by Erin Trejo
“You don’t have to worry my little puppet. You have me. I love you, Jade. There is nothing I want more than to have you and my kids with me forever.” I open my mouth but words won’t form. Jaxson watches me, his eyes blazing.
“Are we safe now, Jax?” I have to know. If he says no, I can’t do it.
“We’re safe now. And one more time. I’m begging you, Jade. Don’t leave me. I never knew just how much I needed you until I sent you away. It ripped my black heart out. I never want to feel that again.”
“Say it again.” As if he knows what I need to hear, he says, “I love you. I love you, little puppet.”
And just like always, he pulls my strings. My monster was never truly a monster. He was a man that was ruined much like I was. He was thrown into a world that wouldn’t let him thrive without the use of darkness.
Reality can be a scary place but Jaxson soothes it all. He maybe dark and dangerous. He may take things from me but he always gives back.
He was right.
I am his little puppet.
Epilogue
“Why now, Jade?” He looks at me through hooded lashes. He’s not getting away with it this time.
“Don’t look at me like that, Jax. This has gone on long enough. I need to know everything before these babies come.” I whine rubbing my huge stomach.
“Your dad was into trading. You knew that much. He was just shady about certain aspects of it. He kept some of that money of the charts which is what came to you. The other guys at that auction. Fuck. They all wanted you for the money. They didn’t care how they had to get it either. They wanted the money that came with you. I knew I had to bid on you, buy you. It’s the only way to keep safe. Are we done now?” He leans closer, pressing his lips to mine. God, he is so beautiful.
“Not even close, Mr. Murphy. What about Don? How did he even tie in? And your parents?”
“Don was a caregiver of sorts for Harvey. He didn’t really play into things. He was a bystander that saw an opportunity. I can’t say that I’d blame him either. Look at you. You’re gorgeous. As for my parent’s, my father was a disgusting man that I’d rather not discuss. Mom was always off. The doctors say schizophrenia. I left it at that. Now are we done?” His tone makes me smirk.
“I don’t know, Mr. Murphy. I feel like there’s more to it.” I grin at him.
“Give me a break here, Mrs. Murphy. I just need you.” His demanding tone sends shivers over my body but I’m not done with this yet. I want to close that piece of my life before we move on with the babies.
“Is it not enough that I married you?” He winks at me and my heart melts.
“You’re right. Everything else is the past. You’re all I want, Jax.” My lips press into his, so soft and gentle.
His fingers find their way into my hair, tugging gently. Something strange happens inside of me before I feel it.
“Jaxson, I think my water broke.” He pulls away from me, his eyes dark.
“That can’t be. You have two more months.” He shakes his head. For the first time since I’ve met him, fear resonates in his eyes. A real fear.
He’s on his phone as I climb off the bed. My heart races because he’s right. They are two months early.
I head toward the bathroom to change when he moves in on me.
“Cars out front. Let me help you.” He pulls the sleep pants down my legs before helping me into a new pair.
“Jaxson, I’m scared.” I whisper. He finishes with my pants before standing and gripping my face in both hands. “You are the strongest person I know. You have survived me, Jade. You can handle this. We can handle this.”
His tone is reassuring but I’m still scared shitless. We head out of the room and I am happy to see Beverly standing there waiting on us.
“Please say you’re coming?” I ask with tears filling my eyes.
“Of course! I wouldn’t miss the birth of my grandbabies.” She smiles sweetly.
Everything I’ve learned about Beverly makes me love her more.
She has always been a part of this family. She was hired by Jaxson’s dad when his mother could no longer care for him. She did an amazing job. I have to give her credit for that. Jaxson became the man he was molded to be but in a better way.
He still has his moments that he doesn’t think he’s good enough to be a father. He still hates that he killed. Especially Bryce. They were close. They were brothers but Jaxson always says he doesn’t regret it. He said it was me and the babies or Bryce and he would never let Bryce take that away from us.
The ride to the hospital is unnerving. My stomach cramps and it’s not from fear. It’s from my babies trying to join the world too early. These are the times I wished I had a mother to count on. These are the times I wish I could have had friends to lean on but I don’t. I have Beverly and Jaxson. I should be grateful for that but a part of me resents what my father and Bryce did. They took pieces of my life away from me. Pieces I can never get back.
I’m rushed into the OR when we arrive at the hospital. The doctor said that there was no way for them to stop the contractions and one of the babies was positioned wrong. It worried me but not too bad since I knew Jax was here with me.
They wouldn’t let him into the OR though. Now as I blink my eyes into focus, I can see his silhouette by the window and my heart leaps when I see the yellow roses next to my bed.
“Are they ok?” I ask with a lump in my throat. Jax turns around slowly, a tiny bundle in his arms. Only one though.
“Where’s the other one, Jax?” my voice comes out slightly hysterical. Jax smiles and nods across the room. I turn my head slowly and see the tiny bed with another little bundle in it. My heart swells with pride but I’m also scared.
“What if I mess this up? I don’t know how to be a parent, Jax. I didn’t have that luxury. All I’ve known was lies.” I look down at my hands where I wring them in my lap. I’m thrilled to death about my kids but the fear of being a bad mother runs deep. Jax moves across the room, laying the baby in the bed next to the other one. He moves swiftly to my side, sitting gently on the edge of the bed.
“You have nothing to worry about, baby. You are a strong person. You lived, Jade. You lived through a hell they wanted to put you in. The hell I put you through. You made it out stronger. If anyone can handle this, it’s you. It’s me you should worry about.” My head jerks up, looking at the hurt in his eyes.
“I don’t doubt you, Jaxson. I never have.” His eyes meet mine. The worry is there but Jax has a heart inside of him that not many get to see. He doesn’t even know how wonderful it is at times.
“You want to hold them?” Jax asks. I smile and nod my head when he stands. He walks over and picks up the first one.
“Here’s your daughter, Mrs. Murphy.” His eyes are brighter than I’ve ever seen them. I look down at our little girl in my arms as Jax moves to get the other baby.
“Are they both girls?” We opted not to find out. I wanted a surprise, something good in our lives for a change.
“No. This is your son.” He grins that sexy grin of his as he sits on the edge of the bed. I look down at our son, the spitting image of his dad.
“They look just like you.” I say glancing between the two of them. Jax chuckles under his breath before he says, “Is that a bad thing?”
I look up at the man that I thought was a monster. The man that kept himself hidden from me for so long only to see the beauty in him.
“Not at all. They will be gorgeous.” I tell him. Jax leans down, pressing his lips to mine.
“Is this ok, Jade? Are we ok with all this?” He asks me, his tone serious. I know Jax wasn’t expecting to have kids. I know there was a time he wasn’t expecting to have me but here we are.
“We’re ok, Jax. We’re more than ok. I love you. You kept the monsters at bay for me and I know you will do the same for them.” His eyes water but in typical Jax form, he doesn’t let them fall.
“It takes a lot to bring a man to his knees. You did that, Jade.
You pulled me back from the brink of my own destruction and I love you more each day for it. We may still have broken pieces inside of us but together with these kids, we can fix them.”
Life isn’t a fairy tale. Lives are lost, rules are broken. Jax and I know that first hand. If there was anyone I’d want to share a new chapter of my life with, it’s him. He makes me a better person even if he doesn’t see it. He makes me want more out of my life but I only want it with him. Jax has become the stone that holds me in place. He’s become the monster that turned into something beautiful. When everything else seems to turn on its axis, it’s Jax that centers me. This is the perfect ending to our story.
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