JADE JUST SAT THERE, her mouth open as she studied Jax, nothing but peace in his expression. She wasn't sure what to say, what one even said in a situation like this. Tara was dead, Jax wasn't Olivia's father, and trying to burn her house down had all been part of Tara's plan.

These were definitely more things to digest than she liked, but swallowing such news, getting used to it, had become part of her lifeᅳ and that was okay, she had chosen a life with Jax and wouldn't have it any other way.

Silently she studied his features, hard and soft at the same time as the lamp behind the couch cast a warm glow on his face, his beard almost golden under the warm light.

"It had to be done, babe." Jax' firm voice cut through the silence first, his hand coming forward to rest on Jade's thigh. "And I hope you can handle it. That's who I am, who I've probably always been. I just want you to know that I would stop at nothing to protect you and our kids."

Jade hummed softly, nodding her head. "I know, and I don't blame you, Jax. It's just..a lot to take in."

"I couldn't let her get away with it, not after what she did", he said again, swallowing hard as Jade's hand closed around his, causing him to place his other hand on top of it. "All I wanted was a family with you. And Tara ruined a lot of that."

Jade shook her head quickly, scooting closer to him. "Even if you think that, I can assure you that I never once gave a thought to leaving you. Tara tried, but she failed miserably."

Jax' features relaxed, and the tension in his muscles eased. "I'm a pretty lucky bastard, and sometimes I don't think I deserve you at all, darlin'."

"Stop, I'm not perfect and issue free either", she winked as she gently bumped her shoulder against his. "We're a good team, always have been. And even when I was really close to a mental breakdown, like, really close, I knew where I belonged."

"It'll never come to that again, I promise you, babe", Jax said firmly, his tone sincere, earning a nod in return. "You'll never feel like this again."

"What happens to Olivia now?", the brunette asked after a moment. Somehow that was the first thing that came to her mind. "We can't just..we can't just let her end up in the system, Jax. She doesn't deserve that."

Rolling his shoulders, he let them sink again, exhaling loudly. "No, she doesn't deserve that. But what are we supposed to do? I mean, I'm not her father."

"Yes, you are", Jade answered firmly, taking a deep breath. "You're registered as the father, which means you have a right to raise Olivia. No one needs to know that this was all just a show by Tara."

"I mean, yeah, that's true..", Jax trailed, his eyebrows furrowing in confusion. "I thought you'd be relieved if Olivia wasn't my daughter, if she wasn't going to be around anymore."

"That's how it was at first", the brunette said honestly. Why lie when Jax knew her better than anyone else anyway? "But I also realized that Olivia isn't my problem, it was Taraᅳ it was Tara from the beginning. The thought of her being part of your life again drove me crazy. And God, Liv looked so much like her at first", she only mumbled the last words, pulling her hands back to run her fingers through her long, brown hair. "But Tara is gone, she can't play her shitty games anymore. And knowing that you don't have a child with her is a huge relief, to be honest."

"I don't quite understand what you're trying to say, babe", Jax said, confusion crossing his features once again as he listened to Jade's rambling.

"What I'm trying to say", Jade began, reaching for his hands again. "Liv is still your daughter, the bond you guys formed over the last four months has bound her to youᅳ and the boys love her too. How are we going to tell them they can't see their sister anymore? They're way too young to understand the truth, baby. It'll just confuse and hurt them."

Jax eyes locked with hers as he took her hands in his, rubbing his thumbs over the backs of her hands. "So you're saying.."

"We're raising Olivia, yes", Jade confirmed, the corner of her mouth twitching upward as Jax' eyes lit up, clearly surprised. "It's not her fault that her mom was a crazy bitch. I wouldn't normally say something like that, but it's better that Tara is no longer a part of her lifeᅳ and I'm certainly not going to abandon an innocent child."

"Babe, are you absolutely sure?" Jax asked firmly, not wanting Jade to do this just for him, but because she really wanted to. "As grateful as I would be to you for this, we don't have to do that if you can't live with it."

"I mean, I can think of better things to do than raise my enemy's child", she cleared her throat, but then smiled. "But if we raise Olivia, she'll be ours, no matter who her parents are. The thought of her being all confused and scared when she meets people she doesn't know at all; no, my heart can't handle that."

Jax swallowed, his eyes covered with a layer of unshed tears as he pulled Jade onto his lap, cupping her face in his hands. "I have no idea how I'll ever thank you for all of this, babe."

"Just stay with me", she whispered with the smallest of smiles, rubbing the tip of her nose against his beard before stealing a kiss from his lips. "All I need is you and our boysᅳ and Olivia is just as much a part of us already."

Falling in love all over again with the brunette on his lap, Jax' lips twisted into a mischievous smile. "You're the best, you know that, babe?"

"You too, Teller", Jade grinned down at him, wrapping her arms loosely around his neck. "How about I pick Olivia up with the boys, you go take a shower, and we meet at our favorite diner in an hour?"

"Sounds more than good, darlin'", Jax croaked, drawing a squeak from Jade as he squeezed her ass and claimed her lips, pouring all of his emotions into the feverish yet gentle kiss.

He never expected Jade to ever decide to raise Olivia as her own. Fate or karma, it didn't matter, he had his family and that was all that mattered to himᅳ and a woman he would drown in love and affection in the future for always sticking by him.

END

word count; 1142

author's note; PLEASE READ THE WHOLE THING! This was it, the last chapter of this story! There's a chance for a second book in the future but I can't promise anything. If I find the motivation, I'll definitely do it and bring back some characters like Alison and Serena. Just keep this book in your library or give me a follow for updates! Also, I've already published a new Jax Teller story. It's called BOULEVARD OF BROKEN DREAMS and you can find it in my library; the first chapter should be out this week. Also, feel free to check out my Happy Lowman stories if you're a fan of our favorite enforcer! Thank you for every vote and comment, I appreciate all the support.🤎🥰

NEW JAX TELLER STORY ↓