From the open kitchen, Caitlin watched as unobtrusively as possible as Jax and her dad cleaned out the cupboards together and moved some furniture around in the living room. The two men talked as if they had known each other for years. Of course, her dad cracked a few dad jokes that made it hard for Caitlin not to snort a laughᅳ but she didn't want the men to notice that she was eavesdropping.

"Hey, stop eavesdropping", Erin said teasingly as she gently bumped her elbow against Caitlin's arm. "The two of them get along, you can see that. So stop worrying."

"As if you wouldn't eavesdrop when your new boyfriend would meet Dad for the first time", Caitlin huffed with an amused expression on her pale face as she wrapped a few more glasses in newspaper. "Speaking of new boyfriend, I heard you were on the phone with Ope earlier."

Erin just shook her head with a snort. "Are you eavesdropping on your own sister now, too?"

"As she should", Gemma chimed in as she casually walked into the kitchen, a grin on her lips. "You're not telling anything and Ope's lips are sealed too. Somehow we have to find out what's goin' on."

Caitlin chuckled quietly, shaking her head in amusement. "Well, I'm actually not like that, but I'll die of curiosity if I don't find out soon whether there's more between Ope and you."

"You two are really exhausting", Erin murmured with a shake of her head. Sighing, she leaned against the fridge, crossing her arms with a smirk. "Maybe there's more, I don't know myself."

"Well, you should know for yourself", Gemma stated simply. She slowly raised an eyebrow as she began to help Caitlin wrap the glasses. "Do you like him?"

Erin furrowed her eyebrows thoughtfully. "Yeah, sure. Ope's pretty cool."

"Pretty cool?", Caitlin snickered. "Come on, Erin, you have to give us more."

"Much more", Gemma agreed, an almost proud look on her face as she looked over at a just as curious Caitlin.

"Fine!" Erin threw her hands in the air, chuckling. "I really like him. There's this weird tingling in the pit of my stomach when I hear his voice, and every morning I secretly hope he left me a message", she admitted reluctantly.

"That's what we wanted to hear." Gemma winked at the brunette and stacked the wrapped glass on top of the others. "Have you already told him that?"

"No, she didn't", Caitlin answered the question for her sister, something teasing in her tone. "Erin is absolutely lost when it comes to things like this."

"Oh, how nice of you", Erin bumped her shoulder against Caitlin's before she too began to help. "But she's rightᅳ I'm not good at this sort of thing."

"Seriously?" Gemma's surprised gaze shifted to the older Moore sister. "You, the one who's full of confidence, has trouble telling a man she likes him?"

"Yes, and?" Clearing her throat, Erin squared her shoulders. "Besides, I'll be here for another six months. Until then, Ope and I can keep talking on the phone and as soon as I can go back to Charming, we'll see what happens."

"Mh, sure", Gemma replied with a slow nod, still studying Erin. "He likes you. Ope hasn't been in such a good mood in ages. Every time he looks at his phone he smiles like an idiotᅳ you definitely did something to him."

"I can confirm that", Caitlin quickly added. "I've noticed that too. That his mood improves after he looks at his cell."

"Really?" Hope flashed in Erin's eyes, almost impossible for her to hide the emerging joy. "That's a good sign. Right?"

"It is", Gemma confirmed, grinning. "Stick with it and you'll see that things aren't that complicated."

"I see it like Gemma." Caitlin reached for her glass of iced tea and ran her fingertip over the rim of the glass. "This could really turn into something amazing, don't give it up because you're getting nervous. Besides, it'll give you one more reason to actually come back to Charming."

"Caitlin." Erin's tone was almost stern, her brown eyes boring into Caitlin's blue ones. "I told you not to doubt it. You and Abel are reason enough to turn my back on Irelandᅳ don't always think that you aren't important enough to me."

"I'm not", the redhead defended herself before taking a sip, looking sheepishly at her glass. "I just thought."

"You better stop thinking like that", Erin scolded lovingly before she took the glass from Caitlin, taking a sip herself. "Should we go to the park with Abel?"

"That sounds like a good idea", Gemma agreed immediately, enjoying every minute with her grandson anyway. "Now that it's finally stopped raining", she added in a mutter.

