A Midsummer's Caress

Chapter 14

Jax returned home and immediately noticed the bags sitting in the living room. Neeta was there and cleaning up the kitchen from dinner. She told the blond that Tara had been packing her things since she got home earlier in the day earning a head nod from Jax. 'At least she's doing what I told her to.' Jax thought to himself as he walked down the hall to the master bedroom. Tara was there packing up the last of her belongings to his relief. Not a word was spoken between them as he got ready for bed and she continued her packing. He was watching TV waiting for her to finish up. She finally had everything packed and began moving the boxes into the living room. There was a pillow and blanket on the couch for her to sleep on so she wouldn't have to sleep in the master bedroom with Jax to his relief. He wanted nothing to do with her after what she'd done to poor Harlow.

Work the next morning was a nice distraction for Jax. Tara was just as frosty that morning as she began loading boxes into her SUV as she was the previous evening when he returned home. The bright spot to his day was Gemma's family dinner that night and knowing Tara would be completely moved out of his house by the time he got home. Neeta was watching the boys so he didn't have to take his truck to Gemma's house that night. Quinn was working on a particularly stubborn car after he arrived at work and hoped his 'ol lady was having a better day than him. She got her console set back up and was playing a new first person shooter after Quinn left for work that morning. There weren't that many bugs in the game that she noticed. Quinn had told her about Gemma's family dinner so she knew she didn't have to worry about making dinner for them that night. Not knowing what all was going to be served, she made herself a light lunch of tuna fish and a small fruit salad. Light and tasty! She did her best to clean the house but decided to wait on doing laundry until she was less sore.

The end of the work day couldn't come soon enough for most of the bikers. They loved Gemma's cooking and knew it would be a nice, relaxing evening after not only the long work day but the stressful lockdown as well. Harlow was in no condition to be on the back of a bike so when Quinn got home to clean up, he told her to just follow him in her car to Gemma's house. He showered quickly so they could get to Gemma's. It still wasn't any easier driving then as it was the previous day coming home from the lockdown. Quinn drove the speed limit, made sure she could still follow when they came to yellow lights, and took turns slowly so she could follow with ease. Before long, they were pulling up in front of a nice brick one story house. She pulled in behind what she remembered to be Gemma's SUV and shut the engine off. Quinn quickly made his way over to help her out of her truck.

He didn't bother knocking, he just opened the door and walked in. Bobby, Chibs, Juice, Tig, and Ratboy were all sitting around the living room when they walked in. Bobby told the blond Jax was in the kitchen and Happy had just gone to the bathroom. Quinn told her to find a seat and get comfortable earning a silent head nod in reply. There was a spot on the couch so she took it hoping she wasn't stealing someone's seat. Juice was happy to see her there so he could talk to her about the games she played and other nerdy things. Bobby was happy to see she felt well enough to come out after being stabbed four times. Jax greeted his brother with a one-armed man hug and said the beer was in the fridge. Quinn grabbed one before pouring a glass of tea for Harlow. He left the women in the kitchen to finish up dinner and sat down with his wife. Harlow thanked him for the drink as Happy came out from using the restroom.

The assassin found himself another seat not wanting to start any trouble with Quinn and his 'ol lady. The table had already been set and dinner was almost done. Gemma decided on making two pot roasts so there was enough for everyone which included potatoes, carrots, celery, and onions plus a big dinner salad and sweet rolls. She also made two apple pies and a banana pudding for dessert. Once all the food was on the table, the biker Queen called everyone to dinner. Quinn helped his 'ol lady off the couch and into the dining room. They had seats at the far end of the table. Opie and Lyla sat down with them with Juice sitting on the left of Lyla and Chibs sitting on Harlow's right. Juice was dying to actually get to talk to her about games and nerdy stuff since his brothers didn't understand him like that. Food was passed around and jokes were made. Quinn made sure Harlow got as much as she thought she could eat making Lyla smile at the pair.

"I hear you're a video game tester. What games do you play?" Juice finally got to ask Harlow making her chuckle.

"All sorts. First-person shooters, action, puzzle games, you name it." She answered.

"Sounds exciting. You work from home, right?" Juice inquired.

"Yes. I pretty much make my own hours which is great." She replied with a smile. 

"That's awesome. I'd love to play video games for a living!" Juice laughed making her laugh too.

"What games do you play?" She inquired.

"Mostly the first-person shooters and action games." He replied earning a head nod since her mouth was full.

"I knew the two o' ya would 'ave lots t' talk about!" Chibs laughed making her laugh too.

"When do you play? I imagine with working at the garage full time and whatever duties you have to the club, your personal time is limited." She stated.

"I play when I go home. I do get to play quite a bit so I've got a pretty good balance in life." He chuckled.

"Well that's good." She stated.

"Have you picked out any names for the baby yet? Or are you waiting till you know the sex?" Lyla inquired.

"Truthfully, I haven't thought about it. Between this lockdown and everything else, it just hasn't crossed my mind." Harlow answered, "I guess we'll really start thinking about names when we find out what we're having."

"What do you want? A boy or a girl?" Lyla asked.

"I'd love to have a girl." Harlow smiled.

"Yeah. I'd like a girl first and then a boy to round out the family." Quinn added in making Harlow smile.

Juice began asking about movies and movie adaptations so Chibs, Quinn, Opie, and Lyla sat there listening to the pair discuss movies, the special effects, and what they thought about them the rest of dinner. Jax watched his brothers and their 'ol ladies laughing and chatting throughout dinner. He thought he'd feel more sad and depressed about Tara's leaving but he didn't. He hated being a statistic. He hated his boys not having a good mother figure. The family dinner was going great without Tara's presence. Harlow was relaxed and seemed to be having a good time. Everyone was having a good time for that matter. Bobby got his attention so he joined the conversation and let Tara drift to the back of his mind. After dinner, Gemma told Harlow to go get comfortable in the living room while the women put up the leftovers and cleaned up from dinner. The men followed her into the living room where they all got comfortable. Most conversations flowed from the dining room to the living room. Juice was loving getting to talk nerd with Harlow which amused Quinn greatly.

The evening was relaxed and filled with laughter and jokes. No worrying about the local law enforcement, the next shipment, the issues between Tara and Harlow, Jax's impending divorce. Just good food, good friends, and lots of laughter. Quinn kept his arm around Harlow's shoulders as they sat there. He was talking with Ratboy about bike modifications while Harlow was still talking with Juice. Around ten pm, she began to get sleepy so Quinn thought they should head home. Harlow was quick to thank Gemma for the wonderful evening and amazing food she'd prepared. Gemma just smiled and said it had been her pleasure as she gently hugged the younger woman. Quinn helped Harlow back into her truck before climbing onto his bike to lead her back to their home. Her wounds needed to be recleaned and rebandaged before bed. The ride didn't take long and before she knew it, they were pulling into their driveway. He briskly walked over to help her out of the truck and into the house. She was walking to their bedroom as he was locking up the house and shutting all the lights off.

A/N: I'm sorry this is so short.

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