Love & Serenity

Chapter 35

Jax woke up early the next morning, his neck was hurting because he'd fallen asleep on the couch with Lillian snuggled up against him. He wanted to get up and stretch and he wanted, even more, to stay exactly where he was and enjoy having her in his arms.

He laid on the outer half of the couch while Lillian had her back to the couch's backrest as she laid on half of Jax's body, one of her hands against his chest, her head against his chest beneath his chin. Jax's left hand was wrapped around her and he caressed her arm with that hand and held her hand which was on his chest. The feel and soft, almost inaudible sound of her breathing was soothing and soon made him feel sleepy.

Lillian woke up less than an hour after Jax went back to sleep. She panicked the moment she realized who she was snuggled against and it took her a second to settle and just bask in the feeling of being in his arms. She was cold but being snuggled up against Jax was keeping her warm. She smiled when she saw his hand holding her hand against his chest, keeping it in place like he didn't want her to pull her hand away. She shifted her gaze from their hands to his face, lifting her head slightly to get a good look at him.

He looked so peaceful like everything he'd told her the night before had seized to exist. Like it wasn't him who had gone through all those things and was having a hard time letting it go and forgiving himself. She sighed then slowly and gently slipped her hand out of his hold. She lifted her hand to his face and stopped just an inch away from his face before she redirected it to his hair. She used her fingers, not wanting to wake him, gently pushing her fingers through his thick hair and then running her fingers upwards and then again and again.

She froze a moment later when Jax's arm which was around her tightened for a second and then he stirred in his sleep. She placed her head back on his chest and slipped her hand back beneath his to its former position. She used her thumb to caress his fingers and then Jax's chest expanded beneath her and when his thumb started to caress her own fingers, she knew he was awake.

"Hey."

Jax's deep morning voice was so raspy that the vibration went from his chest to her making her heart beat faster.

She shifted her head back to look up at him. Jax was looking down at her, smiling.
"Hey." She said smiling.

"How'd sleep?"

"Great." She sighed, "How are you feeling?"

Jax's smile widened,
"Better than I have in so long."

Lillian smiled and lowered and head and snuggled deeper into him. Jax leaned in and placed a kiss on the top of her head, inhaling that already now very familiar scent of hers.

"You smell like lilies," Jax said

Lillian smiled,
"That's my shampoo."

And her body wash and occasional perfume, but she didn't want to say that.

Jax sighed, inhaling more of the scent he'd fallen in love with all over again.
"You know, the day we first met at Davis' clinic, I wasn't mad at you exactly."

"Really, 'cause it seemed that way."

Jax scoffed with a smile,
"I got in there and the entire place smelled of lilies, that was what made me mad."

Lillian frowned and shifted her head to look at him and waited for him to explain more.

"That day was my gran's death anniversary, a day Otto always chooses to flee and return later." Jax said, "My gran had a garden of lilies and she always smelled like lilies. I hated that scent after she died because it reminded me of...what I'd done."