Like Real People Do

White Picket Fence

The one with the homecoming.

//

I'd been ready for at least an hour when Jaxon knocked on my door. His hair was still damp from his shower and his skin glowing against the pale green cotton of his t-shirt and I wondered if my heart would ever stop skipping a beat when our eyes met.

"Good morning," he smiled softly, rocking forward in his dark brown combat boots. "Ready to go?"

"Yeah," I nodded, catching my breath as I tightened my grip around the strap of my purse and stepped into the hallway, pulling the hotel room door shut behind me. We walked in silence to the elevators and stayed silent until we reached the lobby. I spoke again once we were safely ensconced in the back of one of the large black SUVs that seemed to drive the band everywhere. "Thanks again for doing this."

We were going to see my dad. Or, I was going to see my dad and Jaxon was tagging along to ensure I got there and back in one piece. And I was beyond grateful. Mostly because I wasn't sure how I felt about the situation yet. Perhaps it just hadn't hit me that I'd be in the same room as my father for the first time in years. Or perhaps I was terrified because I had no idea what I was going to say to him when that moment finally arrived.

"Of course," Jaxon replied with a shrug. "Sometimes, when you know you're gonna have an emotional day, it's good to have moral support."

It was a sweet sentiment, but there was something about the way his eyes darkened that led me to believe there was more to the story. I wanted to know his story, even the dark parts. If anything real was ever going to happen between us, then I couldn't run away from the parts of his life that scared me. "Speaking from experience?"

It took him a moment to respond, as though he wasn't sure he should say anything at all. "Let's just say that I was kind of a mess when Lauren left."

Of course it was about Lauren. Any time there was a cloud over him, it seemed to have something to do with her and I was at a loss for how to help. Because it wasn't though he could just completely forget about her. She was the mother of his children. She would always be a part of his life, even when she wasn't actually there.

"But you had the guys," I prompted, knowing that he was never truly alone.

"Yeah, they were great," he nodded, the cloud slowly lifting and his smile growing. "And my parents."

It was the first time he'd ever talked about his parents, but I knew that wasn't because the relationship was strained. He spoke to his mother nearly every day to update her on how the twins were doing and ask for the kind of advice only a mother could provide. He missed his parents immensely, I could tell. "Do you see your parents often?"

"Not as often as I'd like," he admitted. "We don't spend all that much time in Australia, and they both work, so it's not like they can just come visit whenever they like. I think my mum's counting the days until I settle down."

The entire concept of settling down was terrifying to me, but he said those words as though it was going to happen some time in the near future. And maybe for him it would; because despite being younger than me, Jaxon already had his entire life figured out. He had a career, that while not necessarily stable, had already provided him with enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life. He was surrounded by friends he considered family and he had two wonderful children. His life was perfect, so of course finding somewhere to make that perfection permanent was in the cards.

"Would you settle down in Australia?" I asked, uncertain I wanted him to confirm the answer. It made sense, though. He was Australian, after all; why wouldn't he return home when he was ready to move on from the rock star lifestyle.