Never Again

Chapter 17

Cath pulled her car into Jax's driveway, parking, and getting out. It was the day of Abel's homecoming, and Gemma had invited her over, wanting some help setting up. Although Cath had just finished her shift at the diner and was feeling exhausted, she agreed to help the matriarch with the party. She had taken a liking to Abel, and wanted him to have the perfect welcome home.

As she approached the front door, she took a deep breath, taking a moment to reflect on the events of the past week. Things finally seemed to be calming down; the situation with Opie had thankfully blown over. He had been released from custody several days prior, and had immediately headed to the clubhouse, proclaiming his innocence. From what Cath had been told, the guys had believed his story and determined that he wasn't a rat. Bobby was still being held for murder though, but the club was working diligently to find a way to get him out.

With all of that sorted out, everyone could finally enjoy Abel's homecoming. All of the guys were going to be stopping by to celebrate; it was going to be a nice evening for everyone to just have a moment to breathe and share a few laughs.

Cath knocked on the front door, and was immediately greeted by the sound of Gemma's voice. "Come in!" she called from the other side.

Twisting the doorknob, Cath pushed open the door and entered the house. As soon as she stepped inside, she spotted Gemma standing on a chair, attempting to hang a banner on the wall. Cath quickly shut the front door behind her and rushed over, taking one end of the banner from Gemma. Then she climbed up onto the couch and taped her end to the wall.

"Thanks, sweetheart." The matriarch grinned, then stepped down from her chair and stood back, checking to make sure the sign wasn't crooked.

"No problem," Cath replied, hopping off the couch. She paused, looking around the room, noticing some of the other decorations. There were blue balloons and streamers everywhere, already hung up for the most part. "Looks good so far," she commented. "Guess you don't need much help."

Gemma shrugged, glancing over to the kitchen. "Decorations are taken care of, but I still need help with the snacks."

Cath nodded and followed Gemma into the kitchen, noticing all of the grocery bags on the counter. "You bought a lot of stuff," she marveled.

"Today's a big deal," Gemma explained. "I wanted to go all out." She headed over to the counter and starting unpacking the bags. Cath quickly joined her, helping to sort through everything.

"How's Jax feel about Abel coming home?" Cath wondered as she worked.

"He's excited," Gemma replied. She kept her gaze focused on the bags in front of her, though something else consumed her thoughts. She paused for a moment before finally admitting, "He wants to hire a nanny."

"A nanny?" Cath set down the bag of chips she had in her hands, looking to Gemma with a raised brow. "Can't you just watch him?"

The matriarch stared back at her, shaking her head. "Not all the time," she sighed. "I got TM to manage."

"Have you started looking for one yet?" Cath turned back to the grocery bags, continuing to unpack them.

"Yeah, actually," the matriarch responded. "We were thinking you could be his nanny."

Cath's jaw dropped and her eyes went wide. "Me?" she laughed in disbelief. "What makes you think I'd be a good nanny?" She could hardly keep up with her job as a waitress; why would Gemma and Jax think that she could take care of a baby?

The matriarch shrugged, putting some beers into the refrigerator. "You just looked real happy with Abel the other day. Thought you'd might like taking care of him." She shut the fridge door, smirking at Cath. "Besides, you're trustworthy; I'd rather you be his nanny than some outsider."