Chapter 12
The house grew deeply quiet as midnight approached. The younger family members had all departed for their respective homes, leaving only Martha, David, Eleanor, Jax, and young Leo sleeping soundly in his new upstairs bedroom. Down in the spacious kitchen, the overhead lights were turned off, save for a single amber glow emanating from the stove hood. Jax sat alone at the dining table, a half-empty mug of black coffee cooling in front of him. He stared down at his calloused hands, the intricate tattoos on his forearms fading into the dark shadows of the room as he replayed every single second of the day's agonizing confrontation.
Soft footsteps echoed against the hardwood floor of the hallway, and David appeared at the edge of the kitchen, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed. "You're a hard man to pin down, Jax," David whispered into the quiet night air, his voice devoid of the day's suspicion, replaced instead by a somber, reflective tone. Jax looked up, offering a tired, lopsided smile. "I was a lot harder to deal with twelve years ago, Dave. Believe me, nobody hates the guy I used to be more than I do." David walked slowly into the kitchen and pulled out the chair directly opposite Jax, sitting down and resting his elbows on the table.
"Sarah never stopped talking about you, you know," David said quietly, dropping a bombshell that made Jax's breath catch in his throat. Jax stared at him in stunned silence. "Before she got sick... before everything went dark... she used to sit right here at this table and tell me that underneath all the leather, the anger, and the road dust, there was a good man trapped inside who just didn't know how to be a father yet." Tears welled up in Jax's eyes, threatening to spill over. He dropped his gaze to the table, his shoulders shaking with repressed emotion. "She deserved so much better than what I gave her, David. I walked away because I was terrified I'd ruin them both. And in the end, walking away was the very thing that broke them." David reached across the table, placing a warm, firm hand over Jax's clenched fist. "She's gone now, Jax. But Leo is right upstairs. You've got your second chance. Don't waste it."
