Chapter 10 #2
But she's not listening. She's already moving, ducking under the slide, checking behind the climbing wall, her movements frantic and uncoordinated.
"Owen!" Her voice is shrill now, edged with terror. "Owen, please.”
I move quickly, circling around the other side of the structure. And there he is, sitting in the shade behind a low tunnel, completely oblivious to his mother's panic, playing with a handful of wood chips.
"Ainsley," I call. "I've got him."
She whips around, and when she sees me crouched down with Owen in my arms, her knees buckle.
I'm there in an instant, catching her with one arm while holding Owen with the other.
"He's okay," I say firmly. "Look. See him? He never left our sight."
She's shaking violently, her hands reaching for Owen with desperate urgency. I hand him to her, and she clutches him to her chest, her whole body trembling.
"I couldn't—" she starts, her voice breaking. "I couldn't see him. I thought—"
"I know." I step closer, my hand on her shoulder. "But he's safe. You're both safe."
She closes her eyes, tears streaming down her face. "What if you hadn't been here?"
"But I was. And I always will be."
She looks up at me, her eyes red and raw. "I froze, Knox. I saw him crawl away and I just, I couldn't move fast enough. What kind of mother—"
"Stop." I cup her face in my hands, forcing her to look at me. "You didn't freeze. You called for him. You ran after him. And I got him. That's what we do. We've got each other."
She closes her eyes, and a sob escapes her.
I pull her into my arms, her and Owen both, and hold them while she cries. It's not the wrenching sobs from before. It's quieter. Exhausted. The kind of crying that comes from finally letting go of something you've been holding too long.
"I've got you," I murmur into her hair. "Both of you. Always."
She nods against my chest, and slowly, her breathing evens out.
Owen babbles happily in her arms, completely unaware of what just happened, reaching for my face with his chubby hands.
When she finally pulls back, her eyes are red but clearer.
"I'm sorry," she whispers.
"Don't be. You're healing. That takes time."
She looks down at Owen, who's babbling happily in her arms, completely unaware of what just happened.
"He's okay," I say again.
"Because of you."
"Because of us."
She meets my eyes, and the last bit of distance between us disappears. What settles in its place feels larger than attraction, deeper than want. It's trust.
We stay at the park for another hour.
Ainsley relaxes again, slowly, and by the time we pack up to leave, she's laughing at Owen's attempts to eat grass.
"No, baby, that's not food," she says, gently pulling his hand away from his mouth.
He looks up at her with wide, innocent eyes, then grins.
I can't help but laugh.
By the time we leave the park, Owen is exhausted.
He falls asleep in his car seat on the drive back, his head lolling to the side, his little mouth open. Ainsley keeps turning around to check on him, a smile on her face.
"He had a good time," she says.
"So did I."
She looks over at me, and there's something in her eyes, something warm and open and trusting.
"Me too," she whispers.
When we pull up to the cottage, I notice Jax's truck already parked out front.
Ainsley sees it too. "Is that—"
"Jax," I confirm, cutting the engine.
She looks over at me, uncertainty flickering across her face. "I didn't know he was coming by."
"Neither did I." But I'm not surprised. Jax has been just as obsessed with checking on her and Owen as I have. "He probably just got off work."
I carry Owen inside while Ainsley grabs the diaper bag. The moment we step through the door, the smell of food hits me, something savory and warm that makes my stomach growl.
Jax is in the kitchen, unpacking takeout containers onto the small table. He looks up when we walk in, and his face breaks into that easy grin of his.
"There you are," he says. "I was starting to think you two ran off without me."
"We went to the park," Ainsley says, setting the bag down by the door.
Jax's eyes flick to me, then back to her. "Yeah? How'd it go?"
"Good," I say, carrying Owen toward his room. "He's wiped out."
"I bet." Jax watches me pass, and I can see the question in his eyes. Is she okay?
I give him a small nod. She will be.
I lay Owen down in his crib. He stirs for a moment, his little fist clutching at the soft blanket, then settles with a sigh. I stand there for a second, just watching him sleep, warmth spreads through me.
When I walk back out to the main room, Ainsley is standing in the kitchen doorway, watching Jax unpack the food.
"I brought Pizza and wings," Jax says, pulling out a container. "And breadsticks. And some kind of pasta thing the guy at the counter said was good."
