Erin's hard gaze rested on Caitlin, who was sitting across from her older sister, awkwardly clutching her cup of tea, which she brought to her lips and took a sip to do something during the awkward silence that currently reigned between the sisters.

Her gaze wandered over the railing of the small balcony of her sisters apartment to check on Jax and Abel, who were spending time together on the small playground between the houses. Caitlin trusted Jax enough by now to give him a few minutes alone with Abel, still within reach.

After the mysterious conversation Jax had had on the phone on her balcony earlier, he had told her about it afterwards. At least now she knew that his mother was apparently pretty strong-willed and stubborn and didn't give up easily when it came to the people she loved.

Nevertheless, the fact that someone now knew where she lived with Abel made her nervous. If she didn't accommodate Jax and his family, what would happen? Was it better to give Abel the chance to get to know his whole family? Probably yes. At some point he would ask questions. Maybe not now or in five years. But maybe in ten years.

And then what? Did she want to be the one who denied him the chance to be with his family? No.

After Jax also told her that there seemed to be some problems in his club and that he had to go back to Cali in the next few days, she decided to take his offer and go with him. For Abel's sake.

Erin, however, wasn't keen on the idea and had spent the last twenty minutes trying to talk her sister out of going with Jax.

"Erin, can you please stop looking at me like that?" Sighing, the redhead put her cup down and rested her forearms on the table. "Why don't you come with me if you're so worried?"

The brunette raised an eyebrow. "And how is that supposed to work, Caitlin? We both have jobs."

"I know that", Caitlin replied carefully. Of course she hadn't forgotten that. "Jax doesn't know about my decision yet, so he can't get his hopes up if I don't get time off. But we could try, right?"

"Why do you want this so badly? Don't you have any concerns anymore? You've known him for only what? A week. And even if you slept with him, which I'm still a bit shocked about', she emphasized with a slight grin before her facial features hardened again. "ᅳ you don't know anything about each other, do you? You have no idea how many people are waiting for Abel there and will try to convince you to stay there or give them Abel back."

"Of course I still have concerns. But I just have a good feeling about Jax. I believe him that he doesn't want to take Abel away from me", she reasoned gently and leaned forward to grab Erin's hand. "Didn't you always tell me to trust my gut? Besides, a hundred people can try to convince me that Abel is better off with them, I won't give my child away."

Erin was silent for a moment, a smile crossing her lips. This was just one of those proud big sister moments. Caitlin had really grown up and turned into a beautiful, strong woman and sometimes Erin simply forgot that. Caitlin knew exactly what was best for her and Abel.

"Sometimes I forget that you are no longer the little sister but rather an adult and can take good care of yourself", the brunette admitted, a hum followed.

"That doesn't mean I don't need you, Erin", Caitlin smiled, placing a hand on top of her sister's. "No matter how old or mature I am, I will always need you and Dad."

"And I'll always need you too", Erin emphasized. "And that's why I won't let you go alone."

Caitlin's eyes widened with joy. Relief spreading through her. "Does that mean you're coming with us?"

Erin held up a finger, not wanting Caitlin to get her hopes up. "If my boss gives me time off. And you should talk to yours first, too."

"Sure, yeah, of course", the redhead replied eagerly. "Do you think we can call our bosses right away?"

The older Peters sister shrugged her shoulders. "Why not, let's do it right away and get it over with." Then Erin's gaze hardened again, not because she was angry or anything, but rather fear reflected in her eyes. "Promise me that you will come back with me. This is just a short vacation for Abel to get to know the other side of his family, okay?"

"Of course. You think I'll give up my whole life here and leave you behind?", she reassured her sister with a small smile. "Just because I slept with Jax doesn't mean I'll marry him. Everything will stay as it was before and I'll come back with you."

Oh, if she only knew.

"Well, you're not usually the type of person who just has One Night Stands and then gets rid off them the next day", Erin muttered uncertainly, even though she never was a insecure person.

Caitlin sighed as her features softened. "You're right. But things are different with Jax. I had to be close to someone againᅳ nothing more, nothing less."

"So you haven't fallen madly in love?" Erin asked slightly amused to lighten the mood a bit. "Love at first sight and shit like that?"

"No", Caitlin retorted with a laugh and shook her head. "He looks good and is nice, but other than that I don't know him at all. We'll fly back together Erin, I promise."

"Okay okay, I got it", the brunette winked before reaching for her flip phone, just like Caitlin, to call her boss.

ᚔ

"No way. You coming to Charming with me?" Jax asked, the relief clearly visible in his eyes. Caitlin saw how his hunched shoulders relaxed and he was able to let go. This also applied to the rest of his tense muscles.

The redhead grinned with a nod. "Yep. My boss understood the situation and luckily Erin's boss did, too. We got three weeks off. That means we can stay for about two weeks. I hope it's okay for you that Erin comes with us?"

