Chapter 65 Hard One
Hard One
When Jaxon wakes, the first thing on his mind is last night.
The first time the three of them went out together.
People know now. And if they don’t already, the whole town will soon enough.
That’s when a thought smacks into him like a wave at high tide.
“I haven’t called my sister.”
He grabs his phone, pulls up her contact, and hovers over the call button. For a second, he just lies there, staring at the screen, thinking about what she’s going to say. What she’ll think. How she’ll feel when she finds out she’s been an aunt for nearly seven years—and never knew.
“Here goes nothing,” he mutters as he hits the call button and presses the phone to his ear.
It only rings twice.
“Hey, sis.”
“What’s wrong, Jax?”
“Nothing. Why?”
“You only say that when something is wrong.”
“I’ve got some news.”
“Does it have something to do with the fact that you missed our weekly call last night?”
“Yeah. Sorry. I was at dinner with someone.”
“You skipped our call to take some chick to dinner?”
“No, I was with Sara and—”
“Claire’s sister? Why the hell would you do that?”
“I was with her… and your niece.”
“Whose niece? I don’t have a niece!”
“Actually… you do.”
“Jaxon Asher Stone, you better not be fucking with me.”
Jaxon takes a deep breath and begins explaining. The letter. The dream. Sara showing up at his front door. The moment it all changed.
“Did you get a DNA test?” she cuts in.
“It’s not necessary, sis.”
“Jaxon, how do you know she’s yours?”
“I’ll send you a picture of her.” He ignores the question entirely.
“No need,” she says flatly. “I’ll be there by lunch.”
“You don’t hav—”
The call ends.
Damn. She just hung up on me.
Jaxon throws the covers back and gets moving—fast. Shower. Clothes. Straight to Sara’s room. He knocks once before the door creaks open.
“Well, now the roles are reversed,” Jaxon smirks, catching Sara in a towel.
“Shut up, Jax. I just got out of the shower.”
“I figured. Just taking in the view for a second.”
Sara laughs, resting one hand on the doorframe with a mock-seductive grin. “What is it?”
He tells her about the phone call—and the fact that his sister will be at the house in less than an hour.
“She said she’d be here by lunch?” Sara raises a brow. “I’m surprised you hadn’t already told her.”
“Let me get dressed, and I’ll help you cook something,” she says, stepping back into the room.
“That’s fine. I’ll wait,” Jaxon says, leaning against the frame.
“Is that so?” Sara grins, tugging at the corner tie of her towel.
Jaxon laughs and spins around. “I’ll see you downstairs.”
“That’s what I thought,” she calls after him, her laughter trailing into the hallway.
As Jaxon opens the oven to slide in lunch, the doorbell rings. Before he can even shut it, he hears a voice from the foyer:
“Hey, I’m Sara.”
When he makes it into the living room, he sees the two women already talking. And it’s only been two minutes. He’s already bracing for what was said.
“Hey, sis,” he says carefully.
“Jaxon.”
Sara turns and excuses herself, giving them space. “I’ll be in the bedroom when you’re ready.” She heads up the stairs, but not before catching the tone of the conversation beginning to unfold.
“Her sister is staying in your house?” Catherine snaps.
“Calm down. It’s not like that,” Jaxon says. “They came with her parents to pack up the beach house. Charles and Linda had to head back. Sara stayed so I could get to know my daughter.”
“She’s here?”
“Yes. She’s upstairs with Sara.”
Jaxon turns and calls for them. As soon as the girls turn the corner, Catherine freezes. Her jaw slackens.
“Never mind,” she breathes.
“I told you,” Jaxon says quietly. “She looks just like you did at that age.”
Catherine blinks. Her eyes jump between her brother and the little girl beside him. In shock, she takes a hesitant step forward.
“Hey, sweetie. My name is Catherine. What’s yours?”
“Jaqueline,” the girl replies shyly.
“She has your eyes, Jaxon,” Catherine whispers.
