Chapter Twenty

JAX TRIED TO CLEAR her mind of the lingering drugs. The woman who held her heart was defending her to the woman who’d given birth to her. “Mom, if this is what you came here to do, you could have saved the trip and left me a voicemail. Chance is no more responsible for my injuries than you are. The man who did this is in custody, thanks to the woman I love. My God, you drove three hours, walked in, and I already wish you were gone.”

“Jacqueline Elizabeth St. Claire, how dare you talk to me like this.”

Jax chuckled. “Oh, just wait, I’m still doped up. When I have a clear head, I’ll have plenty more to say.”

Jax watched as a large hand grabbed her mother’s shoulder and turned her around. Her father’s normally tan and shiny forehead was beet red.

“I’m only going to say this once. Jacqueline St. Claire, if you can’t be civil to our only daughter, then you can wait outside. Not one more word. I mean it. Don’t test me on this.”

Jax was stunned. In her entire life, she’d never heard her father raise his voice to her mother. She saw Chance relax slightly and was relieved when Maggie stood.

“Jackie, it’s good to see you. It’s been too long. Seems like only yesterday we were running around in my Belaire.” Maggie placed a hand on Jax’s arm.

Jax saw her mother visibly blanch. There was more to this story, and eventually, she’d find it out.

“Margarette, thank you for being here for my daughter. I’m sure she appreciates your concern. I’m here now, and I’ll make sure she has what she needs.”

Jax watched the exchange between the two women. Two forces of nature, one destructive, one a confident diplomat.

Maggie smiled. “I’m sure Jax is glad to have all of us with her during this time. If Jax needs anything, I have no doubt my daughter will make sure she has it. They’re completely capable of caring for one another without us. Mike, it’s good to see you as well.”

“Maggie, it’s been a very long time. Nice to see you too, Dee.”

Dee stretched and stood to come by Chance’s side with a hand on her shoulder. Mike reached out to shake Dee’s free hand. “Far too long. How’s retirement treating you?”

Jax took in the conversation. There was something far too familiar about the group’s dynamics. She hadn’t put a finger on it yet, but Dee and her mother had yet to speak.

“Jackie, seems you haven’t changed a bit in fifty years. Still carrying the weight of the world and refusing to bend.” There was something in Dee’s deep voice.

“Dee Ann.”

Jax’s pulse raced, and the monitor she was hooked to showed it. Jax’s mother stared at her, and it took everything Jax had not to laugh. She could see it as plain as day. Something had happened between the three women years ago. The other thing that was plainly evident was that her mother still wasn’t over it.

Chance stared at the monitor and creased her brow at Jax. “Are you okay?”

Jax let a small smile cross her face for her lover. “Oh yeah, I’m just fine.” Jax watched her mother fiddle with her pearls and fidget uncomfortably. “Uncle Marty will be here around ten. I told him not to jump up this morning. How was your drive? I heard you had a storm last night.”

Jax’s father put a hand on her uninjured foot. “We had hail the size of golf balls and were under a tornado watch for a while. I wanted to get to you, but the weather was just too bad.”

Jax smiled at her father, as she watched her mother fuss with things on her bed table. “I’d rather you have started out in the daylight. I was out for most of the night after surgery anyway. I’m fine, though a little hobbled.”

Her father smiled, though stress lines worried his forehead. “How bad was the break?”

“She broke the tibia and fibula,” Chance answered. “The doctor said she’ll heal with time but will need therapy.”

Mike St. Claire held out his hand. “Chance, it’s nice to finally meet you. I’ve said it before, but congratulations. I’ll be proud to call you my daughter-in-law soon. It will be good to talk shop someday.”

“Thank you, sir, and I agree. I promise to make her happy and take care of her.” Chance blushed.