If he wasn't okay with it, she wouldn't fly. It was that simple. But if Jax really cared about Abel and didn't have a devious plan that he was keeping from her, then it shouldn't bother him if Erin came along.

"No, that's fine. We have enough space for both of you and Abel", Jax said immediately, who even thought it was a good thing that Caitlin's sister came along. It would make Caitlin feel more comfortable.

"Oh?" The redhead raised an eyebrow. "You want us to stay with you? I thought Erin and I were staying at a hotel with Abel."

"If that's what you want, that would be okay, darlin'", Jax assured her with a smile, although he didn't give up so easily. "But if you're only staying for two weeks anyway, I think it would be nice if Abel could stay with me, with you of course. And I'll find a place for Erin in my house. Or she can have a room in the clubhouse."

"I don't know, Jax", she sighed deeply. Was that a good idea? Wouldn't that just make it harder for Jax to say goodbye to Abel when they had to leave? On the other hand, she could also understand his wishes.

"You don't have to decide that now. There's still enough time." Jax gave her a small smile before finishing his coffee. "I'm glad you're coming with me."

"Thanks for your understanding, Jax", she smiled too and studied him as discreetly as she could for a while. With her forearms folded on the table in the small café, she got lost in her thoughts.

Would a life in America really be so absurd? She had always dreamed of living there and California sounded pretty tempting. Nice weather, beach, palm trees, city. Abel could experience so much more and would be away from the mostly desolate surroundings. Ireland was absolutely beautiful and stunning but could be hella depressing, too.

"Caitlin?" Only when Jax nudged her arm did the redhead come back to reality and clear her throat quietly. Not embarrassing at all.

"Sorry, I got lost for a moment", she justified herself, which wasn't a lie.

"Nah, you're good, darlin', it happens to everyone", Jax winked, not missing her look, after all, she had literally been staring at him while she was just lost in her thoughts.

It wasn't like he hadn't stared at her yet. It wasn't just a look or two he had dared so far. He had already looked at her closely several times, memorized her beauty and studied everything about her carefully. It was hard to find anything he didn't like about her. Actually there was nothing there.

Her body, which seemed delicate but not fragile, had captivated him from the start. However, it was her eyes, in which there was so much warmth and good nature, that captivated him every time. The light freckles on her face as well as the ginger hair fit in perfectly with the rest.

Even though they barely knew each other, they had already become closer and he would have no problem having her around permanently and getting to know her properly. And who knows, maybe in the two weeks she would be in Charming he could convince her to stay.

"By the way, I was thinking about another thing." This time it was Caitlin's gentle voice that snapped him out of his thoughts.

He rolled his eyes in amusement when he spotted the grin on her lips. "Now we both got lost for a moment."

"Apparently", she laughed softly as she pushed a strand of hair out of her face, Jax' gaze still on her.

As delicately as her fingertips ran over her pale skin, the same way his fingers danced across other parts of her body last night. Has any woman ever captivated him so quickly except for Tara? No, not that he could remember.

"Okay, what else have you been thinking about?", the blonde finally asked to distract himself from his carousel of thoughts.

"Well", Caitlin scratched her forehead awkwardly. "If we come along, Abel will definitely ask some questions. Even though he is still small, he is not stupid. He doesn't understand a lot of things yet, but he's still an attentive child."

"Yeah, I know, I've noticed that the last few days", Jax nodded, curious to hear what came next. But he already had an idea. "You think about what we should tell him? And who the people are he's gonna meet?"

"Yes, exactly", she said with a nod and searched for his eyes. As their eyes met, she continued talking. "Would it be okay with you if we told him the truth? Sooner or later he would find out anyway."

Jax raised both eyebrows and even if he had suspected something similar, it still came surprising. The smile that slowly formed on his lips quickly grew wider as he realized she was serious.

"Not only would that be okay with me, it would actually mean a lot to me", he said, with genuine gratitude in his tone. "Are you really sure about that?"

Pushing her to tell Abel the truth wouldn't help anyway, and he didn't intend to. Caitlin had come up with this, for which he was truly grateful. That's why he was even happier when the suggestion came from her.

"Yes, I'm sure." Her normally soft voice sounded confident. "He should get the chance to get to know his family and he should also know who is who. He deserves that. But only on the condition that his birth mother stays out of the picture."

Was that mean of her? Perhaps. But Caitlin couldn't live with it if Abel called any other woman besides her mom. Her heart probably wouldn't be able to handle that.

"Like I said, Abel's mom is out of the picture, darlin'." Jax, whose eyes softened as he saw Caitlin's confidence fade and the insecurity return, squeezed her hand. "You're Abel's mom, nothing will change that. And he will never call another woman that, not even his birth mother."

"Thank you", she said with a faint smile, her voice barely louder than a whisper. But the relief was written all over her face.