Only a few rays of sunlight illuminated the small, somewhat stuffy room that apparently was supposed to be the office for the workshop. The warm air that felt heavy on Caitlin's skin added to the growing headache. But what actually triggered this was the argument between Jax and Gemma.

Breathing deeply in and out, she massaged her temples as she sat on the used couch, placing one leg over the other. For a full fifteen minutes the two had been having a heated discussion that left Caitlin feeling out of place. It seemed as if the two of them had already forgotten that she was even there. Or they simply didn't care how much she would hear.

"Uh, guys, I can wait outside", she offered with a tight-lipped smile after another long minute.

"No, you stay here." Jax's head whipped to the side, his eyes landing on Caitlin, who looked anything but thrilled. With a sigh he ran a hand over his tired face. "Shit, I'm sorry. You shouldn't have to listen to all of this."

"Why not?" Gemma asked encouragingly. "She's welcome to know what you did."

Annoyed, Jax mumbled something incomprehensible under his breath. "She already knows what I did! Caitlin knows why I left Abel with her. And unlike you, she at least showed understanding while you ignored me for three fuckin' years, mom", Jax spat.

Crossing her arms, the matriarch huffed out a scoff. "You have no idea what you did to me, Jackson. Abel would have belonged here, not with strangers who didn't even know they had adopted a child with a heart defect."

"That's not true", Caitlin insisted, standing up with momentum before stepping closer to Gemma. "Okay yes, at first we didn't know that Abel had a heart defect, nobody told us anything about it. But Jim and I agreed back then that if we adopted a child, the first thing we would do was go to a doctor and have everything checked. And that's how we found out relatively quickly that Abel needed medication. He was never in danger with us."

"And of course you were willing to take on this hurdle, right? You can play Mother Teresa somewhere else, but don't bullshit me." Gemma's gaze was cold, almost judgmental as she examined the redhead. "You can't tell me you haven't thought about giving Abel back after finding out he was sick."

The blood in Caitlin's veins began to boil the longer she listened to Gemma. She definitely wouldn't put up with her shit. She held up a hand to stop Jax from saying something as he was about to do exactly that. One look at him was enough to see that he was angry too.

"Okay, now you listen to me." The redhead came close to Gemma, almost so close that they were touching. "I never thought for a second about giving Abel back, and if you think that, it just shows that you don't know me at all. And hey, you don't, you can't know me. After all, we're seeing each other for the first time today. It's okay that you're suspicious, I'm too. But you have no right to speak so disrespectfully of me, especially not in my presence. So keep your judgement to yourself and try being a little nicer. Not only to me but also to your son."

Jax, one brow raised in surprise, watched the scene and was ready to intervene at any time if the whole thing escalated, which was to be expected with Gemma. Instead, his mother remained silent. Her hands, which had previously been resting on her hips, now hung down the sides of her tense body, tears gathering in her eyes, which the matriarch was visibly trying to hide.

Gemma was speechless, and that in turn made Jax speechless, who had never seen his mother so quiet. And at the same time, a sense of pride pooled in his chest as he listened to Caitlin defend herself and set boundaries with Gemma. Not many people dared to do that. But the redhead stood her ground.

"I just want to keep my grandson", she said in a firm but still shaky voice, she had never been more intimidated than she was at this moment and yes, she felt uncomfortable being so vulnerable in front of someone she didn't know. No one ever dared to talk to her like that before, especially not someone so much younger than her.

But apparently Gemma had no choice but to accept the situation as it was. "Nobody asked me back then how I felt about Abel being gone!"

"Oh, I'm sorry I struggled with myself and couldn't take care of you, mom. For once, everything couldn't be all about you", Jax's words dripped with sarcasm. "Do you think it was easy for me? Have you ever asked me how I'm doing?"

"You just left him behind", Gemma whispered accusingly, but Jax still hit the mark with his words. And for the first time she seriously thought about how he must've felt back then. "Iᅳ I just never thought you would actually leave your son behind. I was angry, disappointed and so sad."

"You think I wasn't?", the blonde asked with a cold glare and put a hand against Caitlin's back, gently rubbing her shoulder blade. "I felt like shit for months. Jesus, I never really recovered from leaving him behind", he looked down at the redhead and raised the corner of his mind. "But at least now I know that Abel has been with the right person."

His eyes flickered back to Gemma, his gaze serious. "And he's staying with Caitlin, mom. Don't even think about making her time here difficult. I want to keep Abel too, and we'll find a way to work it out, but Caitlin is and will always be his mother and will decide where he's gonna live."

In order to create some peace and calm the situation, Caitlin decided to speak up again. A little more cautiously this time as she saw how tense the situation was and how hurt both were. But she was incredibly grateful for Jax's support.

"As Jax says, we're trying to find a solution", the redhead began with a reassuring smile and slowly rubbed her hands together. "I'm not against moving here."

Not only Gemma but also Jax were now staring at Caitlin in silence but with a glimmer of hope in their eyes. When Caitlin noticed this, she raised her hands and took a deep breath.

"But I can't promise anything. Especially since I have to go back to Ireland anyway and I won't do that without Abel. I now have two weeks to get an idea of Charming and see if I can even imagine living here. And if, what I can't and don't want to promise, then I have to go back, quit my job and apply for the necessary applications. It might take a while before I will be back", she explained, although she was sure they both knew that.

"Well, I mean, that would be really great", Gemma replied surprisingly gently, the corners of her mouth twitching upwards. "But you can't get a green card that easily. That could take years if you don't meet the necessary requirements, right?"

