Worlds Collide

This I Promise You

Karli's POV:

With each minute that passed without Brantley's return, my harsh words replayed over and over in my head, reminding me that I could be a real bitch to those that I claimed to love the most in my life. In my defense through, you didn't grow up in the household that I did, have the parents I did, and expect anything to different than what it was. You didn't live with the devil in the flesh and his wife without turning a little evil yourself. Call it self-preservation or whatever, but no one came out unscathed.

But you have the chance to change that... all you have to do is follow this man out of Charming and never look back...

I knew the voice in my head was right. I knew that this was my chance to get away from all this and break the generational curse that was SAMCRO and life in Charming. I knew that things were just going to get worse from here, that someone I knew and loved dearly was going to end up getting hurt. But that didn't make any of this any easier. In a word, I was scared to leave. Scared to have a life that didn't involve me looking over my shoulder. Scared to have a life that didn't revolve around violence and mayhem.

"It's not just you anymore Kar. You have to think about the life growing inside you first and foremost..."

Jax's words from earlier replayed in my head, a reminder than I did need to be more careful from her on out if I wanted my child to have a healthy and happy life. Automatically, my hand rested low on my belly protectively.

"I'll do whatever it takes to protect you, even if it means giving up everything that I have ever known to do it. You should never have to know this life of chaos. You should never have to know what it feels like to that your family would stab you in the back just to make themselves look good." I said, closing my eyes as I gently rubbed my hand over my still flat belly. "I cant promise that life will be perfect because no one's is but I will do everything in my power to give you a life that is beautiful, one that is so far removed from the life that I had growing up. You will never learn the lessons I learned at a young age. You will never be taught to think the worst in people because every new face could be an enemy to you and those you love. You will never have to worry about knowing if you are loved and cherished. You will never have to wonder if your parents love one another. And I do love your father. More than words can express. I just hope he gives me the chance to tell him that, to explain why I lashed out."

"I love you too." Said Brantley. My head whipped in the direction of his voice as I took in his appearance as he stood just inside the doorframe. His hair looked as if he had ran his hands though it a million times. The darkness under his eyes spoke of how tired he was. But it was what was shone in his eyes that made my heart life, daring to believe that what I was seeing in them was true. His words told me loved me but in his eyes, I saw them reflected and it made my heart swell with hope.

"Brantley I—"

"Karli you mean the world to me." Said Jax, walking into the room and settling down onto the edge of the bed. His big hand grabbed my small one and interlaced out fingers before he continued. "I heard everything you said. I heard the promises you made to our child. I know that you haven't always been able to believe the things that someone tells you but you can believe me when I say that I will do everything in my power to give you and our unborn child the life you deserve. To do that, we have to get out of here. I know that Charming is your home. I know that it's the only place that you have ever known. But my hope is that one day, once you get to know the people in my hometown, that you will look at Maysville, Georgia as home too. My hope is that eventually you will come to think of it as your hometown, the town that shaped you into the person that you are when you are old and gray. I—"

"I'll die my hair before I go gray." I said, cutting him off. My words made him smile

"Baby, I don't care if you dye it, shave it all off, or let it go natural. I'm not in love with your hair. I'm in love with you." Said Brantley, giving my hand a gentle squeeze. Upon his words, tears filled my eyes and began to run down my cheeks like little rivers unchecked. "Don't cry darlin'. It breaks my heart to see you with tears in your eyes."

In one fluid movement, Brantley stood from the bed and saddled up next to me. Instantly, I scooted to one side, giving him room to climb onto the small hospital bed. When he did, one of his arms came around me, holding me tightly while his hand on the other came to rest under my chin before he gently tipped my head back and locked eyes with mine. His head lowered as his lips brushed against my temple. "I promise you give you a life that you deserve. I promise that our child will know what it means to have two loving parents. I promise that you and our child both will know what it means to have family in your corner that doesn't have a malicious intent. I promise that as long as I am breathing, you will never, ever know again what it means to question those around you." Said Brantley, making the tears that had already been falling come even harder and faster.

"And Jax? Will you promise me that no matter what, he gets to stay a part of my life?" I said through my tears.

"Baby I would never think of telling you that Jax, his wife, or his kids couldn't be a part of your life." Brantley said, his thumb trailing over my cheek, wiping the tears that had been streaming down it away. "I know Jax and his family have been the only constant that you have had in your life. No, his actions and his dealings may not have always been the best, but I think you know just as well as I do that sometimes you have to do things that are frowned upon in order to survive and protect those that mean the most to you. And from the conversations you and I have had and from the conversations that Jax and I have had, there is no doubt in my mind that he has done exactly what he had to do to make sure you and those he cared about were protected. I have the upmost respect for the guy considering that he is about to walk away from the only thing that he has ever know in order to protect his family."

"Jax has talked about leaving the club before. Something always happens to draw him back in." I said.

"He told me. But this time, the ball has already been set in motion. Jax is leaving Charming, carrying his wife and kids away from this life, and doing what it best by them. Pretty sure nothing is going to stop him this time." And Brantley.

"Where will he go?" I asked, panic seeping into my veins. Distance had never separated Jax and I. Prison time had but never distance that we had willing put between one another.

"Well, as he said earlier, I have offered for he and his family to join us on that little island until things calm down. He hasn't decided if that is the best option or not since he doesn't want to do anything that would result in you getting hurt again." Said Brantley, shifting on the bed as he pulled into his arms and rested his head on the pillow. "But something tells me that he doesn't want to be separated from you just as much as you don't want to be separated from him and his family."

"Were all each other has." I said, new tears threatening.

"In the past, that might have been true. But now, you have me and he had Tara and his boys. You two still have each other. You're just adding to your little crew, creating the family that you should have had from the beginning." Said Brantley, his hand coming to rest low on my belly, right over where our child was growing.

"Are you sure you are ready to be a father?" I asked, knowing the answer but needing to hear the words.

"Darlin, I have been ready." He said, his voice full of joy. "Are you ready to be a mother?"

"I know my words from earlier say otherwise but I have never wanted anything more than I do right now. I can apologize for the rest of my life for my harsh words if that's what you want but I know I can't take them back. I just hope you believe me when I say that there has never been anything that I have every wanted more than to raise a baby, to show them the love that I wish I had received as a child, with the man that I love more than life itself." I said, turning my head so that I was looking into his green eyes.

"And I love you." Said Jax just before he closed the distance between us and placed his lips over mine. Instantly, the nagging pain from the attack that still had a hold on me disappeared to be replaced with desire. But all too soon, Brantley broke the kiss and rested his head back onto the pillow, pulling mine down to rest on his shoulder. "Sleep now darlin. You need it and so do I."

Nestled into the warmth is Brantley's embrace, I relaxed into his arms and let sleep take me over.