WHILE MOST OF THEM were still asleep, Sawyer and Abel had sneaked into the large kitchen to make themselves breakfast. They had failed right from the start when the milk carton slipped out of Abel's hands and burst on the floor.

"Sawyer! Kitchen towels", the five-year-old whisper-yelled.

Sawyer, who was standing at the other end of the room and was just about to get the cornflakes out of the cupboard, gasped in horror before he pulled up a chair and climbed on it to get to the kitchen towels that were on the work surface of the kitchen counter.

"Quick, before the others wake up", Abel almost pleaded.

Pressing the tip of his tongue against his upper lip, he threw the roll at Abel so that he could wipe up the white liquid before it could seep into the wooden floorboards. "I'll wash the bowls and you clean the floor!"

Since Sawyer was too small to reach the other bowls that were in a cupboard further up, he decided to wash the dishes from last night that were still in the sink. In his opinion, that couldn't be super hard.

Humming to himself, he ran water into the sink and held the bottle of dish soap upside down until he thought he had enough foamᅳ which ended up being way too much; but it was the right amount in Sawyer's eyes.

"Hey! We need to ask our dads to go to the falls with us", Abel suggested as he wiped the floor with way too many towels. "They're so cool! Maybe we can jump off the cliff into the water."

"Woah, that would be awesome!" Full of excitement, Sawyer jumped up and down on the wobbly chair while he washed the two bowls. "Just a day out with our dads! Our moms definitely wouldn't allow us to jump off a cliff."

The boys shared a sheepish giggle at Sawyer's last comment before Abel stuffed the dripping towels into the trash can. Grabbing a chair, he climbed up next to Sawyer to help his friend.

"We have to rinse the bowls, my mom always does that", Abel explained as he eagerly turned the faucet on. "Just hold it under the water."

"My mom always does that too!" That's exactly why Sawyer thought they were doing a really good job hereᅳ until he tried to turn the faucet off again after putting the clean bowl aside. "The faucet won't shut!"

"Wait, let me try!" Panic flooded the two boys just as the water slowly flooded the kitchen, at least the cupboard under the sink and the floor. "Uh oh, that's not good."

Sawyer chewed nervously on his lower lip as he unrolled the paper towel and tried to stop more water from running down the cupboard with the towelsᅳ without success. "We're so busted!"

"Oh we definitely are", Abel added, just as overwhelmed as his best friend.

"What the hell, guys?!" Tessa entered the kitchen with Tara, one hand resting under her belly to take some of the weight off her, and rushed to the sink to turn off the water. "Why is there water everywhere?"

"Jesus Abel! I told you not to get in trouble", Tara scolded her son after putting Thomas on the floor and lifting the boys from their chairs. "What were you thinking? Look at the mess!"

"We, uh, we were just doing the dishes", Sawyer explained sheepishly, immediately wrapping his arms around his mom's leg while looking up at her apologetically, looking absolutely cute with his glasses. "Abel and I were hungry and didn't want to wake anyone up."

"And then the tap got stuck", Abel added quickly as he grabbed Tara's hand. "We really didn't make the mess on purpose this time, I swear!"

"Don't swear if it's not true", warned the doctor, whose features slowly softened before she gently ruffled Abel's hair and exchanged an almost amused look with Tessa. "What do you think about putting on fresh clothes and we make you some breakfast, hm?"

"And later we'll talk about this and why you should always wake Happy or me up", explained Tessa while she lovingly stroked Sawyer's hair. Bending down, she placed a quick kiss on the top of his head. "Go on, get changed, baby. And leave your pajamas in the bathroom so I can wash them later."

"I'll do that, mommy", the five-year-old murmured sheepishly, relieved that he hadn't gotten into much trouble. "Love you!"

"Love you too, buddy", Tessa smiled down at her son and watched the two boys disappear into the spacious entrance hall and shortly afterwards run up the stairs to the rooms.

"That's an unexpected start to the day", she muttered under her breath, a soft chuckle rumbling through her chest.

