I woke up alarmingly late in one of the two tiny bedrooms the cabin had to offer and jumped out of bed. I peered into the other rooms but finally had to admit to myself that Jaxson had gone.

I thought back to last night. Jaxson had dropped this vague explanation for his limp on me, then refused to go into detail. Even without a degree in psychology, I had noticed that he was carrying far too much guilt on his shoulders, about his father's actions, about what he perceived as his failure to save his sister and about a car crash in which he was the only victim. God only knew which other burdens he was shouldering.

I had no answer to this question, and Jaxson wasn't forthcoming. He wasn't even freaking present.

Lacking any alternatives, I jumped back into the clothes I had worn yesterday and yanked open the front door - and nearly died from a heart attack. A mountain of a man was standing on the cabin's front step, facing the other way.

"Morning, Miss Winters!" he said, then turned, holding up his hands. "Don't be alarmed and don't be mad at Jaxson!" he pleaded. "I'm Ben, the guy Jax told you about?"

He raised his voice towards the end of the sentence. I wasn't sure whether he was questioning his own identity or Jaxson's ability to remain calm and composed if I didn't comply and stayed at the cabin like a good girl.

"Hi!" I said, then slammed the door shut because I wasn't about to comply at all. There were windows out the back. Take that, Jaxson!

But then I realised that Ben could be a treasure trove of information to me. Hm.

I opened the door again, pretending I had never shut it.

"So, you want a cup of tea, Big Ben?" I purred.

Ben grinned. "Hate to break it to you, but you're not the first to come up with this ingenious nickname."

"Yeah, story of my life. I invented a nose-held computer pen once, only to find that it had already been invented. Can you believe this shit?"

"Nose-held pen?"

"Yeah, strap it to the nose and get going with your office work. Leaves two hands free. Brilliant thing! Multitasking made easy," I teased.

Ben's expression was hilarious, but I had more pressing problems to deal with. Prank time was over. "Kidding!" I shouted, marching into the kitchen to get the brew going, relishing Ben's bafflement. Sometimes I enjoyed keeping people off-balance.

Curiosity killed the cat, I know. But curiosity also won Nobel Prizes, so I ploughed ahead, keeping my voice extra casual, "So, where is Jaxson?"

Ben shook his head. "No idea. Family business, he said."

"Right. Family business." I mulled this information over in my head. "Well, that cannot be happy business then, seeing that he hates the blooming lot."

"Look, girl, Jax calls me, says he needs me; he's got some family business; I come, no questions. He'd do the same for me."

"I'm not saying he wouldn't. I don't even know the guy. But..."

"Don't know him? In the hospital, Jax kept talking about you, especially when he was zoned out."

"In the hospital? Zoned out? I know he has a limp because of a car accident. What happened?"

Ben winced.

"I should have kept my mouth shut. Sorry, Miss Winters."

I handed Ben his mug. "Don't Miss Winters me! I'm Tessa. Tell me what the idiot is doing now that is so important!"

"Far as I know, he's gone to see the sis. Talk to her, he said."

I snatched Ben's phone out of his hand. "Dial his number!" I shouted, "Do it!" when he didn't react.

After a short hesitation, Ben pressed a few buttons, then handed the phone back to me.

"Yo, Big Ben!" Despite my anger, I had to smile when I heard Jaxson's nickname for his buddy. Ben had obviously not been lying when he enlightened me that I wasn't the first to give him this nickname.

"Yo, Terminator! Has the brawn eaten the brain? What are you doing? Are you deliberately trying to get yourself killed?"

I heard a groan on the other end of the line. "Tess! No, it hasn't; visiting my favourite sister; no, I'm not. Satisfied?"

"Will I ever see you again?" I hadn't planned on asking this question nor on sounding so whiney.

Jaxson sighed. Not a good sign.

"Look, ahm,... Tess. The thing is..."

"If you say 'You're a nice girl and all that, but what happens in Blue Church stays in Blue Church', I will hound you down and kill you painfully in a dark alley." I really wanted to sound tough, but the reminder of how Jaxson had broken up with me in Germany forced my vocal cords into doing a brilliant Aspen tree impression. "There is something I need to tell you, Jaxson. And I can only do that in person." One way or the other, Jaxson needed to know.

"Alright, Tess. I'll be back soon, but I won't be able to stay long."

Before I could ask any other questions, Jaxson terminated the call.