Jacqueline slapped the table. “Yes, and you’ve done a stellar job of that so far. In the last two months, she’s been in the hospital for an accidental overdose and now a car wreck where someone ran her off the road. And let’s not even mention the kidnapping of my brother. Yes, you’re doing an outstanding job of protecting and serving,” Jacqueline St. Claire quipped.

Jax could not believe her mother’s callous nature. Blaming Chance for everything that had happened was out of line. “Mother!”

Dee took two steps toward Jax’s mother. “Jackie, you will not talk to my daughter like that. Chance would die for Jax and go to the ends of the earth for her happiness. You’ve spent your life trying to keep them apart and for what? A vendetta against me?”

“Oh yes, Dee Ann, this is all about you. Jax is my daughter, and I’ll never be happy to see her tied to your dysfunctional family.”

Maggie stepped directly into Jacqueline’s sight. “This isn’t about Dee or Chance, is it Jackie? If you have something to say about my family, you address it to the person you really have the issue with, me. Now, everyone else can keep walking on eggshells to kiss your ass, but I won’t do it a single second more. Despite your best efforts, Jax and Chance found their way back to each other. They’ll soon be married, and there isn’t a damn thing you can do about it. Both of them are adults, capable of making their own decisions. This is a long time to carry a torch, Jackie. You’ve run out of oil, and the wood has burnt down to your fingers. Let it go and be proud of the family you made. My God, you’re an obstinate woman. Always trying to make things into what you wanted them to be, even when life chose another path. You have a wonderful husband and daughter, and yet, you insist on making them feel inadequate. To what end? For what, Jackie?” Maggie covered her mouth with her hand, and walked over to Dee, burying her face in her wife’s neck.

Dee wrapped her arms around Maggie. “Come on, honey. Let’s go take a walk.”

Jax sat stunned by the scene before her. Without her mother explaining any of the exchange, everything made sense. The adamancy that she stay away from Chance, the hesitancy to allow her to visit her aunt and uncle where her mother grew up, and the constant frown that came over her mother’s face whenever the Fitzsimmons name was brought up. It all had a reason. There was a history there, one long ago hidden, buried beneath years of animosity. Jax would find out the truth, if not from her mother, from Maggie.

“Mother, care to explain?”

Jacqueline St. Claire huffed as she straightened the covers on Jax’s bed. “I’ll do no such thing.”

Jax looked to Chance, whose wide eyes told her she didn’t have a clue either. Jax sighed and looked to her dad. “Pretty obvious you aren’t a casual observer in this. How about you telling me what the hell is going on?”

“It’s not my story to tell, honey. How long did the doctors say you’d be in here?”

Jax was becoming more agitated by the moment, with her family’s insistence on keeping her in the dark. “I’m not sure. I’m hoping I’ll be out at least by tomorrow. Are you going back today or staying?”

Her mother stepped closer to the head of the bed. “We’ll be staying at Martin’s. I wouldn’t presume to stay at a house I haven’t been invited into.”

The man who’d always acquiesced to his wife’s every mood and wish stood up straight as he walked over to her mother. “That is enough. I will take you home and leave you there if you don’t start acting like a mother that puts her child first.”

Rage showed all over the older woman’s face. “How dare you talk to me like that, Michael? I am your wife.”

Jax watched with rapt fascination at the conversation. Her father was not one to stand up to her mother.

Mike St. Claire nodded. “Yes, you are, and this is our only child.”

“We have Jackie and—”

“Those are our grandchildren.” Mike moved his finger between the two of them. “We brought Jax into this world. I’ve always been grateful we were still in good enough shape to keep up with the two children we tragically had to raise. Our son and daughter-in-law should have been here to do that. I’m beyond proud of Jax and the woman she’s become, despite being our daughter. It’s about damn time you were too. Now, if you persist in being opposed to those she’s chosen to have in her life, then keep your mouth shut about it. I lost decades with her when she was in California.”

