"You know you're in the paper, don't you?" Zoey said as she walked through the front door, the paper in one hand and an apple in the other.

"What?"

"Yeah, there's an article about you and a certain Aussie who everyone is calling a hero."

"Let me see that," Chloe said, taking the paper from her and glancing over the small article. "Wow, I didn't think it would actually make the morning paper."

"Well, it did. You know, this Jax guy sounds perfect for you."

"Zoey…"

"He's Australian, he obviously cares for kids; I can't wait to meet him." Zoey laughed as she headed to the kitchen and sat down at the table with Molly. "Hey, kiddo."

"Hey, Zoey! Mommy made pancakes for breakfast this mornin'!" Molly said, taking one last bite of her food.

"Yummy! So you ready for school, Miss Molly?"

"Yep, almost! Mommy, I'm finished wit' this."

Chloe took Molly's plate and rinsed it in the sink. Then she grabbed a wet washcloth and wiped Molly's syrupy mouth with it. "Molly, do you have something for show-and-tell? It's Friday."

"Oh I forgot!"

"You better go run up and get it then!"

Molly dashed out of the room and up the stairs.

"Nervous about your date?" Zoey asked.

"No, not nervous, just, well okay, maybe a little nervous." Chloe sat down at the table. "I just don't know, Zoey. I think maybe that it has been so long since I've had a date that I'm not really sure how to act."

"It has been a while. One year, two months, and three days."

"What?"

"Since your last date. Remember? You dated that Scott guy?"

"You actually remember how long it was ago?"

"I'm good at remembering these type of things."

"Well, I only went out with him twice."

"And you said he was bad kisser."

"Yeah, he was horrible at it!"

"Oh yeah, you definitely don't want to date a guy who can't kiss, no matter how nice or cute he is! Speaking of which, hmm, wonder if you'll get a little tongue action tonight…"

"Zoey!"

"What?"

"I'm ready!" Molly ran into the kitchen, her hair disheveled, her shoes untied, her teddy bear backpack on her back and her frizzy-haired Barbie in her hand.

"Baby, I just brushed your hair," Chloe said.

"It got knotty again. My hair clip is coming out, Mommy."

"Come here." Chloe went to work and fixed her daughter's hair while Zoey helped and retied her shoes.

Jax, having just got back from his morning run, picked up the paper in front of his door and went inside. He relaxed on the couch with a cup of coffee he had picked up from the coffee shop down the street and perused through the paper.

An article suddenly caught his eye. The headline was in big bold letters:

The article then went on to explain how a man identified as "Jasper Jacks" risked his life to push a small child, the daughter of the elite wedding gown designer Chloe Morgan, out of the way of a moving car.

Jax smiled as he read the article. He wasn't used to getting this much attention for doing something heroic. The last time he ever felt like a "hero" was the time he had helped his friend Ned get his cousin Emily Quartermaine off the roof. She had overdosed on heroin and was attempting to "fly." But this was different. He was directly responsible for saving this child's life, and he began to realize how grateful Chloe must have been yesterday.

Jax decided that he would call Chloe later, just to check on what he should wear tonight for dinner. And maybe he would pick up some flowers for her and something for Molly on the way there.

Molly ran up and down the hallway with one of her mother's pink scarves. She pretended to be a dancer, humming some made-up tune and moving her legs and arms in graceful strides. She then passed her mother's bedroom and peered inside.

Chloe was sitting in front of the mirror, the light from her vanity table the only illumination. Molly noticed that her mother was wearing a dress and it appeared as if she was going somewhere.

Molly walked over to her. "Mommy, whatcha doin'?"

"I'm putting on makeup," Chloe said as she carefully applied some mascara to her eyelashes.

"Why?"

"Well remember I told you that I was going out tonight? I want to look really pretty."

"Is that why you got a dressy dress on?"

Chloe laughed. "Yes."

"Are you goin' out on a date, Mommy?"

"I supposed you could call it a date. Yes, Mommy's going out on a date."

"With Jax?"

"Yes, Molly. I'm going out on a date with Jax. We're going to have dinner."

Molly's face lit up. "Can I come too, Mommy? Please!"

Chloe looked into the pleading child's eyes. She held her little cheeks in her hands. "Oh, baby, I promise I'll take you out for dinner some other night, but this is just a dinner for grown-ups. And besides, we are going to be out past your bedtime."

