Chapter 35
Jaxon
“IsMissKatecoming over soon? I want her to meet Grammy and Pop and show her my cool cast.” He holds his arm up in the air, which is now wrapped in bright red material. Let’s see if he still thinks it’s cool once his arm itches under there.
Courtney’s parents, Victor and Sidney, arrived just after we got back from the doctors. It had been a long day for everyone, so we voted on ordering takeout for dinner. Since they arrived, Andy has talked their ears off, showing them everything there is to see, including where we keep the spare toilet paper and where the trash cans are. Victor joked on the tour that, hopefully, there wouldn’t be a quiz later. I was thankful that their arrival kept him busy so that he didn’t ask for Kate once again. He’s asked three more times since yesterday morning. I guess my luck has run out.
“Who’s Kate?” Victor says beside Andy.
“That’s Daddy’s girlfriend.” I freeze, and my eyes bounce back and forth between Sid and Victor to see their reaction. This wasn’t exactly how I planned to tell them I was seeing someone. Although shit, after everything, can I even still call her mine?
“Is she nice?” Victor leans on his elbow closer to Andy.
“Oh yes, she’s the best. She looks just like Auntie Lo. She likes to dance and taught me how to draw. She even got me to try scrapple. It’s yummy. Pop, do you like scrapple?”
I chuckle at Victor’s reaction. “Can’t say that I’ve ever had it.”
“Daddy, can we get some at the store? Miss Kate knows how to make it.”
Victor must be able to sense the growing tension in the room with my lack of response.
“Andy, why don’t we go into the living room and put on some TV? I need you to help me with it. You know us old guys can’t figure out technology,” Victor teases, helping Andy out of his chair.
“Pop, you’re not that old,” Andy giggles, and my father-in-law glances over his shoulder, giving his wife a knowing look.
“That kid is good for his ego,” Sidney laughs once they’re out of view. She then turns to me. “So a girlfriend, huh? Seems like a lot has changed since the last time we spoke.”
“I’m sorry. This wasn’t exactly how I wanted you to find out.” My hand cups my mouth, rubbing back and forth over my stubble.
“What are you apologizing for?” she asks.
I let out an awkward laugh. What exactly am I apologizing for? “Well, I’m honestly not that sure.”
“It’s been almost five years since my daughter left us. Not a day goes by that I don’t miss her, and I know it’s the same for you. I’ve watched you keep yourself closed off. It’s okay to move on—to open yourself up to the idea of loving someone again. I watched you love my daughter for years. I know how much love you have in you. Someone deserves to receive that love. Is it new?”
“Umm, not exactly. Well, sort of.” I grip the back of my neck and feel a fresh wave of guilt wash over me. It appears as if I had been keeping Kate as my dirty little secret. But that’s not the case at all.
“JaxonEverettMcAdams! You better not be hiding her—that girl deserves better.”
I nod because there’s no contest there. She does deserve better than me.
“Now, tell me about her. Andy said she looks like Auntie Lo? That’s Finn’s wife, right?”
“Yes, she’s actually Lauren’s twin sister.”
“Oh, I see. Well then, I guess I don’t have to ask where you two met. So tell me all about her.”
I start from the beginning, telling her everything, from the first meeting to just the other day. Well, not everything—I leave out certain X-rated details that no mother-in-law needs to hear about.
She’s engaged, and never once does she judge me. She gasps in surprise every so often and even laughs. Seeing her so interested to know more makes me wonder why I ever doubted telling her about Kate and me in the first place.
“Kate sounds wonderful. Why don’t you invite her to join us for dinner tomorrow? I would love to meet her.”
“That’s the thing. I’m not sure I can call her my girlfriend anymore. I sort of fucked up.”
“Well, you’re a man. You’re bound to fuck up now and then.” I nearly choke on air at her words. “What?” She shrugs with a smile. “I’ve been married to that jackass in there”—she points to the living room—“for forty years. Now, tell me what happened. Maybe a fresh pair of ears can offer perspective.”
I fill her in on our fight.
“Raising a child is scary and hard, and I’ll never understand why my daughter was taken from this world too soon, but that boy in there deserves a mother. Someone to be there for him, teach him, hold him, comfort him, and love him as if he were her own. I’ve only spent a short time hearing about this woman, first from Andy and now from you, but I can already tell she’s special.”
“How can you tell?”
“Well, for one, she’s the first woman you have ever entertained something with.” She reaches over and places her hand over mine. “It’s okay to be scared, Jax. Nothing worth having and fighting for comes easy.”
“What if I can’t do it?”
“That’s the thing, Jax. You won’t have to do it alone anymore. You two become a team; you communicate. But you have to let her in. It’s clear that she loves that child, and I’m thinking she loves you, too.”
“It’s too soon, though, right?”
“There’s no timetable for falling in love, just as it is the same with grief. I can recall numerous times that my daughter said she fell in love with you the moment she saw you.”
It was the same for me.
“And just like you said, you saw a future with her. Will you do me a favor?”
I nod.
“Close your eyes.” Is she serious? She arches her brow, challenging me. “Just do it.” I close my eyes. “Now, picture your life five years from now. Can you imagine your life without her?”
“No.” One word has so much weight to it. When I open my eyes, Sidney is smiling.
“That’s what I thought.” She rises from her seat. “You need to talk to her and fix this between the two of you. Because think about it this way: your friendship with Finn will tie the two of you together for the rest of your lives. Unless you plan on losing your friendship with him, are you willing to let her walk away and find someone else who is going to swoop in and steal her heart?”
At the thought, my fists flexed. My mind goes back to New Year’s when I watched that douchebag kissing her. My blood boils all over again—Kate Lawson is mine. “What if she won’t talk to me?”
“She might not, but you’ll never know until you try.” She double pats my shoulder as she leaves the room, leaving me to my thoughts.