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JJ Maybank was spiraling. Hard.
He sat slumped on the steps of his childhood home, eyes locked on the dark stretch of sky above, like it could give him some kind of answer. But no answers came. Just the heavy weight of what he’d found out.
His whole life?
A joke.
A goddamn lie.
Luke Maybank wasn’t even his real father. All those years fighting to survive under that man’s thumb—dodging fists, running from cops, pulling together scraps like a stray dog—none of it made sense anymore.
Turns out, he wasn’t even a Maybank. No, JJ was the son of Chandler Groff and Larissa Genrette. People with real power, old family money, and a whole different kind of legacy. Something about a curse tied to Blackbeard, a crazy old man, an amulet hidden for centuries, intertwined with some bullshit called the Blue Crown. Now, JJ was the center of it. And somehow, the Pogue life had dragged them right back into the madness.
But JJ? He wasn’t ready for it. Not this time.
He was breaking. Maybe he’d been broken all along, but at least before, he could fake it. Now, he could feel everything cracking apart inside him. And the worst part? Kiara saw right through it.
She’d been waiting when he showed up at the shop that night, arms folded tight, those brown eyes of hers soft with concern. “JJ, talk to me. What’s going on?”
“I’m good,” he said, shrugging off the weight pressing down on his chest. “Don’t worry about it.”
“JJ, you’re not good. I can tell something is up with you.”
“I said I’m fine, Kie!” he snapped, the words coming out harsher than he meant.
Her face twisted with hurt, but she didn’t push. Just stood there, looking at him like she didn’t know whether to hold him or smack him. That’s the thing about Kiara—she cared too much.
And deep down, JJ didn’t think he deserved it. Not her patience.
Not her love.
Not the way she always seemed to see something good in him, even when he couldn’t find it himself.
He didn’t know how to handle it. Not with her. Not with anyone. Her love felt like a trick—something just waiting to disappear, like everything else in his life. So, he did the only thing he knew how: he pushed her away before she could leave on her own.
“Don’t make this harder, Kie,” JJ mumbled, avoiding her eyes. “You don’t wanna do this with me. I’ll just screw it all up.”
Her jaw tightened, but she didn’t back down.
“Stop it, JJ,” she said quietly. “I don’t know what happened but I’m not going anywhere.”
But that only made it worse. Because people always leave. And JJ didn’t know how to believe in anything else.
The treasure hunt was heating up again. The Blue Crown wasn’t just some myth—it was real, and everyone wanted a piece of it. The Pogues were dead broke, back on the run from cops and treasure hunters alike. The dream of Poguelandia 2.0 was dangling just out of reach, waiting to be snatched from under their noses.
They were supposed to leave for Morocco the next morning, chasing down another lead. One more shot at turning everything around.
One last Hail Mary.
But JJ was a ticking time bomb, and Kiara could feel it. Every time she tried to get close, he’d shut her down, slipping further into his own head. His heart was tangled in guilt and anger, and dragging her into his mess felt wrong. But the truth was, JJ couldn’t get his shit together. He was drowning, and every time he looked at Kiara, he hated himself a little more.
That night at the Chateau, everything came crashing down in a way JJ hadn’t expected.
He was in the back room when he heard John B yell from the living room, his voice sharp with surprise.
“What the hell?”
JJ wandered out, curious and a little on edge. John B stood frozen in the middle of the room, holding a small white stick in his hand, his eyes wide and glassy. Tears clung to the edges, threatening to fall.
“Sarah?” John B’s voice cracked, teetering between disbelief and joy, like he couldn’t decide if he was dreaming or living the best moment of his life. His eyes widened, scanning her face for confirmation. “Why didn’t you tell me?” His breath hitched, a wild grin already spreading across his face.
“Oh my god—oh my god—we’re having a baby?” He let out a breathless laugh, the kind that comes from pure adrenaline. He looked ready to either jump out of his skin or pull her into his arms, hands shaking slightly as he ran them through his hair. “Holy shit. We’re having a baby!”
