Say You Love Me

Say You Love Me - Chapter 25

It had been a year since I had left Jackson and moved into my own place. I had graduated early, as planned, with my business management degree. Chapters was a huge hit in town. People stopped in to pick up my baked goods and coffee before they were off to work. Traffic normally was steady during the day. I loved the fact that I always had ten to twelve kids coming in the shop after four o'clock to check out new books, grab sandwiches, and help each other out with homework. I had two employees, Tyler and Teresa. They were siblings that had graduated high school and needed part time work while they went to college. I didn't mind, I owned the place but besides doing the numbers part of my shop I also loved working in it as well. Business was booming, I had enough money saved up to buy a house but I couldn't imagine leaving my apartment at all for any reason right now, so I used a small chunk of it to buy a new vehicle. An up to date Jeep of course, Kip had helped me pick it out. We were in a great place, past the point of saying that we weren't dating. I ended up just asking him to move in with me a few months after I had gotten settled in, it just made the most sense. He was there every single night anyway. Gemma normally stopped in the shop to have coffee with me and catch up. I still loved her, regardless of what had happened with her son and I. As I was putting away the new inventory of books that had been delivered earlier in the day, Gemma walked in. Immediately I knew that she had bad news.

"What's going on now, Gemma? Don't beat around the bush, just tell me," I said as I put the last book away and walked towards the counter to sit with her.

"I just figured I'd come and warn you, Sweetheart. Jackson is home and he probably will be stopping by to see you sometime tonight."

I felt my face fall. It had been a year of peace, not having to worry about seeing him or speaking to him and now he was back in town.

"I don't know why he's coming to see me. He's got a child that he should be home with and I'm not his old lady anymore," I said as I turned around to put some plates away in the cupboard.

Half Sac was on a run with most of the club right now, I don't need this shit right now.

Tara had given birth to a blonde haired baby boy named Thomas, that's all I knew. I tried to avoid Tara at all costs just so I wouldn't have to see him. It wasn't the child's fault that he was born but I just couldn't deal with it.

"Tara is the mother of his child, you are in love Half Sac, you gave Jax his ring back, but from what I can see you still haven't gotten his crow removed from your backside darling. You may hate him for what he did, as you have the right to, but you do still love him," Gemma said.

I gripped the edge of the counter and tried to count to ten before I let another tear fall over Jackson Teller. Of course I still loved him, that didn't mean I wanted to be with him, to be hurt repeatedly again.

"Gemma, the damn thing covers my entire lower back! I've looked into getting it covered up but the only thing every tattoo shop suggests is to just have 'Teller' grayed out at the bottom."

"And the reason you haven't done that yet is what exactly Shay?" She asked with a smirk as she lit a cigarette.

"I'm not worried about getting it fixed right now."

Gemma laughed, grabbed her purse and came around the counter to give me a hug and kiss on the cheek.

"If that's your story Sweetheart, I'll leave you to it but I know better."

God damn it.

Gemma left and I followed her to the door to flip the open/close sign over on the front door and turn the 'open' light off. I flipped all the chairs on top of the table and mopped the floors. I had just emptied the mop bucket before I heard the roar of a bike that I hadn't heard in what seemed like an eternity. I don't know why but I checked my reflection in mirror. I had on jeans, converse, a cream-colored sweater with the sleeves rolled up, and the necklace Kip had given me when I graduated, basic fall outfit for California weather. I walked out from the back, saw Jackson opening the door, and froze.