As always, Giovanni's Pizza Place was fully booked and crowded. Luckily, Bryan thought ahead and reserved a table that had enough space for everyone a few hours ago. Gemma and Erin were sitting next to each other, chatting animatedly about one of the shops that Erin found super interesting in Charming.

Bryan and Jax sat opposite each other at the head of the table while Caitlin sat with Abel across from Gemma and Erin, the little boy between Jax and Caitlin so they could both help him with his pasta.

It was quite an amusing but also chaotic sight as the almost four-year-old tried to roll the spaghetti onto his fork after refusing to have his pasta cut into small pieces. He wanted to eat his pasta just like his auntᅳ and Caitlin had always been a believer in letting children try and let them learn.

"He's not doing so badly", Bryan remarked with a proud smile, probably the proudest grandpa around. "His face is more red than white now, but at least it seems to be working with the spaghetti."

"What can I say, he's a quick learner", the redhead replied with a proud smile as she ran a hand through Abel's blonde hair. "You want some of my pizza, baby?"

"Later!" Abel was all smiles as he answered after swallowing his noodles. "Look mommy, I can do it!"

With his tongue pressed against his upper lip, Abel tried really hard to show what he had just learned. With concentration, he rolled his fork around some of the noodles extra slowly until they were finally rolled into a pile. He then proudly shoved the fork into his mouth and let out a giggle while he chewed.

"Did you see?", he asked curiously, eliciting a laugh from Jax, Caitlin and his Grandpa.

"You did great, buddy." Jax ruffled his hair, genuine pride in his eyes, causing Abel to puff out his chest a little, his smile widening at the praises.

"You learned really quickly, baby", Caitlin added with a warm smile. Seeing her son so happy and carefree was the most beautiful sight there could be in her eyes.

"Buddy, if you keep it up you'll soon be eating better than us adults", Bryan winked at him, which made Abel giggle sheepishly and hide his face behind the menu card he was reaching for.

Caitlin just shook her head in amusement and leaned back with a contented sigh, her hands folded over her stomach after placing her cutlery on the plate.

"He still makes these huge pizzas. Who can eat a whole one of them?", she more likely asked herself before she took a look at the men's empty plates in amazement. With a shake of her head, she chuckled. "Or maybe I'm just a bad eater."

"That's definitely more accurate, babe", Jax winked teasingly at her as he, too, leaned back with a full stomach and examined the large room. "The place is so full, it's like it's the only pizzeria in town."

"But it's not", Edin replied from the side after she had picked up Jax' words. "Giovanni is simply the best, the others can't keep up, no matter how hard they're trying", enthused the brunette.

"I don't think Ope likes it when you rave about other men like that", Gemma chimed in, grinning. "But this Giovanni guy is good at what he does, I have to admit that."

"Well, don't let Clay hear that", Jax flashed her a grin. Amused, he reached for his beer and took a big gulp of it. "But yeah, it was a good idea to come here."

"The food here alone makes it worth coming back to Ireland soon, doesn't it?" Caitlin asked with wiggling eyebrows as she reached for the half-full glass of white wine, looking at everyone. "Thanks for the nice evening. We should definitely continue doing stuff like that once we're back in Charming."

"Why don't we make a little tradition of it, hmm?" With a questioning frown, Bryan looked around the small group. "I want to see my daughters more often again, now that they are closer to me I could arrange to fly to LA at least once a month. Let's find a nice restaurant, the bill is on me."

"No, out of the question", Jax protested immediately, shaking his head after putting his bottle down on the table.

"What, why not?", Caitlin looked at her the blonde through her green eyes, a little confused. "What's wrong with the idea?"

"Let me finish first, babe", Jax replied with a grin, amused by the impatience of his Old Lady. "The bill thing is out of the question, I mean. We take turns. But I think the idea is great."

"Mhm...me too", Gemma hummed, smiling. "I already have a restaurant in mind, it's also Italian. But I can't promise whether it's as good as Giovanni here."

"No one is as good as Giovanni", Erin remarked as she swirled her glass in her hand. "But we're all open to new things, right?"

"We are", Bryan hummed happily before looking over at Gemma. He liked the woman. She seemed like a decent person and he was glad Caitlin had found someone with a nice mother and not one who would see the new girlfriend as competition. "Of course your husband is invited too. Not that he thinks that he's not wanted."

Smirking, Jax raised an eyebrow. "Nah, Clay isn't the type to go to restaurants. But you can try."

"Then that's his problem, I don't turn down good food", Gemma said with a hum.

"That's the only right answer", Caitlin winked at the older brunette, with whom she definitely shared the same opinion. "You should never turn down food."

"That's true", Abel added to the conversation, which he only partially followed. Adult conversations were just boring. With his best puppy eyes he looked back and forth between his parents. "Can I have some ice cream?"

"But you still have spaghetti, buddy", Jax said, pointing to the still half-full plate. But the portion was huge, no child could handle it. "Is there even any room left in your stomach?"

The three-year-old nodded eagerly and with complete seriousness in his eyes. "There's always room for ice cream."

"The answer makes sense", Erin shrugged at her nephew's words before reaching her arm across the table to pinch the boy's nose. "The ice cream is on me. Anyone else wants one?"