"But I wanna go," Molly sulked.

"Oh, baby, I promise we'll go out and eat another time. And you'll have fun tonight. Zoey's going to come over."

Molly's face lit up again. "Zoey said she would play Candyland with me next time she came over! And guess what, Mommy. When we played, when we played last time, I won!"

"That's wonderful, baby!"

Molly watched her mother as she went back to putting on her makeup. Chloe reached for a shade of bright red lipstick, a shade to match her dress, and rolled it over her lips gently.

"Can I wear some lipstick, Mommy? I wanna be pretty too."

Chloe smiled at her. "Well you, Miss Molly, don't need any makeup to make you pretty, but, I suppose a little lipstick won't hurt."

"Yeah, it won't hurt, Mommy. I can wear a little bit of lipstick."

Chloe looked through her shades of lipstick. "Let's see, I think this red is a little too bright for you. Why don't we go with this pink one? Do you like this color?"

"I like that color, Mommy."

"Okay, good. Do this." Chloe showed Molly how to purse her lips and applied the makeup to them. "Now press your lips together, like this." Chloe smacked her lips, and Molly did the same. "Beautiful!" Chloe said. She picked up a hand mirror from the table and gave it to Molly.

Molly looked at herself in the mirror and smiled. "I'm pretty."

"Just like a princess," Chloe said, putting some powder on her nose.

"Now I can get a boy to ask me out on a date."

"Not for quite a few more years, baby!" Chloe laughed.

Molly didn't really pay attention to her mother's comment as she continued to study herself in the mirror."

"You know what, Molly?"

"What?"

"I'm really looking forward to this date. I haven't been on a date in a long time."

"Do you like Jax, Mommy?"

"Yes. Yes I do, Molly. He did something very nice for me and he will always hold a special place in my heart."

"I like Jax, too."

"Do you?"

"Uh-huh. He's funny."

"And you know what?" Chloe leaned closer to Molly and whispered. "Mommy thinks he's really cute too."

"Are you going to kiss Jax, Mommy? Are you going to kiss Jax on your date?"

Chloe laughed. "I don't know, Molly, but I think Mommy might like to."

Molly giggled. "Jax and Mommy sittin' in a tree! K-i-s-s-i-n-g!"

"Okay you, enough of that!" Chloe put her arms around Molly and started to tickle the girl.

Chloe ran around her bedroom, frantically, looking for her shoes. She had the perfect shoes to go with her dress, but they were nowhere to be found. Then, she found one of them in the upstairs hallway, which meant only one thing: Molly had been playing with them. She searched the entire hallway for the other shoe, and when she didn't find it, she began to look in the living room.

Chloe's jaw dropped when she saw the disastrous state the living room was in. Chloe always kept the house spick and span, but Molly always left her toys scattered everywhere. Everywhere. It was a nightmare.

"Molly! Baby, you need to come out here and pick up your toys!"

Molly scooted into the living room, playing with her mother's scarf again.

Chloe forgot about her shoe and started to tidy up the place. She would hate for Jax to see her living room like this and, oh no, what time was it? 6:58. Jax would be here any moment now.

"Molly," Chloe said, pointing to a doll on the couch. "Go take your doll to your room."

"No, Mommy, she's sleeping! Shh!" Molly whispered and put her finger over her lips.

"Well why don't you pick up these crayons over here and these coloring books?"

Molly ran over to the floor and opened up one of the coloring books. "But I'm still playing with it, Mommy."

Chloe sighed. She hated going through this every single time.

And then, of course, the buzzer on her wall sounded.

Chloe ran over to the intercom and pushed the button. "Hello?"

"Uh, Chloe? It's Jax."

"Hey, uh, come on up. I'm on the 3rd floor, apartment A."

Chloe turned around, wondering if she could get the living room in some kind of order before Jax made it up the elevator. She hoped he would take the stairs. Chloe walked around the living room, picking up scattered blocks and putting them back in its box. As she passed the mirror on the wall, she glanced at herself one last time, just to make sure she was presentable. Then, she saw Molly's juice cup. It was warm now and had probably been sitting there for hours. She picked it up and took it to the kitchen. Toys were bad enough, but leaving things around like warm juice and half-eaten food was even worse.

