Handsome and Haunting

Chapter 7

"What brings you out to this part of town?" Jax asked.

"Oh, I had to talk to the general contractor about the design of the station. I figured I'd stop in and grab a quick bite to eat before heading back to the office." She pleasantly replied.

She glanced over at Happy who was just staring at her.

"Things going well with the construction?" Chibs inquired.

"Everything is right on schedule." She smiled at the Scotsman.

"That's good t' 'ear." Chibs retorted, "It's quite noisy."

"With any luck that won't be a problem for you much longer. Another month or so and most of the construction should be finished. Then it'll be working on the inside and getting the driveway finished up." Her soft voice exclaimed.

Happy sighed quietly loving the sound of her smooth, gentle voice.

"Is Gemma still happy with the driveway and gate?" Isabella asked.

"She's fine with it." Jax told her earning a simple head nod as the waitress came over to bring people's food.

"So, what exactly do you do for your father?" Jax inquired.

"I went to college for business management so I manage the coordination and organization of business activities. I also am in charge of planning, organizing, directing, and controlling the business's resources." She tried to explain, "But I do quite a bit for him outside of that."

"I see." Jax stated.

"How many businesses does your father have?" Jax asked.

"Several. He started out in real estate development and then branched out to entrepreneurship. This gas station/diner is just the latest in his business ventures. They're all very successful because he does his research before making decisions." She explained.

"Oh wow." Chibs exclaimed.

Happy remained quiet as his brothers asked her questions. He just loved listening to the sound of her voice. Him being quiet wasn't anything new so he figured his brothers would figure it was just him being his usual quiet self. Really, he just wanted to hear her speak. That smooth, always calm voice hit him and he wasn't sure what to do about that. The sound of her laughter brought a quick, small smile to his face briefly. After lunch, with much protesting from his brothers, she wound up paying for everyone's lunch. She said it was for the pleasure of keeping her company during lunch. With a smile, she bid everyone a good afternoon.

"Hot, always looks sexy as fuck, and polite. What's she doing hanging around with the likes of us?" Tig laughed.

"She's a sweet lass, that's for sure." Chibs commented.

"We need to head back to the clubhouse." Happy growled.

Chibs looked over at his brother and felt like Happy was less than thrilled with the way Tig was talking about the young lady. 'He must really have it bad for her.' Chibs mused as they all threw down a few dollars for a tip. They headed back to the clubhouse as she left to head back to her office. The rest of her work day, Isabella kept thinking back to Happy and how he was always looking at her whenever she'd glance over at him. He'd come straight to her house the previous night just because he "needed to see her to make his day better". What exactly did that mean? Did it mean he liked her? Did he want more from her than just a passing acquaintance?

That Friday night's party was raging but all Happy could think about was her. How she looked, how her lips felt against his, how she seemed to fit so perfectly into his arms, how badly he wanted her. He sipped on his beer, occasionally chugging back a shot of his favorite Whiskey, and sat in a corner brooding. He growled at any crow eater that came near him scaring a few of them before they scurried off to find someone else to entertain. Chibs watched his brother closely and knew that Happy was thinking about Isabella. He finally had enough and walked over to have a seat with the Killah.

"I've been observing ya for a few days, Hap. If ya want the lass, ya need t' go after 'er. SIttin' 'ere brooding isn't going t' get ya what ya want." Chibs told him.

"The hell are you talking about?" Happy huffed.

"I've noticed a few things and they all involve Isabella. (Happy briefly glanced over to the Scotsman) I'm not judging. She's a fine lass. I'm just sayin' if ya want 'er, you're gonna 'ave t' pursue 'er. She's not like these crow eaters who'll come after ya because o' your kutte.

Isabella is a lady. She needs to be courted as such. Pursue 'er. Make 'er see the good side t' ya. That your more than just what ya do for the club. I know there's a side t' ya that ya never show us because o' your reputation an' what ya do for the club. It's ok t' 'ave that someone ya can let your guard down around and relax." Chibs offered his brother advice.

Happy just grunted but let Chibs' words sink in. Pursue her? He never had to court a woman before. Although he knew Chibs was right about her being a lady and needing to be courted as such he just didn't know how to do that. The crow eaters flocked to him and his brothers so he hadn't needed to try so hard to get a woman since well before he prospected. He took his phone out and brought up a web page. He needed to find out what all went into actual courtship before he started. Chibs smiled and left his brother alone to find himself a sweet little thing to spend the rest of his night with.

The more Happy discovered about courting, especially about typically not having sex, the more worried he became that he couldn't handle it. He sat there drinking his beer and asking himself some of the questions in the pages he was reading. Could he see himself settling down? Could he see himself starting a family? Was he financially stable enough for a family? He was more than attracted to Isabella and everything that he'd been reading was telling him to open up to her, even emotionally. That was a hard thing for him to do. Could she handle him opening up to her? Could she handle the things he'd ultimately confess to her? Could she handle what he did in the club?

Meeting her family scared him. Surely her parents wouldn't want their precious little girl dating someone like him? A killer all covered in tattoos who was part of a MC. A vicious torturer when called upon. She was too good for him and he knew it. What could he possibly offer her that she didn't already have? He figured her parents would never go for him seeing their daughter no matter how gentlemanly he tried to be. Could he introduce her to his family? He'd never brought a woman around to meet his mother and aunt since high school. He was sure his mother would instantly love her especially with Isabella's bubbly and cheery personality. His aunt probably would too.

He hated excessive spending but could he really buy her gifts all the time as some of these articles he was reading suggested? Happy sighed not sure if he could truly do this or not. How bad did he want her? Was she worth the trouble of truly courting her? He wasn't getting any younger and all the crow eaters just didn't do it for him like they used to. They'd all been with all his brothers practically. Despite their looks and willingness to have sex with just about anything with a kutte on, he was bored with them. He wanted a real woman. Someone with class. He sighed heavily before slamming another shot of whiskey back. He wanted her.

'I have to do this. If I want her, I have to do this. I can do this!' he tried to pump himself up as he sat there alone. One article talked about thinking about his past relationships. He hated thinking about these things but knew he had to in order to prepare himself for what he was about to do. A bit of one article hit him particularly hard as he read it. "Were your exes needy and leaving you feeling constantly suffocated? Perhaps you have an avoidant attachment style whereby you crave intimacy and connection, but subconsciously push people away when they get too close." It sounded more like him than he really wanted to admit. He couldn't do all this work just to push her away. He wanted her. He wanted this relationship with her.

"Love requires letting your guard down, being open to giving love and receiving love, and being comfortable revealing yourself – your flaws and wounds and scars included." he read and he sighed again. Happy Lowman was never one for opening up and sharing things. Could he truly do that for this woman? Was what he was feeling just lust that he could eventually get over? He ran his hand over his face and sighed before pouring himself another shot. Things were getting too deep and complicated for his liking. He exited out of the web pages and slipped his phone back in his pocket. It would be a pain, and slightly expensive, to court her. Was she worth it? Was it worth investing the time these articles were suggesting it took to court her? Was he truly wanting a serious relationship with someone? Could he get past himself and open up to her?

A/N: Seems Happy has some deep thinking to do, huh? ;)

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