The hours passed quickly as the two woman made sure to keep the kids entertained while serving customers. The good thing was that it wasn't too crowded. Also, Jax' older son had pretty much fun helping them. With his adorable smile and sweetness he brightened up the day for a few of their customers.

If anyone asked him something, he always gave a polite answer and never gave the two woman a hard time. Sometimes Katelynn would send him into the kitchen so Peter, their cook, could show the little boy some awesome food tricks. The boy probably had the fun of his life being babysitted in a diner.

Thommy was just as simple as Abel. He needed to be fed now and then and carried around but other than that he was happily babbling in his baby carrier, playing with the stuffed animal and rattle he had with him.

Cleo was surprised to see how easy those two were to handle. She had seen other kids and how their parents or babysitter had a much harder time.

"So, here you go, buddy", the brunette sat a plate with pancakes and a bowl with fruit salad down in front of Able and a bowl with mashed potatoes and little pieces of carrots for Thommy.

She sat down on the opposite of Abel so she could look at him while talking to the boy. Getting Thommy out of the baby carrier, she sat him down on her lap and gave him a spoon. She wanted to let him eat by himself and would only help if he needed it or if the mess would get too much.

"They're delicious", Abel sing-sang, shoving the fork with a big piece of pancake into his mouth. "Can we always stay with you now if mommy and daddy need a babysitter?"

Her heart swell at his words, a wide smile plastered on her face. This was probably one of the biggest compliments you could get from a child. If they wanted to spend more time with you meant they felt comfortable. She couldn't help but feel relived that Abel liked her. It wasn't sure were things with Jax and her would go, but in case they would become something serious one day she didn't need to worry about the kids if they already had a bond with her.

"That's up to your parents, sweetheart", she told him softly as she reached out and gently pinched his nose. "But if they ever need a babysitter, I'm happy to help out. You had a great day?"

Abel giggled and wrinkled his nose. "I had, thank you for the fun day", he said politely and in such a sweet tone. This boy was the cutest she had ever seen and so was his brother. Jax was one lucky man. "Do we have to leave soon?"

"Yeah, I'll get you home after you guys ate", she nodded. Jax gave her a call and asked if she could drop them off at the clubhouse since he was still outside of Charming. He also told her that Tara might be there already waiting for them. If it was one thing she wasn't delighted about than it was meeting Jax' girlfriend, fiance or whatever she was. But; the boys needed to get there somehow so she had no other chance.

"Oh, I wanted to stay longer", the boy pushed his bottom lip forward, pouting. "I'm gonna tell my daddy that Thommy and I want to come back tomorrow."

The brunette chuckled at Abel's bluntness and how he decided to come back tomorrow without asking anyone before. Yet it was such a sweet thing to hear from him.

"You and your brother are always welcome here", she promised.

Abel hummed happily and ate his food in peace, now and then telling Cleo something about daycare, what they were doing there and that he missed his grandma, making her wonder what happened to her. It didn't sound like she had died, so there must've been some other problems; but it was simply none of her business.

Thommy finished his bowl almost completely on his own, some excited squeaks coming from him as Cleo encouraged him and told him how good he did. She doubted he fully understood what she was saying, but it was important to her to encourage those amazing boys.

She got both of them ready and told her mom she would be back in around thirty minutes and thanked her for helping her out. Abel ran over to the blonde woman and hugged her tightly, also thanking her for the great day.

"Those two are amazing", Katelynn told her daughter and squeezed her arm. She had seen the sparkle in Cleo's eyes everytime she looked at one of the kids and for a short moment the woman was afraid her daughter would fall for Jax and his two boys only to get her heart broken if the man would choose the woman he already was with.

"They are", Cleo sighed joyfully. "And Abel already looks so much like his dad.

"Just be careful, okay?", she heard her mother say and knew right away that the blonde was worried about her.

Giving her a reassuring smile, Cleo nodded and hugged her quickly. "Always, mom."

The brunette took the baby carrier and playfully hushed Abel out of the diner and told him to hold her hand. Her car was parked down the street and they had to cross one, so she wanted Abel close just in case.

"This is your car?" Abel's eyes grew wide with excitement and when Cleo gave him a nod, he jumped up and down while clapping his hands. "When I'm old I want a car like that, too!"

