"Does she know anything about me? Clay?" My mom asks as we enter the house. Kacey is in the backyard, singing along to music she has playing as she waters the garden. I shake my head before reaching for my cigarettes.
"No, I didn't exactly feel like disclosing that her father-in-law was the reason she spent three years in a coma." I tell my mom, not wanting to deal with her attitude. "Next time she wakes up from a coma, I'll make sure to tell her that off the hop." I say with a sigh as I look over to Abel and Sadie who are holding hands as they walk to the back door.
"Jesus Jax, I was just askin-"
"I don't need your prying right now, Mom. I need you to be supportive, and just happy that she's back. She doesn't even remember her own kids, and I don't think Clay ranks above her children in terms of importance." I tell her as I watch the back door open; Sadie and Abel rushing outside to see Kacey.
I quicken my pace to the back door and notice that Sadie has attached herself to Kacey's legs. Kacey lets out a laugh and kneels down to the little girl, running a hand through her curly auburn locks. I notice tears welling up in Kacey's eyes as she looks at Abel and Sadie. She moves a spare hand onto Abel's cheek, brushing it softly with her thumb. "I missed you, Mama." I hear Abel tell her as he looks into her eyes. A tear slides down Kacey's cheek and Sadie melts right into her, wrapping her arms around Kacey's neck. Kacey holds her tightly, and Abel falls into the group hug, holding onto the woman he knows as mom.
Kacey holds them tightly as she continues to cry, running a hand over Abel's head as she kisses his cheek and then Sadie's. "I'm sorry for leaving you, I'm so sorry." She tells them before kissing the top of Sadie's head, "I'm staying right here, I'm not going anywhere else."
"Please don't ever leave again, promise." I hear Abel tell her and Kacey nods before kissing his head.
"I promise, baby, I'm here, right here." Abel pulls away as Sadie stays stuck to Kacey. I feel my heart glow at the interaction as I continue to watch; tears threatening to spill out of my own eyes as I notice how quickly and well the kids got on with Kacey being back. Kacey smiles to Abel and I watch as he wipes away her tears. "I love you both so much." She tells them, giving Sadie a quick squeeze. "How about we play some games? We can jump rope, play Jenga, horse shoes, go on the swings, whatever you two want."
Abel lights up and he nods, "Swings and then we can play tag!" I let out a laugh and walk over to them, brushing my fingers on the back of Abel's head.
"Don't know about tag buddy, mom needs to rest a bit. She's still tired and weak from the hospital." I tell him, not wanting Kacey to exhaust herself. "How about you guys go on the swings for a bit and then we can play on the trampoline. Does that work?" I try to compromise with the growing boy, and he nods before running over to the swing set.
I notice Sadie is still clinging to Kacey for dear life. Kacey wraps her arms around the toddler and goes to stand up, but her weakness makes it difficult for her. I reach for Sadie and take her from Kacey, kissing her forehead as the toddler curls up against my chest. "I'm sorry, I should be able to hold my own daughter." Kacey tells me, feeling frustrated with herself.
I shake my head before kissing Kacey's cheek, "You have nothing to apologize for. You're still recovering. You'll get there sooner than later, I promise." Kacey lets out a sigh and runs her fingers through Sadie's hair as I hold onto the toddler.
My mom walks over to us and Kacey looks over to the woman, giving her a friendly smile. "It's good to see you back, baby." Mom tells Kacey before pulling her into a hug. "Gemma, Gem, whatever you want. We missed you so much, all of us." Kacey shies away from the hand my mom places on her shoulder, and my eyebrow cocks in response. I look between the two women and can tell Kacey is uncomfortable around my mom. "Is everything alright, Kacey?" My mom asks her and Kacey nods before clearing her throat.
"Y-yeah, just tired and learning so many names and people. I'm sorry, I just need to excuse myself quickly, get a drink of water." Kacey tells mom before giving her a quick smile as she walks back into the house.
Mom raises an eyebrow and looks over to me, "What was that about?" She asks, being just as confused as I am.
"Can you look after the kids for a second? I'm going to go and see if she's alright." I ask my mom and she nods as I hand Sadie over to her. I walk into the house through the back door, searching for Kacey. I sigh as I walk down the hallway and peak into each room, being left empty handed as I can't find Kacey. I take a deep breath and walk into our bedroom to find her sitting on the edge of the bed, picking at the skin around her fingers. My eyebrows knit together as I walk over to her, "Everything alright?"
Kacey looks up at me, fear and worry in her eyes as she continues to pick away at her fingers. "Something doesn't feel right, Jax. I-I don't know what it is, but someone is hiding something, and I don't want to be a part of it." She tells me and I look down at her in confusion, not understanding her. "I just, I feel this wave of tension and worry like someone doesn't want something to come out... that woman, your mother, there's something she's hiding and I think someone was trying to tell me what it was before everything happened."
I shake my head, not knowing what she's talking about. "Babe, you're just exhausted. I'm sure it's no-"
"No, Jax, it's not nothing, it's something and I don't feel comfortable around her. Something is wrong, seriously wrong, and if you ever loved me, I need you to believe me." I look at the woman in shock.
"If I ever loved you? Kacey, what are you talking about?"
Kacey looks down at her hands, "I know I'm not the same Kacey that you loved and fell in love with." She tells me quietly, "and I just need you to take this seriously, understand me and how I'm comfortable."
I feel my heart sink as those words left her mouth. I take a seat beside her and take her hands in my lap. "Kacey, you're the same girl from Texas that I fell in love with over ten years ago. You're the same girl, and you're everything I've ever wanted. I-I'm sorry if I'm not showing it correctly, or well enough bu-"
"I disrupted your life when I woke up, and I know that. I don't want you to feel obligated to stay with me if this isn't what you want. I know three years can change a lot, especially if someone isn't around."
I shake my head, knowing I want to be by her side. "Kacey, I don't want to leave you, I don't want you to leave me. I want us to work this out, work past this; I know we can. We've gone through worse, hell, Abel was kidnapped and we still made it through."
Kacey's eyes widen and so do mine as I realize what I had allowed to slip. "Kidnapped? W-what happened?"
I take a deep breath, knowing this is now or never. "I'm the president of a motorcycle club; Sons of Anarchy, and we had a huge conflict with the Irish. They kidnapped Abel to get back to us and took him to Belfast. You, Noah and your dad came with us to get him back. It's where you told me that you were pregnant with Sadie."
Kacey looks at me with fear in her eyes and I begin to choke on my breath, hoping this doesn't shatter everything. "That's a lot to take in." she admits, running a hand through her eye and then rubbing her eyes, "Wow."
"I know, and Kacey, if this isn't something you want, we can figure something out. I just, I don't want to overwhelm you with everything. You're still figuring something out, and I don't want to stress you out."
Kacey reaches over for my hand, giving it a reassuring squeeze. "I'm alright with everything if you take what I said about your mom seriously."
And without even thinking, I nod in agreement; knowing Kacey means more to me than anyone else on this planet aside from our children.
"I will, I do."
What was she sensing from my mom that has been hidden from me for years?
