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Cathy sighed as she opened the door to the office and stepped in to start her day. She'd been working at Teller-Morrow Automotive for a month now, and today promised to be the same as any other. When Gemma Morrow had remarked in passing that she was just too busy to keep up with the filing and everyday administration duties at the garage, Cathy had offered to step in and help. It took no time for her to get used to being around the clubhouse and lot again, and Gemma was happy for the extra hands.
As she was turning on the computer to check today's schedule, the office door opened and Gemma came striding in, a smirk on her face.
"That boy of yours... he has Bobby wrapped around his little finger."
Cathy chuckled as she nodded. Since she had known SAMCRO for years, she and her son were treated like family. When she had left Austin in the clubhouse that morning, Bobby had been teaching him how to make chocolate chip cookies.
"I hope he's not being too much trouble. I don't want him to get in the way."
Gemma shook her head as she sat down across from Cathy. "You know he's no trouble. That is the sweetest child. I think I heard something about the jungle gym being their next stop."
Cathy laughed as she wrote down some estimates. "Yeah, he loves that thing as much as Abel does."
Just then the office door opened, letting the two women hear Tig laughing at something the person behind him was saying as they walked in the door. "Gemma, we need the tow list for this morning. Hey, Cathy."
Cathy felt like the air was knocked out of her as Tig moved farther into the room to let the tall man behind him enter. Her ex-boyfriend, and Austin's father, Happy Lowman was now standing by the door, staring holes through her.
"What the fuck are you doing here?"
Tig started to say something but Cathy took a deep breath and waved him off. "I thought you were still in Tacoma."
She watched as Happy's lips curved into a sardonic smile and he shook his head. "Obviously not. So what the fuck are you doing here?"
Tig glared at the rudeness of his friend as he took a half-step in front of Cathy. "She works here, man. What's the problem?"
Happy shrugged, glancing at his brother. "I don't want her here, that's all. She's not a member of the club, man."
Gemma started to say something but Cathy cut her off, looking at her and Tig. "Can we have a few minutes? Please?"
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Happy watched as Clay's old lady and Tig walked out of the office, closing the door behind them. He then took a good look at his old lady... ex-old lady, he reminded himself. She still looked good. As good as the day he left her standing in the kitchen of their one-bedroom house, sobbing. He frowned as he remembered that day, the anger he felt at what he saw as a breach in his trust for her.
He shook his head as he looked at her, not being able to deny the feelings her sudden presence was churning up inside him. She'd filled out a little in five years, but not much as she'd never been skinny, to begin with. That's what had initially drawn Happy to her, the fact that she had some meat on her bones and was soft in all the right places. He shook his head again as he tried to clear those thoughts from his mind and concentrate on the need to get rid of her as soon as possible.
"So why the fuck did you take a job here of all places? Are you crazy or just fucking stupid?"
"I honestly thought you were with the Tacoma chapter now. Nobody had mentioned you at all since I started. I didn't know."
Happy shook his head as he glared at her. "Really? Or are you fucking one of my brothers now? Is that it? Did you turn into a whore?" Happy knew he was yelling, practically screaming, but he didn't care. He needed to make her go. "Is it Tig? Is he the one you're banging now? He seemed awfully protective of you just now! Is that it?" He could see the tears starting to flow down her cheeks but he didn't care about that either. "I bet you been fucking him all this time, huh? Maybe he's the father of your bastard!"
Happy saw the rage building in her eyes and silently rejoiced. Maybe she'd lash out, hit him. He would have it coming but he needed to make her leave, leave him with the memories. He loved her, always had and always would, but this life was not good for her or their kid and he knew it.
"You son of a bitch! How could you think that after everything?"
Happy had to bend down slightly to get in her face, wanting her to lash out at him. "Why wouldn't I? You got pregnant behind my back, even though I had said I wasn't ready! Why wouldn't I think you were capable of sleeping around too?"
Before Cathy could reply, Happy felt something hit him hard at the knees, almost taking him down. He looked down to see a small black-haired boy pummeling his legs with his tiny fists.
"Don't talk to my mom like that!"
He stood in shock as Cathy grabbed the little man by the arm and pulled him away, her ample chest heaving with the effort to keep her tears at bay. She gathered the little boy close and hugged him tightly.
"It's ok, baby. We're leaving. He's not going to bother me anymore."
He continued to stare at the boy that looked so much like he did at that age as his mother practically pulled him from the office and out to her car. Suddenly, his jaw erupted in pain and his head snapped back with the force of Tig's hit as he grabbed Happy's kutte with both hands and slammed him up against the wall.
"What the fuck is wrong with you, man? You're gonna talk about your old lady like that in front of your fucking kid?"
Happy didn't even bother to fight back when Tig clocked him again, instead listening to the peel of rubber as Cathy drove out of the lot.
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Later that evening, Cathy sat on her couch and sipped from a glass of wine as she thought about how the day had gone. Once they had gotten home, she'd managed to calm Austin down and explained to him who the man was that had been yelling at her. Now, after getting him a bath and settled down to sleep, she allowed herself to think about Happy. She shook her head as she realized today that she was still in love with him, but she didn't understand how he could think the things he did about her.
There's a knock on her front door, and when she opens it, she's shocked to find Happy standing there, looking the worse for wear. He was sporting a split lip and two black eyes, plus it looked like his nose may be broken again. She shook her head, not willing to let him in.
"What do you want?"
Happy looked down at the ground for a moment before lifting his eyes back to hers. "I wanna talk."
Cathy let out a rather unladylike snort. "Really? I would have thought you said everything earlier."
Happy shook his head. "No. Please? Can we talk this out?"
Cathy was surprised by the pleading tone in Happy's voice. She had never heard that before, and that was the reason that she reluctantly stepped back to let him in, shutting the door behind him. "What happened to your face?"
Happy gave her a small grin and Cathy had to catch her breath at the transformation. She had always found him attractive, obviously, but when he smiled? He was devastating. "Tig happened. He took offense to the way I talked to you earlier." He looked around the room, seeming to just now notice the silence. "Where's my boy?"
Cathy lifted a brow and stared him down for a moment before answering. She hadn't missed the way he phrased that question, and she could tell that he knew it. "It's almost midnight, Hap. He's been asleep for hours."
Happy nodded with a small frown on his face. "He's a good boy, protecting his mom like that. Means your a good mom. I can tell."
Cathy sighed as she watched him sit down on the couch. "Why are you here?"
"I need to explain some things. I should have done it five years ago, but I was stupid... " He rubbed his bald head with both hands before continuing. "I loved you, you know. Still do. I just... I didn't want this life for you, and when you said you were pregnant I panicked. I saw everything going to shit in my mind. I didn't want you to get a call from Clay one day that I was dead or in prison. I still don't want that, but today, when I saw you again... and then when little man lit into me. What's his name?"
Cathy had to clear her throat to speak, the shock from his admission getting to her. "Austin Michael."
Happy nodded, giving her a small smile as he stood up and slowly walked over to where she was leaning against the wall. "It's a good, solid name, babe." He reached out a hand and touched her cheek. "Can you give me another chance? I want to be a dad and an old man. Maybe we can have more kids."
Cathy chuckled softly as he traced her lips with a finger. "That's all I ever wanted you to be, Hap, but the way you treated me... I don't know."
"I just want a chance, Cathy. Please?"
Before she could finish saying yes, Happy's lips were on hers in a searing kiss, his arms wrapping around her to hold her closely. Cathy gave herself over to the kiss, knowing that he loved her and she loved him. Maybe, just maybe, it could work this time.