Tears ran out of Jax’s eyes, listening to her father and mother argue. On the one hand, she’d never been so happy to hear how proud her father was of her, and then there was her mother. She was incredibly tired of being a disappointment and of feeling like it should still matter.

“Dad, it’s okay. I’m the great disappointment in her life. That will never change. I didn’t act the way she wanted, become who she wanted me to be, and I won’t be spending the rest of my life with someone she approves of. It’s completely exhausting feeling like she would have been happier if I’d not been born. I’m always going to fall short, and it’s time I stopped giving a damn about it.”

Chance leaned down and held her face close to Jax’s. She whispered to her, “You matter to me. My parents love you, and so do yours. They just have a strange way of showing it, though it seems your dad is done being a doormat. Maybe change is on the horizon.”

Jacqueline faced the window with her back to Jax. “I approved of Lacey. She was from a family of refinement. Once you made a life with her, I never questioned your choices. That is until you left her.”

Jax laughed so hard, she felt pain in her ribs and clutched at the bedsheets. “Oh, that hurts. Don’t make me laugh. Refinement, that’s a joke. You were happy with their social status and money. The fact that Lacey regularly had affairs with other women meant nothing to you. Fidelity apparently isn’t listed in the Montgomery family creed. I was never so alone in my life than when I was married to her. By the way, to most of her family, I didn’t make the grade, and neither did you. My family didn’t come from old money, and the daughter of a blue-collar worker was beneath what they expected for Lacey. Face it, Mother, for once you weren’t good enough for someone. Spare me the adoration for the Montgomerys. I’m tired, and my leg hurts like someone is sawing through it with a dull knife.” She reached for her pain pump and pushed the button.

Her mother took a seat on the couch across the room. “Yes, I suggest you rest. I’ve called Lacey, and she wants to come and see you. Why she still cares is beyond me.”

Jax sat straight up, horror and anger bubbling to the surface. The morphine was quickly taking effect, and Jax squeezed Chance’s hand as she screamed at her mother. “Get out! Get out and don’t come back. Adopt Lacey if you want, but she is no longer part of my life. I never want to see her again!” Drowsiness forced her to lay back, as tears flowed down her cheeks. “Chance, make her leave, please. Daddy, please.” Sleep overtook her as she heard her father address her mother.

“Only you would bring even more pain to our daughter, only you.”

 

***

 

Chance closed her eyes in pure shock at Jax’s mother. Many things over the years had caused her agony. The burns paled in comparison to what she felt watching Jax’s distress. Jax had asked her to get her mother out of there, and that is what she’d do. Chance leaned over and kissed Jax’s temple. “Sleep, love. I’ll take care of it.”

Mike walked over and grabbed his wife’s hand. “I knew bringing you would be a mistake. I just didn’t know how much. You called Lacey? That woman broke our daughter’s heart by sleeping with other people, including their staff. Your logic escapes me, Jacqueline. Get up.”

Chance watched Jax’s mother pull her hand from her husband’s grasp. “You will not manhandle me, Michael. She’s my daughter, and I’ll leave when I’m ready to go. Not a minute before.”

Chance walked closer to where Jax’s mother sat. “That’s where you’re wrong, Mrs. St. Claire. I can, and will, have you removed.”

Jacqueline looked at her, indignation written all over her face. “You might be the sheriff of Tucker County, but unless I’m mistaken, we are in Maryland. I doubt you have any authority.”

“Oh, I have plenty of ways of making you leave. The first of which is to call Jax’s doctor and advise her that your presence is causing her patient stress. Secondly, I can contact security, and have you escorted out of here on Jax’s request made to a sworn officer of the law. If all that fails, I’ll personally pick you up and place you outside this door as her fiancée and medical power of attorney. So which authority would you like me to use to accomplish what Jax asked? Which, in case you missed it, was to get you out of here.”

