The soft rumble of distant thunder helped Cassie relax as she sat in her bed, leaning against the headboard with a book in her hands and Opie beside her. Every time she turned a page, she made sure to give the white pit bull enough attention. A contented whimper escaped his mouth whenever Cassie scratched him behind his ear or stroked his head, which always rested on her stomach. Almost as if he could sense that Cassie carried another life inside her.

The brunette had noticed Opie's clinginess more and more over the past few days, leading her to suspect that it was due to the pregnancy. Either his head was on her stomach or he was sniffing at it. If a stranger came near her while she was taking him out for a walk, Opie would growl and stand protectively in front of her, even if the other person posed no danger. It was said that dogs could hear the heartbeat of an embryo in the womb, and Cassie and Happy both strongly assumed that Opie was only protecting his family.

After about fifteen pages and the soothing thunder, her eyelids started to feel heavy. Lily was napping next to her anyway, snuggled up to the white pit bull, snoring softly. Happy had let her know earlier that it would be a late one and that they didn't need to wait for him and James with dinner. So she already had dinner with Benny, who meanwhile had holed up in the guest room to play videogames, and Lily earlier.

The Connor woman folded her book, placed it next to her and lay on her side, one arm tucked under her head using it as a pillow, her other arm wrapped around Opie and Lily. Only then did she allow herself to close her eyes to get some sleep as well. The shopping was probably more exhausting than she had thought and sleep was exactly what she needed right now. Yet she was thankful for the conversation she had with Lyla. A conversation that opened her eyes and made her think a little differently, more positive.

⸺

Only when night fell did Happy and James make it back to Charming. Happy's tension only eased when they drove past the Charming town sign, knowing he was close to his Old Lady again, and made a brief stop at the club to discuss the next steps in Church. There was a perceived threat to the club but it wasn't so bad that they had to go into lockdown yet. Happy just hoped the Sons didn't face another war, not right now.

He and Cassie already had enough things to think about that caused both of them internal stress. If more problems would come that would mean that he would've less time for Cassie. He feared that might influence her decision. Also, the more danger there was, there was more reason not to keep the child. Even if he would protect his family with his life, he knew how dangerous it can get for everyone related to SAMCRO.

After Jax finally called it a day, he let the boys go and disappeared into his room, sleeping at the clubhouse once again. The others either scattered around the clubhouse and grabbed one of the croweaters, sat at the bar, or decided to go to their rooms as well. The only ones who left the clubhouse to get home to their families were James and Happy.

James put a hand on Happy's shoulder before the SAA could straddle his bike, giving the younger one a questionable look.

“What?”, he grunted.

The oldest Connor frowned, sighing. “What's going on with you, bro? I mean, you are always quiet. But right now I'm afraid you'll forget how to talk if you don't say something soon.”

All of them had noticed how quiet Happy was at the moment. Even at parties, the SAA just sat there and drank one beer after the other or drowned himself in shots. But only if Cassie wasn't around, which happened a lot recently.

Most of the guys didn't dare to ask but some of them even assumed they'd split up or are having trouble at the moment. James didn't think that, he knew Cassie would've told him if that was the case. They still practically lived together in her house.

He knew his sister and his best friend well enough to know that this would never work out had they actually broken up. The two would be bashing each other's heads in within a day with their stubbornness. James knew that there was something else behind it and he was getting worried.

“Won't happen, don't worry”, he huffed before straddling his bike. The helmet that hung on the handle was now on top of his head.

“Come on, man, stop that bullshit.” James retorted after straddling his bike, too. He looked at Happy with urgency. “You and Cassie got problems?”

“We're fine”, Happy grunted, slowly getting impatient. Before Cassie and him became a thing he never felt the urge to talk about shit. But now he needed to get all of this off his chest and it bothered him. Talking about feelings was never his thing.

“Is it because she's pregnant?”, James asked suddenly. According to Happy's murderous yet desperate look, James had hit the nail on the head.

“She told you?”, he asked in disbelief. Cassie would've told him if she would've opened up to James about the pregnancy, he was sure of that. If the doctor bitch had spread the news to everyone, he would have to have a serious word with Jax.

“Nah, you just did”, James smirked, slapping his back brotherly. “My sister is acting weird as fuck since a few weeks. At first I thought it's because of the things that happened with Kyle and Kayla, but it isn't. Every time Lily does something cute, even if she had done it hundred times already, Cassie almost starts crying because she can't handle the cuteness. Then she suddenly can't drink coffee anymore, the smell of cooking meat makes her nauseous and the most notable thing is that she hadn't smoked a joint in weeks. She wouldn't do that if there wasn't a good reason for it.”

Grumbling to himself, Happy got a toothpick out of his Kutte and put it between his lips, chewing on it thoughtfully. Now that James had brought it up, Cassie's signs were actually quite obvious and anyone with a little knowledge about pregnancy would be able to interpret the signs correctly. Just like his best friend just did.

“She doesn't want anyone to know yet. Not unless she's sure if she wants to keep the baby.” Happy stared into the distance while he opened up to his friend, feeling like shit for going against Cassie's wish not to tell anyone. But James figured it out on his own⸺ kind of.

James wasn't surprised to hear that his sister was struggling with this decision. He had always known that Cassie never wanted kids of her own, even if she'd make a great mom⸺ he knew she would be. But what surprised him was that Happy seemed not so happy about this. That man had never cared about a woman except for his mother and aunt. And Cassie, but as a friend. James actually learned from him about how to lock away all unnecessary feelings and emotions so no one could hurt him.