A laugh hushed over her lips as she watched how excited Abel was jumping around. Her car wasn't normal or boring. For the street races she attended sometimes, she needed a car that had all the stuff she needed so she can keep up with the others.

"Nothing wrong about that. Don't you want a bike like your daddy?", she asked with a slight smirk and got Thommy in the backseat, making sure he was properly buckled. Then she walked around the car with Abel by her side and helped him buckle up, too.

"I want both", the boy shrugged slightly with a smile on his face. "If I make muuuuch money in the future I can get both, right?"

Cleo tilted her head and looked at Abel. This boy was smart and already knew that he needed much money to buy such things; which meant he wasn't too spoiled and that's what she liked so much about those kids.

"Yeah, that's right. And until then you can learn from your daddy how to ride a bike", she winked, making him giggle once more before she got in the car herself and drove to the club. It wasn't too far away from the diner but also not the closest.

After the fifteen minute drive she drove through the gates and parked her car in a free spot. Cleo let Abel out first before she got Thommy out and walked towards the small crowd of bikers.

They didn't intimidate her even though one of them looked like he was about to kill someone. He was a tall one and heavily tattooed. The other two men on the other hand looked pretty friendly and not scary at all. One of them had dark curly hair and piercing blue eyes while the other had a shaved head and tribal tattoos on each side.

The heavily tattooed one picked Abel up as he ran towards him and listened to the boy chatting about his day. There was even the slightest smile on his face now, which made him look much friendlier.

"You must be Cleo, right? I'm Tig", the one with the black curls said, smirking at her. "We'll keep an eye on the boys 'til Jax and Tara pick them up. But I don't mind if you stay, doll, I promise you'll love my company."

Tig's arm was around her shoulder within seconds, winking at her as he looked down. He was clearly flirting with her, amusing and disturbing at the same time. She could only shake her head in amusement at his bold try.

"Stop traumatizing the girls around you, man", the younger one spoke up with a chuckle. "You gonna scare her away."

Cleo shared a look with the younger one, smiling. "Ah, it's fine. I can handle most men around me", she laughed softly and freed herself from the man's arm. "And little information for you── I'm not interested. But good luck with the next girl."

Tig faked an offended gasp, putting his hands on his hips. "But the next girl won't be as pretty as you, doll."

"Tig, leave her alone", the serious looking one growled from the back, causing the man to hold up his hands in defense. The brunette raised a brow in surprise. He was the last one she expected to say something.

Cleo crossed her arms and chuckled at the almost sad expression on Tig's face now. "Okay well, I think I'm gonna head back to the diner. Thanks for watching them until Jax will be back."

"Anytime, doll", Tig said as she handed him the baby carrier with Thommy in it. "Oh wait, Jax wanted us to give you this."

The man got his wallet out of the back pocket of his jeans and counted some money. He held out two hundred dollars but Cleo waved it off quickly.

"Oh, no, I don't want any money", she said firmly. It wasn't her intention to get paid. Jax needed help and she offered it to him. Well, he had asked, but she had said yes. She was sure he would help her out, too if she would need it.

"Then stay and get this straight with Jax by yourself because he'll rip my head off if I let you leave without paying you", Tig said jokingly, yet something serious in his tone. "You want a beer?"

"Uh, no, water is fine", she told the man and didn't even argue about the staying part. It was nice here, the guys seemed to be nice. She sent a quick text to her mom that it would take a few more minutes and took a seat at one of the picnic tables, her feet on the bench.

The bald one took Abel inside because the little boy wanted to show him something. The younger one took a seat next to her, offering her a cigarette while Tig was getting her a water from inside. "I'm Juice by the way", he told her, nodding towards her car. "Street races, really?"

Cleo took a cigarette out of the box he was holding out to her and lit it, slowly letting the smoke slip past her lips. "Juice? That your real name?", she asked curiously before her eyes grew wide, but only for a brief moment. "You're familiar with street racing cars?"

She wasn't sure if it was a good thing if he knew about this. What if he would tell Jax? Would the man be okay with her doing stuff like this if they would ever get a chance together? Then there was still her addiction.

