The Teller house smelled of freshly cooked food, Chicken Alfredo to be exact, as Jax walked through the door. It was Caitlin's favorite food, now also his, and even Abel was starting to like itᅳ although Abel, which Jax was still amazed about months later, actually ate everything that was offered to him.

Kicking off his white Nikes, Jax followed the wonderful smell, his stomach growling already, and came to a stop next to Caitlin. Her slim figure stood behind the stove while she was busy sprinkling the parmesan cheese over the almost finished dish, humming along to a song.

"Hi handsome", she chirped with the sweetest smile, her Irish accent coming through slightly as she didn't even give him a chance to greet her back. "Abel is stayin' at Gemma's for t' night and I thought we could just have a nice evening at home. Is tha' okay?"

"Yeah, sure", Jax replied with a nod, his brows slightly furrowed as he pushed his blonde hair back, studying his girlfriend with a wry smile. "You got a plan or something?"

"Not really a plan..", Caitlin trailed as she looked up at him through her innocent doe-eyes, causing his smile to turn into a grin. "But I do have a surprise for you and I really hope you're gonna like it."

"A surprise, huh?", he asked, grabbing her hips to turn her towards him after she had put the package of parmesan aside, planting the gentlest kiss that was still full of passion on her lips. Staying close to her full lips, he brought a hand to her cheek and pushed a few strands of her ginger hair behind her ear. "I'm sure I can't help but like any surprise from you, darlin'."

"Well, I hope so", the redhead chuckled softly. With a content hum, she wrapped her arms around his neck to pull him even closer. "How was your day, baby?"

Jax' hands ran up and down her back slowly, one side of his body leaning against the tall kitchen cabinet. "Pretty good, quietᅳ still had a lot to do. What about your day?"

He deliberately didn't say anything about the visit he gave Tara. Maybe he should, especially since he had promised her to always be honestᅳ that had been one of her conditions from the start. But how would she react if she heard how his conversation with Tara actually went? He wasn't ready for dark clouds to hover over his relationship just yet. 

"My day was good, quiet too", she said, her hands resting on his chest with her fingertips hidden by his kutte. "I don't have to go back to work until Monday, which means we have a long weekend."

"Yeah?" Jax' brow shot up, his signature grin back on his lips. "How about a little trip? Just you and meᅳ you on the back of my bike, maybe a quick trip to Los Angeles?"

Leaving Charming for a few days might not be a bad idea, this way Tara couldn't snitch to Caitlin and tell her about his little visitᅳ something he was sure his ex would do. Why else should Tara choose his new Old Lady as a friend? None of this made any sense to himᅳ there were plenty of other women Tara could be friends with.

"Really?" With a gleam in her blue eyes, Caitlin squared her shoulders, excited by the idea. "But what about Abel? He's already with Gemma tonightᅳ we can't ask her to look after him for several days."

Amusement crossed Jax' features at Caitlin's words. "Do you really think my mom has a problem with spending more time with her grandson?"

"Well, probably not", Caitlin muttered without having to think about Jax' question for long. By now she knew Gemma and how much she loved Abel. Clicking her tongue, she tilted her head to the side, her red waves cascading over her shoulders like a waterfall. "Okay, then let's talk to Gemma and if she's okay with it then I'm in."

"Alright, let's do that", Jax said with a nod of agreement, capturing her lips once again. This time, however, it was a slow, sensitive kiss that elicited a sigh from both of them. Jax' hand quickly found his girlfriend's ass, squeezing it as Caitlin pushed her cheek into his palm.

"The food is burning", the redhead purred into the kiss, rubbing her palms in circular motions over his chest. "And that would be a real shame."

"Fine, but I'm not done with you yet", Jax whispered back, his voice raspy and sultry, just like the look in his blue eyes, causing Caitlin to bite her bottom lip, her legs almost giving in.

When he pulled away and gave her his famous wink, she could have swooned. That man definitely held some power over her just with his looks and his little gestures. And she of all people, inconspicuous in her eyes, had landed him.

ᅳ

For a while all that could be heard was the clatter of cutlery as the couple enjoyed dinner, the room filled with a comfortable silence. They enjoyed just sitting there as a couple, not feeling forced to say anythingᅳ it was nice, familiar.

Only when Caitlin, a moment later than Jax, had pushed her empty plate aside and collapsed against the back of the chair with a full stomach and a strained sigh, did Jax speak up while his girlfriend, with one hand placed on her stomach, digested her food first.

