Charlie
"Alright babe, you're all done." I said to Alonzo as I gave his arm the final wipe.
"That took no time."He said to me before he looked down at the hyper realistic flowers that represented the middle names for his daughters.
"They're beautiful Charlie." He said as he held his arm open to look at it. A sense of pride flowed through me while I watched his reaction. It was the same feeling I got when all of my clients saw their new art for the first time.
"Thank you." He said to me and I smiled at him. I rolled my eyes when asked how much he owed me. I had never charged him for a tattoo and I wasn't going to start now. I wrapped up his freshly tattooed skin before I looked up at him. He grabbed my arm, holding me in place while he studied me.
"You do look happier... Despite everything, this really is the life you want." He told me and I gave him a nod as my response. I wanted this life with Jax more than I wanted to breathe. He pulled me into a hug and I buried my face into his chest, wrapping my arms around his torso. I couldn't explain it but I felt as if we were saying good to versions of ourselves that we had grown to know.
"If he hurts you, I'll kill him, you know that?" He whispered out to me so only I could hear.
"You know, he thinks the same about you." I told him as I pulled out of his arms to look up at his face.
"That's fair." He told me. I watched as he looked over at Chibs.
"You can tell Jax that I'm trusting him with someone I care for dearly. She means a lot to my family. If something happens to her again. I would like to know. We have better resources than I'm sure you all have. I'd be willing to share when it comes to Charlie." He said as he walked over to Chibs holding out a business card to him. Chibs looked at it and then took it.
"If your MC needs any help you can call me. We have good connections in high places." He said to Chibs who then gave him a nod. Alonzo turned back around to look at me and gave me one last hug.
"I do miss you, but there is one plus side to you being so far away now- You and Angel aren't synced up anymore." He said with a laugh and joined him. We were a force to be reckoned with when we were. I think we equally drove him mad with our attitude and cravings. Lucky for Jax I wasn't close enough to anyone up here for that to happen to him too.
"Have fun tonight. I'll tell Angel to wait for your call." He said to me as I gave him one last squeeze and a kiss on the head. He didn't give me a chance to ask what he meant by that before he walked out the door. Chibs walked over to me and wrapped an arm around my shoulders
"Alright... He wasn't so bad. I can tell you two have some deep roots with each other." Chibs admitted me. I looked over to him with a smile on my lips agreeing with him. He was a good man. To his core he was sweet and just wanted to help people. The mafia life was just all he had known- just like Jax. He tried to move away but it was who he was. Part of me wished that we had never slept together. It made our friendship messy knowing that we had seen each other naked. Once Angel came into the picture we agreed to move past it and act more like friends rather than people who used to share a bed together. Angel was an extremely confident and attractive woman. By the time she came into the picture I was more attracted to her than I was to Alonzo but she still confronted me about how comfortable the two of us were with each other. It bothered her. Neither one of us wanted so we agreed to put some healthy distance between us. They both became my best friends. I wouldn't trade their love for anything- besides Jax.
"You alright, lovey?" Chibs asked me as I came out of the bathroom. I had cleaned every inch of the shop, getting it back to its perfect condition. I wiped my hands on my jeans and I looked around the shop.
"Yeah," I said, nodding my head as my hand went to my stomach once a wave of nausea hit me. I didn't know if it was because I had pushed myself further than I had since I had been kidnapped or if I was just starving. I swallowed what felt let the urge to vomit.
"Just realized I haven't eaten much today. Guess I got used to Gemma feeding me" I told him. Today was the first day in weeks that I felt good enough to go with my normal day to day activities. I never realized how often I forgot to eat because I was just so busy until I was bedridden stuck with Gemma bringing me something to eat every couple of hours. I looked up at him when his phone started to ring. I watched as he pulled his phone from his pocket and answered it.
"Yeah she's done. He left almost two hours ago... Aye, it went just fine. He gave me his card... Will do." Chibs said into the phone and I rolled my eyes knowing it was Jax calling. I may have been showing that I was annoyed on the outside but on the inside I was happy to know that he was so concerned. If what Chibs said was true then he really didn't want to lose me.
"Jax wants me at the clubhouse, you okay with heading over there?" He asked me and I gave him a nod. There wasn't anything else for me to do here. I just wanted to take it easy for the rest of the day.
