Page 67 of Chaos

Zara clears her throat. “Jax Carter, get on that fucking bike right this second.”

“Oh, hey, queen Zara.”

“Jax. I mean it.” She scares me sometimes.

“Okay, okay! I’m going.”

Her biting tone calms. “Congratulations, though. A little girl. We can’t wait to meet her. What’s her name?”

I swallow past the lump forming in my throat. That suffocating feeling is coming back into my chest.

“Maeve.”

That was the name above her crib. My little girl is called Maeve. My eyes sting. I’m a dad and I know nothing about my daughter.

“Beautiful.” Zara’s soft voice knocks me back into the real world.

“Thank you guys. I’ll see you soon.” I cut the call. Grabbing my bag from the bed, I throw it over my shoulder. Kai would punch me square in the jaw if I didn’t go back there and try to be the best dad I could be.

Fuck.

I wish he could meet Maeve, too.

THIRTY-FIVE

SOFIA

Song- Home, Good Neighbours.

A smile creeps up on my lips. I can smell his strong aftershave before anything else.

My heart races as I open my eyes, rolling over on my bed to face the door.

“You came back?”

Concern flashes across his face as he strides to the edge of my small double bed.

“You’ve been crying?”

I chew on my bottom lip. My puffy eyes probably give me away.

He kicks off his sneakers and crawls onto the bed, pulling me into his embrace. I rest my head on his chest.

“Why the tears, sweetheart?” he whispers, stroking my hair away from my face.

“I thought I’d scared you off, that I’d messed this up for you and Maeve.”

He tuts, sliding himself down the bed while keeping one arm around me.

“You didn’t mess anything up. I shouldn’t have just left like that. I’m sorry. I was always coming back, I just… panicked.”

I blow out a breath as the relief washes over me.

“So.” He pauses, and I sit myself up to look at him.

“You would have missed me if I left?” he says with a boyish grin. I playfully tap his chest and he grabs a hold of my hand.

“I might have.” I pout at him.