"I have a little surprise too", he announced, some excitement but also nervousness in his tone, gaining Caitlin's full attention. With her blue eyes on him, he became even more nervous, but didn't show it. "You know by now that every Old Lady has a certain tattoo, a tattoo that shows who she belongs to."

"The crow?", she asked with curiosity in her eyes, sitting up again despite her full stomach. "What about it?"

Feeling like he was proposing to her, which was basically the same thing, he rubbed the back of his neck determinedly. "I want you to have my crow, babe", he blurted out, shrugging. "Happy would design it and tattoo you."

He watched as Caitlin's mouth fell open, seeing the surprise clearly reflected in her eyes, he grinned slightly. "So you can be absolutely sure that this is serious to meᅳ that I only want you and no one else."

"Are you sure?", she asked in a whisper, briefly covering her lips with her fingertips as she let the surprise sink in. "Iᅳ of course I want everyone to see who I belong to. And also for everyone to know that you have an Old Lady."

Until now, she had never realized how much those words would mean to her. At first, when she first heard about the tattoo, it didn't have much meaning for her. Over the months she had realized that this tattoo was almost like a marriage proposalᅳ or at least something like it, only without saying 'I do'.

She was pretty much a virgin when it came to tattoos, and yes, she was a little worried about the pain. But it couldn't be that bad, right? And Happy was experienced in this matter, which also calmed her nerves a little bit.

"I don't give a shit about other women anymore, babe", the blonde immediately assured her, sliding his arm over the table so he could place his hand on top of hers. "And no one will ever be able to get between usᅳ not even Tara."

Jax quickly noticed the confused look Caitlin shot him when he mentioned his ex. As they had eaten in silence, Jax had thought again about whether he should tell his girlfriend about his little chat with Taraᅳ just the watered down version.

"What does Tara have to do with this?" Caitlin wanted to know, her tone gentle but still full of curiosity. "She said she's marriedᅳ you think she wants you back? And to get closer to you again through me?"

There was this feeling in Caitlin's chest that had been unknown to her until now. It varied from anger to fear. Anger at Tara and fear of losing Jax to the smart doctor. Was that..jealousy? Shit, she never had to be jealous when she was with Jim.

Despite Jim being a good-looking man, his reputation was too important to him to make headlinesᅳ so Caitlin never had to worry about his loyalty. But all the rumors she had absorbed about Jax since her time here worried her.

It wasn't that she didn't trust Jax, she didᅳ otherwise she wouldn't stay with him. A relationship required trust, that was one of the most important things, but Tara had been his first love. What if there actually were some feelings left?

"To be honest, I don't know, babe", Jax admitted with a deep sigh, pulling her hand back as she tried to slowly pull it out from under his, noticing the uncertainty that plagued her. "But even if she would try something, I only want you. Tara has no chanceᅳ that's over."

"But she was your first love", the redhead argued with a slight shrug of her shoulders, a soft groan leaving her lips. "And she's pretty, smart, works as a doctor instead of in a cheap hotel."

"Caitlin, what the hell?" With a confused look and a shake of his head, Jax stood up, took two long steps around the table and crouched down in front of the redhead whose body turned towards him, silently looking down at him as reached for her hands. "What's goin' on, babe?"

"I once lost a man that I thought would last a lifetime", she began, averting her gaze as she looked to the side to blink away some tears, not wanting to show how vulnerable she was in this moment. "And I don't want that to happen again. I...I didn't even have such strong feelings for Jim back then as I have for you now, I gave up everything in Ireland", she murmured as their eyes met again. "What if she does want you back?"

"Babe, stop even thinking about it", Jax demanded firmly, squeezing her hands. He didn't know Caitlin like that at all, so insecure. There was nothing she had to worry about.

Sighing, he leaned his forehead against her hands, which were still placed in his, before he looked at her again. "I was at St. Thomas today to talk to Taraᅳ I told her to stay away from you and me and also from Abel."

Caitlin's eyes widened, speechless again for a moment, when Jax confessed where or who he was with earlier today. "What? Why?"

"Because I won't let her stir up shit", the blonde explained calmly, rubbing his thumbs against the backs of her hands. "It wasn't a friendly visit, I may have exaggerated a bit, but I think she got my point."

Now that the truth was told, Jax no longer had to worry about Caitlin hearing from Tara what had happened.