John B staggered forward, almost tripping over his own feet, and grabbed Sarah’s hands like he was trying to ground himself. “Do you know what this means? Sarah—” He let out another laugh, his voice cracking with emotion. “We’re gonna be parents. I’m gonna be a dad!”
His excitement bubbled over as he turned, looking around the room like he needed someone else to confirm this was really happening. He laughed again, almost delirious now. “We’re gonna have a baby!”
But when he saw the look on Sarah’s face—confusion, not joy—his words faltered.
“What?” His grin dimmed, his hands still gripping hers. “Wait… What’s wrong?”
Sarah’s face paled, her mouth opening and closing like she couldn’t find the right words.
John B froze, his excitement turning into bewilderment. His brow furrowed, a wave of unease washing over him.
“Sarah?” he whispered again, his voice quieter now, the joy slipping through his fingers.
“John B—No,” she said slowly, shaking her head. “That—that’s not mine.”
The room went dead silent.
JJ frowned, feeling the pieces shift, but not yet click into place. Everyone’s gaze locked onto Sarah—everyone except Kiara. JJ noticed how she shrank into herself, eyes glued to the floor, like she wanted to disappear.
That’s when it hit him. Hit him like a brick wall.
JJ’s heart dropped into his stomach.
He looked at Kiara, and she looked back at him, wide-eyed and scared out of her mind. And in that moment, JJ knew. He just knew.
The pregnancy test wasn’t Sarah’s. It was Kiara’s.
And it was positive.
His chest tightened, breath catching like he’d been sucker-punched. The world tilted, spinning out of control, faster than he could keep up with. Kiara was pregnant. With his baby.
“Kiara,” he whispered, the word barely making it past his lips.
Her eyes filled with tears, and she gave a tiny, shaky nod.
JJ felt like he was standing at the edge of a cliff, staring down at the drop, with no way to tell if the fall would kill him or save him.
He didn’t say a word. Couldn’t. His chest felt like it was caving in, and the walls of the room pressed too close, like they were suffocating him. The moment Kiara nodded—just the tiniest, trembling nod—something inside him snapped.
“JJ…” Kiara whispered his name, her voice soft but desperate.
He took a step back.
“Please.”
But JJ couldn’t do it. Couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t even look at her. His heart pounded in his ears like a drum, drowning out everything. He felt like he was actually falling now. The world was closing in, and he was trapped in it, tangled in emotions he didn’t know how to handle. Fear. Anger. Love. Guilt.
He did what JJ Maybank always did when things got too real—he ran.
“Kie, I just—I gotta go,” he choked out, the words jagged and raw.
“JJ, don’t leave!” Kiara’s voice broke behind him, but he kept moving.
He hated himself for it—God, he hated himself so much —but he left anyway. Bolted out the door, slamming it behind him like he could outrun the truth. Like leaving would stop his head from spinning.
He ended up at the beach. The one place that still made sense.
The waves crashed against the shore, the water dark and restless, mirroring the storm inside him. JJ stumbled into the sand, gasping for air like he’d just been dragged under. His hands dug into the cool, wet grains, but it didn’t stop the trembling in his body. Desperate for something—anything—to steady himself, he pressed a hand to his chest, clutching the fabric of his t-shirt like he could hold his heart together. But it kept pounding, wild and uneven, like it was trying to escape, and the harder he pressed, the more it felt like everything inside him was breaking apart.
All his life, he told himself he had nothing to lose. That was the only way to survive—if nothing mattered, nothing could hurt.
But that was bullshit.
Because the second he saw that pregnancy test, JJ realized just how much he had to lose. Too much.
He sat down hard in the sand, knees pulled to his chest, heart hammering against his ribcage like it was trying to escape. His breaths came shallow and fast, panic swelling in his chest like the tide pulling him under.
He dropped his head into his hands, fingers tangling in his hair. His entire world—everything—was slipping through his fingers.
