossible to save it, little did she know that's exactly what they did behind her back to surprise her with it almost a year later.
Lyla gave her a call and told her there was an emergency at the clubhouse. The woman's acting skills were so good that the blonde easily could've become an actress in the past instead of a porn star.
Of course there hadn't been an emergency, everything was fine. They just got Lyla and Dawn involved in the surprise since the two women were able to pull it off better.
"You can love whatever you want", the Trager woman rolled her eyes in amusement, taking a good look at her friend who happily sat in the driver's seat with her eyes fixed on the road. Dawn took in Cleo's features and the glowing skin, the constant smile on her face and the overall change for the better.
Cleo deserved this kind of happiness after all the shit she and Jax went through. The loss of their baby, Gemma's and Tara's betrayal, the shit show with Cleo's dad. No wonder her best friend had a hard time putting on a smile. But now it was much easier for Cleo to laugh again. Since getting pregnant and moving in with Jax, it seemed like a huge load had been lifted from her shoulders.
"Pregnancy suits you, baby, you're glowing", Dawn stated matter of factly, a sincere smile hushed over her face.
At the red light, Cleo turned her attention to Dawn and smiled gratefully, appreciating her best friend's words.
"Thank you, Dawn." A moment of silence filled the car. Cleo's mouth opened a few times but the words just didn't come out. Only when Dawn put a hand over one of hers with a sympathetic look Cleo found the right words.
"You know, I never thought I'd be ready to try for another baby. I was too afraid we could lose it again even with Gemma and Tara gone", the brunette sighed softly, gently running a hand over the clearly visible baby bump. "But then I found out I'm pregnant again and I was just so grateful and happy about it. Yet a part of me feels bad though."
"You feel bad for what, Cleo?", Dawn asked softly, taking her hand off Cleo's to put it over the one resting on her baby bump. "That little girl in there couldn't have asked for a better momma."
"You think?", Cleo asked with a small smile. "Sometimes it just feels like I'm trying to replace our rainbow baby with her, but that's not true."
"Of course that's not true. You're not replacing anyone here, baby. This pregnancy was meant to happen. You and Jax needed such good news", Dawn smiled back at her friend, quickly sticking her hand out of the window to give the driver behind them the middle finger for honking twice and yelling some rude shit out of his window.
"I think that's our fault." Cleo just let out a soft laugh, noticing the green light. The driver behind them had every right to honk, which is why the brunette quickly put both hands back on the steering wheel and drove off.
"And? He could've been nicer about it", Dawn shrugged with a smirk. "So, you thought about a name for my niece yet?"
"Your niece. That sounds sweet, I like it", Cleo hummed, nodding in approval. Since Enrico asked Dawn to marry him only three weeks ago the Trager woman would be the baby's official auntie anyway soon. "And no, we haven't yet. Any suggestions?"
"Well, duh, that's what she is", Dawn said as if it was obvious that she was the aunt anyway. "Don't ask me why but Enrico and I have talked about names for the little princess and have puzzled over which name you will choose. And we came up with two pretty names."
Amused by the fact her brother and soon to be sister in law had already thought about a baby name and Jax and her hadn't yet, the brunette raised a brow and chuckled.
"Tell me, maybe we'll take one of those names", Cleo told her, excitement rose in her.
"Enrico came up with Mariana and I thought Leticia sounded nice." With curiosity, Dawn studied her friend waiting for a reaction. She knew how much it would mean to Enrico if his sister and Jax would choose one of those names.
"Both names sound good", Cleo said, surprised the two picked such beautiful names. "But I feel like the name Mariana would be perfect for the little princess."
Leticia did sound nice, no doubt, but Cleo leaned more towards the other name. Mariana, there was just something beautiful about it. The name fitted perfectly with a gentle but confident personality. That's exactly what she wanted for her daughter. A certain loving, gentle nature with enough confidence to know when someone is just taking advantage of her.
"Mhm..I think so, too", Dawn agreed, humming softly. Then her eyes grew wide as they came to a stop in front of Abel's school. They had to pass the building to make it to the grocery store and what the Trager woman saw infuriated her.
"Cleo stop!" Dawn grabbed her friend's arm, squeezing it in an alarming way before she nodded to the side. "Look!"
The brunette stopped the car immediately at Dawn's alarming grip on her arm, a wave of acid welling up in her throat at the sight that was given to her. Gemma stood at the fence, holding something out to Abel who kept his distance to the woman, yet he seemed to be curious about what she wanted from him.
Cleo quickly parked her car and literally jumped out of it, storming towards the woman she felt nothing but disgust for. Gemma was responsible for the death of her first baby, something that Cleo didn't want and could never forgive.
"The fuck are you doing here?! Does Jax know you're here to see his son?", Cleo spat, venom dripping from her voice. Hatred flashed in her eyes as she eyed the startled woman.
"Cleo please. I can't live without my babies", Gemma pleaded, nothing but sadness left in the older woman eyes. She was nothing more than a shadow of herself.