Mike walked over to Jax and kissed the top of her head. “I’m sorry, Jibber Jack.” He held up a hand in Chance’s direction. “None of that will be necessary. My wife’s leaving now and not coming back. I’m sorry, Chance. Tell her I love her and will be back later.” Mike walked over and put a hand under his wife’s elbow and pulled her up. “We are going now. I’m taking you to Martin’s, and you’re going to stay there. I’ll be coming back to try and fix your meddling. I suggest you use that phone of yours to make another call to Jax’s ex-wife and tell her she isn’t welcome here so save the trip. If you choose not to do that or not to stay at Martin’s, you can also find your own way home. I’m done with this, Jacqueline. Now move, before I let Chance exercise one of those options.”

Chance stood by in stunned silence, as Mike escorted the shocked woman out the door. Something told her that life had irrevocably shifted for the unhappy woman. Chance had another problem to solve, an unwanted visitor who would also likely cause her lover pain. Not a chance in hell I’m letting that happen. She followed the couple out into the hall and turned to watch them make their way toward the elevators.

Chance caught sight of her parents. “You guys need to go home, get some rest. I’m fine, and I’ll call with a progress report later. Thanks for being here. You’ve never let me down.”

Maggie wrapped her arms around Chance and squeezed as she spoke softly in her ear. “I know you have questions. When things settle down, Dee and I will answer them. Until then, take care of our girl. Do you want me to take Zeus? He can’t sit in the car all day.”

Chance nodded. “Here’s the spare key. Just lock it up after you get him.”

Dee hugged her next. “All in good time, Five Points, all in good time.”

As Chance watched them walk away, she saw Mike take Jacqueline’s arm. Jacqueline tried to break Mike’s hold, but he grabbed her hand again and began tugging her down the hall. She turned and glared at Chance.

“This isn’t over, Chance Fitzsimmons, not by a longshot.”

“This is the last thing she needs.” Chance pushed open the door to Jax’s room and returned to her side. “Not on my watch.”

 

***

 

Jax lay in the hospital bed, once again fighting through the drugs. She had no idea how long she’d been out. The dull thumping in her leg told her long enough for her last shot of morphine to start waning. A thumb brushed over the top of her hand. She cautiously opened her eyes, anxious as to who she would see in the chair beside her bed. Chance’s concerned blue eyes brought a rush of relief.

“Hi.”

Chance rose and kissed her lightly. “Hey there. I missed you.”

Jax smiled. “I was having a wonderful dream. We were riding out to the bluff, snow all around us.”

“Sounds like our wedding.”

“Might have been.”

Chance smiled. “We’ve still got some planning to do. Kendra’s coming in tonight. She wants to drop by with Brandi and see you.”

Nodding, Jax tried to adjust herself in the bed and grimaced at the pain.

Chance stood and helped adjust the pillows. “Do you need to hit your pain pump again?”

“Not unless my mother or ex is walking through that door.” Jax glance at Chance. “They aren’t, are they?”

Chance tilted her head from side to side. “Not walking through the door, but not far from it. I have no idea if your mother called your ex and told her not to come.”

“With Mother, I thought nothing could surprise me. This did. The last time I checked, I’m an adult who can see or refuse to see whomever I want. I have no desire to be around either of them ever again. I’m still in shock over Dad. It’s so unlike him to overrule Mother.”

“He did and in a big way.”

Jax sat stunned while Chance relayed what happened outside her room. She wasn’t shocked at her mother’s arrogance. The last thing she wanted to do was argue with anyone in her weakened condition.

“And don’t worry. If either comes through that door, they’ll promptly be escorted back out until you tell me differently. Consider me your personal protection detail.”

“Never felt safer in my life. Now, tell me what happened on the raid this morning.”

For the next ten minutes, Chance caught her up on the particulars. Currently, the entire Kurst family, minus the grandfather who was in a nursing home, were residents of Huttonsville Correctional Facility.