The lies about who he was.
The money he needed but lost.
The treasure that wasn’t going to fix anything anyway.
The family he thought he didn’t have.
It all felt too heavy. Too big.
Tears burned his eyes, and before he could stop himself, JJ broke. He sat there in the dark, waves crashing against the shore, and let it all out—the fear, the anger, the sadness, the exhaustion of pretending he was okay. His chest shook with silent sobs, the kind that came from deep down, from a place he’d kept locked up for way too long.
He cried for the kid who never had a real family.
For the boy who fought to survive every damn day.
For the man who never believed he deserved love.
He thought about Kiara.
About the baby.
Their baby.
And the panic hit again, threatening to swallow him whole. How was he supposed to be a father when he barely knew who he was? What if he ruined everything? What if he hurt them the way Luke hurt him?
JJ gasped, gripping the back of his neck like it would stop the shaking. He pressed his forehead into his knees, forcing himself to slow his breathing.
Inhale. Exhale. One breath at a time.
Then, slowly—so slowly—the panic ebbed, like the tide rolling out. And beneath the fear, something else started to take shape. Something clearer.
Kiara.
Their baby.
That’s what mattered. That’s all that ever mattered.
The rest of it—his messed-up family, the treasure hunts, Pogues vs. Kooks, the curse, the Blue Crown—none of it meant anything next to them. They were his purpose. His future. His family.
For the first time in his life, JJ knew exactly where he belonged.
He sat on the beach a little longer, the cool night air wrapping around him. The waves rolled in and out, steady and sure, and he let them calm the storm in his chest.
He still didn’t have all the answers. Hell, he didn’t even have half of them. But he knew one thing for certain now:
He wasn’t going to run anymore. He couldn’t.
This wasn’t about treasure or money or revenge. This was bigger than the Maybanks, the Genrettes, or any treasure. This was about Kiara and that little life growing inside her. His life. His family.
And JJ Maybank? He’d die before he let them go.
When he finally stood, the weight that had been pressing on his chest felt lighter. Not gone, but bearable. He brushed the sand off his jeans and made his way back to Poguelandia, heart thudding with every step.
He didn’t have a plan—JJ never had a good one anyway. But this time, he wasn’t going to run from the people who mattered most.
Because for once in his life, he had something worth fighting for.
…
JJ’s legs felt heavy as he made his way back to the house. His heart thudded with every step, fear and hope tangled up in his chest. He wasn’t good with words—not the important ones, at least—but he was done running.
Whatever happened next, he was staying.
The front door creaked open, and the second he stepped onto the porch, John B was on him, shoulders squared and jaw clenched.
“Where the hell did you go?” John B’s voice was sharp, filled with frustration. “You just left. Are you out of your damn mind?”
JJ ran a hand through his hair, sand still clinging to his skin. “I just… I needed to think.”
John B’s eyes narrowed. “You needed to think?” He let out a harsh laugh, shaking his head in disbelief. “Kiara’s inside with Sarah, freaking out, man. You can’t just bail on her like that.”
JJ knew John B was right. Hell, he knew the second he left that he’d messed up. The guilt gnawed at him, making him feel raw and exposed. He took a step toward the door, but John B moved, blocking him with a hard shove to his chest.
“I don’t know what the hell’s going on with you, dude, but don’t mess with her,” John B said, his voice low and dangerous. “If you’re not all in. If you’re gonna fuck this up—I swear to God, JJ— just walk away right now.”
JJ didn’t push back. For once, he knew better.
“I won’t,” JJ whispered, meeting John B’s glare. “I swear, man. I’m not going anywhere.”
John B stared at him for a long moment, then gave a short nod, stepping aside letting him in the door.
JJ found Kiara sitting on the couch in the living room with Sarah next to her, holding her hand. Kie looked small, like she’d been folded into herself, her usual fiery demeanor dimmed by fear and uncertainty. The second her eyes landed on JJ, he saw the flicker of hurt, the kind that twisted the knife already buried deep in his chest.
