You Are My Sunshine

Chapter 53 - Sticking To Your Guns

"It takes courage to live, yes, but it takes real bravery to stand your ground in a world aligned against you." - Jake Bonsignore

--

By the time Opie and Mae got out of the shower and ate, it was well past lunch, but he didn't care. His phone had a list of missed calls and texts that he didn't bother to read. The first one, from Chibs, was more than enough to dissuade him from reading the rest.

"Where are you? Don't forget your priorities. Club comes first."

Scoffing as he read it, Opie rolled his eyes as he deleted the rest. "Fuck Jax, he won't even text me himself."

"You really should go," Mae sighed. "You're VP, Ope. That means something."

"I know," he grabbed his cut from the back of the chair. "It's gonna be a late one."

Mae followed him to the door, her steps light and her smile wide, and threw her arms around him as he said good bye.

"Please be careful." She whispered into his ear as he lifted her off the ground with his arms around her waist. "And kick some guido ass, tiger."

Opie smiled, nuzzling his nose with hers before kissing her. "Thank you." He never got pep talks from Donna and towards he end he rarely got a goodbye when he left for club business so her words were comforting and appreciated. He kissed her once more before putting her back on her feet.

"I love you," she sang.

"Ditto, babe."

--

Hunched over the bar when Opie arrived Amelia looked up and, when she saw him, her face instantly lit up. "Hey," she attacked him with a hug. "When you have a second we need to talk."

"Yeah, we do." He kissed her forehead. "What are you doing there?"

"Asshole didn't hire a bookkeeper for the shop and he's too stupid to cook the club's books so, yeah, I'm here."

"You see him?"

"Nah," she shrugged. "He was already in chapel when I got here but I'm waiting for him. That's for sure."

Opie didn't know she knew anything of the pregnancies but Amelia figured he realized she was simmering, able to control herself after having time to calm down.

"We really have to talk," he said hurriedly on his way to chapel.

"Okay," she nodded, assuring him, as he disappeared behind the massive oak doors.

When he sat on Jax's left, hard stares from around the table, Opie mumbled an apology of sorts. "Where we at?"

"I would ask where you were at," Chibs snapped back. "But we already know."

"You don't know shit, Chibs."

"Alright," Jax growled. "Let's stay on topic."

Their President's face was bruised and you could see his pain, undoubtedly from the damage to his ribs, with each word and even each breath.

"You didn't tell em'?" Opie asked in surprise.

"The Italians," Happy reminded them, desperate to avoid a domestic situation. "They stole our stock."

"We have two deliveries this week," Juice said. "Mayans and that new crew Jury vetted out."

"Anyone reach out? How do we know it was the Italians? Were they stupid enough not to look for cameras?"