Caitlin held her hands up in surrender. "Not for me, I already feel like I'm about to explode."

"I'm out too", Gemma quickly agreed, setting her fork down.

"You guys are boring, you know that?" Erin asked with a mock disappointed expression before looking at the two men. "What about you guys?"

"I mean, I'm not saying no." Jax let out a small laugh and looked at his girlfriend, who just grimaced at his answer. "You good, babe?"

"Yeah, I just feel sick when I think about eating more and you stuffing yourself with some more ice cream", she chuckled.

Bryan joined the conversation. He felt more relaxed than he had in a long time and he enjoyed it to the fullest. "A man does what he has to do, sweetie."

Snorting a laugh, the redhead rolled her eyes while Erin ordered ice cream for Abel, the two men and herself. "Whatever."

Even during dessert, the evening continued to be amazing. Jax and Bryan talked about motorcycles and TM, and if Bryan ever felt like it he wants to go on a little tour with Jax. Abel happily ate his ice cream until the bowl looked practically licked and the women talked about some of the activities that would be taking place in Charming in the next few weeksᅳ even if Erin would still be here in Ireland, the older Moore woman was still interested in what was going on in her future hometown.

As Abel yawned and began rubbing his eyes after putting down his crayon, Caitlin ran the back of her fingers down his cheek.

"You wanna go home, baby?", she asked gently.

"No, I wanna stay." The eager head shake quickly slowed down before another yawn escaped his lips. "Not tired."

"I'm not so sure about that, buddy." A smile tugged at the corners of Jax' mouth as Abel climbed out of his chair and onto his lap. With another yawn, the little boy curled up and snuggled up against his father.

Caitlin awed at the sight, her heart melting in her chest. With her hand placed on her pale skin over her heart, she simply took in the moment and mentally memorized it. It was only when her father's hand gently squeezed her shoulder that she was brought back to reality.

"You made a good decision, sweetheart", he said sincerely. His smile showed that he meant exactly what he said. "I'll pay, you guys can leave."

"Are you sure?" Jax asked just to be on the safe side as he rubbed up and down Abel's back.

"Yeah, I said dinner's in me. Besides, I wanted to stay with Erin tonight anyway before we fly back to the States", Bryan assured with a smile. "Just enjoy the rest of the evening once Abel is sleeping."

"Thanks man", the blonde said sincerely before he glanced at his mother. "What about you, mom?"

"I'll stay here, maybe explore the town a bit and go out for a drink. Wanna join me?", she asked Erin and Bryan, also to give her son and Caitlin some quality time together.

"I'm in", the younger brunette agreed immediately with a wide smile. "I'll show you how exciting the nightlife can be here."

Caitlin's eyebrow shot up as a laugh slipped past her plump lips at her sister's words. "You wanna show her one pub after the next or what?"

"Maybe? Why do you care?" Erin threw one of the crayons at her sister, snickering. "Just because you've become boring doesn't mean I have to become boring, too."

"Hey, your sister is anything but boring", Jax winked with his familiar panty-dropping grin as he stood up, adjusting Abel on his hip so the little boy on his arms sat comfortably.

"Oh, no details please", Bryan almost pleaded before letting out a laugh, helping his daughter pack Abel's small backpack. "Get home safely and be careful, aye?"

"Don't worry, you wouldn't get any details if you begged for them", Caitlin said with a snort, her mood better than ever. However, the tension suddenly changed when Jim walked through the door of the restaurant and his eyes immediately locked with hers.

Because of the sudden change on Caitlin's flawless face, Jax followed her gaze, and the rest of them soon looked at the man in the dark blue coat who was slowly approaching their table. His friend took a different direction to sit down on the table they had reserved.

"Caitlin, I didn't think I'd see you here", he said, charming as always. Jim had one of those smiles that were called a million-dollar smile, extremely charming and captivating.

But nothing it left Caitlin coldᅳ his smile only caused more anger to bubble up in the pit of her stomach. "Jim. We were just about to leave, don't worry."

"Oh, too bad." The man took a step closer, but Jax blocked his way so he couldn't get any closer to Caitlin, jealousy crossing his features. Jim cocked his brow, laughing arrogantly. "I see you have your own bodyguard now."

"Jim, let it go", Bryan let out a sigh, also standing closer to his daughter now. "Why don't you just join your friend and enjoy the evening like we did, aye?"

"I didn't want t' bother anyone, just say hello." Jim raised his arms defensively, the smile never leaving his face. It was more his eyes that expressed how much he hated being told what to do.

"Yeah, don't do that in the future", Jax said snidely, his arrogance coming through. "Stay away from my family, I told you that already."

"And what gives you the right t' tell me what t' do?" Jim remained calm, his hands once again buried deep in the pockets of his coat as he eyed the blonde unamused. "You're a lucky bastard that Caitlin chose someone like..you", Jim spat now, his Irish accent thick.

"Okay, that's enough." Gemma stepped towards the man and crossed her arms. "Everyone is entitled to their own opinionᅳ but you don't have to express it. Stay away from my son and his family."

