Bumper Cars - J.T.

chapter eight

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VIII

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Henley pulled her shorts back up. She knew she might be making a big mistake but she also knew this was what she wanted. She wanted to stop fighting her feelings.

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"We were supposed to be getting shit for your kid not having a quickie on the side of the road," Henley joked.

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Jax just smirked and started the car. He lit a cigarette. He held the box open toward Henley.

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"You still smoke, darlin?", he asked.

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She grabbed a cigarette.

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"Some bad habits are hard to quit," she said.

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She flashed a flirty smile at Jax before putting the cigarette in her mouth and leaning over for Jax to light it.

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After grabbing some good stuff for the baby, Henley was looking through some baby books she had found when she came across a box. John Misc. was written on the side of the box.

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"Hey, Jax. I think this is a box of your dad's stuff," Henley said.

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She picked the box up and handed it to Jax. He sat down on a cooler. Henley thought about leaving the unit to give him space but he grabbed her hand and pulled her onto his lap. She smiled and looked at the box's contents with him. Jax pulled out some old pictures of their dads and his mom. Henley pulled out a big yellow envelope.

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"This is interesting," she said.

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She handed it to Jax and he opened the envelope up. On the first page of what looked like some sort of book it said: 'The Life and Death of Sam Crow: How the Sons of Anarchy Lost Their Way.'

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"This looks like some super deep shit," Henley said to no one in particular.

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Jax turned the page. 'For my son Thomas, who is already at peace. And for my son, Jackson, may he never know this life of chaos.' Henley looked at Jax. His expression was unreadable. They read a bit more.

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"Who knew our old men were such hippies," Henley joked.

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She was trying to lighten the mood. Jax smiled knowing what she was doing.

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"Gun running... It was never apart of my dad's vision for the club," Jax said.

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Jax was mostly talking aloud to himself. Henley knew a little about what the club did. She knew it wasn't one-hundred-percent legal. She didn't act oblivious and stupid like the croweaters but she wasn't neck deep in it like Gemma was either. Henley liked it that way. She knew that if she chose to be with Jax that she would have to accept the club and be involved in some pretty dangerous shit. She just wanted to be told what she needed to know and nothing more.

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"I don't know what to do about this," Jax said.

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Once they were done at the storage unit, Jax and Henley went back to the clubhouse. They were only there for about three minutes when Jax got a call. Henley knew immediately by the way Jax's entire demeanor changed that it wasn't good. He hung up the phone and grabbed Henley's hand. He started to pull her towards the door.

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"Let's go," Jax demanded.

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"What's going on Jax?", Henley asked.

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"It's my kid," he said.

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He pulled Henley onto the back of his bike, handed her a helmet, and waited for her to put it on before he took off.

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They had gotten to the hospital in what felt like seconds. Before Henley could even think about it, Jax had taken off her helmet and was helping her off the bike. He was practically dragging her behind him as they entered the hospital. She had to run to keep up with his pace. Usually Henley would ask to know more or complain about how fast he was moving, but the look on Jax's face made her anxious. He looked scared and enraged all at the same time. It made Henley nervous. She didn't know if she should even be there. She was already wrestling with the thought of taking Jax back. Seeing Gemma in the hallway broke Henley from her jumbled thoughts.

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