Tribulation | Jax Teller

Broken Window Theory

"Come on, Dad!" Noah whines to Jax. "It's not like we're moving anytime soon."

Jax folds his arms across his chest as he looks at his oldest. "I said no."

"But Dad, we're going to outgrow the slip in slide." Noah counters to him as he is not backing down from his stance. Jax hides his smile as with the way his son is scrunching his nose and those ocean eyes dark with determination the boy is the spitting image of his mother.

"And you and Mom will be able to use it too." AJ pipes up alongside his older brother.

"You guys can use the community pool like everyone else." Jax tells them.

"Why would we do that we can do it conveniently in our backyard? Save gas in having to take us there." Noah says. "It's an investment in the long run."

Jax tugs on his beard as he looks at their spacious backyard. He wasn't about to tell his son that the reason he was saying no to the pool was because he was thinking about moving his family into a new home. He's unsure of how Noelle would feel about the uprooting considering the kids grew up here and this would be a potential third move. But the house was getting crowded. He loved this house, don't get him wrong. But they could use a little more space if he and Noelle planned to have another kid. He is sure Noah and AJ wouldn't want to bunk rooms. Because if he was being honest with himself he had no problem taking his son to go look at pools now, but he had to keep up the act. So he appeases them slightly.

"I'll think about it."

The boys high five each other before they scramble to go into the backyard.

He smiles at them as the boys remind him of him and Thomas. He remembers how Thomas would follow him everywhere as AJ does to Noah. He remembers how Thomas would want to emulate everything he did. Jax would let him. He would entertain his little brother with silly games. He would always makes sure that he felt included in things despite his heart getting weaker each day. As he looks at his youngest, he wonders how his mom and dad even managed to cope with such a loss.

It hurt as a brother to lose Thomas, but he can't even fathom the pain his mom felt and still feels to this day. He can't even imagine his life without his children and to think he almost lost one makes his own heart weaker.

And he thinks that maybe he and Noelle would be testing their luck with having a fourth kid. They got lucky that Noah and Addie didn't inherit the family flaw. They were lucky that AJ even pulled through.

Arms snake around his waist and a kiss is planted to his shoulder and he smiles as his wife nestles into him.

"What are you thinking about?" She asks him.

"Thomas," he tells her truthfully. "AJ reminds me of him."

Noelle is quiet for a couple minutes before she moves from besides him to his front. "I don't know if I have another pregnancy in me Jax. We got lucky with AJ. I don't think I can risk another child."

"I know," he tells her. And they both can admit that besides being reckless neither of them really thought seriously how he did have a heart disease that ran into the family. Since Noah and Addie were born with strong beating hearts they were naïve to think that their third one would be born just the same. "A part of me misses you pregnant."

"You like when I look like a beach whale."

Jax chuckles. "You're beautiful when pregnant."

Noelle rolls her eyes as she sees straight through him. "You just like to rub it into everyone that I warm your bed every night."