I stand in the garage with Gemma behind me, moving things out of the way for me to grab the high chair. I trip over something and let out a curse, "Shit! Who knew we had so much crap in this garage?!" I hiss, finally grabbing the high chair.
Gemma lets out a chuckle, "No matter how much time you spend cleaning it out, you always end up with more and more."
"Great." I mutter before going to walking out of the room.
"Hey, can I ask you something?" She asks and I turn back to look at her, "Yeah?"
She takes a step towards me, pulling a piece of paper out of her pocket, "Mind telling me what this is?"
I put the chair down and grab the piece of paper off of her and read it over, recognising Maureen Ashby's note that came with the letters. I look up at her, "Where did you get this?"
"It fell out of one of Abel's colouring books. What letters?" She asks, her eyes on me.
I shake my head confused, "I don't know, I haven't seen these in almost a year. I went looking for them a few months ago but I couldn't find them." I say as I look down at the paper once more.
"Did you read them?" She asks and I shake my head, "No, I was beginning to read them on the night the guys got arrested but then everything with Opie and Mason happened and I never got around to it."
"When was the last time you saw them?" She asks as she takes the paper off of me and I squint my eyes, thinking back.
"I remember coming out from the bathroom when Tara was here and I saw Abel playing with them. I took them off of him and placed them on the table. That was the last time I saw them." I say.
I look at her and see her deep in thought, "Everything alright?"
She nods her head, "Everything's fine baby." She says quickly.
"You sure?" I ask and she nods her head, "Yeah baby."
I give her a look for a moment before I pick up the chair once more and we make our way into the kitchen and I see Jax and Clay in deep talk. They stop once they see us as I clip the leg of the chair on the door and I roll my eyes frustratedly. Jax scrunches his eyebrows up at me, "You using that?" He asks.
I nod my head, "Yeah, it's Abel's old one." I say, Clay leaning over to grab it off of me.
"It's a piece of shit, by a new one." He says and I look at him, "Really?"
He nods his head, "Yeah."
I look over at it before turning back to him, "Well we should probably put it in storage just in case one of the guys needs it." I say and he gives me a smirk, "Okay, keys in the junk drawer"
"Okay." I smile before turning and walking towards our room.
I look through the drawer and grab them out. I look up at the dresser and see my engagement ring and a smile comes to my face. I quickly slip the ring onto my finger before making my way back into the room and I hear the doorbell, "Looks like people are arriving." I say.
Gemma gives me a smile and turns to Clay, "Get the door babe."
He gives her a sweet smile and turns to leave when Abel runs into his legs, "Hey, watch it there buddy." He chuckles, ruffling up the kids hair.
I chuckle as he walks in and over to Gemma, "How's my boy?" She asks and I smile.
I turn and see Chibs, Piney and Bobby walk in, Tig, Kozack, Juice and Happy not too far behind them. I smile as Chibs walks over and wraps his arm around me, "Hello my beautiful girl." He says, giving me a quick kiss and I smile, "Hello my handsome man." I smile back.
"Hey, hands off my girl old man." Jax says playfully from his seat and Chibs turns to him, "Someone had to keep her bed warm while you weren't there."
Jax laughs as Tig wraps his arm around my shoulder, "Too bad it wasn't me, that kid would look totally different." He says.
"Yeah, a lot uglier!" Happy says and I let out a laugh, the guys laughing too.
"You're all such sleazy old men, just let my son and his girl be happy." Gemma says, walking over with Abel in his arms.
"Ahh you're just jealous Gem because you ain't the only girl in our lives no more." Bobby says.
"But you're still one of the prettiest." Piney states, placing a kiss on her cheek.
Chibs takes Abel out of Gemma's arms and I chuckle as I walk over to Jax, "Mind getting the barbecue ready babe? Better start getting breakfast ready, I gotta be in at work by twelve." I say.
He nods his head, "Sure thing babe." He says.
I smile and place a long kiss on his lips and I hear the guys wolf whistle and cheer from behind us. I pull back and Jax has a massive smile on his face as he stands up and passes Thomas to Juice. The guys all walk outside and soon I hear the door bell again. I turn to Gemma, "Mind starting the eggs?" I ask.
"Sure baby." She says as I leave the room.
I walk to the door and open it up to see Opie and Lyla there and I smile at them, "Kids at school?" I ask and they nod, "Yeah." Opie says.
"Boys are out back, women are in the kitchen." I state.
"Good, where they belong." Opie says jokingly and both Lyla and I punch him in the arms.
"Jerk!" She says and he chuckles, "You love me." He says before placing a kiss on her lips.
They walk on inside and I see Tara pull up, closely followed by Wayne. They get out of their cars and walk over. I give Wayne a kiss on the cheek, "Boys out back Wayne." I say.
"Alright darling." He says and I turn to Tara and David, "Hey you two."
David smiles at me, "Does this mean I'm kicked out back with the guys too?" He asks and I chuckle, "Of course, but don't worry they don't bite that hard." I say.
He turns to Tara and she smiles, "You'll be fine babe."