“We also found packaging material and heroin that appears to be of similar makeup to the drugs from our mass overdose calls during the festival. It will take more testing at the state crime lab to see if it’s an exact match. I got a text from Harley, twenty minutes ago, with the latest update. I don’t think we are going to be worrying about the Kursts for a long time.”

Jax sighed in audible relief. She’d been so worried about what Leland would try next. She didn’t want Lindsey to go through one more minute of the man’s harassment. “Lindsey and Megan have to be relieved. They’ve suffered enough with him.”

“Harley was more than happy to give them that news. Lindsey is doing fine. She’s at home resting. She said to get better soon.”

Jax stiffened at a knock on the door. She moved her gaze to the thick wooden barrier. Chance got up to see who it was and let in Uncle Marty. He approached the bed, still limping a bit from his ordeal earlier in the summer.

He leaned over the bed rail and kissed her temple. “Hey, kitten. It’s good to see you awake. I’ve been busy hog-tying your mother, or I’d have been here sooner.”

Jax looked at the man she was extremely fond of. “You shouldn’t have to do that, but if you can keep her away from me, I’ll feed you for a month of Sundays.”

“It’s a deal, even without the meals. She’s none too happy with me or your daddy right now. Came into my house and kept wiping her hands every time she touched anything.”

“Doc, you need me to remove her from your place?” Chance shifted from her position and came to stand beside him.

Marty waved his hand. “No need. Ten minutes after she got there, she made a reservation for herself at Canaan Valley Lodge. Your daddy is staying at my place.”

Jax held his hand, her head swimming with regret and anger. “I’m so sorry, Uncle Marty. When I get out of here, my mother and I are having a little talk. If Lacey shows up, she can get back on a plane and fly west. I’ve said all I need to when it comes to her.”

Marty patted her hand. “You concentrate on getting out of here. The rest will keep. I’m not going to stay long. I’m covering the clinic for emergencies. Before you fuss at me, I know what I’m doing. I’ve asked Dr. Kester from over in Elkins to help out if it’s something I can’t handle. Get some rest, and I’ll be back later tonight. I love you, kitten. Stop scaring an old man, will ya?”

Jax kissed his hand. “I will if you will?”

He stood and kissed her cheek. “Deal.”

Uncle Marty left, and Chance took her seat beside Jax again.

“It’s making him feel useful.”

Jax sighed. “I know, but he retired for a reason. Lindsey isn’t there to help him.”

“He called his former secretary. She agreed to come in and help keep track of what they do. He can’t use your computer system, but together they’ll cover the emergencies. Anything else can wait.”

Chance’s cellphone rang. “It’s Mom.”

Jax nodded and listened as Chance told her that Jax was awake. Chance looked to her and asked if it was okay if Maggie and Dee came to visit. Jax nodded, and Chance hung up. A few seconds later, there was another knock on the door. Chance got up to admit Maggie and Dee. Jax could see the distress on Maggie’s face. Jax held a hand up to beckon the woman she cared deeply about to come closer.

“Come over here for a minute. I promise, I don’t bite.”

Maggie chuckled as she sat down. Dee stood behind her, with her hands resting on her wife’s shoulders. Maggie tilted her head. “I imagine you have questions.”

“More than I likely have the stamina to stay awake for. How about you give me the CliffsNotes version now, and we fill in the finer details later?”

Chance put a hand on her mother’s arm. “Mom, are you all right?”

Maggie looked at Chance and nodded. “This should have come out a long time ago. Dee and I always felt that, without Jacqueline’s consent, it wasn’t right for us to speak for her.”

Jax furrowed her brow. “I don’t understand.”

“Jax, you know that Dee and I went to school together. Jacqueline was older than us. We all used to be very good friends and spent a great deal of time together. Your Uncle Martin was a few years older still. I’ve always known I was a lesbian, even when it wasn’t accepted the way it is now. It was difficult in those days. I was harassed, because I wouldn’t go out with the captain of the basketball team, or at least not the captain of the men’s team.”

