All the Money in the World

Chapter 27

*A Few Days Later*

"Kate," Happy shouted down to her from the top steps. "Come up here."

"Uh yeah, one second," she replied as she placed Charlotte's lunch on the table. "I'll be right back."

The girl just nodded, eating happily, and Katie headed up to the second floor only mildly intrigued by his request. She figured he wanted to try for a quickie, it had been almost a year since they'd had sex, but he would prove her wrong.

"What's up?" She asked when she hit the landing, unsure where he even was. "Hap?"

"I'm in here," he said from the nursery.

She grew much more interested. Moving down the hall quickly she found him standing proudly beside Nat's crib, the child cooing happily inside.

"Oh babe," she whispered. "It looks amazing."

"Kid likes it," he said with a grin. "There's something else," Happy said as he grabbed her hand. Gently he pulled her down to the floor and guided her hand to the back leg of the crib.

"What?" She giggled, rubbing her fingers down the leg she felt markings in the wood. "Did you screw up?"

"Nope."

Giving him a suspicious look, Katie arched her neck to look at what it was. Carefully he'd carved the letters 'HKCN' into the wood and the sight of it, a clear sign of his commitment, brought tears to her eyes.

"Happy," she looked up at him. "Katie, Charlotte and Nathaniel?"

"Yep, our weird ass family."

Covering her mouth she cried quietly, touched by his honesty and overwhelmed by his acceptance of both of her children. "I love you," she said with a shaky voice.

"Wait," he crouched down again. "Is this one better than the Ring Pop?"

"Huh?" She looked down and in his hand was an engagement ring, an actual ring. "Oh my god, really?"

"Yeah," he chuckled.

There was a moment of hesitation before she tackled him with a passionate and forceful kiss.

"Yes," she mumbled into his mouth. "Yes!"

Happy didn't say anything but showed his excitement by rolling Katie onto her back and climbing on top of her. His lips moved down her neck, tiny growls escaping his mouth, until they heard a stranger's voice.

"Excuse me," the woman said in disgust.

"Holy shit," Katie gasped as Happy clambered off her and reached for his gun. " Get your fucking hands off my daughter! Who the fuck are you?" She snapped, grabbing Charlotte from the woman's grasp.

"Dina Stone, with California Child Protective Services," she said smugly. "I'm investigating a report of neglect," her eyebrows rose slowly.

"Hap," Katie whispered, "Put it away."

With a dark glare at the woman he did as Katie asked then snatched up the ring from the door beside them.

"Do you regularly leave your child alone while you entertain clients?"

"Bitch," Happy growled about to go off on her.

"Hey," Katie hissed back at him. "Not helping." Turning back to the woman Katie tried to save face and clear up as much as possible. "I'm sorry. This is not the norm, I can assure you." Featuring at Happy she smiled, "This my fiancé. We got a little excited, he just proposed."

The woman did not crack a smile. Pulling a clipboard from her bag she scribbled something down. "I'll need to interview both of you, your child and take a look around the house."

"Uh, actually, our child is only ten weeks old," Katie sighed. "Charlotte's father and I are not together but he lives close by."

Dina nodded. "I'll need his contact information."

Katie nodded, holding back tears, and finally got to her feet. "Sure. It's in my phone." She headed out of the bedroom, holding Charlotte's hand in hers, with Dina and Happy following closely.

They got to the kitchen and Katie wrote Jax's information down for the woman. "Thank you," Dina said, surprisingly polite for the first time. "I would like to speak to your daughter first. We conduct the interviews alone, it's easier for children to tell whole truths without their parents eyes on them."

"I don't feel comfortable with that," Katie said firmly. "I understand, for children who are abused, but my daughter isn't and your attitude isn't making me feel like you're very trustworthy. This feels heavy handed," Katie said with a dark look, "It feels predatory. So no."

"Are you accusing me of something, Miss Feldstein?" Dina asked with a stern look.

"You can talk to Charlotte only with my lawyer present," Katie said confidently. "I can talk to you now, so can Happy, but you won't be alone with her or in this house without a warrant."

"That can be arranged," Dina said with a huff. "I'll start with you, Mr?"

"Lowman," he grumbled.

"Come on, Charlotte," Katie said, "Let's so sit with your brother."

Katie hurried back up to the nursery with Charlotte and called Alec first, who promised to get there as quickly as possible, then Jax who was equally as horrified but not as calm as Alec or even Katie.

"Who reported you?" He asked furiously.

"I don't know," she whimpered. "She's not neglected or abused, I don't even know how someone could think that, Jax."

He was silent for a moment. "Kate, it had to be because of the club," he admitted shamefully.

"Why me and not you then?" She asked before quickly answering herself. "Because I'm the hooker with the sex basement and your wife is the doctor."

"Lesser of two evils," he mused. "She's got both me and Happy around her at your place, whoever it was musta been thinking that."

"Sex work is not evil," she grumbled.

"You have kids with killers," he said sadly. "We gotta remember that. Not everyone loves the club."

There was no use trying to deny that or make him feel better, it was true that he was a murderer, as was Happy, and she chose to raise her children with them. "Yeah," she sighed.

"Lemme talk to Tara, they're probably gonna wanna interview her too," he sighed. "We'll prove it's bullshit, Kate."

"I hope," she admitted sadly. "Jax I can't lose my kids."

"You won't," he promised her.

--

Hey guys! So I started a new Katie story, Roots Run Deep, about her and Jax! Seems a lot of readers, and myself, really enjoy their relationship so I wanted to play with that! Go check it out! Comment and vote, please! xoxoxox