“Kie,” JJ whispered, his voice cracking.
Sarah gave Kiara’s hand one last squeeze, shot JJ a look that said Don’t screw this up, and slipped out, leaving the two of them alone.
JJ stood awkwardly in the doorway, heart pounding in his chest. He felt like he was on the edge of a cliff again—ready to jump, terrified of the fall.
Kiara stared at him, arms folded, trying to look tough. But he saw the tears brimming in her eyes, and it shattered him.
“I’m sorry,” he started, stepping closer. “I—I shouldn’t have left like that.”
“No,” Kiara shot back, her voice brittle. “You shouldn’t have.”
JJ sat down beside her on the couch, elbows on his knees, head bowed. His fingers fidgeted with the string on his bracelet, twisting it tighter and tighter around his wrist.
“Kie… I don’t even know where to start,” he whispered, his throat tight.
Kiara stepped closer, her eyes searching his. “Start with what the hell has been going on with you lately.”
JJ hesitated, his mind racing, the walls he’d built around himself feeling precarious.
“You’ve been acting crazy lately,” she pressed, a mix of frustration and concern in her voice. “You won’t talk to me. You barely look at me. That’s why I didn’t tell you right away. Just let me in—.”
Her words hit him like a wave, crashing against the barriers he’d tried to maintain. JJ took a deep breath, feeling the weight of her honesty pressing down on him, then let it all spill out, the words messy and broken. “My whole life has been a lie. Luke—he isn’t even my dad, okay? My real parents? Chandler Groff and Larissa Genrette.” He shook his head, frustration clawing at him, the truth feeling suffocating. “I feel like I’m losing everything. My name, my past, my mind. I just—I can’t keep it all together, Kie. I’m not okay. I don’t know how to be okay.”
He risked a glance at her. She was watching him, her face soft, her anger melting into surprise and something gentler—something real.
“But I want to be,” JJ whispered, his voice raw. “I need to be. For you. For… it.” His gaze dropped to her stomach for the briefest second, and then back to her face.
Kiara sucked in a shaky breath, tears slipping down her cheeks now, and JJ fought the urge to wipe them away, knowing he didn’t deserve to touch her yet.
“I know I’m a mess,” he continued, every word heavy with regret. “But I’m here. I’m not leaving. I’m going to do better. I can’t go off the rails anymore. Ilove you, Kie. I don’t know if I say it enough or say it right, but I do. I love you, and I’m sorry I didn’t show it when you needed me to.”
Kiara blinked, her breath hitching.
“I know it’s your choice,” JJ added, voice barely above a whisper. “Whatever you decide. But if you want me—if you want us—I swear, I’ll do better. I’ll figure it out. I’ll fight for you, for this baby, for everything. Everything you need me too.”
For a moment, there was only silence between them. The kind of silence that felt bigger than words, filled with all the things they were afraid to say.
Then Kiara reached out, her hand finding his, fingers slipping through his in that quiet, familiar way she always did when she was ready to forgive him.
“I want this, JJ,” she whispered, her voice steady despite the tears. “I want you. I’ve always just wanted you.”
JJ exhaled, like he’d been holding his breath for years.
Kiara leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder, and he wrapped his arm around her, holding her tight—like if he held on tight enough, maybe, just maybe, everything wouldn’t fall apart this time.
And for the first time in a long time, JJ felt something he’d always been afraid to feel.
Hope.
The waves outside crashed gently against the shore, their rhythm soothing and familiar. For the first time, JJ wasn’t running from them—or from anything.
No matter what came next—curses, treasure, or whatever storm the Outer Banks had in store—one truth anchored him: he wasn’t alone.
And for JJ, that was everything. All he needed.
All he cared about—all he cared about—was Kiara, this baby, and the family he was determined to protect. He was ready to fix himself and do right by them.
It had taken him too long to see it, but now the realization struck him like a lightning bolt: he had everything right here.
Everything to lose.