I had ridden with a couple of the guys from the club before but it was still strange to be on another man's bike and not be my biker. Wrapping my arms around his waist once again he took off towards the street driving. My arms tightened around him only slightly and I pressed my good cheek to his back as he drove a little faster. As we got to the shop, I saw that my car was inside the garage being worked on. I tilted my head at the sight of it as I got off of Chibs bike.
"What the hell happened to my car?" I called out loud enough for everyone to hear. Everyone looked up at me as I walked into the garage.
"Hey sweetheart, how you feeling?" Tig greeted me, kissing my cheek. I raised a brow at him letting him know that I wasn't in the mood for small talk. He gave me a chuckle.
"Just replacing the window." He told me.
"The window?" I asked turning to look at Chibs who was walking up behind me.
"Jax shattered it the night you were, you know. But we're fixing it." He assured me and I looked over at my car again. I let out a sigh placing my hands on my hips.
"Happy here?" Chibs asked Tig.
"Think he just pulled up" Tig responded.
"Wanna help Sam with the ford escape over there?" Tig asked me. I looked over at Sam, seeing that he was elbows deep into the hood of the car.
"I don't think Charlie should be doing that today, Tiggy." Chibs spoke up and Tig had a wide goofy smile on his face.
"Right. Of course not." He said.
"What's up with you?" I asked him and he just shook his head.
"Nothing." He answered and I walked towards the office door.
"The boys in here with Gemma?" I asked but was given another head shake.
"No!" He said and then cleared his throat.
"You know what I think Gemma took them to Scoops." He said. I gave him a questioning look knowing that Chibs and I had just come from that street and didn't see them there.
"Or maybe some place else, I'm not too sure." Tig added. I looked over at Sam when he looked up at me. I gave him a smile and a wave.
"You know what you're doing over there? Need some to show you how to do it." I asked him letting a smirk come to my lips and shook his head.
"Nah, It's just an oil change. Nothin fun."He told me and I frowned a little.
"Oh okay..." I said.
"I'll be back to myself next week if you want to come by and I'll finish your back." I told him and he just gave me a quick nod.
"Sure thing." He said to me, going back to the car. Sam and I usually had playful banter between each other. It was odd that he didn't want to engage in it.
"Seen Jax?" I heard Chibs ask Tig.
"Yeah...." He said, nodding his head to the club house.
"I think I saw him going into the Clubhouse. He did tell me to send Charlie to him when she got here." He told him. Without a second thought I started walking in that direction.
"Hold on now Lovey, Let me talk to him first." Chibs told me, trying to catch up to me. He said and I gave out a small sigh. They all were being so goddamn weird.
"Okay." I said, motioning my hand towards the Clubhouse before I let him lead the way and follow him into the space.
"I'll talk to Jax first, Charlie." Chibs said louder than usual once we were inside. I looked around noticing that it had been cleaned top to bottom. I shivered thinking what they could have done to someone in here for it to be so clean. But even though it looked so clean it smelled like someone cooking a feast. I looked around to see Bobby come out of the kitchen with an apron on.
"Oh hey Charlie. You look like you're feeling better." He said to me, I gave him a smile leaving Chibs to walk into the meeting room.
"I am. Not one hundred yet but I'm getting there." I told him.
"What are you cooking?" I asked him.
"Oh just a little something for everyone for dinner." He said to me,
"Bobby, you seen Jackie?" Chibs asked.
"Oh yeah, He went into the apartment. Thomas was being fussy." He said and I gave him a confused look.
"I thought Gemma took the boys to Scoops?" I asked. Bobby looked over at Chibs then back at me.
"She did... earlier but she brought them back." He said, obviously lying. When I saw Chuckie come out of the back with a case of liquor bottles in his hands I knew something with up.
"Chuckie-" I tried to get out but was cut off by him.
"Seen Jax, not I have." He said to me speaking like he was yoda. I turned back around to look at Chibs.
"What the hell is going on?" I asked him.
"Smooth Chuck." Bobby said before he walked back into the kitchen. I narrowed my eyes at Chibs who was still acting clueless.
"What the hell is going on with everyone?" I questioned but he didn't answer. I didn't know if I was getting frustrated, anxious or if I was annoyed. I took off to the last place I heard Jax was at. My heart was pounding in my chest as I walked up to the door of the bedroom in the clubhouse. Half of me was expecting to see Jax in bed with someone. Flashbacks of our past started to flood my mind. Seeing him lying on top of Tara as she moaned out for him. I took a deep breath in then held it in. I didn't even knock on the door, I didn't want to wait, I just opened it; pushing the door wide open then walked inside of it. A wave of relief washed over me when I was greeted with an empty room.