The elevator chimed and the doors opened. Jax stepped into the hallway and he didn't have to go far. Apartment A was the first door. He tentatively stepped up to it and knocked on the door. He tried not to knock too loudly because the sound of this fist against the door reverberated through the empty hallway.

The door opened to a crack, and Jax began to wonder if there was anyone there. Then, he looked down and saw little Molly, grinning at him from ear to ear.

Jax smiled. "Hi, Molly. Is your mother here?"

Molly didn't answer, she just giggled and ran away.

The door finally opened all the way, and Jax saw Chloe. She was wearing an amazing red dress and her hair was pinned up in a fancy French twist. The sight of her took Jax's breath away, which surprised him.

Chloe stood there, taken aback at the sight of this beautiful man. He looked even sexier dressed in a suit.

"Hi, Jax," she said softly.

"Hey."

"Please, come in. I am so sorry for the mess! It's usually not this bad. Out of all nights, Molly chooses this one to bring out every single toy she owns to the living room."

"Oh, it's alright." Jax then suddenly produced a small bouquet of carnations from behind his back. "These are for you."

Chloe took the flowers with a genuine look of surprise on her face. "For me? Jax, you didn't have to do that…"

"I wanted to. I know that you are the one who is supposed to be treating me tonight, but, it just didn't seem right for me to show up at a pretty lady's door empty-handed."

Chloe blushed at the compliment. "Oh, thank you, Jax. That is so sweet. And they're beautiful."

"You're welcome. And I also brought something for Molly." Jax held up a stuffed animal. It was a gray kitten.

"A cat!" Chloe smiled.

"I figured she liked them."

"She's crazy about them. Thank you, Jax. Molly!"

Molly ran into the room with cookie crumbs on her face. It was quite obvious what she had been up to.

"Baby, Jax brought you something."

Jax handed the little girl the cat, to which Molly squealed with delight.

"A kitty! It's a kitty cat, Mommy!" Molly hugged the cat.

"What do you say, Molly?"

"Thank you," Molly said, a smile on her cookie crumbed face.

"You're welcome." Jax smiled.

Molly then ran over to her favorite spot on the floor to play with her new toy.

"I'm just going to go put these in some water," Chloe said, indicating the flowers. "I hope you don't mind waiting for a little while," Chloe called out. "My sitter is running a little bit late. She had a last minute errand to run but she should be here any moment now. She lives right across the hall."

"Oh, it's no problem. I don't mind waiting," Jax said, making himself comfortable on the couch. Jax sat on Barbie. He quickly removed the doll from underneath him and moved her aside.

Chloe went back into the living room. "Can I get you anything? Water? Soda?"

"Oh, no, thank you, but I'm just fine."

"Alright."

Molly suddenly got up from the floor and walked over to Jax. "Mommy's really excited about going on a date with you. She hasn't had a date in a long, long time."

Chloe's face turned red with embarrassment. She rushed over to Molly and stood behind her, her hands on her little shoulders. She laughed it off. "Ha ha, kids! Baby, why don't you go upstairs to your room and get out your Candyland game for when Zoey gets here?"

"No, I wanna stay here with Jax."

Chloe tossed Jax a hesitant look.

"It's alright, I don't mind," he assured her.

"Molly, where's Mommy's other shoe?" Chloe held up the one shoe she had.

"It's uh, I think it's in my room."

Chloe looked at Jax and then at her shoeless feet. "I'm going to go, uh, finish getting ready." Chloe pointed back upstairs. "I hope you don't mind waiting. I'm really sorry things are so disorganized tonight."

"Oh, really, it's no problem. Take as much time as you need; I'm in no hurry."

"Okay, great. Be a good girl, Molly," Chloe said and went upstairs to finish getting ready.

Jax felt a little awkward at first. Molly was quiet, petting her new kitty.

"So, you like that cat, eh?"

"Yep. I love it. Kitties are my favorite animal. Do you love kitties, too?"

"Yeah, sure. But I never had one. I always had dogs growing up."

"I like puppies but I don't like big dogs. They bite."

"Well the dogs I had were really nice. They wouldn't bite you."

"Mommy thinks you're cute," Molly suddenly said, changing the subject.

Jax was surprised to hear this. "Oh really? Your mother told you that?"

"Yep. She also said that she wanted to kiss you so you have to kiss her tonight, okay?"