"I'm telling you. I thought we could relax since we're on vacation", Tara said amused as she drained the water from the sink, her eyes falling on the ring on Tessa's finger. "Happy proposed to you?!"

Whipping her head around, Tessa made a gesture with her hands to silence Tara, which looked at her wide eyed. "Shh, no one knows yet and I don't know when Happy wants to tell them."

"Well, maybe you shouldn't walk around with an engagement ring on your finger then", Tara teased the younger one, wiping her hands on a towel before she reached for Tessa's hand to explore the ring. "It really is beautiful. He really put a lot of effort into choosing it."

"Yeah, right?" Tessa beamed just as much as the rays of sunlight streaming through the window, her brown eyes shimmering in the golden light. "I've never seen such a beautiful ring. Shit, I really didn't think I'd ever have a real family. Kids, a husband, even a dog."

Tara's lips curled into a smile as she listened to Tessa's words and heard the emotion in her soft laugh. "I'm really happy for you, Tess. If anyone deserves it, it's you."

"Thank you, Tara", the Laney woman said sincerely, smiling at her friend. "I'm glad you decided to stay with Jax. I would hate to miss you as a friend."

"I should've done that much sooner. Trying to change him was the biggest mistake I've ever made", Tara admitted honestly, the slightest smile on her lips. Before she let go of Tessa's hand, she squeezed it gently and then looked towards the stairs. "Okay, I won't say anything, but you'd better hide the ring", the brunette winked before she took care of the breakfast she had promised the boys.

"Yeah, maybe I should." Before the kitchen filled up, Tessa slipped the ring into the pocket of her black hot pants and greeted Happy by pulling him towards her by his gray shirt, kissing him softly. "Morning baby."

"Morning babe", he croaked against her lips, gently biting her lower lip and listening to the sound of her soft sigh. As he reached for her hands, he frowned, lifting her left hand. "Where's the ring?"

"Calm down", the raven-haired woman smirked as she saw the panic flash in his eyes. "In my pocket, I wasn't sure if you wanted everyone to know about it already or if you wanted to wait."

"To hell with waiting, I want everyone to know that you'll soon be my wife", he croaked with a triumphant grin as he slipped his hand into her pocket to put the ring back on her finger. "I never want to see it anywhere else but on your finger, you understand, little girl?"

"Yes sir", Tessa chirped teasingly, followed by a determined nod at his stern gaze. "Only on my finger."

"If you call me that again, we'll be in our room for the rest of the day", he said in a raspy whisper close to her ear, his hand slipping over her hip until it came to rest on her ass.

Tessa bit her lower lip, her lips parting slightly as another sigh fell from them.  "Is that a threat?", she asked, innocently batting her dark eyelashes.

"More of a promise", Happy replied, his voice deep and hoarse with a hint of lust in it. "That I'd be more than happy to keep."

Softly moaning against his shoulder, where she buried her face to hide her flushed cheeks, Tessa clutched his shirt and inhaled his scent. God, how much she loved that manly scent.

"I thinkᅳ", the Laney woman didn't get any further before Gemma gave her a quick smack on the ass, making her squeal.

"You can take care of your needs tonight, we girls have plans today", she winked at the young woman on her way to the kitchenette. "Come on baby, help me with breakfast before the men are gonna starve."

Happy just grumbled something incomprehensible before he pulled away from his giggling fiancée, his arm still around her waist. "Give us a minute, we wanna announce something."

"Oh yeah, what is it?" Gemma asked curiously. With one hand propped on the kitchen counter, she planted her other hand against her hip. "Please just tell me it's good news."

"More than good news." Tara stood next to Gemma with a knowing grin on her flawless face and folded her arms, waiting for the couple to announce the good news.

"Hey, what do you know that we don't know, babe?", Jax asked from the other end of the room, who, like the others, looked back and forth between their SAA and Tessa. "I mean, she's already pregnant, that can't be it", he added with a cocky smile.

"Just shut up and listen." Looking down at Tessa, he encouraged her to announce the news with a soft tap against her hip. "Tell 'em, baby."