Now it looked like the pages had turned. Because now it was Happy who had trouble hiding his feelings. It was probably because, for the first time in his life, he really loved someone that he could imagine a future with. And as fate would have it, he met a woman who was extremely afraid of the future and would prefer not to plan it at all. Cassie was a person who lived in the here and now, everything that went further into the future scared her. She had always been like this.

“And what do you want?”, James inquired cautiously, got the pack of cigarettes from his Kutte and lit one.

“I want it”, he replied simply but his facade began to crumble and the conviction that was in his first words disappeared with his next sentence. “It scares the shit out of me thinking about becoming a father. I don't know if I'm gonna fuck it up or not⸺ but I wanna give it a try.”

James lips curled up and with a knowing smile he just shook his head and blew out a cloud of smoke. “Just wanting the baby shows you're not going to mess things up, bro. I mean, if someone had told me five years ago that you're going to have an Old Lady and want to be a father, I probably would've laughed.”

“What changed your mind?”, Happy asked with a grunt, rolling the toothpick between his lips, his forehead set in thoughtful lines.

“I see the love you have for my sister everyday in your eyes. Maybe others don't notice those little things, but I do. You're my best friend, I know you better than most people do, like it or not”, James smiled briefly.

“I do love her. And I know I'd love that baby, too. But I can't force her to keep it, not after I've seen how much it scares her.” Happy tilted his head back with a sigh and stared at the clear starry sky for a short moment before he put on his glasses for the drive.

“I'm sure you'll find a solution that makes you both happy”, James assured him and flicked away his cigarette. “Just be there for her, show her that she has your support, no matter what decision she's gonna make.”

“I never did anything else”, Happy replied. After James gave him a knowing smile, he started his bike and left the lot, James following close.

⸺

Happy had sent James home and told him he could pick Lily up tomorrow after he found the girl sleeping in his Old Lady's arms. He didn't want to wake the toddler if she was already sleeping peacefully.

James thanked him and left with Benny only a few minutes later. The teenager was still awake and James would use the free time to spend some quality time with his youngest sibling. With more club shit going on at the moment it became harder to give everyone the attention they needed and he felt guilty for not giving Benny enough recently. But the teenager didn't mind, he knew how busy his older brother was and never took it to heart.

The slightest smile tugged at the corners of Happy's mouth as he saw the box with enough leftovers for him from dinner. Cassie had made something simple but something he loved. It was a recipe of his mother that she had given Cassie a few weeks ago when they visited her in Bakersfield. The older woman promised them to come down to Charming and give them a visit soon.

That Cassie got along with his mom was definitely an important point for him. Good thing was that the two women already knew each other. James was like a second son to Maria and he had often brought Cassie with him when Happy and him visited her. Maria couldn't believe her ears when she heard his son was dating the only Connor woman and couldn't have been happier about the news. Happy was afraid his mother would get a heart attack once she'd find out about the pregnancy.

After he ate the leftovers, the neat freak inside him won and made him do the dishes and some other chores. He kind of lived here too, so he might as well keep things in order.

Cassie was neat, not as much as he was but adequate. But he also knew that she had a lot to do today and probably didn't have much time for the household. Which he'd never give her shit for and start an argument over a little chaos, even if many people believed that of bikers. Of course, women should listen to what their Old Man said, that was part of being an Old Lady. That didn't mean Happy would always tell his girlfriend what to do, though. Above all, he didn't have to do that with Cassie. She knew what her duties as Old Lady were. Probably because she practically grew up in a club. She wasn't Tacoma's princess for nothing.

Just when he got rid of his clothes, ready to take a shower, he felt two arms slip around his waist. Cassie's soft, plump lips placed open-mouthed kisses all over his back making him groan and lean into her touch. The water was already running, that's why he hadn't heard her sneak inside.

“I could use a shower, too”, she purred into his ear after getting on tip toes. She wasn't a short one but not even close as tall as Happy.

Happy turned around and scanned her body hungrily, licking his lips. She had already taken off most of her clothes, her curves were only supported by a bra and matching black lace panties. The sight was enough to get him rock hard, which earned him a smirk from the brunette.

“Too many clothes”, he said, his voice low and raspy, his eyes dark and narrowed at her. He slipped two fingers under the waistband of her panties, which he tugged at. “Strip.”

Cassie bit down on her lip, slowly pulling the lace panties down her long legs before shoving the fabric aside with her foot. Then she unclipped her bra and pushed the straps down her arms before dropping it to the ground and standing in front of him, completely naked now, her nipples hard from the slight breeze that came through the slightly open bathroom window.

“Are we taking a shower now or not?”, she asked with an almost innocent yet teasing smile, her fingertips ghosting over his chest, tracing the art tattooed on his body.

Happy had watched every little move, his breathing heavy with the excitement he felt. The innocent look she looked up at him with and the slightly parted lips that waited for his to crash down on them blurred his vision.

A moment later he finally crashed his lips on hers and picked her up, growling at her to wrap her legs around him before he let his tongue slip past her lips while he carried her into the shower. A more than pleasant moan slipped past her lips and into the heated kiss as he pressed her back against the cold tiles, one hand resting next to her head while the other had a firm grip on her hip, and buried his throbbing cock with one hard thrust deep inside her.

That's exactly what they needed right now. One night without talking about anything complicated. Just enjoying each other's company was a nice change compared to the last few days.