Jackson-

The truth lingers on my lips and begs to be told but I know in my coward heart, I can't say the words.

Not yet.

She gave me an out, promised to listen to every word, but I know her too well for that. In Maggie's eyes, secrets are no different than a lie. The offer to loosen the vice on my chest was tempting, but while the hold she has on me is permanent, I know my grip on her isn't.

I just need more time.

Today went well, we made progress and I slowly revealed a part of the truth. Albeit, the least damaging truth I could reveal, but still it's progress. If I play my cards right and we take things slow, we could build a sturdy foundation beneath us. One that won't crack when I unveil the past.

I glance over at Maggie who's fallen asleep while watching the desert pass by her window. Her soft expression and gentle breaths remind me of how much I've missed her sleeping beside me. I know now, I have to do better if I want to hold onto her forever.

My phone vibrates in my pocket and I lift my hips from the driver's seat in order to grab it. One arm is sturdy on the steering wheel while my fingers slip in my damp jean pockets prying at my phone.

I'm immediately irritated, attempting to be quiet while grumbling about whoever the hell is calling this early.

I briefly look down at the screen between watching the road and do a double-glance at the caller ID before my breathing hitches.

I glance over at Maggie who's still sound asleep and debate hitting the flashing red ignore button. My judgment gets the better of me and my finger slides to the right before answering.

"Is something wrong?" I answer urgently but restrain my voice so as not to wake Maggie.

"You tell me, Mr. Porter." Maggie's mum replies. "How is she?"

"You'd know if you bothered to call her yourself." I growl barely above a whisper. "She's your daughter, why are you so afraid to speak with her?"

"Have you told her?" She bypasses my question with her own.

It doesn't take much thought to realize what she's asking. She wants to know if Maggie's aware her father's still alive.

I peek over to watch Maggie stir slightly, attempting to get comfortable while pressed hard against the glass window of the passenger door. My heart pounds in my chest, threatening to expose me and rouse her.

"No." I whisper before directing my attention back to the road.

"Good." She answers, slightly pleased.

"Good?" I snarl a little too loud and my head snaps in her direction to watch her stir once more. "I'm going to tell her."

"Ha!" The woman on the other end scoffs. "I think we both know you only look out for your own best interests Mr. Porter and it's in your best interest not to tell her."

"Her and my interests are the same." I growl.

"I've spoken to Dr. Moore and the likelihood of my daughter regaining her memories is slim to none. If you tell her now it's only going to cause problems for the both of us." She retorts. "Besides, I'm sure you'd rather not come clean about why she fled in the middle of a monsoon."

Rage surges through my chest and the impulse to hurl my phone out the window is exceptionally strong.

"That's none of your goddamn business." She doesn't have a clue why Maggie left that night. It's not something I'd have told her regardless of the stress we both endured when Maggie was checked into the hospital, but it appears she's guessed on her own.

"He left her Jackson." Her voice softens, and her tough exterior begins to crack. "He left us both and it's best if he stays out of our lives."

I'm silent and unwavering so she takes it as a cue to continue.

"What good were his stupid letters when I was the one there every day after school? I was the one who supported her when schoolyard bullies called her out for being different or when the first boy she liked didn't like her back. I helped her study when she was failing calculus despite myself not knowing the first thing about math. Writing letters doesn't make you a parent. Hard work, instilling values-"

She sighs, stopping her rampage and taking a deep breath to calm herself.

"You both may see me as heartless, but I care for my daughter and I've always only wanted the best. I didn't abandon her when life got tough, we persevered together and I raised her to never deal with another man like her father."

"But I suppose even I couldn't stop her from falling for a man just like the son of a bitch." She scoffs.

I ignore the dig and instead focus on the fact that she's demonstrated to me twice that she cares, yet, has never managed to show Maggie.

"I understand that you want the best and while you're wrong about hiding this from her forever, I know she's not ready yet." I admit. "Regardless, you had better prepare yourself for when the moment arrives."

"Think about it, Jackson." She attempts to sway me again. "How long have you had to tell her the truth? When she finds out you've been hiding this from her, I won't be the one caught in hot water. Just what were you doing the night of her accident Jack?"

A warning.

Silence rings through the car and only the faint sounds of Maggie's breaths linger.

"I'll take your silence as consideration. I'll speak with Maggie tomorrow." Her mum says before the line goes dead.

Anger floods through me and I chuck my phone at the floor before thinking it through.

"Fuck!"

Maggie's eyes flash open with a sharp intake of air and her arms fling out to her sides.

"What? What's wrong?!" She shouts, her startled eyes flashing back and forth, assessing the interior of our car.

My mind swirls with the idea of losing her before I've even regained her.  Thoughts of never hearing her voice again, watching her brows scrunch together while she's lost in a good book, feeling her lips turn up in a smile as I surprise her with a kiss.

"Jack, what's wrong?" She asks again after realizing we're not in any real physical danger.