"Well..", Tessa hesitated with an almost proud smile before she held her hand up in the air and wiggled her fingers, the greenish stone the perfect contrast to her long, black fingernails and the other dainty, silver rings. "We're engaged! Happy asked me if I wanted to marry him."

Whistles and cheers wandered through the small but now loud group, everyone happy for the couple standing in front of them in front of the large dining table, arm in arm and chuckling.

"I knew it! I had a feeling the whole time", Tig claimed, now on his feet, and first pulled Tessa into a tight hug before he slapped Happy's shoulder with a smirk. "About time, man. Otherwise I would've taken my chance."

"Don't push it, man", Happy growled lowly, his jaw twitching as he saw the provocative gleam in his friend's eyes. "Keep your filthy hands to yourself or I'll make sure you're never gonna be able to use them for anything again."

"He wouldn't have had a chance, baby", Tessa purred against his jawline, planting two soft kisses against it. Something about Happy talking like this and threatening others did something to her. "I only have eyes for you."

"Oh, that's a shame." Tig waved it off with a chuckle, an amused one with a bit of nervousness in it. "Congratulations to you both, I mean it."

"I know, thanks Tiggy", Tessa smiled, hugging Happy waist from the side, but they didn't stay like this for long before she was pulled into a bone-crushing hug by Jax. "Jax, you're crushing me", she said through clenched teeth, followed by a small laugh.

"Ah shit, sorry." The blonde stepped back with a chuckle, raising his hands in the air. "I'm just happy for you, that's all, darlin'", he said with a wink before he pulled Happy into a brotherly hug, slapping his friend's back. "Congrats, man."

"Thanks, brother", Happy croaked with a proud grin, which Jax returned.

"I hope I'll be the best man", the blonde said with a wiggle of his eyebrows.

"Hey, leave room for us too, surfer boy." Bobby approached the couple with a heartwarming laugh and also expressed his congratulations with hugs. "I really hope you guys are putting me in charge of the food at your wedding. You'll get the best burgers and muffins."

"We would be honored if you'd take care of that," Tessa winked lovingly, hugging the old man again. "Although you'll probably have to share with Gemma."

"Oh hell, and how he has to." Gemma stepped next to Tessa and draped an arm around her shoulder, pulling her into her side while pressing a kiss against the younger girl's temple. "I'm so happy for you both. To be honest, I've just been waiting for this moment."

"We all have", Juice admitted with a chuckle, coming towards the two of them eagerly, slapping Happy's shoulder before he pulled Tessa into a warm embrace. "Kudos to you for getting our killer to propose to you", he muttered with a grin.

"I heard that", Happy grunted, placing his hand on Tessa's tailbone. With the slightest smile he glanced down at his fiancée. "But yeah, no one else could've made me do this."

"Okay okay, enough with the sweet stuff before I'm gonna cry again", she mumbled with a sheepish smile and flushed cheeks, snuggling up against Happy's side while placing a hand on her bump. "I never thought I'd let anyone get so close againᅳ until Happy came into my life."

And the fact that she could've had that much sooner if Happy had come to Bakersfield more often or if she had visited him in Charming stung a little. But now she had him and who knows, maybe it was meant to be like this.

Lyla was the last to come up to Tessa, squealing and smiling broadly, and simply hugged her best friend from the side so Tessa wouldn't have to let go of Happy. "I can't believe you're finally getting married. It's going to be the best wedding ever!"

"Apparently you already have a plan, huh?", Tessa asked with a snort through her nose, wrapping an arm around Lyla. "Are Happy and I even allowed to plan something ourselves or not at all?"

"Just let them do it", Happy croaked against the top of her head, and while he did that she could feel his lips forming into a large grin. "Means we more time for us."

"You're really only thinking about that one thing, aren't you?", Tessa asked amusedly as she lifted her head slightly to look at him. "Although I don't have a problem with that."

"Believe me, you won't have much to do, we'll do most of it", Gemma chimed in, her mind already filled with countless ideas. "You just pick a day when you want to get married, that's all."

