Chapter 61 Sparking Ashes
Sparking Ashes
Jaxon doesn’t speak right away. He just sits there, staring down at the table like it might give him the answers he’s been chasing for years. Like maybe if he looks hard enough, the cracks in the wood will explain how the hell he missed this—how life moved so far without him.
Then it hits.
Like a train to the chest.
He drops his head into his hands, his breath catching mid-inhale. His shoulders begin to shake—not with rage, but with something deeper. A sadness so big, so consuming, it doesn’t come out loud. It comes out in silence. In tremors. In the kind of pain that doesn’t scream—it suffocates.
Sara watches him break from across the room, her heart splitting with every breath he takes.
She doesn’t say anything at first. Just lets him come undone.
But when she sees the first tear fall—landing heavy on the khaki fabric of his shorts like a bullet from the past—she finally steps forward, places her hand gently over his.
Jaxon lifts his head.
And for the first time in years, Sara sees him cry.
“I would’ve been a great dad,” he whispers.
“You still can be, Jaxon,” she says softly.
He lets out a hollow laugh, one with no joy behind it—just disbelief. “She took those moments from me, Sara. I missed her being born. I missed her first steps… her first tooth… her first words. I missed the first time she called someone ‘Daddy’—and it wasn’t me.”
His voice cracks, every word heavier than the last. “I never even got the chance to change a damn diaper.”
“I know,” Sara says, tears in her own eyes now. “But Claire didn’t keep her from you out of malice. She didn’t know how to tell you. And she told Jaqueline about you. She never once hid who you were.”
Jaxon looks up, blinking back another wave. “What do you mean?”
“She knows you. Not in the way a daughter knows a father—but through stories. Claire told her everything. Who you are. What you do. Where you live. That this house... this island... it was home to a version of her mom that was happy. Really happy.”
He closes his eyes, breathing through the weight of it all. “What about Travis?”
“Jaq always knew he was her stepdad. He left not long after Claire got sick. Couldn’t handle it, I guess. But Claire never tried to replace you. You were always her real father—even if you didn’t know it.”
Sara gives him a minute. Then she nods toward the living room. “Why don’t you go speak to her?”
It takes everything in him to stand.
But he does.
They walk to the couch where Jaqueline sits, her tiny legs curled beneath her, tablet in hand.
“Jaq, this is Jaxon,” Sara says gently.
The girl looks up with shy, curious eyes. Then she smiles.
“Hey, Dad.”
Jaxon freezes. The word hits him harder than any punch he’s ever taken. “Dad,” he repeats, his voice breaking on the single syllable. “Wow. That’s… that’s going to take some getting used to.”
“I like your house,” Jaqueline says with a small shrug. “Mommy always said it was pretty.”
He laughs softly, kneeling beside her. “Thank you, sweetheart. I’m so sorry… for everything.”
She nods, looking back at her tablet. “It’s okay. At least I have Aunt Sara.”
“You’re lucky,” he says, glancing toward Sara. “She’s awesome.”
“What are you playing?” he asks, trying to steady himself.
“She’s been glued to that game for a month,” Sara replies, smiling.
Jaxon’s head jerks toward her. “Wait. How long have you had her?”
Sara hesitates. “Since Claire passed. It took a while to get everything sorted through court.”
His brows knit together. “What do you mean—sorted?”
“I couldn’t bring her here until the paperwork was final. Claire left instructions. She wanted joint custody—me and you.”
Jaxon stares at her like she’s speaking another language. “Joint custody? With a man who didn’t even know she existed?”
“Well… I may or may not have forged your signature on her birth certificate.”
He blinks.
“You what?”
“Relax. It was the only way to follow her wishes. And technically, you’re her legal guardian now.”
He slumps back on the couch, one hand running down his face. “Jesus Christ…”
“I know it’s a lot,” Sara says. “But Claire knew you’d show up if you knew. She trusted you.”
He nods slowly. Then something hits him. “Wait… if I’m on her birth certificate, what’s her full name?”
Sara smiles, eyes glistening. “Jaqueline Summer Stone.”
His breath catches.
“Summer?” he whispers.
“She said you gave her the summer of her life. That’s what she wanted Jaq to carry with her. A piece of the love that changed everything.”
His eyes fill again. But this time, the tears feel different. Still heavy. Still heart-wrenching. But there’s something else behind them now—something lighter. A flicker of purpose. Of joy.
Eventually, Jaq looks up and tugs at Sara’s arm. “I’m hungry.”
Sara chuckles. “Alright, alright. We’ll go get lunch.”
“You’re staying with your parents?”
“Yeah, they’re at the beach house packing. They’ve decided to sell.”
Jaxon walks them to the porch, still unsure if he’s dreaming. As Sara opens the car door, he stops her.
“Hey. Bring them all back here tonight. Dinner. Six-thirty?”
Sara beams. “We were hoping you’d ask.”
As the car pulls away, Jaxon watches the taillights disappear. But this time… he doesn’t feel hollow. He doesn’t feel abandoned.
He just stands there.
Smiling.
Because in the ashes of everything he thought he lost—there was a spark waiting to light again.
And her name was Jaqueline Summer Stone.