"Mom, stay out of this", Jax pressed, this here was none of her business. Even though he appreciated her efforts, it was a matter that he would sort out if necessary.

"Now, isn't tha' cute?" Jim shook his head with a laugh. As if he hadn't provoked Jax enough, he leaned in and pressed a kiss against Caitlin's cheek, his hand brushing her side. "Ye' deserve better, and ye' know it, darling."

"What the fuck, Jim?!", Caitlin whisper-yelled as she pushed the man she once loved away, disgust flashing in her green eyes. "You seriously need to understand boundaries!"

That's it. That was all it took to make Jax see red. Without a word he pushed Abel into Caitlin's arms, who was trying to grab his arm, but Jax had already reached out and punched the greasy grin off Jim's face. What the blonde hadn't expected was that Jim would hit backᅳ Jax had honestly believed that someone like Jim wouldn't get his hands dirty.

And boy, the guy knew some movesᅳ which made things even more interesting. Exhaling loudly as Jax wiped some blood from his lip with a grin, he pushed a chair aside and took another swing. Jim skillfully dodged the punch and went for the punch himselfᅳ and it didn't take long until it turned into a massive fight and the men pushed each other outside and tackled each other to the ground.

"Fuck!" Caitlin hurried after the two men. Bryan, Gemma and Erin followed. The redhead always put her hand over Abel's face so that he wouldn't see anything.

Some of the guests were literally glued to the window to watch the fight. You didn't see such an event here so often. It was all the more exciting and at the same time frightening for the residents here to witness something like this in live action.

Caitlin swallowed quietly and winced every time she saw a fist fly into the other's face. Violence was something she had never considered good; she had been too kind and sweet to ever use violence herself. But Jim had literally asked for it by crossing the line and touching her.

Plus his words earlier had only fueled Caitlin's anger. Jim deserved every punch he took and after just a few minutes it was clear who was the stronger of the two. Only when Jim became weaker and spat angry words at Jax did Bryan manage to drag his future son-in-law away from his former son-in-law.

"That's enough", Bryan roared into the night, attracting the attention of people passing by. Everyone started to walk faster or stopped in their tracks to watch the scene.

Caitlin immediately rushed over to Jax, who pushed back his blonde hair that was sticking up in all directions and then wrapped his arm possessively around Caitlin's waist to pull her close to him. His chest rose and fell violently as he tried to catch his breath.

"Are you okay, baby?" Full of concern, Caitlin ran her fingertips over his bloody lip, barely touching him.

"I'm fine", he said between two breaths, still out of breath. Huffing passive-aggressively, he rubbed his thumb over the tip of his nose and then pulled Caitlin in for a quick kiss. "I'm sorry, babeᅳ you shouldn't have seen that."

Making sure Abel's face was still hidden, Caitlin just shook her head and swallowed softly. "He deserved it. But I don't want you getting into fights because of me, Jax."

Jax just shrugged, rubbing Abel's back up and down soothingly. "You'll have to get used to it because I would do anything for you, Caitlin."

"I'm going to sue you, you feckin' scut", Jim shouted indignantly after he picked himself up from the ground, his buddy was now at his side.

"And you", he pointed at the redhead, seething. His posh attitude fully coming through. "You being with someone like him, a scumbag. Jesus, you must be away in the head."

These words meant that she was mad, irrational, or someone who made poor decisions. A typical insult here in Ireland if someone didn't agree with your decision. [I googled this so I hope it's true, lol]

Caitlin took a deep breath, trying to stay calm while her ex-husband threw one of his tantrums. It wasn't a sight she was used to, Jim had always had himself well under control. To the point where Caitlin sometimes even wondered if Jim had a will to fight backᅳ now she knew he did.

"You can try, asshole", Jax spat back, venom dripping from his tongue. "But if you come near my family again, you won't be able to do shit anymore!"

Bryan was the one who pushed Jim back and raised a warning finger as Jim tried to get past him.

"You better listen to what he says, Jim", Bryan said menacingly. "Stay away from my daughter. You left her, so live with it. Now get lost."

Seething with anger, Jim spat at the ground close to the older man's feet, his face already red as a tomato, as he turned around with clenched fists. The man disappeared into one of the many narrow streets with his friend, leaving a huge group of nosey people behind.

Jax huffed before he pulled Caitlin and Abel into his arms again. Her body was shaking slightly, probably due to the cool night air. Jax also slowly felt the cold creeping up on his upper body, which was only covered by a white shirt.

"Come on, let's get our stuff and go home", he said, his jaw still tense as the anger continued to burn within him for a while.

"Yeah..that's probably for the best", Caitlin agreed quietly before she took another confused look at the alley where Jim had disappeared before she followed everyone back inside.

Erin and Gemma were immediately at her side, making sure that she and Abel were okay, while Jax and Bryan had a quick chat with Giovanni and apologized for the inconvenience, of course not without leaving an extra tip.

The day had started so good and Caitlin had hoped it would end the same way. But what wasn't there could still be and she didn't want to let Jim ruin her night. But there was one thing she could be absolutely sure of now; Jax would do a lot for her, and thanks to Jim's inappropriate behavior, she knew that know.