"No, Juan is my real name but everyone calls me Juice, don't ask me why", he said with a laugh. The man noticed how she was slightly nervous now, asking himself why. "I am, yes, but only a little. You know how dangerous they are, why are you doing it?"

"Juan, nice", she said sincerely. "Of course I know that, but sometimes you can win a good amount of money. Not that we necessarily need it, but it can't hurt to have some savings, right?"

"I guess you're right about that", Juice agreed at that. Still, it was dangerous; but also none of his business so he left it at that.

──

Since an hour they were sitting together, chatting about the most random things. She had to admit that she liked their company. Those guys were pretty fun and had some great stories to tell. If they would know her brother was a Mayan, they probably would be a lot more tense.

A few bikes came through the gate and parked in their spots, all of them lined up almost perfectly. One of them was Jax who immediately spotted her. With a casual smile he walked towards her as she got up and engulfed her in a tight hug, causing her heart to beat hard against her chest.

She hesitated a moment but eventually wrapped her arms around his waist and let his scent fill her nostrils. The brunette had a hard time to act like it was just a normal hug while Jax didn't even try to be discreet.

He cupped her face in his hands, making her look up at him in panic.

"Your brothers. They-"

"Don't worry about them, darlin'. How were my boys?", he asked, giving her his most sincere smile that made her legs feel like jello quickly. "You had any problems with them?"

"No, they were absolutely amazing", she told him honestly as she looked into his blue eyes. "Be prepared── your son wants to come back tomorrow", she added with a chuckle.

"Maybe I take them with me when I come by tomorrow. How about we go to the park with them?", the blonde asked, his eyes still locked with hers.

"Jax, don't make this harder than it already is", she hardly whispered, the grip around his waist loosening as she was about to pull her arms back.

Jax looked at her with an almost tortured look in his eyes. "I'll get things straight, I promise. I just need a little more time. Come to the park with us tomorrow, spend some more time with my boys."

Cleo heaved a sigh, wanting nothing more than to spend more time with him and his sweet boys. Maybe she should go with it and spend a few hours at the park with them. She already knew that she would love it, but just like her mother, she was afraid he could still choose his girlfriend over her. The brunette was already attached enough to him.

"Okay, fine", she told him after a long moment of silence and a smile made it's way back onto her face. "I'll take the day off. What about a picnic? I'm sure Abel would love it."

"Sounds great", he smiled down at her, her face still in his hands. Once again their eyes were locked but for a second her gaze wandered down to his lips. She wondered how they would feel. Was he a good kisser? The brunette was tempted to find out and so was Jax.

His breathing got heavier as he leaned his forehead against hers, holding her close with one hand resting on her back. Cleo forgot everything and everyone around her as she put her hands on his chest, craving for his lips on hers.

"I knew it", Tig stated amused as he watched the pair from the picnic table, casually taking a big gulp of his beer. "I fuckin' knew it. That lucky bastard."

It wasn't a secret anymore that none of the guys were too fond of Tara. The doctor was exhausting sometimes, sucking the life out of Jax with her constant drama. None if them would be sad if they would split up. Hell, they even understood why he was looking for comfort somewhere else.

"Shit, that won't end good", Juice jumped up and got between the two before they could get even closer. It was only a matter of time before they would've kissed and right in that moment Tara's car pulled up.

"What the hell, Juice?", Jax asked, slight annoyance in his tone but when the Puerto Rican nodded towards Tara's car, the blonde sighed deeply. "Fuck."

He ran a hand through his slicked back hair, watching his fiance walk over with a scowl on her face. No one knew how much she had actually seen.

Cleo and him shared a look before she stepped back with a sigh as the other brunette came closer. The woman didn't look pleased at all at the moment and Cleo wondered if she had seen them.

Juice looked at her sympathetically and loosely wrapped an arm around her shoulder. "You wanna go inside, say bye to Abel and Thommy?", he asked her, earning a thankful nod from Jax.

Cleo nodded briefly and was thankful for Juice' offer. The last thing she wanted was to see Jax and his girlfriend together; she already felt jealousy coming to it's surface, which bothered her. Maybe it was wrong, but inwardly she was hoping to have Jax and the boys for herself one day.

──

authors note; this chapter was kind of boring, I'm sorry! Next chapter will be more interesting though. Please feel free to leave feedback. 🖤