Chapter 109 A DAD

Chapter 109 A DAD
Troy's POV

It felt like I was the only one who wasn't moved to tears—mainly because I was completely confused.

What on earth was happening?

Did I just hear Jaxon tell Renna that he was her father?

And more importantly, did Jaxon marry Nancy without my knowledge?

“Oh my God, this is so beautiful,” Annabella said, blinking away her tears.

“Okay, someone needs to tell me what is going on before I lose my mind,” I voiced out in frustration.

But Jaxon was far too immersed in his moment with Renna to pay attention to me, leaving Annabella as the only person who could explain what was happening.

Turning to her, I found her giving me a look. One filled with both disbelief and curiosity.

“Wait a minute. Don't tell me you don't know Jaxon is Renna's father?” she asked, repeating the same thing I had been hearing ever since I got here without any actual explanation.

A short laugh escaped me, one laced entirely with confusion.

“Exactly. But how? Why does everyone keep saying that to me? Did Jaxon propose to Nancy already?”

She caught me off guard when she dragged me aside before turning to face me again.

“What?” I asked with a shrug.

“I thought you've known Jaxon for a very long time.”

“Yes, I have. We've been friends since college,” I replied simply.

“Then how come you don't know he met Nancy before now? Like... they met five years ago. Almost six years ago already.”

Her words didn't make any sense at first.

I just stared at her as they slowly sank in.

Five to six years ago?

Wouldn't that have been shortly after Emmy's mother was killed?

That was the first time Jaxon had ever traveled somewhere without telling me where he was going. I only found out later that he had come to Hollowmere that night, but we had been too busy trying to save Emmy that I completely forgot about it.

My jaw slowly dropped.

I turned to look at Jaxon, who now stood beside Nancy, his entire attention fixed on the little girl in his arms.

It was only then that the resemblance truly hit me.

The Lennox blue eyes.

The shape of Jaxon's face.

His nose.

His lips.

It was like someone had copied and pasted Jaxon into a smaller version of himself.

“Oh my God,” I muttered. “How did I never notice the resemblance?”

“Don't beat yourself up. I thought the same thing,” Annabella said with a small laugh. “I mean, why didn't I see the resemblance either? But I guess my brain never registered the possibility of my sister having a one-night stand with Jaxon Lennox.”

I couldn't even argue with that.

Because now that I saw it, I couldn't unsee it.

“Tell me about it. Here I was thinking Mr. Randy was Renna's father. I mean, he kind of looks like Jaxon too,” I said, finally managing to process my shock.

“Yeah, speaking of which, they do look alike. So what are they? Secret step-siblings?” Annabella joked.

Honestly, I wouldn't even be shocked if Mr. Randy and Jaxon turned out to be related somehow.

But speaking of Renna...

I really didn't think I would get over this anytime soon.

If Jaxon already knew Nancy before now, then why did they act like strangers?

Jaxon had never once mentioned Nancy to me.

And that felt strange.

Five years.

Then again, Jaxon had gone into a coma after Emmy was killed. There was a good chance he simply didn't remember Nancy.

That would also explain why Nancy had seemed so angry at him all this time.

Talk about fate being cruel.

First, they were kidnapped together.

Then they met again years later as adults.

Only to be separated because one of them couldn't remember the other.

And somehow, there was a child caught in the middle of it all.

I watched Jaxon laugh at something Renna said, his entire face lighting up in a way I hadn't seen in years.

Maybe this was exactly what he needed.

Maybe Renna was the missing piece he never knew he had lost.

And maybe, just maybe, things would finally start looking up.

Maybe we could call it destiny.

Nancy's POV

I brushed the tears from my eyes as I watched Renna interact with Jaxon.

The happiness radiating from her was impossible to miss.

Every few moments she would throw her arms around him, hugging him without hesitation, with complete trust shining in her eyes.

It warmed my heart and shattered it at the same time.

“Does that mean I can call you Dad instead of Uncle Jaxon?” she asked, throwing yet another question his way.

Jaxon's expression softened instantly.

“I can't wait to hear that,” he replied, his smile reaching his eyes. “I think it's going to be the best sound I've ever heard.”

I don't think I had ever seen him smile so genuinely before.

And I loved how gentle he was with her.

“Dad,” Renna said, her face blooming with excitement.

Jaxon froze.

For a brief second, his eyes glistened.

“Can you say it again?” he asked quietly.

The emotions in his eyes were impossible to miss.

Pride.

Joy.

Disbelief.

The overwhelming happiness of a father hearing that word for the very first time.

“Dad.”

The moment the word left her lips, Renna threw her arms around him.

Jaxon hugged her back immediately, holding her tightly as if he never wanted to let go.