"Your babies", Cleo repeated Gemma's words with a bitter laugh and crossed her arms over her chest. "You'll never learn your limits, huh?"
"You really have a nerve, woman", Dawn scoffed and shook her head before she turned around to face Abel. "Hi baby, why don't you go back to your friends, hm? I'll pick you up after school."
It was planned since a week that Dawn would pick Abel up from school today and Enrico Thomas from daycare anyway since Cleo and Jax had an appointment at the doctor's office to see how their baby was doing.
"You sure I can go back? Grandma wanted to tell me something", the little boy asked meekly. He was all confused by Gemma's sudden visit, just like Cleo and Dawn were.
"I'm sure, yes. Grandma was about to leave anyway." Dawn stuck her hand through the fence to caress Abel's cheek while she tried her best to stay calm.
What kind of teachers were responsible here? Not a single one had noticed that Abel was being spoken to by a woman, let alone that the boy was much further away from the playground than the other children.
"You have no right to interfere! It's not your decision whether or not I can see my grandson", Gemma snarled angrily at the Trager woman who just let out a laugh and shook her head in disbelief.
"She has more rights over my kids than you have and ever will have again, Gemma", Cleo seethed at the matriarch before she looked at Abel, a weak smile forming on her lips. "Listen do auntie Dawn and go back to your friends, sweetie."
"Will she hurt you again, mommy?", Abel asked, nervously fiddling with her hands.
His words took not only Cleo off guard but also Gemma who earned a satisfied look from Dawn. Cleo felt sad for all the traumatic events Abel had to went through, most of them caused by his own mother and his grandma. Her sweet boy was still afraid Gemma could hurt her and it broke her heart that a four year old had to live with such fears.
"N⸺no, baby, I would never hurt Cleo", Gemma stuttered.
"But you did", Abel, who's lips were trembling, argued sternly, stomping his feet to the ground. "And you hurt Thommy and me and got daddy all worried about us!"
"Not what you expected to hear from him, huh?", Dawn was back on her feet, standing next to her best friend's side and eyed the older woman up and down with disgust.
"Abel, that was an accident⸺", Gemma was quickly cut off by Cleo who slapped the woman across the face. Normally, she would never do such a thing in front of a child but she lost all control over her body.
To see how upset Abel was triggered something in Cleo. The urge to protect that little boy at all costs was heavy and she would do anything to keep more drama away from him.
"Leave before I call Jax", the brunette whispered darkly, taking one step closer to a speechless Gemma who was holding her burning cheek. "If I ever see you near one of my babies again, I'll kill you myself!"
"You're lucky you're pregnant", Gemma muttered under her breath. Feeling humiliated made her feel a certain rage and made her say words she would later regret. "Better be careful this time, baby, not that you lose another one."
Cleo was shaking with anger by now, tears threatening to fall down her cheeks. Everytime she got mad and couldn't let it out the way she wanted and had to keep it inside made her cry in frustration⸺ but the didn't want to give Gemma so much satisfaction.
"You did not just say that", Dawn huffed, even she was shocked by Gemma's chosen words and it took a lot to shock the Trager woman.
"That baby is better off without a junkie mother, but who am I telling that? You're not much better than Cleo", Gemma countered nonchalantly, lighting up a cigarette.
Gemma triggered any insecurities Cleo had at the beginning of both pregnancies. Would she be a good mother? She had always asked herself that question but never found an answer.
"Leave, now", Cleo warned again, her voice barely a whisper yet there was so much power in it. Her hands were balled to fists and if Gemma wouldn't leave, one of them would end up getting arrested.
Gemma's gaze met Abel's disappointed one once more, a pain ripped through her as she saw the hatred on the little one's face. Defeated, she lowered her head and slowly walked away without another word.
Cleo stood there, not able to move or say anything. She felt trapped in her own mind, still fearing that Gemma's words were true. Once a junkie, always a junkie. That was the saying everyone knew and that always stuck with her.
While she was stuck in her own little world, Dawn made sure to calm down Abel and get him to go back to play with his friends, which he did after he made Dawn promise him to keep an eye on Cleo.
"Hey", Dawn said softly, giving Cleo's shoulder a comforting squeeze. "Let's go back to the clubhouse and talk to Jax, the groceries can wait."
"Do you think I'll be a bad mom? What if she's right and the kids are better off without me?" Cleo swallowed the lump in her throat, her dull eyes meeting Dawn's.
"Bad moms never asked themselves if they're a good mom", Dawn assured the brunette with a smile and gave her a heartwarming hug. "You're so worried that you won't be a good mom, which already makes you a great one."
Dawn's words held such a power in them that Cleo couldn't help but believe them. She wrapped her petite arms around her best friend and let out a deep breath.
"I don't know what I'd do without you, Dawn", she muttered against her friends shoulder while they just stood there hugging each other, not giving a shit about what people might think about them.
"You would be lost, just like everyone else", Dawn joked, making both of them burst out into laughter.