If it hurts baby, please tell me.
---
I walk into the warehouse, backed by my brothers. "Declan!" I call out to the Irish man. He looks at me with an annoyed look as he arms are crossed over his chest. "Glad to see you." I tell him as we walk closer to them.
He rolls his eyes, "I heard why we're here and I'm sorry to hear about your wife, Jackson." Declan tells me. I nod, taking in his bullshit apology. "Now, should we talk about false theories or business?"
I look down to Connor's wrist, noticing a chain link bracelet. I raise my eyebrow and look over to Tig who glares at the man in front of him. The bracelet he's wearing is identical to the bracelet that Al's mom always wore with a diamond, ruby and pearl- all her girl's birthstones. "Where'd you get the bracelet?" Tig asks him and Connor laughs.
"Just some pawn shop. Saw it and thought I'd pick it up, looked nice enough."
I shake my head before pulling out a cigarette and lighting it in front of the two men. "I don't like assuming things, but this seems awfully fishy. The night my wife's house gets shot up and her mother dies is the same night you two weren't home and no where to be seen. Seems strange doesn't it?"
Declan glares at me, "You're playing a dangerous game, boy." He threatens me, and I chuckle.
"Am I?"
"Listen, I'm not going to sit here and try to get you to believe me over my whereabouts last night. Like I said, sorry about your wife."
"She had a nice house." I hear Connor murmur under his breath and my attention goes straight towards him, my nostrils flaring in anger. Tig walks closer to him, glaring and wanting to rip his head off.
"What'd you say?" Tig hisses at the man.
Connor looks up at Tig and I and smirks, "Nothing, why?"
I shake my head and immediately punch him in the face, connecting my elbow to his cheek bone and watching him crash to the ground. I boot him in the stomach and blow out smoke, smirking at Declan before getting closer to him. "You better keep your men in check, Declan. I promise you, I'll kill you and this piece of shit." I say before kicking Connor in the stomach once more. I kneel down and look at the bloodied man, "No, I'll definitely kill you." and with that, I spit on his face before turning around and leaving the two Irish men alone in the warehouse.
I head to my bike and put on my helmet. "You okay, brother?" Happy asks me and I nod.
"I'm as okay as I could ever be. I'm going to check on Al. I'll see you guys later." I tell him, and he gives me a thumb up.
"Let me know how she is, Jax." Tig shouts at me and I nod.
"I will, don't worry." I say before reversing and heading off to my house. Once I get home, I park my bike and unlock the door, finding Al sitting at the dining room table staring into her coffee mug. I sigh and give her a sad gaze, "How's it going?"
She looks up to me and shrugs, "Fine." I let out a defeated breath and take a seat across from her, watching her stare into her cup.
"What can I do?" I ask her, wanting nothing more but to help ease her pain. She shakes her head, basically telling me that there's nothing I can do. "Come on, Al. There has to be something."
Her head moves up to look at me, her eyes sad. "I wish things were different between us. I wish I wasn't doing this by myself and I wish I could call this my home still."
I'm taken back by her comment and my eyebrows knit together as I shake my head, "But you're not alone. I'm still here, your dad's here, Gemma, the club, our kids. I don't know what you mean, Al."
She sighs, gripping the coffee mug. "I wish we were still together and that I didn't have to feel awkward sleeping in the bed I used to lay in every night. I wish I could just hug you and kiss you, that everything was back to normal. At this point I don't even care if there's another woman, I just want my life to be normal again, Jax." She says as a tear slides down her cheek.
I walk over to her and immediately wrap her in my arms. "You don't deserve to be with someone like me, Al. I don't want to keep hurting you and I know you're just lonely and hurt, and you don't actually mean what you're saying."
Al continues to cry into my chest and she shakes her head, "I mean this with my whole heart. I miss you, I miss my husband, and I miss my home, Jax." I sigh, not knowing what to do or say to the grieving woman. I continue to hold her in my arms and I close my eyes as I begin to silently cry, regretting my previous choices and wishing that this could go back to normal as well. "No one is like you. I've looked, I've tried. No one is you, Jax."
I kiss the top of her head as she continues to cry to me. She stands up to make it easier on my back and she wraps her arms around my torso, holding me closely. The radio hums softly and before it's too late, I notice that our wedding song is playing. I slowly rock to the song, holding her tightly.
I could spend my life in this sweet surrender. I could stay lost in this moment forever. Every moment spent with you is a moment I treasure.
I hear Al sniff and I look down at her, "What's wrong, darling?"
She leans her head into my chest and closes her eyes. "As if our wedding song would come on right now." She sniffs once more, "Maybe it's a sign from the universe."
I chuckle, shaking my head before kissing her head once more. "You take that astrology shit too seriously."
Don't want to close my eyes. I don't want to fall asleep because I'd miss you, baby, and I don't want to miss a thing.
I continue to rock the two of us to the beat of the song and I feel my grip on her tighten, not wanting her to go anywhere. I want this moment to last forever, I don't want this song to stop playing and I just want to hold her until she feels better.
'Cause even when I dream of you, the sweetest dream would never do. I'd still miss you, baby, and I don't want to miss a thing.
I feel her breathe deeply into my chest as she continues to hold onto me. "I love you, Jax."
A small smile spreads across my face and close my eyes, leaning my cheek on her head. "I love you too, Al, more than words can describe."
I just want to hold you close, I feel your heart so close to mine and just stay here in this moment for all the rest of time.
And for once in a very long time, I decide to make the right choice and I look down at Al, moving my arms from around her neck to her waist and I lean down to her, pressing my lips against hers, hoping that this is what she meant when she said she wanted everything to be normal again.