Jax laughed. He had a feeling that this was information Chloe had not meant for him to know. "Well you know what, Molly?"

"What?"

"Just between you and me, I think your mommy is really cute, too."

Molly giggled.

"And I can see where you get your pretty looks from. You look just like her."

"I'm a princess!" Molly said enthusiastically.

"Oh, well then I suppose I should address you as Princess Molly then."

"Yep, I'm the princess and Mommy is the queen. Wait right here I'm gonna show you somethin'. Be right back!" Molly then ran upstairs.

When she came back, she was wearing a silver tiara. "This is my crown!" she proudly announced.

"Well hello, Princess Molly, your highness." Jax stood up and bowed. Molly laughed. "So you're the princess and your mother is the queen, huh?"

"Yep, but we don't have a king. Do you like my mommy?"

Jax hadn't expected that question to come up. Of course, he hardly knew Chloe, so how could he say if he liked her or not? Well, he certainly didn't hate her. Yes, he supposed he did like her. "Sure, I think your mommy is great."

Molly leaned forward and motioned for Jax to come closer. "Mommy likes you, too," she whispered.

"Okay, I found my shoe, I think I am finally ready to go," Chloe laughed, walking down the stairs. When she came into the living room and saw Jax and a grinning Molly, she threw her daughter a suspicious look. "She hasn't been telling you any family secrets, has she?"

Jax looked surprised. "No, not at all. We've just been talking about cats and dogs and queens and princesses." Jax winked at Molly when Chloe wasn't looking.

Molly giggled again.

"Alright then," Chloe said, not really sure if it was the truth or not. Just then, someone knocked on the door. "Oh, that must be Zoey." Chloe dashed over to the door to answer it.

"Chloe, I am so sorry I'm late," Zoey said, out of breath.

"Oh, Zoey, it's no problem."

"Zoey!" Molly ran over to her and threw her arms around Zoey's legs.

"Hey, kiddo. Oops, I mean your highness! I see you're wearing your crown tonight."

"Look what I got, Zoey. I got a kitty cat!" Molly proudly held up her new stuffed animal for Zoey to see.

"Oh wow! That's cute, Molly. Where did you get it from?"

"Jax got it for me."

Jax stood up and Chloe walked over to him. "Jax, this is my friend Zoey. Zoey, this is Jax."

"Hi, Zoey," Jax said in his lovely Australian accent.

Zoey walked over to him and shook his hand. "So you're the guy who saved Molly! Wow, I half expected to see you wearing a cape and a big S on your chest."

Jax laughed. "Sorry to disappoint, I'm just an ordinary guy."

"No complaints from me," Zoey said, and when Jax turned around she looked at Chloe and mouthed, "Oh my god!" Zoey was faithfully devoted to her boyfriend Richard, whom she was engaged to be engaged to, but that didn't mean that other guys stopped looking hot.

"Well we should probably go now," Chloe said, looking at her watch. "We do have reservations."

"Oh, yes, go, go! Again, I am so sorry I was late!"

"Oh don't be, Zoey, we have plenty of time. Molly, we're leaving, baby, so come give me some goodbye kisses."

Molly got up from the floor and ran to her mother. "Bye, Mommy."

Chloe got down on her knees and hugged her. She kissed her on the cheek and Molly did the same. "Bye, baby. Now you be a good girl for Zoey, okay? And you do what she tells you to do."

"I will."

"And you'll remember to say your prayers and brush your teeth and pick up your toys before you go to bed?"

"Yes, Mommy."

"Good girl. I love you, baby. I'll see you in the morning."

"Will you come tuck me in when you get back?"

"Zoey will do that but I'll come to your room, okay? But if you're asleep, I'm not going to wake you up, alright?"

"'Kay, love you, Mommy."

Chloe hugged her again. "Mmm-mmm-mmm, I love you too, baby." She kissed her once more before standing up. "Okay, Zoey, my cell phone works now so…"

"I'll call you if there is an emergency but I seriously doubt there will be."

Chloe smiled. "Thanks, Zoey. Alright, Jax, you ready to go?"

"I'm ready. Nice meeting you, Zoey. Bye, Molly."

"Bye you two, have fun," Zoey said.

"Bye, Jax! Bye, Mommy!"

"Bye," Jax and Chloe said.

"Bye! Have fun on your date!" Molly cheered.

