Avery resumed painting the lobby, but her conversation with Bobby about Jax's behavior consumed her thoughts. Although she knew he'd struggled after she left, she hadn't grasped the extent of it. Her own defensiveness had contributed to this; for months, she'd refused to hear anything about him, eventually causing people to stop trying to tell her. While part of her appreciated the silence, another part resented her lack of knowledge and control over his life choices since she went to college.

A decade later, learning about Jax's dangerous path from Bobby and Opie, two of his closest confidantes, was eye-opening for Avery. She recognized that they, along with his mother, would have intimate knowledge of his struggles. As she painted, Avery understood that their breakup had been equally painful for Jax. While she coped through work and study, he had turned to alcohol and other women, a discovery that caused her immense pain.

Before she could stop the thought from formulating, Avery caught herself wondering just how many women Jax had slept with in the past ten years. And what Bobby and Opie had said, there were countless women.

Did he remember their names?

Did he remember their faces?

Did he feel a connection with them or was it just sex?

All of these were thoughts that Avery had. And with each one, she felt herself becoming nauseous.

"Oh enough of this!" Said Avery as she threw down the roller she was using, tired of her thoughts and how much space Jax was taking up inside her head. "It's been ten fucking years. I left. I have no right to be like this."

Carrying the paint pan and rollers to the restroom, she rinsed them out and locked up for the day. While Avery might be putting the renovation of the office building out of her mind with ease, she wasn't as lucky when it came to thoughts of Jax.

"Fuck it." she said as she climbed into the cab of her dad's truck. "Only one way to quiet these thoughts and that's to talk to the man himself."

*****

"What am I doing?" Avery asked herself for the millionth time as she drove down the street that would carry her to the garage.

When she reached the entrance for the garage, she pulled her dad's truck into the lot and parked off to the side like she always had. Glancing around the lot, she noticed that not much had changed in ten years. The only new addition to the lot was a play area off to the side.
"Gemma must have had that installed for customers" thought Avery to herself, remembering how Gemma used to hate for customers to sit in the office with their small kids while they waited to have their oil changed. Even though she loved kids, she didn't like them in her space, especially when there were papers littering her desk.

Climbing out of the truck, she looked around the lot and saw a couple of the guys working on vehicles. And then her eyes landed on one very sexy, blonde, badass biker. For the millionth time in 24 hours, Avery's heart began to race. Here goes nothing...

"Vee! Is that you?" came a voice from behind her. Avery knew that accent anywhere. It was her favorite Scotsman, Chibs. Turning, Avery began walking towards Chibs. When she reached him, he lifted her in a big bear hug and spun her around just like he used to do.

"I sure missed you, lass!" He said as he put her back down on the ground and kissed the top of her head.

"I've missed to so Chibby. How's Fi and Kerrianne?"

"Both are great." He said, smiling at Avery. "How long are you in town for?"

"I'm here to stay. I'm opening a law office in the old Oswald Realty place."

"Aye, you're the lass who bought the building. Congrats sweetheart! I know Paige and Quincy are thrilled to have you home. Your mom is always talking about how much she misses you."

"I've missed them too." Avery said, smiling at Chibs. "I've missed everybody if I'm being honest."

"Lass, you know we all missed you like crazy. Now, come on. I'm sure the rest of the guy would love to see you. Gemma and John too." Said Chibs as he grabbed Avery by the hand and began dragging her towards the office of Teller Automotive.

When they reached the office, Chibs knocked on the closed door.

"Yeah!" Came a shout from behind the closed door.

Turning the knob, Chibs walked into the office, once again dragging Avery behind him.

"Found a straggler on the lot." Said Chibs as he ushered Avery in front of him.

"Avery Mitchell! Look at you!" said Gemma as she stood from behind the desk and immediately pulled her into a warm embrace.

"Hey Gem! Still looking hot as always."

"Gotta keep these crow eaters off my man, baby." Said Gemma as he patted her perfectly quaffed hair. Over the last decade, Avery had missed many things about Gemma, who was like a second mother to her, including her cockiness and self-assuredness.

"Like I'd have eyes for anyone else when I have this at home." Said John, entering the small office from the garage. He pulled Gemma into a warm embrace and kissed her on the lips. He turned his attention back to me then, adding, "Good to see you baby girl. Been too long since we have laid eyes on you."