"You didn't have to do that," Ainsley says.
"I know." Jax looks up at her, his expression warm. "But I wanted to. Figured you could use a night off from cooking."
She bites her lip, and I can see the emotion building behind her eyes. "Thank you."
"Anytime, baby."
I step up behind her, my hand settling on her lower back. She leans into the touch, just slightly, and it's enough to make warmth spread through me.
"Come on," I say. "Let's eat."
We sit around the small kitchen table, passing containers back and forth. Jax tells us about his day, some landscaping job that went sideways when the client changed their mind halfway through. Ainsley laughs at his exaggerated retelling, and the sound fills the cottage with warmth.
For a while, it's easy. Normal.
Like we're a family.
Jax catches my eye across the table, and I know he's thinking the same thing.
After we finish eating, Ainsley starts to stand, reaching for the empty containers. "I'll clean up.”
"Sit," Jax says, already on his feet. "We've got it."
"But—"
"No buts," I say, standing and taking the container from her hands. "You've had a long day. Let us take care of this."
She looks between us, her eyes shining. "You two are going to spoil me."
"That's the plan," Jax says with a grin.
We clean up quickly, working in easy rhythm. Jax washes while I dry and put things away. Ainsley sits at the table, watching us with an expression I can't quite read.
When we're done, Jax dries his hands on a towel and turns to her. "You okay?"
She nods, but there's something fragile in the way she's holding herself. "Yeah. I just… today was a lot."
I move to her side, crouching down so I'm at eye level. "What happened?"
She hesitates, then fills Jax in on what happened, about Owen crawling away, about freezing, about the fear that gripped her when she couldn't move. Knox already knows what it felt like when he caught Owen, but he lets her tell the story.
Jax's jaw tightens. "But you're okay now?"
"Yeah." She looks at me. "Knox got him. He was right there."
"Always will be," I say.
Jax steps closer, his hand resting on her shoulder. "Both of us. You're not doing this alone anymore."
She closes her eyes, and a tear slips down her cheek. "I know. I just… I'm still getting used to it."
"Take all the time you need," Jax says gently.
After a moment, she stands. "I should check on Owen."
"I'll come with you," I say.
We walk to Owen's room together. He's still asleep, his little chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm. Ainsley stands beside the crib, her hand resting on the railing.
"He's so peaceful," she whispers.
"He is."
She turns to me, and suddenly the air between us shifts.
It's charged. Electric.
"Knox," she whispers.
I step closer, until there's barely any space between us. "Yeah?"
"I…" She trails off, her eyes searching mine.
I cup her face in my hands, my thumb brushing over her cheekbone. "You don't have to say anything."
"I want to."
"Then say it."
She takes a shaky breath. "I'm starting to believe this is real."
My throat thickens. "It's real."
"I'm scared."
"I know. But I'm not going anywhere. Neither is Jax. We're here. And we're staying."
She closes her eyes, and a tear slips down her cheek. I wipe it away with my thumb.
"Let me prove it to you," I say quietly.
She opens her eyes, and the vulnerability in them nearly breaks me.
"Okay," she whispers.
I kiss her.
It's slow at first, gentle, giving her time to pull away if she wants to. But she doesn't. Instead, she leans into me, her hands fisting in my shirt, pulling me closer.
The kiss deepens, and I feel the shift, the moment she stops holding back.
I walk her backward until her back hits the wall just outside Owen's room, my hands sliding to her hips, not demanding, just holding. She gasps against my mouth, and I swallow the sound, pouring everything I feel into this kiss.
"Knox," she breathes.
"I've got you," I murmur against her lips. "I've got you, baby."
Footsteps sound behind us, and I pull back slightly. Jax is standing in the hallway, his expression tender.
"Hey," he says quietly.
Ainsley tenses slightly, but I don't let her pull away. I just hold her, my forehead resting against hers.
"We're here," Jax says, stepping closer. "Both of us. However you need us."
She looks between us, her breathing ragged, her eyes wet. "I don't know what I need."
"That's okay," I say. "We'll figure it out together."
Jax moves to her other side, his hand sliding gently up her arm. "Can we just hold you? That's all. Just be close to you."
She nods, and the relief in her expression nearly undoes me.