As we pulled into Jax and I’s driveway, I started to get nervous. What if Abel had already forgotten me? Gemma looked over to me and turned off the car.

“He’s missed you.” She said.

I looked at her slowly and bit my bottom lip.

“You think so?”

She smiled and nodded.

“I know it. You’re the closest thing to a mother that boy has. Trust me, he’s missed you.”

I smiled and we got out of the car. Neeta was cleaning up the kitchen when we walked in.

“McKayla! It so good to see you!” She shouted.

She opened her arms and pulled me in for a tight hug.

“It’s good to see you too.” I said with a smile.

I loved Neeta. She reminded me of an aunt that was always around to offer advice and words of wisdom. I looked around for Abel and she nodded towards the living room. Abel was in his playpen chewing on the ear of a stuffed rabbit. When he saw me, his eyes lit up and he dropped the toy.

“Hi Abel.” I said softly.

He made a happy noise and reached up for me. My heart warmed and I gathered him up in my arms.

“I’ve missed you so much.” I said as I held him close.

I gave him some kisses before putting him back down. Gemma was talking to Neeta so I went to the bedroom to change. I stripped off Jax’s Reaper shirt and put on some fresh under clothes. It was kind of chilly out today, so I decided on a pair of black leggings and an oversized sweater that hung off the shoulder. Once I was dressed, I started to make the bed. As I pulled back the sheets, I noticed something on the bed. There, twisted up in the sheets were a pair of black lace panties that weren’t mine. My heart crashed down to my stomach.

“No.” I whispered.

“McKayla? You about ready or what?” Gemma called from the hall. I swallowed down the tears and the anger and stuffed the panties in my purse that was still in its place by the dresser.

“I’ll be out inna sec!” I called back.

I hurried to the bathroom and put on some makeup before walking out, leaving the bed unmade. We took Abel back to TM with us. Gemma needed some help catching up with some paper work so I tried to focus on that. Safe to say, it didn’t work. All I could think about were those damn panties tucked in my bag and how Jax could do that to me. Gemma went out to the club house for coffee and to feed Abel and I stayed in the office. I was writing out a receipt when the phone rang.

“TM Repair,” I said.

“McKayla?” The voice on the other end said.

Shit. It was Gabriel. My pulse quickened and I looked around nervously to see if anyone was around.

“Gabriel?” I said just above a whisper.

I could hear him smile.

“Good, I called the right number.” He said.

I swallowed hard and tucked a hair behind my ear.

“How did you know where to call?” I asked him.

“I wrote the name down when I dropped you off and looked it up in the phone book. Is this a bad time?” He said.

“No, no. I just wasn’t expecting to hear from you.” I said with a shrug even though he couldn’t see it.

“Oh, okay. Listen I was wondering. I’m going to be in Charming this afternoon and I was thinking maybe we can meet for lunch?” He asked.

Lunch? Gabriel, the sexy lawyer from the plane wanted to meet me for lunch? I should say no. I have a boyfriend. A boyfriend who just happens to have another woman’s panties stuffed in his bed. That anger boiled back up inside of me and I gritted my teeth.

“Lunch would be great. I’ll meet you at the diner.” I said.

We settled on a time and hung up. It was early, only about 10:30. Gabriel and I weren’t meeting until noon, but I needed to find a ride. Gemma was out of the question. She’d probably kill me for just talking to Gabriel on the plane. That left one person. Kip. I left the office and wondered into the garage. Kip was working underneath a car and singing to a AC/DC song on the radio.

“Hey Kip.” I said.

He rolled out from under the car and smiled up at me.

“Hey McKayla, what’s up?” He asked.

I chewed on my lip and looked out towards the club house. I needed to ask quickly before Gemma came back.

“I need a favor.” I said.

He nodded for me to ask and rolled back under the car. I crouched down beside him.

“Can you take me into town in a little bit?” I asked.

Kip reached for a wrench and I handed it to him.

“Why?”

I looked at the club again. No Gemma.

“I’m meeting someone for lunch.” I said quietly.

Kip tightened a bolt and then looked at me.

“Can’t you get Gemma to take you?” He asked.

I sighed impatiently and shook my head.

“No, she’s busy. Please Kip?” I asked.

I could tell he was struggling. He didn’t want to get in trouble or thrown out of the club.

“Please?” I asked again, this time giving him my best puppy dog pout.

Kip groaned and pulled himself up.

“Alright alright. But if anyone asks it was your idea and I had to go along with it because you’re Jax’s old lady.” He said.

I smiled and hugged him.

“Thanks Kip. Be ready for 11:45.” I said as I went back into the office.

He waved me off and picked up a rag to wipe his hands.

Gemma came back shortly after and laid Abel in his playpen to nap. We spent the next hour in silence doing paperwork. Around 11:30, the baby was getting fussy and Gemma decided to take him home for a while.

“You wanna come baby?” She asked.

I shook my head and told her I would work on some more work. She just shrugged and left. I went into the club house to freshen up my makeup and wait for Kip. Clay was sitting at a table, looking over some papers.

“How come you didn’t go with Gem and the kid?” He asked me.

I shrugged and slung my purse over my shoulder.

“I’m going into town to pick up some things. Did you need anything?” I asked him, playing it cool.

Clay could be a real nice guy, or a snake in the grass. I’ve learned the less you tell him, the better. And I definitely didn’t need him knowing I was meeting a guy for lunch. He studied me for a minute before shaking his head.

“Nah, I’m good.” He said.

I smiled and nodded and went outside to wait for Kip. Thankfully, he was just coming out of the garage.

“Ready?” He asked.

I nodded and I got on the back of his bike. He handed me his helmet and I skillfully buckled it. He got on and fired the bike up and we sped off into town. It felt strange riding on the back of Kip’s bike. It was nothing like riding with Jax. With Jax, it was an adrenaline rush. My heart raced, I squeezed him tight. I felt scared and excited at the same time. With Kip, it felt wrong. Like I should be on this bike. Like I shouldn’t be going to meet a man for lunch.

We approached a stop sign and I almost told him to turn around, but then I remember those panties again. The rage in my gut made me hold on to Kip a little tighter.

“You okay?” He said as he looked back.

I nodded once and he kept going. If Jax can sleep with other women, I can damn well have lunch with other men. I asked Kip to drop me off across the street from the diner so that Gabriel wouldn’t see him if he had gotten there first.

“You want me to pick you up?” He asked.

I shook my head and handed him his helmet.

“No, I’ll figure something out.” I told him.

He sighed and shook his head before heading back to TM. I looked across the street and saw the black Lexus that Gabriel was driving parked at the diner.

“Here goes nothing.” I said to myself as I walked over.