Dee grinned and pulled on the chain around Maggie’s neck, revealing a vintage, high school pendant. “She was too busy dating the captain of the women’s team.”

Jax couldn’t help but smile. Maggie and Dee had been together since high school, and the love between the two of them was clearly evident. Part of her realized that she and Chance could have done the same if not for her mother’s meddling. “And my mom was in this mix how?”

“My sophomore year, I started to see jealousy from your mother. I thought it was because Frank, the aforementioned basketball captain, was trying to get me to go to the prom with him. Your mother always seemed to have her eyes on him. A group of us girls decided we weren’t going with any boys. Five of us were going to go and enjoy the evening together.”

Dee clasped Maggie’s hand. “It was one way I could take Maggie, and no one think twice about it.”

Chance cleared her throat. “A few years ago, Kendra took that Morris girl to the prom. It still rattled people.”

Maggie nodded. “So many things have changed for the better, though we aren’t where we need to be yet. We had to be terribly discreet. If you think about it, what we were doing by being together was illegal, and we were underage. Anyway, I’d turned Frank down and he wasn’t happy about it. No one turned down the star. Your mother eventually went with Leonard Hall. Every time Dee and I went somewhere together, your mother tagged along. She had a tendency to snub Dee whenever she got the opportunity—little smug remarks, or a jab whenever she could. You know how teenagers are. We all believe we can only have one best friend. The thing is, we realized later that your mother didn’t just want to be my best friend. She wanted to be my girlfriend.” Maggie looked up at Jax with tears in her eyes.

Dee stroked Maggie’s hand. “It’s okay, honey, tell her.”

“Dee was working one night at her father’s convenience store, and your mother came over to my house. We were listening to records, or vinyl, as I’ve heard Kendra call it. That was a big thing back in our day. Of course, we called them records.” Maggie stopped and wagged a finger between Chance and Jax. “No old jokes, you two. Anyway, we were in my room listening and singing along. When your mother sang along to “Unchained Melody,” she wasn’t looking at me the way a friend would. She surprised me by kissing me. I sat there in shock and had no idea what to say.”

Jax tried with all her might not to laugh, but she couldn’t stop herself. The thought of her mother having even a single lesbian thought in her mind went beyond amusing Jax. It also angered her. All the hell she’d put Jax through. The number of times Jacqueline St. Claire had spewed disdain for Jax’s life, and here the object of her mother’s own desire sat in front of her telling her a story Jax could barely believe. “It all makes sense now.”

Maggie nodded. “Your mother laid out her feelings with her heart on her sleeve. I tried desperately to not hurt her, but I had my heart set on a tall redhead with a laugh that reminded me of warm honey. When I told her I was in love with Dee, your mother went into a rage. She demanded to know why not her. Why wasn’t she good enough for me? Nothing I said, no amount of explanation, could appease your mother. After calling Dee and me every vile name she could think of, she stormed out of my room and started a course of vindictive actions that caused the two of us a great deal of grief. Years later, that same vindictiveness sent you running for California, away from Chance and what you two could have had. Your Uncle Martin was livid at the way she treated us. I think he always knew about me and had suspicions about your mother. I tried to talk to her when you left for California, imploring her to stop. She vowed that you would never spend one more minute with Chance if she could help it.”

Jax pushed up in the bed, trying to relieve the pain in her back that had developed from lying there for hours on end. “She made good on that threat, trust me. That first year I met Chance, she grounded me after I got back. Informed me she was not going to let me defile myself. I knew I was a lesbian before I met Chance. I’d never acted on it. I turned my attention to my studies. I had to have a scholarship to be able to attend vet school. My original plan was Virginia Tech. After meeting Chance, I started exploring West Virginia’s program. The minute Mom saw paperwork from the school, she went ballistic. She informed me she wouldn’t pay a dime for my education if I went there. Scholarships pay for a good bit, but there are expenses I’m sure you remember paying for Chance and now Kendra.”