He places a kiss on her lips before giving me a wink, making his way out to the guys. I turn to Tara, "Think he'll survive the inquisition?" I ask, looking out after him.
She chuckles, "I think he'll be fine."
We make our way into the kitchen where Lyla and Gemma are making the eggs. Tara and I set to work making the fruit salad and soon enough breakfast is ready. We all sit around the three foldout tables in the backyard, the food sitting in front of us. Everyone begins to eat and I feed Thomas, a sheet covering over him as I breastfeed. Abel sits on Jax's lap and Jax helps him eat, a big smile on his face as he talks to the others.
After awhile he turns to me as I put my clothes back in place, Thomas' feeding time over. He turns and looks at me, "Should we tell them now?" He asks.
I give him a smile and nod my head, placing my ring hand on his cheek, "Go ahead babe." I say, giving him a long kiss.
He pulls away with the biggest smile on his face and stands up and hands Abel to Opie who sits beside him and he holds a drink up in his hand, "Everyone listen up! I've got an announcement." He calls out, drawing the whole tables attention.
He glances down at me and I beam up at him before he turns to everyone on the table, "After years of chasing each other around from the backyard of Ma's house, the clubhouse and everywhere else we've been these past twenty five years... Emily and I are finally getting married!" He announces.
The tables erupts into cheers and yelling, everyone throwing their arms up in the air in excitement. A massive blush covers my cheeks as people rush towards me.
"It's about bloody time!" I hear Chibs yell as he wraps his arms around me and I wrap my free arm around him and smile brightly, "I know right, took him long enough!" I say, giving Jax a mischievous wink.
He smiles at me and Chibs moves away, taking Thomas with him so I can freely hug people. Lyla and Tara converge on me, David not too far behind as they inspect my ring and fire questions at me. Vaguely I hear Jax from over them talking to David, "Watch out David, looks like Tara's getting ideas!"
I look over at David and see him shaking his head, "Let her have all the ideas in the world, it's not happening for a long time yet!" He says, pulling her against him.
He smiles and kisses him as Juice walks towards me, "Congratulations Emily." He says, giving me a bear hug.
"Thanks Juicey." I smile, pulling away after a moment.
Gemma walks towards me with a resigned smile on her face, "I wonder how long it would be before you told people." She says and I roll my eyes as I hug her, "Of course you knew. I expect nothing less from Gemma Teller." I say.
I pull away and she gives me a smile, tucking a loose strand of hair away from my face, "Your future mother in law now." She says.
I smile at her and Opie comes over and gives me a hug, "Congrats Ems." He says and I hold him tightly.
"Thanks Ope, I honestly don't know where I would be if I didn't have you these past fourteen months, let alone these past thirty years." I say, pulling back and looking him in the eye.
He gives me a big smile and soon enough everyone has gotten their hugs and has finished their meals. People begin to leave either going to the clubhouse or to work. I clean up a bit before getting ready for work and by the time I come out its mostly done. I grab my bag, phone and keys before making my way out to the kitchen with thirty minutes to spare.
I hear Thomas crying from down the hallway and I walk in to see Jax stand up from the table, "I think he might need a change." He says, handing him over to me.
I take a whiff and I scoff, "Yeah, you think?" I ask, placing my bag on the table and grabbing his change mat, wipe and diaper.
"You know, these are actually disposable? You just take them off and put a new one on." I say to Jax, laying Thomas down and beginning to change him.
"Really?" Jax asks sarcastically, "And here I thought this whole raising kids thing was so hard on you."
I look at him and let out a sardonic laugh as he puts on his cut and hoddie with a teasing smirk on his face.
"Just get out of here before you're swimming in baby piss." Gemma states.
He walks over and gives me a kiss before pulling back, "I love you." He says, trying to be cute.
"I love you too." I murmur, a smile on my face.
He turns to leave and I call out to him, changing Thomas' diaper, "Remember, four thirty!" I say.
"I won't forget!" He calls back out sing songly and I roll my eyes, pulling on Thomas's pants.
"What's at four?" Gemma asks, as Abel stands between her legs.
I pick Thomas up and walk over to her, handing him over, "Well Jax found out about Mason last night."
She gives me a look and I shake my head, "Long story but he's meeting him today. Debra and Harrison are going to drop him off, I thought it best if Mason met him alone first."
Gemma looks at me with wide eyes, "That's a big step, for both of them."
I nod my head as I hand Thomas over to her, "Yeah, I know."
"You think he's ready?" She asks as I grab my bag and keys.
I turn and look at her and shrug my shoulders, "He's gonna have to be."
She looks at me for a long moment and I step forward, placing a kiss on her cheek, "See you later." I say.
I give Thomas a big kiss as well as Abel, "I'll see you this afternoon boys."
"Bye Mommy." Abel says as I turn and walk out of the kitchen, grabbing the high chair with me.
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I park out front of the hospital and make my way up to Tara's office, sliding my sunglasses onto the top of my head. I walk through the familiar hallways until I reach her door and knock.
"Come in?" She asks.
