"Daddy..." Kristina started to speak but Sonny held up a hand to silence her.
"You'll see him tomorrow, querida." Sonny seemed to be resorting to a childhood term of endearment in an effort to ease his daughter's fears. "There's just a few things the two of us need to get straight, man to man."
Not caring that her father was standing right in front of them, Jax leaned down and softly kissed his old lady. "I'll be waiting for you tomorrow at the altar."
"You promise?" She looked at him a little fearfully.
"I swear, princess. I love you." Now that he'd finally gotten the words out, he couldn't stop saying them.
"I love you too."
Jax took Sonny back to the clubhouse. The club was having a raging party in the parking lot so the bar was pretty deserted. The only two people around were Happy and Kristina's younger sister/cousin (LONG story), Molly. They were seated at a corner table chatting. Jax saw Sonny shoot a look of concern in his niece's direction but he didn't comment.
"How much did you hear?" Jax got right to the point as he grabbed two beers from behind the bar, he set one in front of Sonny before popping the top on his own.
"Enough to know you're not the father of that baby," Sonny replied, opening his beer and taking a sip. "It's Johnny's, isn't it?"
"Only biologically," Jax said with a stony look on his face.
Sonny actually smiled a little. "You sound like me when it came to my oldest son, Michael... or my niece over there, who's getting way too close to one of your brothers for my liking." He jerked his head in Happy and Molly's direction. "Just because you didn't father them doesn't mean that you can't love them like you did."
"There's one thing we agree on," Jax nodded but he didn't let his guard down.
"I noticed something tonight," Sonny commented and set his beer on the bar. "You really do love my daughter and Kristina sure as hell loves you. I just need you to answer one question," as he held up one finger.
"What?"
Sonny looked him dead in the eye. "If it ever came down to it, what would you choose? The club or Kristina and your boys?"
Jax didn't hesitate. "This is my dad's club and Kristina will be its rightful fucking queen when the time comes. I won't let it go without one hell of a fight. But, if it really came down to it, I would choose my old lady and our kids. There wouldn't be a fucking question about it."
"You know with the way Clay's going, you might have to fight for this club sooner rather than later, right?" Sonny pressed.
Sonny Corinthos didn't become one of the biggest mob bosses in the country by being an idiot. Even he saw the writing on the wall when it came to SAMCRO's current president.
"I'm prepared to do what's necessary," Jax assured his future father-in-law.
"Good," Sonny nodded. "Then you and anyone who stands with you will have the full support of my organization. Kristina, the boys, and your mother will have my full protection."
Jax was pretty sure that was mobster speak for 'welcome to the family'.