"Thank God..." I said to myself as I took in deep shaky breaths trying to calm my racing heart. I saw a single red rose on the floor so I went over to it and picked it up. I heard some whispering and movement coming from the bar area so I turned on my heel and marched back up the front of the club. When I did there were several bouquets of flowers on the bar and Chibs was standing in front of them with Happy now standing behind the bar.
"Chibs, what the hell is going on?" I asked him. My inner thoughts getting the best of me as the fear and panic of him leaving me started to grab me by the throat. Jax had been acting weird and out of character all morning. He took the boys this morning and now they were nowhere to be found. Everyone was being so secretive, almost giving me the cold shoulder. Something was wrong. I watched as Chibs gave me a smile and took a few towards me.
"Think this is for you, love." He told me as he held up a little brown leather journal. The same one that Jax was writing in this morning. I walked up to him and took it.
"Did he leave?"I asked him and he shook his head 'no' at me.
"Just read the book, lovey." He told me. Instantly my worries were pushed aside and curiosity took over. I reached my hand out to take the journal in my hands. Looking down at the little leather book I opened it to the first page and started to read.
"Charlie,
By now I'm sure you noticed how strange everyone is being... I didn't leave and I hope that thought never crossed your mind. I'm sorry everyone has been giving you the run around. I know how much you hate secrets but I needed the time to be able to tell you a story."
I stopped reading and looked up at Chibs, who still had a smile on his face. My eyes shifted back to the book as I went back to reading.
"Twenty years and a few days ago a sixteen year old girl moved to Charming with her family. Twenty years ago today that same girl went to her first day of school at Charming High where a cocky sixteen year old boy spotted that girl walking down the hallway and his whole life stopped and stared at her. Not because she was new but because she was the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. From that moment the boy couldn't get her out of his head. Even more so when he actually got close enough to talk to her. He knew from that moment on that she was the love of his life and that his life was going to change for the better. Days , weeks, months, even years went by and he never thought he could love anyone the way he loved his girl. She stood by his side no matter the battles and challenges he faced. She was his other half and soon he realized that when they were created they made for each other; cut from the same cloth. Fate had made one of them a savior for the other. The boy thought it was him and regretfully he decided to let the love of his life go. Almost daily the boy told himself that he did the right thing by her. Because he saved her from the horrors of his life. It wasn't until the boy himself had gone through true horror and sorrow over the years that he realized that the girl was actually the savior. His soul cried out for her and without even being asked she returned to save the boy."
My heart squeezed in my chest as my nose started to tingle making my eyes tear up the more I read. I knew I was reading our story. Our imperfect little love story. I sat down at the bar focusing back on the book.
"Charlie, you were and always have been my everything. I'm still trying to make up for my stupid actions. You know just how much I regret it. I should have loved you and the unborn child you carried. I should have never let you slip through my fingers and I should have never caused you any pain."
"Jackson..." I said softly out loud.
"When you left my whole world was full of nothing but darkness. You were my sun, my stars, and my moon. And when you were gone, I couldn't see. I used people to fill that emptiness to try and connect with someone like I connected with you but nothing could compare to what we had. I was able to create small glimpses of light just long enough to create my two beautiful sons. But I was still lost in this world without you. Four months ago today my world was no longer full of darkness. My heart was no longer full of pain and anger. Four months ago today you walked back into my life when I needed you the most. My heart never stopped loving you and seeing you standing in the office only confirmed it. I knew from the moment I saw you that I was never going to let you go again."
"Not many people can come into your life and love the children that aren't theirs as their own. But you did. You have become a mother to my sons when you didn't have to be. They love you like you are their mother because in a way I think you are. They may not have come from you but I believe they were cut from the same cloth that we were made from. Over the years we have fought over who is the moth out of the two of us. It's always been me, Charlie. I've always been your moth, and you have always been my light in the dark. I will be your moth until the day I die, that I promise you. I love you Charlie. I Always Have..."
"And I Always Will." I finished, a tear falling from my cheek and onto the paper inside of the journal.
"Since you like to think you're the moth, why don't you come and find me..."