"Oh my gosh, I don't believe it!" Chloe said when Jax led her to his car. "You actually got a parking space in front of the building! How in the world did you manage that?"

"I told you, I always find a parking space."

Chloe laughed. "Well I stand corrected. Wow, this is a nice car! I've always wanted to ride in a convertible! And blue is my favorite color." Jax smiled as Chloe walked around it. "And you even have your name on the license plate! That's so cool!"

"We don't have to drive it with the top down if you prefer…"

"No, no, no, no, let's leave it down. The weather is nice and that is the way convertibles are meant to be drove anyway!"

"Great!" Jax smiled as he walked over and opened Chloe's door.

"Thank you," Chloe said, thinking about how much of a gentleman Jax was.

"You know, for a guy who has only lived in New York for two weeks, you certainly seem to know your way around the city," Chloe said as Jax drove to the restaurant, only needing to hear her directions once.

"Well, I've been here lots of times. Business, pleasure, that sort of thing."

"Ahh, I see."

"Now tell me about this restaurant we're going to."

"Oh, it great there! I know the owners though a friend of mine. And I'm telling you, the food at this place is so good that you will actually believe you are in Italy! Oh, oh, this is it! Right there!" Chloe pointed to the restaurant at the right.

Jax knew he would love this restaurant the minute they walked through the door. It had a very classy, yet family style to it. Candles were on every table, the lights were dim, and not to mention the aroma of the food wafting through the air. It had a very Italian and romantic ambience.

"Chloe, dear, how are you?" A dark haired woman greeted her.

"Hi, Carmen."

"And this is your gentlemen friend? Mr. Jacks?"

"Yes, this is Jax. Jax, this is Carmen Soleito. She and her husband own this restaurant."

"Hi, it's nice to meet you," Jax said politely.

"It's so wonderful to meet you! Well, you two can sit anywhere you want. It's an unusually slow night for a Friday. Alberto will be with you shortly to take your order."

"Thank you, Carmen."

Jax and Chloe selected a booth table under a chandelier of colored glass. Alberto came over to take their drink orders and gave them a menu.

"So, does this meet your approval so far?" Chloe asked.

"I like this restaurant already. Nice and friendly atmosphere."

Chloe smiled.

Alberto then came to get their orders and told them it would be a short wait.

Jax and Chloe sat for a few moments in silence, both wondering what to say. Chloe broke the silence.

"Jax, I know you said I didn't have to keep thanking you, but, I feel that I do. I am so grateful for what you did, for saving Molly. Are you sure you're not an angel in disguise?" Chloe smiled.

Jax laughed.

Chloe's smile disappeared. "I promised myself that I would always be there for her, and then I turn around for two seconds and she nearly gets hit by a car."

"Chloe, you're not blaming yourself over this, are you?"

"Well, yes, Jax, I am. It is my fault. I was so stupid. Here I was, worried about some client of mine who didn't get her dress when she was supposed to and my daughter is walking out into the road chasing a cat!"

"Chloe, you shouldn't blame yourself. You're only human; you can only handle so much at one time and you can't watch your daughter 24 hours a day."

"But that's just the thing, Jax. I can only handle so much at one time and at that moment, I decided that a phone call was more important than my own child!"

"No, I don't believe that. I know you care for Molly; I can see that. Anyone can see that."

"It's just, I'm all she's got. Well, she has her grandmother too, but it's my responsibility to take care for her. I thought I could do it by myself, and now, now I'm just not so sure."

Jax didn't know what to say.

Chloe hardly knew Jax, but she felt like she could talk to him. "Molly's father left when she was only two weeks old. Brian, that's his name, and I had been dating for a year. I was so young and naïve. I was so involved in getting my company up and running and completely ignoring all the signs that he was the wrong guy for me."

Jax listened to Chloe's story intently.

"I would look at him, and all I would see would be a charming smile. He would say nice things to me just to get me into bed, and I would believe every word he said, completely gullible. And when I got pregnant, well, that was sort of when things started to fall apart. He actually had the nerve to suggest that I get an abortion."

"He wanted you to get an abortion?"

Chloe shook her head. "Yeah. When he said that, I broke up with him right then and there. I told him that he had either two choices, he could stay involved in his child's life, or he could go and never speak to us again. So he stayed for a while, and then he took off. And I was only 24 years old."

