Appetite For Destruction

-057

"He said what?" I asked Wendy who was on the other end of the phone line sounding just as stunned as I was.

"He said grandma did it" she replied referring to the fact Jax had been called to the school for a meeting with Child Services for deep cuts on Abel's arm.

"Holy shit. I'm on my way to Jax's now, hang tight" I said hanging the phone up and looking down at Harlem kicking away happily on his play mat oblivious to the goings on around him.

Packing his bag quickly and scooping him up we headed towards my brothers home. His bike wasn't there but Wendy's car was so I headed straight in without knocking "hello?"

Wendy appeared at the end of the hall coming out of Abel's room, she looked tired and stressed but smiled at me and took Harlem from my arms none the less "god, he's getting heavy" she chuckled as she pressed a kiss on his full head of dark hair.

"You're telling me" I snorted "so what's the go then?"

I followed her into the living room as she sat on the couch, she looked at Harlem as she spoke "honestly Evie, I think he did it too himself and knew that if he said Gemma did it she'd get in trouble"

I frowned "what kind of five year old comes up with that on their own though?" I felt sad for my nephew losing his mother was obviously playing on him more than any of us had noticed whilst we were wrapped up in our own drama and lives.

"Maybe he thinks Gemma is trying to replace Tara I guess" Wendy sighed "Gemma isn't allowed to be alone with him so I'm going to stay here with the boys, I mean it might do him some good to be back in his own home"

I nodded in agreement "yeah I guess, still pretty fucked up though"

I watched her fuss over Harlem as he wriggled in her arms, she seemed so far from the junked out crow eater I'd met years before. She seemed so maternal now, and took on the role of being full time caretaker of both Abel and Thomas without a second thought. I admired her ability to care for Thomas just as well as she was caring for her own flesh and blood, I think I'd find it difficult to love and care for the man I love's child with someone else though I hoped that day never came.

After sitting and talking with Wendy until she had to organise the boys dinner I headed home. The house was quiet, Ally I assumed was still at work and Happy was wherever he needed to be with the club. I sat Harlem in his swing in the kitchen as Lux laid at my feet and I started on dinner, feeling a pressing need to be doing something other than just sitting in my own head.

The smell of the frying onion and bacon filled the house and I felt my stomach rumble as I realised I hadn't actually ate since the previous evening, and I was suddenly ravenous. With what felt like the longest cooking pasta dish of my life, I found myself staring down at Harlem, his features were soft as he slept, you could really see how full and pouty his lips were and how long his dark lashes were. He was a vision of pure innocence in my life and I treasured every inch of him.

I wondered briefly if I was doomed to build a life around this child that would condemn me to make the same mistakes as my mother, but didn't linger on it too long. I knew I may have a temper like my mother but we suffered greatly in many aspects, she reminded both myself and Jax as we grew older that we had our fathers heart. I remember asking myself when I was fifteen if Gemma Teller even had a heart to begin with, I'm sure she did for her children but that seemed about where it stopped.

The front door opened and Happy walked in looking more cheerful than usual as he beamed at me "dinner smells good"

"You're home early" I smiled feeling my mood pick up at the idea of getting to eat dinner together with my husband for the first time in what felt like forever.

"Job was over quick...I got a souvenir" he smirked as he reached into his pocket and pulled out a human finger, my eyebrows pinched together before I let out a loud laugh.

"I expect nothing less of you, weirdo"

He winked at me before shoving it back into his pocket and washed his hands before picking our son up out of his swing and sitting at the table with him. I watched out the corner of my eye as they interacted, the grin on Happy's face genuine as he spoke to the baby in his hands.

Once dinner was ready we sat together and spoke about things I imagined normal couples spoke of at the end of their days, there was no talk of death or guns, no sad news just a married couple laughing and enjoying each other's company. It was the most refreshing evening I'd had since I cant remember when.