Dee chuckled. “We do. We were fortunate with Kendra’s scholarship. With Chance, we tried to put away money from any of our real-estate sales to make sure she had what she needed. She had to work for her fun money. College isn’t cheap, and I imagine veterinary school had to be even more expensive with the length.”

Chance shook her head. “I had to pay for my own truck too. Dad didn’t leave much when he passed away, I’m sure. I’ve always been grateful to have landed where I did with you two. I know it wasn’t easy.”

Maggie stood and put a hand on Chance’s cheek. “We were young, barely out of college ourselves. I worshiped my big brother. He was seven years older than I was. The day he met your mother, there was no going back for him. Ray wanted a family. Losing your mother so young was his greatest sorrow, but raising you was his greatest joy. When he died, I couldn’t think of any better way to honor him than raising you to be the woman you’ve become.”

Jax watched the love between the women standing near her. How she wished she’d have made different choices back then and avoided missing so many years with Chance.

Dee turned to Jax. “You’ve always been a part of this family, Jax, even when you weren’t here. Not a year went by when your Uncle Marty didn’t give us an update on how you were doing.”

Jax wiped a tear away. “He and Aunt Mary were the only ones to ever fight for me. He used to send me money for school. I can’t tell you how many books or pizzas he bought. It wasn’t easy, but I got through. I thought I found love in California, a reason to stay out there and the life I’d always wanted. What a mistake that was. I was so very wrong.”

Chance leaned down and kissed her. “Not mistakes, only lessons learned. I wish more than anything to have those years back, but I won’t let it hinder the years ahead I have with you. It sounds like your dad is having a change of heart about a few things as well.”

Jax sighed and reached for a cup. She took a small swallow and placed it back on her table. “I hope so. It would be nice to believe at least one of my parents is glad I’m still around. It’s like I said, Mom got her do-over family with Jennings’ kids. The perfect family that she could mold into what she wanted. At least Jackie didn’t take after her personality. She’s a great deal like my brother, kindhearted, sensitive, and loving. Her brother, Jessie, reminds me of Dad, duty bound. He’s also as gay as I am.”

Chance’s eyebrows shot up. “Does your mom know?”

“Why do you think he went into the Air Force? He’s a technology geek and is happily living with his boyfriend of six years. He doesn’t come home often. If he does, he stays with his sister on the premise of visiting with his niece and nephew.”

Maggie paced across the room. “I wish I could go back and help your mother find her way. She might have ended up exactly where she is with an entirely different mindset. I tried to be kind, I truly did, Jax.”

Jax waved Maggie to her. “Come here.” When Maggie came to sit in the chair beside her, she took Maggie’s hand. “None of this is your fault. The only difference between then and now is that I have control over my life. I say where I live and who I love. It’s my decision who I let into my life. When I called home to tell Mom I was engaged to Lacey, she refused to speak to me for over a month. What she didn’t know was a great deal of my decision to stay out there was based on the desire to keep her far from my life. Once she found out Lacey came from a wealthy family with power and influence, it suddenly didn’t matter that I was a lesbian. All had been forgiven, because I wasn’t marrying Chance. As long as I had nothing to do with a Fitzsimmons, life went on. The problem is, she was the only one happy about that.”

Maggie grimaced and shook her head. “Such a sad way to live life. I honestly don’t think your mother would have stayed in a same-sex relationship. She was far too boy crazy. Back then, you didn’t discuss being bisexual, even in our circles. I have no idea what she even saw in me.”

Dee came around and knelt before her. “Oh, I don’t know. Beauty, brains, and a personality that lights up a room even on the darkest of days. I know exactly what she saw in you, because I was lucky enough to see it first.”

Maggie leaned over and kissed Dee softly. Jax looked up at Chance, who smiled lovingly at her parents. So many things Jax had missed. Not one more. I will not miss one more minute.