"Nothing." I growl, unable to swallow her mother's final threat. She may just blow all of this up before I have the chance to tell Maggie myself.

"You can tell me anything." Maggie insists, placing a gentle hand on my shoulder.

I almost shove her hand away, but I think better of it. It's not Maggie's fault her mum is such an impossible woman.

I pull over in front of the entrance to her apartment complex and press my forehead against the steering wheel. The cool leather sticks to my burning flesh but I don't bother pulling away.

"I'm taking you home." I almost whisper, breathing slightly easier. I can't have her here, not now. Not while I'm amidst a spiraling breakdown.

"But we were going to your place right?" She asks, brows furrowed with confusion.

"No Maggie, I-" My words stick in my throat and I know I need to get away from this situation. I have to clear my head before I say anything I'll regret. "It's too soon."

"But-" She starts before I interrupt.

"Stop." I whisper between clenched teeth.

Shut up, Maggie! Please just accept that I need to take you home. I need an excuse, any excuse.

"What happened? Why don't you-"

"Your tongue was just shoved down someone else's throat less than twenty-four hours ago!" I shout, heat blazing through my chest. "Do you really think I need a reason more than that?"

Her face falls and I immediately wish I could shove the words back in.

"Maggie, I-" My voice softens and I start to apologize but she reaches for the car door anyway. "I'm sorry!"

She exits the vehicle, slamming the door behind her without the slightest utterance.

I can't let her leave like this.

"Maggie wait-" I shout as I struggle with my seatbelt before leaping out of my charger.

"If it bothered you that much you should have left me behind at the office." She growls.

"It's not that-" I shout, struggling to catch up. "I didn't mean it like that."

"How else could you have possibly meant it?" She shrieks.

I quickly run different scenarios through my rambling mind yet I'm not quick enough and she takes me silence as an answer.

"I'm not stupid, Jack. You're hiding something from me and I have a feeling it's not about the kiss I shared with Nick." She argues without bothering to turn around.

"You're right!" I shout, finally catching up to her and whirling her around to face me. "I got an upsetting phone call and I lashed out at you. I never meant to hurt you, I just needed some space and I blurted out the first thing I could to push you away."

She nods but purposely keeps her head cocked to the side and avoids my eye contact. Her jaw strains under the pressure of her clenching teeth and her fists are balled at her sides.

"I'm sorry, the last thing I want to do is push you away." I admit. "I just need time to deal with what I've learned and I don't want you around as collateral damage."

Her ocean eyes meet mine and she carefully reads my face before nodding. "I'm already your collateral damage."

Her sharp words cut through me despite the fact she has no idea how true that statement rings.

"Does this phone call have anything to do with that?" She asks, pointing down at my bruised knuckles before I have a chance to respond to her previous accusation.

"What?" I ask before realizing the question she's really asking.  "No, that was just a punching bag."

Her eyes narrow with mistrust and disbelief as she gauges my sincerity.

"So you weren't in a fight?" She asks.

"Not unless you count the bean bag in my apartment, no." I shrug before remembering my most recent provocation. "Well, you witnessed me lay one on Nick, but this was well before that."

She nods and her shoulders relax slightly.

"Was the call about your book? Or maybe the awards?" She asks with realization.

"Yes." I answer immediately, recognizing my out. "I'm so sorry."

Another lie.

I remind myself the lies piling up are for her own good as well ask mine.

She stands with her arms crossed, stubbornly arguing in her mind with whether or not she's ready to accept my apology.

"Can we please just try again tomorrow?"  I plead. "I'll take you out on a real date."

"No." She answers definitively and I wonder just how royally I've fucked up.

I take a step back and run my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends before sitting on the curb.

Maggie gently wipes the concrete before taking a seat beside me.

"When you told me it was too soon to be coming to your place, something inside me knew it rang true." She breathes. "And even though you didn't mean what you said about what happened with Nick-"

She takes a deep breath before leaning back and gazing at the stars.

"You're right." I watch her nervously chew the inside of her cheek.

"I'm not right. I'm a right fucking twat for saying that." I interrupt, internally scolding myself for being such a screw-up.

"Jack-" She stops me from speaking with a single lift of her palm. "I've been going crazy in my mind about boys when I really should have been getting to know myself again."

"However-" She pauses in thought. "We did have an agreement that we'd see each other once a week and I'm not one to break pacts."

My breath catches as I lock eyes with Maggie. A smirk plays at the corner of her lips and I stop myself before absentmindedly leaning in for a kiss.

"I want to revisit places we've been, hear stories, relearn what I've forgotten. Maybe it all will come back to me, maybe it's lost for good, but I'm hoping that whatever the outcome, I'll find myself eventually."

"I understand." I sigh and my shoulders begin to relax. "You do realize that a major part of these lost stories and revisiting places you've forgotten will be the story of us, right? How we met, places we've dated-"

I watch her lip turn up in a smile and her palm reaches out for a handshake.  "Start over?"

I nod as I grasp her hand and pull her to her feet. "Let's get you home."