TESSA LISTENED TO the crackling of the campfire and the light-hearted conversations of the others, her eyes closed for a moment as she found herself in Happy's arms, on whose lap she was sitting.

The smell of the campfire and the smores simmering over it brought back beautiful nostalgic memories that she had collected with her father as a little girl. There weren't many, but at least now and then Mike had tried to build a bond with herᅳ which had ultimately failed.

Her gentle laughter mingled with the others, much louder ones, after Tig told one of his weird stories from the past. By now Tessa had also gotten used to the macabre side of the club's older SAA. Honestly, it was difficult not to be disgusted and amused at the same time by Tig's stories.

"You're a freak", Happy grumbled, whereupon Tessa could feel his voice vibrating through his chest.

Tig snorted a laugh, raising his hand with the beer bottle to point a finger at Happy. "That's rich coming from you because you know, every time I'm with you, I'm actually feeling like I'm the normal one."

"Oh please, he's not that weird", Tessa interjected defensively, a grin playing on her lips. "You two are at least equally weird."

"Hey, you should have my back, woman", Happy said with a gruff laugh and buried his face in the crook of her neck, leaving a few kisses that elicited a contented sigh from her. "But if you're honest, you wouldn't want it any other way", he croaked.

"Have I ever said otherwise?" Tessa chirped, batting her eyelashes as she turned her head slightly to look at him. "I love you just the way you areᅳ no matter how weird. Even if it's slightly concerning that Tig feels normal when he's with you."

"You knew who you were getting involved with, darlin'", Jax shot her his famous Teller smirk, a laughing Tara on his lap nodding in agreement.

"I have to agree with him there", the doctor added, bringing the bottle that sat in her lap to her lips. "But you two make the perfect coupleᅳ I didn't expect that at first."

"What does that mean?" Tessa asked with a snort, feigning hurt as she placed a hand against her chest. "Happy and I were perfect from the start."

"I agree, we really were", came the determined reply from Happy as he tightened his already firm grip around his girlfriend, pressing a kiss against her shoulder. "And it took us way too long to get together."

"Well, you were technically step-siblings", Tig noted, unable to keep his two cents to himself. As his grin grew, the rest of them just rolled their eyes, knowing that something stupid was coming. "That would've made a good movie, Tessa was already working in the right place", he snickered.

"And Gregor would've probably done that movie without hesitation", Lyla said with a shrug after biting into a S'more. As long as she was working in the industry now, nothing could actually impress or shock her anymore. "Luckily he didn't know about it."

"Don't be weird, bro", Jax replied, grimacing, before he glanced at Lyla with a lifted eyebrow. "Because it's probably an absolute dream for every porn business guy."

"Hey, what was that again that almost happened in Ireland with Trinity?" Tig teased the blonde with a challenging look in his piercing blue eyes. "That would've brought even better ratings."

Chibs, only able to shake his head, elbowed Tig in the side when he saw Tara wrinkle her nose in disgust. "Aye, what's wrong with ye, brother?"

"Ah shit, sorry", Tig immediately apologized, a genuine look on his face as he flashed Tara a smile. "It's been a long time, sweetheart. You're the only one he wants."

"I know", Tara replied confidently, smiling to herself as she snuggled more into Jax' arms. "Still weird as hell to hear that."

"How do we always manage to get off topic so quickly?" Tessa asked with an amused snort, gently rubbing her baby bump as she felt another kick, Happy doing the same only a moment later.  And somehow the baby always got more active once Happy put his hands on her stomach or talked to the baby. "Although, we went from Tig's behavior to the porn businessᅳ that's not all that surprising."

"Damn doll." Shaking his head with a laugh, Tig put down his beer and grabbed another, tilting the bottle in Tessa's direction. "You're getting better, which means you're a good fit for us."

A proud smile crept onto Happy's lips. He knew that his brothers loved Tessa, but it felt good to hear that the others thought that his Old Lady was a good fit for themᅳ which was the truth.

"Of course she fits in with us, she's family", Gemma added with a smile in Tessa's direction. "Without you, something would definitely be missing here, baby."

"Aye, I agree with Tig and Gem, lass", Chibs sent a wink in her direction, smiling at the young woman. "Our killer did a good job and definitely chose the right one."

"Could y'all stop?" Tessa asked, clearly touched by everyone's sweet words. Thanks to the pregnancy hormones she got all emotional pretty fast. "I really didn't want to cry tonight."

"Well, you'll just have to live with it", Lyla chirped with the sweetest smile and leaned forward a little to hand Tessa one of the finished S'mores. "Believe me, after the pregnancy the hormones will be back to normal again."

"Definitely", Gemma and Tara said in unison, smiling at each other. This was no longer a rare sight, which in turn brought a smile to Jax's lips.

"I hope so! These mood swings are driving me crazy", the dark-haired girl whined with a hint of amusement in her tone before she reached for the S'more and took a bite. "Oh wow, they're amazing!"

While the group fell back into their previous conversations, Lyla withdrew to check on the kids. Jax and Tara also bid them a goodnight and disappeared into the spacious hut shortly afterwards, followed by Gemma and Nero.

Bobby, Rat and Juice had stayed inside from the beginning after they had decided they wanted to explore the entertainment room with the huge pool table and other fun activities.

Tessa almost drifted off to sleep, way too comfortable on Happy's lap, her head resting on his shoulder while her boyfriend was still talking to Chibs and Tig.