I open the door and she looks up, "Oh hey," She says before glancing down at her watch, "Just give me a second. I gotta quickly sort this out." She says, nodding to the paperwork on her desk.
I nod and walk over, taking a seat on the lounge in her office. I look over at her and my conversation with Gemma comes to mind from this morning, "Tara?"
"Yeah?" She asks, not looking up as she writes.
"You know how I found those letters from Maureen Ashby?" I ask slowly.
She looks up from her paperwork, "Yeah..." She replies, confusion in her tone.
"You didn't by any chance take them did you?" I ask, my eyes on her.
Her face scrunches up in confusion, "No, why would I do that?"
I shrug my shoulders and shake my head, "I don't know. I found the note amongst Abel's colouring book and I just remember that the last time I saw them was when I was with you. I don't know, knowing me I probably just placed them somewhere that I can't remember." I say, blowing off my suspicions.
She chuckles quickly, "All the baby brain."
I smile and she quickly signs off one last thing before getting to her feet, "Alright, so the storage unit?" She asks as she places some paperwork in her handbag.
I get to my feet and nod my head, "Yeah, I gotta drop off this high chair before I go pick up Jax. You picking up David's car?" I ask as we walk out of her office.
She locks it before we walk towards the direction of the car park, "Yeah. David had to borrow my car because his is at the shop. He gave me a lift to work this morning."
I nod my head as we get into the elevator, "What are you and Jax up to tonight?" She asks.
I let out a breath before running my fingers through my hair, "Jax is meeting Mason this afternoon." I say after a moment.
She turns and looks at me with wide eyes and open mouth, "What?" She gasps.
I nod my head, "I met up with Mason yesterday to help him buy gifts for his parents anniversary and I bought Jax a gift too. He found it and I couldn't really come up with an explanation so I told him." I explain.
We reach the bottom floor and we make our way out of the hospital towards my car, "That's massive, how did Jax react."
I open the car door and we get in, "He was angry that I didn't tell him about Mason sooner, but mostly he just wanted to meet Mason. I mean, Mason has been wanting to meet Jax for a really long time now. I don't know, Mason is coming over to our house tonight for dinner."
"His parents aren't coming?" She asks as I pull out of the lot and turn to drive towards the storage unit.
I shake my head, "No, I discussed it with them and I asked if it could just be him for now. Debra and Harrison have been iffy about Jax since they found out he was in prison. It took them a long time to leave me alone with Mason. But they trust me with him, knowing that I won't let anything happen to him. I took a lot of convincing but they finally agreed. So they are going to have dinner in Charming while Mason is with us."
She shakes her head in amazement, "Wow, Jax is finally going to meet Mason."
I look at the road and a smile comes to my face, "Yeah, I know."
We pull up out front of the storage unit and I turn to Tara, "You open it up, I'll get the chair out of the car."
She nods her head and I pull the keys out of my bag and hand them to her. We both get out of the car and I begin to pull the chair out of the car. It takes a while but eventually I get it out. I shut the door and make my way over to the unit and I see Tara putting a box down on top of another.
"What you got there?" I ask, nodding towards the box as I place the chair down.
She looks at it for a moment, "Ahh, the box fell down, must have been knocked over when the last person was here. I'm just putting it back in place."
I nod my head, "Alright. We better make our way over to the clubhouse. I get to get home in time for when Debra and Harrison drop Mason off."
"Okay." She says, placing the box down on top of the others.
She walks out and I take the keys off of her, locking the unit behind us. We make our way to car and I pull out of the lot and make my way over to the clubhouse. We pull up out the front and see Gemma smoking from the doorway of her office. Tara and I walk over and I turn to see Bobby storming out of the clubhouse, his face covered in anger. I look at him confused and see the others walking out the clubhouse, varying degrees of emotion on their faces.
"Whats going on?" I ask as I reach Gemma.
"Club had a vote." She explains, her voice dry.
"What about?" I ask and she looks down at me, "Ask your fiancé." She says before turning and making her way back into the office.
I look after her confused before turning back to look at Jax as he walks towards us, "What the hell's going on?" I ask, crossing my arms over my chest.
He glances at Tara before looking back at me, "Club had to make a tough decision today, club was split but it carried through."
"What sort of vote?" I ask.
He looks at Tara once more and she turns to me, "I'll ahh, see you later. Good luck with tonight."
I nod my head, "See you later." I say before looking back at Jax.
He stares after her before looking back at me, "Tell me Jax."
He lets out a sigh, "Look, I'll tell you about it later but right now we need to get home, it's almost four thirty." He says.
I glance down at my watch and see that we have fifteen minutes to be home before Mason arrives. I look back at up at him, "This isn't over."
He gives me a nod, "Meet you at home." He states and I nod my head.
He gives me a quick kiss before turning and making his way to his bike. I stare after him and can't help but be worried over this club vote, something feels wrong. I quickly say goodbye to Gemma and get into my car and make my way home, ready for the long awaited moment of Jax finally meeting Mason. A small smile comes to my face as I pull out of the lot and make my way home. Hopefully, if everything goes smoothly, this will be the beginning of something amazing.