Caitlin waved her hand. "Thanks to my dad, I have the American citizenship, so I can live here at any time. Nevertheless, there is a lot that needs to be done first, which can take weeks. And here I'll need a job and a kindergarten or daycare place for Abel."

"I'd take care of that, darlin'", Jax assured her. It was the least he could do. "I'll find a daycare place for him. And you'll always find a job here."

A little surprised at the connection that already existed between the two, Gemma studied her son and Caitlin, whose look said more than a thousand words. Maybe the redhead didn't realize it herself or didn't want to admit it to herself just yet, but Gemma could see that the Caitlin definitely had a thing for Jax. Or at least there was interest.

Maybe Gemma could relax and count on the fact that her grandson would soon be back here permanently in Charming. Caitlin and Jax just had to find each other so that the young woman had another reason to stay here.

"That would be greatᅳ if you could help me with that", Caitlin smiled, sincere gratitude in her gentle voice. "But as I said, nothing is certain yet, so please don't get your hopes up", she looked back and forth between the two.

"And I don't want Abel to be influenced in any way, understand?" With these words her gaze landed on Gemma again. The redhead had come to trust Jax so much that she knew he would never influence Abel. But she wasn't so sure about Gemma.

Jax nodded in understanding while Gemma just swallowed quietly, but finally nodded too. She had to change her strategy a bit and maybe just give Caitlin a chance. That woman didn't seem to be so bad.

"No, of course not", Gemma promised, quickly wiping a tear from the corner of her eye before she was herself again. Confident with her hands on her hips, she looked at Caitlin. "You may have formed a false impression of me now, which I can't blame you for. But I can be nice, and I would like to get to know the woman who looked after my grandson better. What do you think if I just come over tomorrow and we have a coffee together?"

At Gemma's suggestion, Caitlin looked up at Jax with a questioning look. She would be willing to give Jax's mother another chance, especially because of Abel. But since the relationship between mother and son didn't seem to be the best, she didn't want to decide that alone without Jax' consent.

Jax sighed, not sure if this was the best idea. In addition, Gemma and he still had a lot to work to do when it came to their relationship. He couldn't quite forgive her for treating him like air for three years. But he was also willing to give her the chance and he also wanted to make it less complicated for Caitlin.

"Okay", he finally agreed, his gaze still fixed on Gemma. "No games, mom. If I find out you're up to something or doing something against my or Caitlin's wishes, you won't see Abel again."

"Jesus, I got it", Gemma replied, her body still tense. Maybe she should first improve her relationship with her son.

ᚔ

Jax put his beer down on the table in front of the couch and leaned back again, but sideways so that he could look at Caitlin. Once again he couldn't stop himself from examining her pretty face.

She was different from the women he had had before. Except for Tara, there had never been a serious relationship anyway. Marrying Wendy served to fill a hole that no one could fill. In the end, not even Tara anymore. But for the first time in years he could imagine having someone by his side again.

How nice would it be to come to someone? He would consider himself lucky if Caitlin and Abel were waiting for him here after a long day. They would be his haven of peace, his home, no matter where he would be.

He was aware that he had known Caitlin for less than a month and yet he found it difficult to imagine her going back to Ireland again. That wasn't what he wantedᅳ but the two of them couldn't rush into a relationship either. It was too early for that.

Did something like love at first sight even exist? If so, then that was exactly what had happened to him the moment he saw Caitlin for the first time.

"Are you really thinking about staying here or did you just say that to lighten the mood earlier?" The question had been on the tip of his tongue for hours, but he didn't want to ruin the evening with her.

Erin had offered to take Abel to the hotel so the two of them could discuss a few thingsᅳ after all, everyone had heard the heated discussion in the office.

Instead of feeling offended by his question, the redhead showed complete understanding and remained calm. "I would never play with other people's feelings like that, you need to know that about me."

In silence for a moment, she let the tip of her index finger slide over the rim of her wine glass, which Jax got for her earlier after he had observed over the last few weeks that she liked to have one glass every other evening. Which she found incredibly attentive. What fascinated her about Jax was not only his good looks, but also how attentive he was when it came to such everyday things.

"I didn't say that, darlin'", he immediately clarified and reached out a little to place his hand against her cheek, barely touching her face. He gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "I'm sorry that the day didn't turn out the way you imagined. But I liked how steadfast you were with my mom."

"Well, it could have been worse. Nobody is hurt and I can forget about the little argument if Gemma doesn't make another scene." Sighing, she leaned her cheek against his palm and closed her eyes for a moment. "If it weren't for Erin, I would just risk it and move here."

"I mean, Erin got along pretty well with Ope today", Jax noted with a smirk and a wiggle of his eyebrows. "If you stay here with Abel, she has a reason to stay here too. But if she also develops a crush, nothing can really stop her anymore."

Caitlin raised an eyebrow, amused by Jax' theory. "So, now you want to set my sister up with your best friend so I can stay, huh?"

"Would a happy relationship harm her? I don't think so", he countered with a wink, drawing a laugh from Caitlin.

"You know", she sat up a little to put down her glass, then she leaned in, close to his lips now. "I could really get used to evenings like this with you."

"No one is stopping you, Caitlin", he stated matter of factly before he placed his hand on her neck, straightened his back a little and then pulled her in for a kissᅳ and as their lips melted together, he once again forgot everything else around him and whatever could stand in their way.

And Caitlin felt no different. Sighing pleasantly, she let her tongue slip between his lips and snuggled her body closer to his, one hand placed against his cheek, letting her thumb slide over his beard that was tickling her palm.

Something about the man drove her crazy and made her weak in the knees. And the tingling sensation in her stomach, a pleasant tingling sensation, told her that there was more. She didn't want to give up on this, whatever this would become.