Caitlin frowned skeptically, not quite sure what he meant. "What do you mean it wasn't a friendly visit? Did you hurt her?"

"No", Jax said with a sigh, running a hand over his face. "Maybe a little. I shoved her into the wall, that's allᅳ even if it sounds brutal, that's the only language that is sometimes understood. And that's not an excuse for my behavior, I know that I went too farᅳ but Tara is bad news, always was. I was just too blind to see it."

Not quite sure how to respond or what to say, countless thoughts swirled around in her head. She made no secret of the fact that she wasn't a fan of a man laying hands on a woman. But could she really judge? If Tara really tried to get Jax back, even Caitlin would start throwing fists.

"Look, I'm not a fan of you hurting a woman, that's not cool", she began sternly, although her features quickly softened again as she finally freed one hand from his and ran her fingers through his blonde strands, drawing a pleasant sigh from him. "But I get it, I know how protective you can get when it comes to your family."

"I would never have seriously hurt her, babe", he added with seriousness in his voice, pressing a kiss against her palm. "But I won't allow her to walk back into my life, our livesᅳ even if I have to cross boundaries to keep her away."

"I know." Sucking on her teeth, Caitlin nodded weakly, enjoying the light scratch of his beard against her palm. "It's something I still have to get used to, but I know you, you and your lifestyleᅳ and I chose to accept it months ago. You have my full support, Jax."

"Thanks babe", Jax replied sincerely as his arms wrapped around her small waist to pull her closer. "You and Abel, that's all I need."

"And you're all we need." Without waiting any longer, Caitlin reached back to grab the white envelope that had been lying on the table the whole time. "Here, this should show that our relationship is just as important to me."

With his eyes now on the large white envelope, Jax pulled his arms back, stood up and leaned against the table. Feeling pretty tense inside and his chest filled with nervousness, he took the envelope and opened it, all under Caitlin's close observation.

"What is this?" With a frown, the blonde pulled the thin stack of papers out of the envelope, slowly starting to read. Halfway through the first letter, a lump formed in his throat, his eyes covered with a film of fresh tears. "Are you sure?"

Caitlin nodded eagerly as she leaned back with a content smile forming on her lips. "You're his dad, we're together. We should make this official again.", she told him, nervously chewing on the inside of her cheek. "I mean, we all know that you're his dad but I think you should get the rights for your son back so you can also make important decisions, not just meᅳ and he'll also have your name. I hope it's okay that he will have a double name in the future, but I wasn't ready for that he no longer bears my name."

Catching his breath, Jax rubbed his face, trying to control his emotions as he didn't want to start crying in front of his Old Lady. But fuck, how was he supposed to act all cool? He simply couldn't.

"Fuck." Sniffling, he rubbed the corners of his eyes, wiping away the first tears that threatened to fall. "You have no idea how much this means to me, Caitlin."

Putting the letters aside, he gently pulled the redhead to her feet and right into his arms. Cupping her face in his hands, he captured her lips, pouring all his love and gratitude into that one kiss that just expressed more than a thousand words could.

Officially gaining rights over Abel again was something he had absolutely not expected, but something he had wanted for months. There was no surprise that could've been better than this.

Caitlin also became emotional when she saw how much this was affecting her boyfriend. From the first moment she saw the look in Jax' eyes when he first met his son again, she had known that Jax wouldn't stay out of Abel's life, even if she had asked for it.

There was simply an unspoken bond between father and son that was unbreakable and that Caitlin would never have the heart to destroy. Why should she? Her son finally had a father who wanted to be part of his life, who loved his sonᅳ and it was even his biological father. What kind of person would she have been if she had stopped that?

Besides, none of this, her life here, would've happened. She would still live in Ireland and be alone, follow her regular routine and probably end up old and frustrated at some point because she hadn't lived her life properlyᅳ but that was exactly what she was doing now, living her life. And things couldn't be going better.

"Once you sign the papers, Abel is officially our son again", she whispered against his lips, her heart beating hard against her chest with excitement. "Then we're officially a family on paper too."

"I fuckin' love you, babe", the blonde croaked, his voice still thick with emotion as a wide smile crossed his lips. "And I think Abel Peters-Teller sounds pretty good."

"Yeah?", she asked sheepishly, placing her hands against his cheeks. With her eyes closed for a moment, she leaned her forehead against his. "I love you too, by the way."

In that moment Jax knew that he had done the right thing, that he would never let anyone come between him and his family.