Prince Charmer

Chapter 6

            Ariella wasn't sure what to expect at the dinner the following night but she promised Jax she'd go. The blond biker hoped his mother would apologize to Ariella as well. The bikers were looking forward to the dinner as it had been a long while since the biker Queen had thrown one. It was a nice evening with their brothers, having some laughs, having a good meal, and just being together. Gemma went grocery shopping to get all she'd need for the dinner the following night. After thinking it over for a while, she decided on having a taco bar. She'd make a pan of beef taco meat, shredded grilled seasoned chicken, and seasoned beef tips. She'd have chopped tomatoes, homemade shredded cheese, diced onions, sliced jalapeños, shredded lettuce, sour cream, homemade guacamole, and homemade Pico di Gallo as toppings. She planned on making homemade Spanish rice and refried beans. It was a lot to do but Gemma always went all out when she was putting together these dinners. She wanted this time to be a little more playful as she tried to make up with her son and his new girlfriend.

After work that night, Jax texted Ariella letting her know that he'd pick her up after work the following day and for her to wear whatever she felt comfortable in as long as she could be comfortable on the back of a bike. She had to chuckle but told him "OK". He wanted to make a clear statement that he and Ariella were together and that nothing would come between them. This was a serious relationship to the blond biker. The whole day Ariella felt nervous as she wasn't sure what was going to happen at the family dinner. No matter how hard she tried to focus on her patients, her mind always drifted to Gemma, the dinner, and what was going to happen. At the end of the day, she let Tracy close up the office then headed home to get a quick shower and change clothes. She wore scrubs to the office so she wanted to find a cute outfit to wear to the dinner. After she'd showered and shaved, she dried off and began digging through her closet. She opted for a pair of black skinny jeans, some boots, and a cute top. She did her make-up in a black and white smokey eye look and left her hair down. All she had to do now was wait for her ride to arrive. Jax was the first to clock out at the end of the day. He wanted to clean up before going to pick up Ariella. Everyone else casually clocked out then headed to their respective homes to clean up and prepare for a relaxed evening.

Shortly before they were supposed to be at Gemma's, there came a knock at Ariella's door. Opening it up, she found Jax standing there smiling at her. She followed him downstairs to his bike and waited for him to climb on. Now that they were on their way, her nerves began to really act up on her and her heart began to beat faster the closer they got to their destination. No one else besides Chibs had arrived yet to Jax's surprise. He parked behind his mother's car and shut the engine off. He rested his hand in the middle of her back as he walked her to the front door. He walked straight in instead of knocking which Ariella found odd. Chibs was sitting in the living room nursing a beer when the pair arrived. Jax greeted his brother who smiled at the pair when they entered. Jax asked her to follow him before heading into the kitchen where his mother was finishing up the meal.

"Oh Jax! I'm glad you made it." Gemma smiled before moving to hug her son.

"I told you we'd come." He replied, "I think you know one another."

"It's good to see you, Ariella. I'm glad you made it." Gemma turned towards the redhead who remained quiet.

"Do you have anything to say to her?" Jax asked hoping his mother would apologize to his girlfriend as well.

"Look, I was just looking out for my son. The last woman he was serious about, left him brokenhearted and took his boys away from him. He was very depressed and I couldn't see him go through that again." Gemma tried to explain, "I'm sorry if I took things too far."

"I get it, really. I guess I can't fault you for trying to look out for him. But he's a grown man who is more than capable of making his own decisions, good or bad." Ariella replied.