Then his gaze drifted toward me.

He smiled.

A beautiful smile that carried both happiness and regret.

“I can't believe I missed this for the past five years,” he muttered, sounding like he was blaming himself all over again.

My chest tightened.

“Dad?”

Renna's voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

She waved at Alba, who seemed desperate for her attention.

“Yes, honey?” Jaxon replied, immediately focusing on her.

He gently set her down, and Alba wasted no time bounding toward her, his tail wagging so hard that his entire body shook.

“Since you're my dad and Alba belongs to you, does that mean he's mine too?” Renna asked curiously.

Jaxon chuckled before crouching down to her height.

“Hmm... what if I told you that Alba was in my custody, but he was never actually mine?”

Renna's eyes widened.

“Huh?”

Jaxon smiled softly before reaching for Alba's collar.

“Do you see the little name engraved beside Alba's?”

He turned the tag toward her.

“Emmy?” Renna read aloud.

Jaxon nodded.

“Is she Alba's previous owner?” she asked innocently.

“Well, I never really thought of her as his previous owner because I couldn't. Emmy loved Alba a lot.”

Jaxon spoke softly, his eyes filled with both love and sadness as he talked about her.

It made me wonder who Emmy was.

My curiosity urged him to say more, but his next words broke something inside me.

“She was about your age, but she was very sick. Alba was her everything, but she couldn't make it.”

Renna's expression immediately softened.

“She sounds like a wonderful person. I wish I had met her. We could have been good friends.”

She gently patted Alba's head as she spoke.

A sad smile crossed Jaxon's face.

“Yeah, I think so too. You remind me so much of her. And if she were here, I don't think she'd mind you having Alba.”

His words caught me by surprise.

I watched as he carefully removed Alba's tag and slipped it into his pocket.

“But I guess Alba has found another wonderful person,” he added.

Before he could say anything else, Renna rushed into his arms.

“I promise I'll take care of him,” she said earnestly.

Jaxon hugged her tightly.

“I know you will. But I might have to take Alba with me to see Emmy first. Maybe... to say one last goodbye.”

When they pulled apart, Renna nodded thoughtfully.

“That's fine. I don't want Emmy to think I'm taking Alba away from her.”

She paused before her face lit up with an idea.

“Instead of throwing away the tag with Emmy's name, why not put my name beside hers?”

The innocence and sincerity in her voice made all of us fall silent.

“And I want to go with Alba to visit her next time. I want to tell her that she has a friend who's going to take care of Alba now.”

I hadn't expected that response.

Judging from the look on Jaxon's face, neither had he.

For a moment, he simply stared at her.

Then a smile spread across his face.

A real one.

“Why are you so smart?” he asked between laughs.

Renna lifted her chin proudly.

“Because someone said I'm a princess, and princesses are supposed to be smart.”

A giggle escaped me immediately.

At that moment, she looked so much like both of us.

I noticed Troy approaching and suddenly remembered they had a flight to catch.

“Renna, that's enough. Daddy has a flight to catch, and we don't want him missing it,” I said gently.

The smile instantly slipped from her face.

“Okay,” she muttered, disappointment filling her voice.

Jaxon immediately reached for her hand.

“I'll be back. I just have something important I need to fix, and then I'll come back for you and Mummy.”

My heart skipped a beat.

Renna's eyes widened.

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

I watched as they linked pinkies, sealing their promise.

Afterward, Renna said her goodbyes to both him and Alba before my mum rushed over and swept her away, making me realize she had been watching the entire time.

Jaxon then walked toward me.

Before I could react, he captured my lips in a quick kiss.

The gesture was brief, but it left warmth spreading through my cheeks under the gaze of everyone around us.

“Thank you so much, Nancy,” he said quietly. “For keeping her.”

His fingers wrapped around my hands, gently caressing them.

Looking up at him, I let my heart guide me.

Leaning forward, I pressed a soft kiss against his lips before pulling away.

“Make sure you come back,” I whispered. “And don't get hurt.”

The concern in my voice was impossible to hide.

His eyes softened.

“I promise.”

Neither of us moved for a moment.

Then he slowly took a few steps backward.

Our eyes remained locked on each other until he finally turned toward Troy, who was now holding Alba's leash.

Together, they made their way toward the gate.

I stood there watching them leave while Renna waved enthusiastically until their car disappeared from sight.

Only after they were gone did I finally turn away.

There was still something I needed to do.

I made my way toward Kelvin's room.

I was closer than ever to giving Renna the life she deserved.

Maybe even giving myself the happiness I had been denying for years.

But none of that would be possible unless certain people were finally exposed for who they truly were.