"He left you completely alone with a newborn baby?"

"Yeah. Well, I wasn't completely alone. I had my mom. She took off 6 months from work in Albany to come stay with me. It was nice having her at home, especially since I was so afraid that I would go into labor when I was by myself. And after I had Molly, she stayed and helped me out until I could get back on my feet. She was a big help. It's really ironic when you think about it. My father left me when I was only a baby, and here I go, repeating my mother's same mistakes. I guess she was the only one who really understood what I was going through since she had been through it herself."

"What about Molly's father? He didn't help you at all?"

"Not as much as I had wanted him to. You know, he only saw Molly three times. He visited us at the hospital, but he wasn't there for the labor, of course. And then, he came by my apartment two more times after that. The last time, he said that he was leaving for California with his cousin, so I told him to go and that I never wanted to see or hear from him again, so he left."

"And have you still not heard from him?"

Chloe shook her head. "No. Although I have a friend in Texas and she said that he was in the paper. Apparently he had got into some kind of trouble with the law, some kind of misdemeanor. But it's for the best. Brian is not a part of my life anymore and I could care less if I never heard from him again."

"What about Brian's parents? Don't they care about Molly?"

"They don't know about her. Brian's father took off when he was a boy, and his mother died when he was eleven, so he lived with his grandparents up until he was eighteen and could live on his own."

"I'm sorry that you got involved with such a jerk like that."

"Oh no, don't be. I'm not. As crazy as it sounds, I don't regret one single moment with Brian. Because the way I see it, I got Molly out of the deal, and she's the best thing that has ever happened to me. I wouldn't trade her for the world."

Jax smiled. She really did love her daughter. "So uh, does Molly know about her father? Do you ever talk about him?"

"Hmm, not really, unless of course she asks. She's seen pictures of him, pictures that I keep in one of my drawers with all sorts of papers. I'm not trying to keep him a secret from her or anything but, she really doesn't need to know anything that she won't be able to understand or something that will hurt her."

"That doesn't sound easy."

"No, it's not. It's hard. It's hard to make Molly understand sometimes, you know? I tell her that Daddy just couldn't live with us anymore, and then she starts to think that he hated us, and I don't want her to think that. Last June, Molly's preschool class was making these little cards that had their picture on it for Father's Day, and I remember that day, Molly came home in tears. She didn't understand why all the other kids had daddies and she didn't. So yes, it is hard, but it's okay. I can handle it."

"No. No, Chloe, it's not okay!" Jax suddenly burst out.

Chloe was somewhat surprised by Jax's sudden change in mood.

"Oh, god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean for it to come out that way."

"Oh, that's okay."

"I'm sorry. It's just, guys like that make me really angry. There are some men out there who want nothing more than to be a dad and to have a family, but it never happens to them. And then there are some men who go and make a baby and they just take off. It's not fair. If they aren't going to care, then they don't deserve to be fathers."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience," Chloe ventured.

"Well…that's because I am."

"Can you tell me about it? Oh, you know what, just forget I asked. I'm sorry! The point of this dinner was to thank you for saving my daughter, not to dredge up painful memories for you. I'm so sorry."

"No, it's okay, you don't need to apologize. In the beginning, I didn't like to talk about it much because it was too painful. But now, it's actually therapeutic. It helps." Jax took a deep breath. "Yesterday when you told me your name, I kept thinking that it sounded so familiar, but I couldn't quite place it. It wasn't until I found out that you had your own bridal shop that I realized where I had heard it before."

Chloe took a sip from her drink, hanging on to Jax's every word.

"My fiancée, Brenda, well, she was my fiancée; she had been looking for wedding gowns and I remember that she admired one of yours. We had been together for about two years. And then one day, Brenda told me that she was pregnant. It was completely unexpected, but it was the best thing that had ever happened to either of us. We were so excited. We made all these plans. We planned to get married and to buy a house in the country with a big yard so the baby could play in. Brenda wasn't even showing signs of pregnancy yet and we already had the nursery set up.

"And then one night, I decided that we should go out and celebrate. At first, Brenda was a little reluctant, but I kept begging so she finally gave in and we went to Luke's Club. It was a favorite restaurant of ours. But…we uh…we never had dinner that night."

Chloe held her breath. She knew from the tone of Jax's voice that what he was about to tell her was something that was very painful for him.