"That doesn't mean it won't start again", Caitlin let out a small laugh as Gemma grimaced slightly. "Let's just go. Don't forget your umbrellas."

Leaving the two women in the kitchen, Caitlin strolled over to the two men in the living room and kissed Jax quickly after squeezing her dad's arm gratefully.

"Hey, we wanted to go to the park with Abel before it starts raining again. Are you okay here on your own?", she asked, her gaze moving back and forth between the two most important men in her life besides Abel. "One of us can stay here if you need more help."

"No, we can handle it, babe", Jax winked before giving her his panty-dropping grin, causing her to blush slightly as he wrapped his arm around her waist. "Besides, Abel is getting bored."

"Can you blame him? We just do boring things", Bryan chimed in amused, exhaling loudly after putting a heavy box aside before rubbing his hands. "I want to invite you to dinner tonight. You guys have time?"

"Dad, take it easy, please", Caitlin asked gently, but her dad wasn't the youngest anymore.

"Don't treat me like I'm ninety, sweetheart", Bryan told her gently. "So, do you have time tonight? Of course your mother can come too", he let Jax know.

Although Bryan was still pretty fit for his sixty years and also looked like it. His body had always been important to him, just so he could be there for his daughters for as long as possible without them having to worry about his condition. In addition to his job, sport also provided distraction and stress relief, which Bryan could really use.

After his wife's death, he was never the same again, too lost in his grief. Still, he did his best to carry on for his children. And both women were sincerely grateful for thatᅳ they really didn't want to lose their other parent, too.

"We don't have anything planned", Jax replied simply, looking down at his Old Lady. "Or did the plans change?"

"No, we have time", Caitlin nodded immediately as a smile formed on her lips. "We could go to that Italian restaurant we always went to when you visited", she suggested.

"I would have suggested that too." Bryan smiled contentedly. "Then it's settled. Tonight at the Italian restaurant, all of us together."

"Sounds perfect." Caitlin's smile grew even wider and made her blue eyes sparkle. "Okay, then let's go before Abel turns his room upside down."

"If he hasn't already", Jax said with a grin before squeezing Caitlin's hip, placing a kiss on her temple. "Call if anything happens."

"We will", the redhead called out while she was already on her way to Abel's room to tell him that they were going to the park.

It still took about ten minutes for the women to leave the apartment with Abel. Caitlin had left the spare key on the kitchen counter so that the men could leave the apartment if necessary and get back inside without having to wait for her to come back in.

"I heard Jim was here yesterday." Bryan didn't want to bring up the subject while Caitlin was within earshot, but he wanted to know what Jax thought.

"Yeah, he was", Jax replied, his tone showing that he tensed up as soon as Jim's name fell from Bryan's lips. "He supposedly just wanted to get some stuff from the basementᅳ but that was just a cheap excuse to see Caitlin."

"I almost thought so", Bryan said, not entirely surprised. "Jim has never been interested in material thingsᅳ he has enough money to just buy new shit."

"That's what he looks like", Jax murmured under his breath, hearing himself how condescending he sounded.

"There's no reason to be jealous, Jax." Bryan pushed a box out of the way before sitting on one of the dining room chairs, telling Jax to sit down too. "Sit down."

"I'm not jealous", Jax denied with a firm tone, but followed Bryan's request and sat down. Leaning back once, he pushed his blonde hair back.

"But?" Bryan asked calmly. "Is it really not jealousy?"

"Iᅳ" Jax cut himself off with a scoff. "I've never had a reason to be jealous before, no matter with who I was. Most of them weren't important enough to me but Caitlinᅳ she's the first woman in over a decade who really means something to me, who I can imagine a future with. And she is the mother of my sonᅳ even if she didn't give birth to Abel."

"I appreciate how kindly you speak about my daughter, I really do", Bryan said appreciatively, nodding his head slightly. "I can see that you care about her, that you're serious about her. I had my doubts at first, I have to admitᅳ"

"Why?" Jax wanted to know, his face looking focused on the conversation.

"Because I was afraid that you were just using her to get your son back", the older man answered honestly. He didn't see any a reason to lie. "But the more Caitlin told me about you on the phone, the more certain I was that you were serious about her. And when I saw you together for the first time, any remaining doubts disappeared."