And with that there wasn't anything else written. I looked up and saw that Chibs, Bobby, Happy and Chuckie were staring at me. I smiled softly looking around the room. I let myself actually look at the bouquets of roses on the bar top. I stood up from my seat and made my way out of the club house to the parking lot. I hardly noticed that the guys followed me out there. My eyes landed on each person that was once in the garage and was now outside waiting for me. My eyes glanced over at Gemma who was standing next to Nero. She had a proud smile on her face as if she had been waiting for this moment. I walked around to the side of the clubhouse and looked up to our spot on the roof. A smile came to my lips as I saw Jax standing on the roof with Thomas in his arms and Abel standing next to him holding onto his free hand. My smile only widened when I saw the smile that Jax had on his face.
"Hi momma!" Abel said, waving at me.
"Hi baby!" I said back to him.
"You found us!" Jax called out.
"Of course I did! I'm your moth!" I told him and he shook his head.
"No Darlin', you're the light. You have always been the light." He told me. I placed my hand on my chest as I looked up at him.
"Charlotte Rose Monroe, Twenty years ago today, you stood in that exact spot and I knew then that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with you." He said to me and I let out a tearful laugh.
"Jackson-" I said, shaking my head at him. Fully aware of what was going on.
"Will you do me the honor and..." He trailed off looking down at Abel.
"Marry Us!" Abel yelled from Jax's side.
"Momma!" Thomas said next. I tried my hardest to keep the waterfall of tears that were just begging to come out. I felt a few of them slip out as I looked up at my boys on the roof.
"Yes! Yes! A thousand times yes!"I called out to them.
"Now come down here so I can kiss you!" I told him. Jax matched my smile as he walked over to the fire escape.
"Yes ma'am" He said. Chibs was already climbing up it to bring Abel down who then was handed to Tig then they did the same to Thomas. I waited frozen in my spot as I watched Jax come down and make his way over to me. He walked slowly with an ear to ear grin on his face. He dug into the pocket inside of his cut and pulled out a black ring box.
I was completely lost for words. I couldn't believe that this was actually happening. I had waited seventeen years for this moment and it was finally here. He stopped just short of me, bent down on one knee and opened the box that he was holding. Inside was a white gold engagement ring. In the center was a pear shaped black diamond with small white diamonds on the band of the ring. It was completely stunning. I had never seen anything like it. Jax looked up at me with his beautiful blue eyes starting into mine. Jax took my left hand and slid the ring on my finger. I watched him intensely as he stood up, closed the gap between us and then pulled me into a kiss. It was only a matter of seconds before he really started kissing me. Reminding me that it had been a couple of weeks since we allowed ourselves to be tangled up in each other. The kiss ended when we heard Abel speak,
"Gross!" He said and we broke the kiss smiling against each other's lips. When our kiss ended everyone started clapping and cheering for us. High pitched whistles and yells echoed in the air. My green eyes stared up into his blue ones as my arms wrapped around his waist. Jax gave me a few more pecks on my lips before Abel and Thomas came up to us. I bent down their height, opening my arms to them. The boys ran into me hugging me tight. I showered both of their cheeks with kisses and grinned hearing their giggles. I stood back up when everyone made their way up to us; congratulating us. We both gave our 'thank yous' and returned the hugs we received. Gemma was the last one to come up. She had a smile on her face and looked like she had been wiping tears from her eyes.
"I can't tell you how happy I am for you baby." She told me, pulling me into a tight embrace. She kissed my cheek as she continued to hug me.
"It was always supposed to be you... I just wish he realized that sooner." She whispered to me as she let out a soft cry. I wrapped my arms around her, returning her hug, giving her a squeeze.
"I'm here now." I told her and she pulled away, giving me another smile before she wiped her eyes.
"Yeah." She said with a nod then she moved onto Jax.
"It took you long enough." She said to him, kissing his cheek then giving him a hug.
"I've always been bad at timing things out." He said with a chuckle. My eyes left him as I heard the roaring sound of motorcycles and car honking. I raised a brow up and glanced back over to him then turned back to watch the droves of bikes and cars flood the parking lot.
"I hope you feel up to a party. The guys insisted." He told me and I grinned at him. It all made sense now. Him writing away in the journal, taking the boys to the club, asking me to change shirts, everyone being so strange. He planned all of this since last night. I nodded my head at him before I kissed the man that I loved most in this world.
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Do you guys approve of the way Jax proposed? ^.^