"We were in the parking lot. Brenda went ahead of me and I was closing the car door. And when I turned around, there was this car. It hit her. Some stupid ass drunk driver. That image is burned into my memory forever. The baby…the baby didn't make it. Brenda miscarried. And two days later, Brenda died herself."

Chloe put her hand over her mouth. "Oh god. Jax, how horrible. I am so sorry."

"When I saw Molly in the road and that car headed straight for her, I just, I don't know, acted on impulse. Trust me, Chloe, you don't want to see someone hit by a car, especially someone you love. No one should have to experience that."

"Jax, I don't…I don't know what to say."

"It's okay. Most people don't. I mean, there really is nothing you can say, is there?"

"I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like, losing a loved one. If something ever happened to Molly, I don't think I could live anymore. I wouldn't want to live anymore. A part of me would be dead."

"Well, it feels that way in the beginning. You sort of lose yourself for a long time, living in this world where nothing makes sense anymore and all you want to do is just scream and make everything right again or just take out a knife or something and just end it there. But eventually, you go on. Sure, it still hurts. It's a pain that you can never truly get rid of. But you soon realize that they wouldn't want you to go about life feeling sad and lonely. They would want you to be happy. So you move on, and you live your life, and you try to be happy. It's hard at first, but it gets easier eventually. But I remember, night after night after Brenda died, I kept thinking to myself about how I begged for us to go to dinner and Brenda didn't really want to go. And if I had just listened to her, it would have never happened."

"Oh, but, Jax, you can't blame yourself for that. It's not like you could have known that that would happen."

"I know. I realize that now, but it took me a long time. But just like me, you can't blame yourself for what happened to Molly either. It wasn't your fault. Sometimes things just happen and you don't really have control over them. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry," Jax said, noticing that Chloe was getting teary-eyed, just like him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry either. Let's talk about something else." She smiled.

"Good idea. So, why don't you tell me about your work?"

"Well, as you probably figured out by now, I design wedding gowns. It's something I've always wanted to do, even as a child. I remember I would always have my mom take me to the fabric store and she would get me all different kinds of silky and lacy cloths, and then she would help me sew together these little wedding dresses for Barbie and bridesmaids gowns for Barbie's friends."

Jax laughed. "So it's in your blood."

"Pretty much. I went to NYU and majored in art design. Senior year, I was apprenticing with a major designer here in the city. And by the time I was 23, I used the money that I had inherited from my late Uncle Herbert and I started my own label."

"Wow, you had an early start."

"Yes. It took a year or so for business to take off, and plus, I was pregnant with Molly during all of that. But then, all of a sudden, I was getting calls from London and Milan! It was the craziest thing. I still find it hard to believe that I have made it this far. And now I have my own company, my own little boutique, walking distance from my apartment no less! It's great. And the funny this, I've never been married, but I probably know more about weddings than your typical married American." Chloe laughed.

"That's great. So like, you design bridesmaids' gowns as well?"

"Oh yeah, wedding gowns, bridesmaid dresses, flower girl dresses, the whole nine yards. Even tuxedos," Chloe laughed softly. "Well, I'm sure I must be boring you to death about all this!"

"Oh no, not at all. I think it's fascinating."

"Really?"

"Oh yeah. I think I would like to watch you work."

Chloe laughed. "Well you can stop by my boutique anytime! Wow, I thought guys hated to talk about weddings. I know Brian certainly did. He hated it when I went on and on about my job. He told me I should keep work and personal life separate, but he just didn't understand. This is my life, you know?"

"Yeah, I understand that."

"So what about you? You know all about my work but I don't know a thing about yours."

"Well, I'm in the corporate raiding business."

"Ahh, I see, so you break up companies and make a fortune, huh?" Chloe teased.

"Uh, something like that. It's perfectly legal," Jax said, defending himself.

Chloe pointed her finger at him. "Well, just stay away from my company and we won't have any problems!" Chloe laughed.

Jax laughed with her. "I wouldn't dream of touching your company. It's just, what I do is like a thrill. It's exciting. It's like gambling, but the rewards seem so much greater."

"That's great that you can do work that you love."

"Actually, my family used to own this company, J and J Jacks of Alaska, but it went bankrupt. My brother and I are actually working on starting it back up."