Bryan was a man who could see through people well, who had a good perspective on things. And it only took a moment to realize that Jax was head over heels in love with Caitlin. The pure admiration and care that was reflected in Jax' gaze every time he glanced at Caitlin was proof enough for Bryan that the blonde wasn't just using his daughter for his own benefits, but that Jax had serious feelings for Caitlin.

"I don't always do everything right, I have my flaws and I'm far from perfect", Jax began, fiddling with his pack of cigarettes that was lying on the large table, his blue eyes always focused on Bryan. "But I love Caitlin, I don't need more time to realize that. I will protect your daughter and Abel with my life if I have toᅳ that's all you need to know about me."

"And I believe you, Jax", Bryan replied with the tiniest of smiles, impressed by the younger man's words. "But again; you don't have to worry about Jim."

Jax tensed again, the muscles in his jaw twitching. "What makes you so sure? The guy has everythingᅳ and above all, he has a past with Caitlin. As far as I know, he was her first big love."

"He was, yes", Bryan nodded with a shrug. "So what? He abandoned Caitlin after they adopted a child. He promised her a life that he ultimately couldn't give her, breaking her heart and trust. Caitlin felt like shit for weeks, which is understandable. When your marriage falls apart and the man who gave you the world just walks out of your life because he realized he wasn't ready to start a family after all."

Bryan rubbed his thumb over his chin as he let out a bitter huff. "Jim doesn't deserve my daughter, he doesn't deserve Abel. My baby did everything for him, for years she renounced the need to finally adopt a child and waited patiently until Jim was ready. She asked him so many times if he was really because she didn't want to raise a child aloneᅳ and he assured her that he was ready."

"That guy sounds like a huge pain in the ass", Jax sneered, shaking his head in disbelief. "So he gave in. But why if he wasn't ready?"

"Because he was afraid he would lose her if he wouldn't adopt a child with her", Bryan explained with a snort. "Caitlin was way too nice to him after the breakup, she should've let him bleed much more. But that's my daughterᅳ too nice for this world, just like her mother was."

Jax didn't say anything for a moment as he saw a wistful smile cross Bryan's aging face. The blonde didn't want to imagine how painful it must be to lose someone you lovedᅳ but he still knew exactly how he felt when Abel was taken away from him. He would never forget that day and the worry and fear for his son that he had felt back then and it would always haunt his dreams.

"Caitlin deserves nothing but the best and I give you my word that I'll do everything in my power to make her happy", Jax promised with nothing but sincerity in his tone.

"I hope so, Jackson", the older one replied, smiling, his Irish accent coming through for a moment. "And stop worrying about Jim. When Caitlin loves, she loves deep. And she loves youᅳ Jim has no chance, he can try whatever he wants. Trust my daughter."

"I do trust her, man." With a deep sigh, Jax pushed himself off the back of the chair, got two cigarettes out of the pack and nodded the older man with him to the balcony, where they found themselves a moment later.

They both lit their cigarettes in silence, taking the first deep drag. Only when the calming effects of the nicotine took effect in Jax' lungs did he exhale the smoke.

"Jim is the one I don't trust", he admitted honestly, his gaze wandering over the roofs of the other houses. "There was something about him that screamed troubleᅳ but I can't say what."

"I know what you mean", Bryan said after blowing the smoke to the side. "Jim has that aura like any other sleazy guy. Don't get me wrong, Jim always treated Caitlin well, and he really loved her too. But secretly I always had a weird feeling when I was around himᅳ like he could cause a huge mess at any time. But probably all people who have a lot of money have that aura. Or maybe I was just tripping."

"Nah, I don't think you were trippin'." Jax could only nod in agreement after he let out a small chuckle, pressing his lips together for a moment before sucking on his teeth. "If that's not true."

"Stop worrying, Jax." Bryan put his hand on Jax' shoulder and patted it before giving it a quick squeeze. "Caitlin is yours, just like Abel. They're yours and soon you'll be back in the States with them and Jim will be nothing more than a faded memory."

The two men finished their cigarettes before going back inside and taking care of the rest. The thought of Jim and whether there would be something more to come was always floating in Jax's mind. But for now, he had to trust that everything would turn out just fine.