“I know.”
“Jaq, this is your Aunt Catherine,” Sara says gently. “She’s your dad’s sister.”
The four of them sit together and talk. Catherine listens as Sara explains what happened—about Claire, the decision to stay silent, and the missed chance to tell Jaxon the truth.
She even tells her the story about coming back to the island to tell him everything, only to see him at the grill—with what turned out to be his sister.
Catherine laughs. “I can only imagine what you thought.”
“Jaxon told me the other day it was you. That you were in town celebrating your engagement,” Sara says, rolling her eyes.
Conversation flows naturally from there. Stories. Memories. Jokes. And just as easily, the timer on the oven goes off. Jaxon heads to the kitchen to finish lunch.
He glances back at the living room—and just watches. His sister. His daughter. And the woman who’s carried the weight of this secret with grace. All sitting together, like they’ve been doing it for years.
After lunch, they all head outside. Jaqueline is running around the yard, squealing with joy. Catherine sits on the porch swing. Jaxon and Sara take the rocking chairs.
A few minutes pass. Then Jaq calls for Sara to come play. Without hesitation, Sara runs toward her, scoops her up, and twirls her around. Laughter fills the air.
Catherine watches for a moment. Then she glances sideways at her brother.
“Jaxon… this life suits you.”
He smiles, never taking his eyes off Jaqueline. “Yeah. I’ve just been waiting on the right woman.”
Catherine’s voice is soft but pointed. “Well, big brother… you’ve found her.”
“What do you mean?”
“You’ve found your hard one, Jax. She’s out there right now. Playing with your daughter.”
“Sara?” His voice barely escapes his lips.
“Jaxon, you’re the best man I know. You’re kind. You’re smart. You’re loyal as hell. But when it comes to you, when it comes to what you need… you’re blind.”
He chuckles. “Well damn. Thanks?”
“I’m serious. That girl is the best thing that could’ve happened to you. Both of them are.”
“She’s Claire’s sister, Catherine.”
“And? You’ve always said you believe in fate.”
“I do.”
“Then dammit, Jaxon, fate is out there in your backyard, barefoot and laughing and sleeping across the hall.”
He falls silent.
“How do you know?” he finally asks.
Catherine turns toward him. Her eyes are sharp. Honest. “Because of the way you look at her. And the way she looks at you. It’s the same way Mom and Dad used to look at each other.”
Jaxon’s voice cracks. “They were so in love.”
“Exactly. And so are you. You just don’t know it yet.”
She leans in, her tone softening. “What they had… it was once-in-a-lifetime. Real. Raw. Reckless. And Jax, your once-in-a-lifetime is standing right there. I knew it the second she opened the door. That woman gives you as much hell as you give everyone else. She’s funny.
She’s grounded. She’s beautiful—and now she’s raising your daughter. A daughter that isn’t even hers.”
Catherine stands up and walks to the edge of the porch. She stares out at the sound before saying, “So here’s my advice, brother.”
“What’s that?”
“For once in your life, think about yourself. Be selfish. Tell her how you feel. Tell her what you want. Ask her to stay. Because if you don’t… you’ll end up the same heartbroken man you were all those years ago.”
She turns, smiles, and nods toward the yard. “Now, I’m going to play with my niece and my future sister-in-law. You sit there and think about that.”
Jaxon watches her walk away, her laughter mixing with Jaqueline’s as she runs into the yard.
He stays in his chair, rocked by her words.
Is it that obvious? Is it written all over me? Do I really feel that way?
His eyes shift to the sound—trying to calm the war inside his chest.
Then, he looks over.
Sara is kneeling in the grass, picking up a rock that Jaq dropped. She flicks it out across the water—one smooth skip, then two. As she turns, wind in her hair, their eyes meet.
She brushes a strand behind her ear and gives him a small, hesitant smile.
Like she heard everything Catherine just said.
And for the first time… maybe she did.