"As long as I get to choose my dress", the raven-haired woman murmured, shrugging her shoulders with a sweet smile. "Because there's no way I'll ever wear a white dress."

Lifting her right eyebrow, Gemma put her hands on her hips and studied the girl closely. "You wanna give Happy's mom a heart attack?"

"I think my mom can handle a black dress, Gem." With the slightest of smiles, he looked down at Tessa, who looked up at him gratefully, glad that he had her back and supported her wishes. But who the hell was he to tell his soon-to-be wife what to wear on their big day? Besides, he wanted to marry Tessa, not some fake version of her because others thought she needed to wear a white dress. If he was honest, he couldn't wait to see her in all black, knowing she'll look absolutely stunning. "You'll wear the dress you want, little girl, I'll marry you in anything."

"I love you, Hap", she whispered as she got in her tiptoes to steal a kiss from his lips, smiling against them. "I'll choose a nice one, I promise."

"Whatever." The matriarch just shook her head in amusement, but of course she would accept Tessa's wishes. "We'll find the perfect dress for you."

"Of course we will." Tara put her cup down, determined as ever.

Lyla, still smiling from ear to ear, nodded eagerly. "And the rest will be perfect, too, we'll make sure of that."

Tessa's heart swelled with love as she listened to the girls. She hadn't just gained a boyfriend and a father for her son, but also a new family and really amazing friends. "You guys are the sweetest."

"Lass, do ye' have a minute?" Chibs approached Tessa's side, smiling at her. "I'd like to make ye' an offer."

Tessa looked up at Happy, who nodded at her and, after giving her ass a gentle smack, sat down at the table with the others to give his Old Lady and Chibs a moment. The SAA already knew what the Scotsman wanted to ask his wife, the older member being the only one who had known about Happy's plans.

Actually, Happy had asked Chibs if he'd be willing to walk her down the aisle, knowing how much this would mean to Tessa.

"What is it?" Tessa asked curiously as they moved a little to the side.

"This may be a little intrusive but I'd like t' walk ye' down the aisle", Chibs offered, his accent thick as a friendly smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Yer father can't, we both know why, and it would mean a lot t' me t' take on the role."

"You'd actually do that?" Tessa asked, her voice almost failing as tears of joy gathered in her brown eyes. "But.. I'm not even your daughter."

Chibs and she had a good relationship from the start, which had become quite close over the last two years. The Scotsman had always made sure that she was comfortable, that she was doing well, and since the couple had announced the pregnancy, Chibs had only become more protective. Like Gemma, he had taken her under his wing and treated her like a daughter.

Chibs tilted his head to the side, soft lines forming on his forehead. "Why not, lass? It would be an honor. It doesn't matter if ye' are my child or not, ye' mean a lot t' me."

"I would love that, really." Tessa threw her arms around his neck without hesitation and let out a soft, happy sigh. "Thanks Chibs, it would've been weird not to have someone to take on that role."

"Anything for ye', sweetheart", he murmured as he pulled her against his chest, always careful not to put too much pressure on her stomach. "Are ye' happy?"

"What kind of question is that?" Tessa gently pushed herself away from him a little so she could look at him, her hands resting against his arms. "I couldn't be happier, Chibs. This is all I ever wanted."

Satisfied with her answer, Chibs nodded slightly and gently patted her cheek. "Good, that's all I want for ye' and that little boy."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but I think there's someone who wants an explanation." During the emotional conversation, neither Tessa nor Chibs had noticed that someone had come through the large door close to the kitchen.

Wayne Unser, to be precise, with a woman who was probably no older than forty and whose eyes, which were so similar to Tessa's, grew wider when she spotted the twenty-three year old.

"Oh my God, it's really you", the woman choked out, the first tears welling up in her eyes as she placed a tentative hand against her lips to silence the sob that was stuck in her throat. "My baby girl."

"Mom." The word fell only in a whisper from Tessa's lips, her body too frozen to move an inch and suddenly everything felt like a dream.

What the hell was going on here and why was her mother here?

word count; 3289