Money Can't Buy Happiness

Chapter 35

Katie kicked the door as Happy made his way out. She hoped it hit him, sending him stumbling and brushing his pride, but she didn't wait to watch. Turning, she looked at Jax as he got back to his feet from the solid and impressively powerful blow to his jaw.

"You okay?" She asked, her voice trembling with anger and shock. "I'm so sorry, Jax."

"I'm fine," he said, pulling her close to his chest with one arm. "You good?" Jax asked, kissing her temple a she held her close to help calm them both down.

"No," she whimpered. "That's not...that's not how I wanted him to find out and it's not how I wanted him to react. Shit," she hissed. "That was so fucking unfair."

"I think it was more fair than him thinking we're sleeping together," Jax tried to console her but it was doing very little.

She shook her head as their embrace ended. "I'd rather him think that," Katie admitted.

Jax could see the positives in that truth but it too had it's dangerous negatives as well. "It's gonna be alright, Kate."

"Yeah," she grumbled her agreement just to keep him from trying to convince her, "'Course it will."

"You should go," she sniffled. "I shit I gotta do for work and I have to take Charlie to the sitter so I can go."

"I can stay with her," he offered. "I don't see her a lot and going back to Charming right now isn't going to end well."

Katie checked the clock and shrugged. "She's so little Jax, I know you're good with older ones but baby babies?"

"I can handle her for a few hours," he chuckled. "I want to. She's my daughter." Jax also didn't want to go home or deal with the fallout he knew would be waiting for him at the clubhouse.

With a heavy sigh but wearing a tiny grin, Katie reluctantly agreed. "Alright, alright, you can stay with her."

—

Katie spent a few hours getting ready, longer than usual but her anxiety slowed her done some, and when she came out of the bedroom Charlie was smiling at her from the floor with Jax.

"Hey," she said with a huff of air. "I'll only be a few hours."

"You're good," he assured her.

Nodding, she moved quickly to the closet to grab her clutch. "I'll have my phone, obviously."

"Katie, calm down," he chuckled.

"It's not you, I just... I don't know. Going back to work jitters, I guess."

He nodded. "You look nice," he said attempting to make her smile.

"I've gained weight," she laughed. "I lost a lot but this is really tight, tighter than it should be. Thank you, though."

Jax got to his feet and scooped up Charlie. "Say goodbye," he said in a soft voice.

"My girl," Katie sang. "Be good for Daddy, ya brat. Please?"

The baby just cooed happily as her parents chuckled at her sweet, clueless expression. "Go," Jax said gently. "She'll be fine."

"It's you I'm worried about," she joked. "I won't be late. See you tonight."

--

When Tara found Happy waiting for her at home her stomach dropped into her feet. After the topic of their last conversation she knew whatever he was there for wasn't good.

"I talked to them," Happy grumbled as she and Abel made their way toward the front door. "He's there, at her hotel," he said with disgust.

Tara hated to hear it but she simply nodded. "And you went there. How was that?" Opening the front door she let him in, had Abel go play and sent Thomas' nanny home before looking to him for an answer.