Chapter Nine

Tatum felt numb as she sat inside the funeral home. Every 'I'm sorry' that was said to her felt like a punch to her gut, every sympathetic look that was sent her way made her want to scream. Half of the people gawking at her father in his casket were people she hadn't seen in years and some she didn't know at all.

A loud laugh pulled Tatum from her daze as she looked over towards Cal, her eyebrows shooting up as she noticed an all too familiar older bleach blonde woman standing next to him. Tatum practically growled as she stood up from the chair she was sitting in, her eyes darkening as she stared at the she devil.

"What the fuck." Tatum hissed, ignoring Angel's confused voice as he called her name. "What the fuck she is doing here?" Tatum questioned with venom in her voice as she stared at Cal.

"Wow. Tatum you're all grown up." The woman spoke before Cal could open his mouth. "Cal invited me." She added, her dark blue eyes looking over at Cal.

A bitter laugh left Tatum's mouth as she looked the older woman up and down with disdain written across her face. "You shouldn't fucking be here, and you sure as fuck shouldn't be wearing that." The dark haired female spat as her eyes narrowed at the bright pink mini dress the woman had on. "This isn't some fucking street corner."

"Tatum!" Cal yelled, his voice full of different emotions - but mostly anger at the moment. "Stop. She's my mom and she's got as much right as anyone else to be here." He said as he gave a small smile to the woman.

"She has a right to be here?" Tatum asked as a small laugh left her mouth. "A fucking right Cal? Maybe you're too grief stricken to hear what you're actually saying right now, but let me remind you that she was never a mother to you. She's a god damn drug addict and slut."

Tatum heard a slight gasp come from the blonde's mouth before she looked down ashamed. She could feel everyone looking at her, she knew she was causing a scene, but Tatum didn't give a fuck. Tatum had already been in a mood, but seeing this woman had lit some sort of a fuse inside of her.

"Tatum." Angel's voice entered her ears as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "Let's go outside." He suggested. Angel could tell his wife was on the verge of a breakdown and he wanted to get her away from everyone before that happened.

Tatum shook her head as she pushed Angel's hand off of her shoulder, she gave one last look towards Cal and the she devil before turning on her heel.

"Tatum."

The dark haired female closed her eyes and let out a deep breath at the sound of Ashlee calling her name. She turned around and rose an eyebrow at the blonde.

"He was my husband. I deserve to be here." She spoke, her voice sounding as if she were trying to be confident though it came off as everything but.

"Being married to him for six months doesn't mean shit, Ashlee. I'm sure there's other crow-eaters out there who deserve to be here more than you." Tatum said matter of factly before making her way out of the funeral home.

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Tatum sat on the steps to the funeral home with a cigarette in-between her fingers. She was thankful Angel hadn't followed her, because she knew if he did he'd be on the receiving end of some misplaced rage. Tatum closed her eyes as she brought the cigarette up to her lips, letting the nicotine fill up her lungs. She hadn't had a cigarette since she was eighteen, and she knew she would regret having one but right now it just felt so good.

"Hey." Jax's voice was soft as he sat down next to Tatum. His blue eyes studied her face. Her eyes were closed and there was a sea of emotions stretched across her face, and Jax was certain that if he could see her eyes there would be an endless sea of emotions in them as well.

"I didn't mean it." Tatum spoke, her voice cracking.

"Didn't mean what?" Jax question with confusion. "What happened in there with Ashlee?" He asked while throwing a thumb over his shoulder towards the funeral home.

"No." Tatum shook her head as tears fell from her closed eyes. "I definitely meant all of that." She said, earning a small chuckle from Jax. "I didn't mean someone better be dead." She said, opening her eyes and staring into Jax's confused blue ones.

"Tatum you're not making sense." The blonde biker said softly as he moved closer to the crying dark haired female.

Jax could feel his heart breaking as he looked at her. She looked so fucking sad with tears rolling down her cheeks, and honestly all he wanted to do was hold her until she felt better.

"The night Cal called me, he woke me up and all I can remember saying was someone better be dead. I didn't fucking mean it Jax." Tatum sobbed. "I said that and he died."

"It's not your fault." Jax stated matter of factly as he quickly wrapped his arms around Tatum. "Look at me," He said firmly as he placed a finger under her chin, forcing her to look up at him. "It's not your fucking fault."

"Then who's fault is it Jax?" She sniffed while burying her face in his kutte.

Jax let out a sigh as he ran a hand through Tatum's hair. He knew he needed to tell Tatum the truth, all he needed was a few more days.

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A/N: I feel like this chapter is a little all over the place. Thank you for the views and votes!