"Wow, that's great. Wait, I'm a little confused. You say your family owned a company in Alaska? I thought it would have been Australia."

"Oh, well that was where I was born and lived a good deal of my childhood, of course. But we moved to Alaska later and my family sort of made a fortune."

"Your food." The waiter set the food on the table and smiled.

"Thanks, Alberto," Chloe beamed.

"This looks great." Jax said, the aroma of the food invading him.

"Just wait until you taste it!" Chloe said, already picking up her fork.

Since it was such a warm and beautiful night, Jax and Chloe decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood after dinner. Chloe showed him a little fountain that she often took Molly too. They sat beside the fountain and talked a while longer. Jax wanted to know more about Molly.

"Molly, she's my little angel. And I know she's only three, but I'm telling you, she looks out for me." Chloe then started laughing as she suddenly remembered something. "Last week, when it was raining cats and dogs, Molly and I were on our way home. Well, I had hailed a cab, and just as I was opening the door, this man comes over and starts yelling at me, saying that it was his taxi and he had saw it first. Well, Molly looks up at this guy, and this is a big guy too. Like, 300 pounds!"

Jax laughed.

"He had a tattoo on his arm, a beard, a beer belly, I mean he was massive! Looked like a wrestler! And Molly just looks at him with this tough face, and she points her little finger up at him and screams, 'Don't yell at my Mommy!' It was so funny!"

Jax laughed harder, trying to picture Molly standing up to some 300-pound man with an angry attitude. "So, did you end up getting the cab or did he?"

Chloe smiled. "Oh, we did, of course! I think the guy was so shocked at this little girl telling him to back off that he just grunted and walked away!"

And soon, Jax and Chloe realized that it was getting pretty late, and being on the streets in New York on a Friday night was not such a good thing, so they left.

"Ha! Look at that! Another free parking space!" Jax said triumphantly as he pulled into the space in front of Chloe's building.

"What is your secret? I never had success with parking when I owned a car in this city!"

"Well, it really has to do with the hierarchy of cars. You see, this is a nice car, and these are the kinds of cars that always get the good spaces. The only car that gets better spaces than mine are Porsches." Chloe laughed. "Well, I can walk you to your building."

Chloe was about to tell him that no, that was okay, he didn't have to, but she stopped herself. "Alright, thanks."

Jax got out of the car and walked over to Chloe's side. He opened the door for her.

"Thanks again."

Jax smiled.

They walked to the door, and when they got there, neither of them really knew what to do next. Jax finally broke the silence. "So, uh, I guess this is the part where I thank you for the wonderful evening. It really was great; the food was delicious."

Chloe smiled. "You're welcome. I had a great time too. And thanks for being my sounding board." Chloe laughed.

"Thanks for being mine as well." Jax laughed with her.

"So, uh, I guess this is goodnight, huh?" Chloe said.

"Oh, yeah, it is getting late."

Jax and Chloe both stood there for a few awkward seconds, looking into each other's eyes. And while Jax was thinking of what he could possibly do to make the moment less awkward, he suddenly just did it without even thinking. He slowly leaned forward.

Chloe automatically closed her eyes, and the next thing she felt were Jax's lips on hers. The kiss was so sweet, so tender. Chloe felt a tingle travel down her body. She parted her mouth slightly and felt Jax's tongue lightly touch her own. The kiss lasted for a few more seconds, and then they slowly pulled apart.

Chloe blushed and smiled at the same time. "Goodnight, Jax."

"Goodnight, Chloe." Jax smiled and started to walk away. When he was on the second step, he turned back around. "Chloe?"

"Jax?"

They said their names at the same time. They laughed.

"You go first," Jax said.

"Jax, can I…can I see you again? I mean, Molly is just so crazy about you and well…she doesn't have that many male role-model type figures. And plus, well, I would really like to…to see you again."

Jax smiled. It was almost as if she was reading his mind. "How about I take you and Molly out for lunch tomorrow? Would that be alright?"

"That would be just fine," Chloe beamed.

"Okay, great. So, I'll call you in the morning then?"

"Yeah. Call my work number."

"Alright. Goodnight, Chloe."

"Goodnight, Jax."

Jax smiled one more time before walking away towards his car. Chloe stepped inside the building and leaned against the door. She sighed, feeling overwhelmingly happy at how perfect the evening had went.

To be continued…