Tears clogged Avery's voice as she said "I've missed you guys so much."

"Not enough to come visit..." said Gemma in her usual snarky way.

"Gem, you know why I couldn't come back here." said Avery, her voice cracking again.

"I do baby." Said Gemma knowingly. "Have you spoken to him yet?" Gemma didn't have to say who "him" was. Avery knew without a doubt that Gemma was referring to Jax.

"Not yet. Saw him last night at the store but didn't get a chance to speak." Explained Avery.

"Then what are you waiting for? Go on out there. I'll send everyone on errands so you two can have some alone time" said Gemma.

"I'm not sure I'm ready to talk to him just yet." Said Avery shyly.

"What? Why?" Asked John.

"It's been ten years..." said Avery. She knew as far as excuses went it was lame but at the same time it was true.

"No better time than the present." Said Gemma as she pushed Avery towards the door leading to the garage.

"Good thing I dressed halfway cute" Avery thought to herself. As she followed behind Gemma.

"Hey baby, there's someone here to see you." Said Gemma when she entered the garage. "Rest of you... disappear. Now!"
Avery watched as the other guys in the shop quickly did as they were told and disappeared leaving only Jax standing in the shop.

She watched as Jax stood from his hunched over the position at the car he was working on and slowly turned towards her.

"Hey Jax." Said Avery nervously.

Jax wiped his hands on his jeans and approached Avery with his signature bad-boy stride, a movement that once captivated her. He halted briefly before awkwardly pulling her into a hug. "Hey Vee," he said.

The two of them stood there, holding one another for what seemed like forever. With her head pressed against his chest, she let the beat of his heart calm her shattered nerves. Pulling back from him, she looked up at him while his hand absentmindedly went to the place where her crow was. Avery's heart started beating even harder and faster than before because of his touch.

"How have you been?" Asked Avery hoping that she sounded calmer than she felt.

"Been managing." Said Jax smiling down at her. "Been a long time, huh?"

"Yeah. It has."

"Why didn't you speak when I saw you yesterday?"

"Nerves I guess" said Avery and he placed her hands on his upper arms.

Beneath Jax's t-shirt, his muscular build hinted at a pleasant warmth. The brief touch of his arm stirred Avery's senses, conjuring images of his bare chest and a longing for skin-on-skin contact. This small interaction sparked a wave of sensual thoughts. Ten years prior, Jax without a shirt was attractive, but Avery now suspected his physique would be utterly irresistible.

"I get that." Said Jax as he gave her one of his best smiles. "You look good."

"Thanks. You too"

"This is kinda awkward huh?" Said Jax and he let his hand fall from her side and walked over towards the workbench.

"Yeah, a little bit." Said Avery with a chuckle in her voice. "But it has been ten years. A lot can happen in that amount of time. Some people change, others stay the same."

Instead of replying to her comment, Jax said, "How have you been?" He leaned against the toolbox, his arms crossed over his chest, which caused his arm muscles to flex.

"I've been good. Finished law school, worked for a couple years for a reputable firm before deciding to come back here and open up shop."

"That was always your dream," Jax said, a hint of sadness in his voice that made Avery wonder if he now regretted not joining her years ago.

"Yeah, it was. Just like becoming VP was yours" said Avery as she gestured to the VP patch on his kutte.

"Yeah, I guess so."

"Are you not happy being VP?"

"Of course I am. It's just... things... Well, it's complicated right now, Vee."

"This about the fire last night?"

"Maybe."

"Jax, don't be coy with me. I know -umm, knew- you too well for you to lie to me."

"It's club business Vee. You know I can't talk about it." said Jax. "Like you said, a lot can change in ten years. The club rules aren't one of those things though."

"I know. Just figured I would offer anyway." Said Avery as he jammed her hands in the back pockets of her shorts. She chose a spot on the wall to focus on instead of his handsome face.

"Look, how about after I finish up here and I take you to dinner? Just to be clear, it's not a date. Just two old friends eating dinner and catching up."

"Okay." Said Avery.

"Give me an hour or so and I'll pick you up. Are you staying at your parents' place?"

"Yes, until I find something I can afford in town."

"Okay. I'll pick you up in about an hour." said Jax. Once more, Jax closed the distance between them. His hand landed over Avery's tattoo again and he smiled down at her. "Can't wait, darling."