Only when the dry leaves rustled under Chibs and Tig's boots did Tessa open her eyes again, softly grumbling to herself as she sat up.

"Shit, did I actually fall asleep?", she asked as the voices of the other two moved further away until only Happy and she were left outside.

The forest around them had an eerie vibe, but coupled with the silver moonlight and the starry sky, the place seemed rather romantic. The chirping of the crickets and the crackling of the campfire, which was getting smaller and would probably soon go out, were the only sounds around them.

"You did." A smile spread across his features as he tucked a strand of her dark hair behind her ear and studied her features with admiration, his eyes narrowed slightly. "I love you, I hope you know that, little girl."

"Of course I know that", she whispered, slowly letting her forehead fall against his with a smile. With soft touches, her fingertips danced over his stubble. "And I love you, baby, so much."

Silence fell over them again, a comfortable silence, while Tessa closed her eyes and stole a kiss from his lips. Because the smell of beer was making her feel nauseous at the moment, he hadn't shared one with the other's earlier, which Tessa was really grateful for at the moment. Only the taste of the joint he had shared with Jax earlier lingered on his tongue, but the Laney woman had no problem with that.

Their tongues met for a brief exchange, both sighing contentedly into the other's mouth as the kiss became a little more passionate. Just as Tessa was about to change her position on his lap to fully enjoy the moment, it was Happy who gently pushed her back.

"I have something for you", he croaked when he saw the confusion cross her features. "Close your eyes, baby", he demanded lovingly.

"I don't know if that's supposed to calm me down or scare me." A soft, nervous laugh escaped the back of her throat, but as Happy had asked, she closed her eyes, humming softly to herself. "Should I be afraid?"

"Do you ever have to be afraid of me? Don't think so." Happy asked in return, and she could practically hear the grin in his tone before it went quiet again and only a quiet rustling could be heardᅳ as if Happy was looking for something in the pockets of his jeans. "Okay, open your eyes."

Tessa obeyed again and blinked a few times to adjust to the bright moonlight, and the first thing her eyes landed on was the small box that lay in Happy's hand, open and showing a beautiful piece of jewelry. A ring, shaped like golden leaves, set with diamonds and a core made of a transparent stone with green details, was stuck in the black cushion and shimmered in the moonlight.

Tessa's jaw dropped, the last spark of tiredness gone from her eyes, which were now wide open and directed at her Old Man. "Happy, whatᅳ"

"Just listen", he cut her off with a gruff whisper, pressing a quick but gentle kiss against her dark lips before rubbing the side of his neck nervously. "I'm not good at this, I have no idea what to say or what to do to be honestᅳ but I know that there is only one woman I want for the rest of my life and I just want everyone to know that. I want you to bear my name and give Sawyer and our baby a real family."

His nervousness grew the longer he spoke and watched Tessa, her brown eyes already filled with tears and yet they couldn't look prettier. "Marry me, Tessa. I really, really want you to be my wife."

"You can't just do something like that while I'm pregnant", she choked out, unable to hold back the tears any longer. The first ones rolled freely down her cheeks, her feelings all over the place but she couldn't be happierᅳ and that showed in her wide smile which exposed her snow-white teeth. "I want to marry you, nothing would make me happier, baby."

Before she had even finished her sentence, she threw her arms around his neck and changed the position on his lap. "I love you so fuckin' much, you know that?"

Happy finally released the nervous breath he had been holding in his lungs and snaked an arm around her waist to pull her flush against his chest, smiling against the crook of her neck where he also inhaled the scent of her sweet perfume, more relieved than ever before.

"You're making me a pretty lucky bastard, you know that?" A grin formed on his lips as a quiet giggle escaped her lips, his breath seemingly tickling her skin.

"Hey, I'm the lucky one here", she said honestly after she had pulled away a little and now held his face in her hands, nothing but pure love in her brown orbs. "Not every man would accept a woman's kid or would marry a woman like me. But you accepted Sawyer immediately and now treat him like he's your sonᅳ I'm the lucky one."

"He is my son, Tess", Happy grumbled against her lips, no doubt in his words. Carefully he took the ring out of the small box and proudly slid it onto Tessa's ring finger. "Looks good on you, better than expected."

"I know, baby, I just wanted to say again how lucky I am to have found a man like you", she murmured before looking down at her left hand with watery eyes, spreading her fingers even further to get a better look at the ring. "You couldn't have picked a better one, Hap. I absolutely love it!"

The choice of ring just showed once again how thoughtful and attentive Happy wasᅳ which was another thing Tessa absolutely appreciated.

Happy chuckled with a shake of his head, squeezing her hip gently. "If I still don't know what my girlfriend wants after two years, that would be really embarrassing."

"Fiancée, please", Tessa corrected with a soft laugh before she clutched his shirt to pull him as close as she could, pulling him into a loving but feverish kiss.

And Happy went with the flow, losing himself in the kiss as he gently ran his hands up and down her back until he rested them on her ass with no ulterior motives, gently squeezing it. Right now he just wanted to enjoy the moment, together with his fiancée.

Once again, in the middle of the woods, he realized how much he needed the woman on his lap to be truly happy.

word count; 2202

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authors note; to my non followers but Happy fanfic readers; I published a new Happy fic last week. Feel free to check it out. It's called SUMMER NIGHTS and you can find it under my published stories. 🖤