Page 96 of Faking with Three

I take a deep breath, choosing my words carefully. “You’re right. Adam does need stability. And that’s exactly what Jaxwants to give him. Our relationship doesn’t change that. Jax knows Adam’s well-being comes first, and he’s willing to make sacrifices for it. Isn’t that worth giving him a chance?”

She doesn’t respond right away. Her fingers pick at the hem of her blazer, a crack in her otherwise composed demeanor. “Do you know what it’s like?” she asks suddenly, her voice quieter now. “To raise someone else’s child because the one person who should be there—his mother—isn’t? Charmaine was always gone. Training, deployments, whatever excuse she had at the time. It was all on me.”

Her confession takes me off guard. I sit up straighter, watching her closely. “That must have been incredibly hard.”

She laughs bitterly, shaking her head. “Hard doesn’t even begin to cover it. I had no choice but to step in. And now Jax thinks he can waltz in and be the dad Adam never had? After everything I’ve done for that boy? Do you have any idea how insulting that is?”

I don’t interrupt. I let her words hang in the air, giving her the space to let them out.

“I’m tired,” she says after a moment, her voice breaking slightly. “I’m tired of carrying all of it on my own. But I don’t know if I can trust Jax not to drop the ball. I don’t know if I can trust him, period.”

I lean forward, resting my elbows on my knees. “Charlie, I know it’s hard to let go of the control you’ve had for so long. But trust isn’t built overnight. It’s built through actions, through showing up. Jax wants to show up. You don’t have to make it easy for him, but you do have to let him try.”

She glances at me, her eyes narrowing again. “And if he screws up?”

“Then you hold him accountable,” I say firmly. “But give him the chance to prove he can do it first. For Adam’s sake.”

She looks away.

“It’s not like you’ve not made mistakes. You spoke about Adam to someone, didn’t you? You didn’t want the news to leak but it did, against your wishes.”

“I didn’t know she was going to talk,” she says, looking away. “She was supposed to be my friend. I thought one of you had leaked the news.”

“We didn’t,” I say.

“I knew that when Olivia confronted me at the court. It was my mistake,” she says.

“It’s okay. We’re human beings, we’re allowed to make mistakes. This is what I want you to understand.”

“What’s the compromise?” she asks.

“Let Jax come back to us,” I say. “He doesn’t have to be in front of the camera anymore, but let him come back to Love Lab.”

“Is that why you’re here?” she says.

“I’m here because of her…because she needs him back,” I say, and as soon as the words leave my mouth, I know it’s true.

“You love her, don’t you?” Charlie says softly.

I nod. “I do.”

“Then doesn’t it make sense for Jax to stay away? You can have more of her.”

I shake my head. “That’s not how it works. That’s not what love is.”

“Marcus?” she says.

“Yes,” I say.

“I’m ready to make the compromise.”

The door to Olivia’s apartment swings open, and I step inside, practically buzzing.

“I’ve got news!” I call out.

I stop short when I see Olivia curled up on the couch, her head resting on Ethan’s chest. He’s gently rubbing her back, his movements uncharacteristically tender. She looks pale, her cheeks flushed, and there’s a blanket draped over her legs.

“You okay?” I ask, concern overriding my initial enthusiasm.

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