And when the storm passed? You were left standing with the ones you loved, staring out at the rainbows. Kennedy was what grounded me. Her hand in my hand kept me still, and with her love, I survived the hardest of my storms.
Eddie and I spoke for a while. We went over my allotted time, but he didn’t seem to mind, and when it came time for me to leave, he sat back in his chair, staring at me with tears in his eyes.
I snickered. “Are you getting emotional on me, Doc?”
“It’s just…” He cleared his throat, took off his glasses, and wiped at his eyes. “This is good. This is amazing, Jax. It’s been an honor to watch you become the man you are today. You are the definition of healing. You put in the work, and it shows.”
I felt it, too. I felt the healing, felt myself becoming whole again.
* * *
I called Derek down to Havenbarrow, telling him I needed to go over some paperwork about transferring the property over to me. Even though that wasn’t the real reason I called him. I figured it was time we truly talked over everything that happened.
When he arrived at the house, he looked broken down and full of guilt. Before he could let another apology slip through his lips, I told him not to say it.
“Just come inside,” I told him, heading into the house. He followed behind me.
The moment he stepped into the living room, he paused and raised an eyebrow. “What’s going on?”
Around the space were cans of paint and materials to fix the house up. I sat down on the couch across from him and clasped my hands together. “I’m tired of hard stuff. I’m tired of trying to figure out why you did what you did, and how my life could have been different if you told the truth. I’m tired of trying to hate you. I’m tired of feeling bad for you and the shit you’ve been carrying on your shoulders. I’m tired of the past, Derek. So, I’m fixing up the holes around this place. I’m removing all the memories of what Dad did to me. I’m filling up the holes that remind me of everything that happened before, and I want you to help me.”
He cleared his throat and crossed his arms. “I don’t expect you to forgive me, Jax.”
“Yeah, I know, but I will someday. It will take a bit of time. For now, I just need your help painting these walls.”
We didn’t have to figure everything out right then and there. We didn’t have to hug and make up with one another. We didn’t have to fix our scars because they were still badly bruised, but we could paint together. We could cover up the past and bring about a brighter future. Healing came in waves, and I was willing to ride this one out.
* * *
A week later, Derek headed back to Chicago. We left on decent terms, that I figured would only get better. You could only go up from rock bottom. Yet, I also knew it would take more than a week of drywalling to fix our problems.
After he left, I headed to Kennedy’s house one Sunday afternoon. She was off having a spa day with Yoana, which was at my request. When I stepped into her back yard, Connor was putting the finishing touches on our landscaping design. We’d hung fairy lights the night before, and now that the night sky was approaching, everything was beginning to light up perfectly. Kennedy hadn’t seen anything yet, because I wanted the yard to be the biggest surprise. I wanted to be there when she witnessed the completed picture.
In the trees hung paper butterflies, her daughter’s favorite. In the bushes bubble machines were going nonstop, and on the left side of the fence was a field of daisies beneath a sign that read Daisy’s Flowers with a backward D.
Connor walked over and patted me on the back. “Are you happy with how it turned out, boss?”
I smiled at him and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. “It’s everything and more, partner.”
Connor looked up at me and grinned ear to ear. The truth of the story was, that kid had been the best partner I could’ve ever asked for. His humor and kindness had probably saved me on the hardest days of my life. I was thankful to be able to know someone like him.
“Promise me you won’t forget me when you become a millionaire, Con?” I asked.
“Don’t be silly, Jax.” He shook his head. “I’m going to be a billionaire. I’ll probably end up buying your business out from under you, but I’ll cut you a nice check.”
I snickered. Sounded about right.
“You guys, get ready, get ready,” Joy said, hurrying to the back yard. “Yoana and Kennedy are on their way back.”