* * * * *

I heard Jaxson and Ben whisper outside after Jax had pulled up in Ben's car. Ben had refused to go into any more detail about Jaxson's accident or Jaxson's life in general and had opted to wait outside for his buddy's return. I had used the time to text my friends and my family that I was okay and that there was no need to worry about me.

When Jaxson finally came into the cabin, I gasped. He looked beyond tired, and I suddenly asked myself whether Jaxson was actually hiding from the people of Blue Church underneath the oversized clothes he was wearing or whether the bagginess of the clothes was due to some serious weight loss.

"What did your sister say?" I asked, motioning him to sit down.

"I take it she volunteers to sample the business's products on a regular basis. She was so pumped full with a hallucinogen of her choice or a fantastic stimulant like coke that I'm not totally convinced that she even realised who I was."

"Are you going to see your brother, too?"

"Oh yes, I am. But I won't be after reconnection or reconciliation."

"Is that what you went to see your sister for? I'm so sorry it didn't work out, Jaxson!" I meant every word I said, too.

"Never mind, Tess. I knew it would go this way before I left here this morning. But I had to do it before..." Jaxson stopped mid-sentence. "What did you want to talk to me about?" he added instead. I knew he was trying to distract me from what he had been about to say, but it worked. The question shot a dagger right into my heart and I started to shake.

"Tess!" Jaxson sounded alarmed now.

"Look, Jaxson... the thing is..."

"You're not going to tell me now that I'm a nice guy, but that what happens in this rotten place stays in this rotten place, are you?"

In this moment, I think fell heads over heels in love with the man in front of me. There were deep lines on his face; his shoulders were slumped and he looked ten years older than he actually was. But he still put my needs first, still tried to cheer me up when I'm sure he could have done with a little TLC himself.

I gave myself a mental push. "I don't really know how to say it. I've gone over this so many times in my head, played out so many different scenarios, but none of that has prepared me for the reality of the situation."

Jaxson didn't say anything; he just took one of my hands and rubbed it encouragingly.

"Well, I told you... told you that I came looking for you. You know, after Germany. And you had told me not to, I know. But then... I triple-checked. Didn't trust the second test, either. But the third... I'm sorry, I'm rambling. Guess what I'm trying to say is... My daughter is 20 years old, Jax. You do the maths!"

Jaxson gave me a blank stare, obviously waiting for the punch line.

"Nearly twenty-one years ago now, Terminator. Remember where we were then?"

Still no reaction other than a slowing-down of the hand-rub. I really, really, really wanted Jaxson to get it by himself. I had no idea why. But it was moot anyway. Jaxson's brain cells had gone into hibernation.

"My daughter's name is Hayley. She's just turned twenty, so no need for any sitters for her, studies law at Newbridge University, lives with her cousin Lamonte and some other students, is the kindest, most beautiful young woman in the world and... she's yours."

At those last words, I jumped off the seat and raced to the door. I was terrified of Jaxon's reaction, but had forgotten Big Ben outside. I stopped short when I saw him. He turned to look at me, patted me on the shoulder and muttered, "He won't bite you, I promise! Go back in!" Well, what can I say? The cabin's walls weren't exactly soundproof.

I took a fortifying breath and marched back to my seat, keeping my head down.

"I don't know what to say, Tessa," Jaxson whispered. "If I had known, I wouldn't have just left. You've got to believe me. Christ, you were only 18, Tess. How did you cope all these years?"

His left arm started to tremble.

I grabbed hold of it and stroked it.

"I didn't have to go it alone, Jax. I had an amazing support system. And I'm not telling you because I want anything from you. Not even your pity or bad conscience. I just thought you had a right to know before you disappear on me again. Maybe... maybe you would like to meet her?"

I don't know how to describe it. Jaxson looked shellshocked. The shakes in his arm got worse and he gently extricated it from my caress. He stood and limped out the door, exchanged a few words with Ben and disappeared in his mate's car.

A few seconds later, the front door opened and Ben appeared.

"Give him some time, Tessa!" he pleaded. "Man's got a lot on his plate right now. It's another shock to his system. And he's had a few of them lately." When he saw me covering my mouth in horror, he carried on, "I'm not criticising you. You did the right thing. He needed to know. Don't worry about it. Jax can deal, just needs a while to wrap his head around it all."

Despite a tough battle to keep them in, tears started to run down my cheeks. Ben took another two steps towards me and enveloped me in a massive hug.

"Will he be back?" I whispered.

"I'm sure he will be. Meanwhile, you're stuck with me, sorry to say."