He sat down on the couch, and Daniels carefully placed Theo in his arms.
Jax held him like something fragile, his large hands impossibly gentle.
“Hey, little man,” he whispered. “Round two, huh?”
Theo blinked up at him and reached out, grabbing a fistful of Jax’s hoodie.
He didn’t let go.
I heard Daniels take a breath.
“He does that every time he sees you,” he said quietly. “Like he remembers.”
My eyes burned.
Daniels pulled a card from his pocket and handed it to Jax.
“I spoke to your principal,” he said. “I don’t want what you did to go unnoticed. Maybe a small assembly. The local paper.”
Jax groaned.
“Oh my God… please no,” he muttered.
Daniels smiled faintly.
“Whether you like it or not,” he said, “you should know this—every time I look at my son, I’ll think of you. You gave me back my whole world.”
Then he turned to me.
“If you ever need anything,” he added, “for him or for you—call me. A job reference, college recommendation, anything. You’ve got someone in your corner.”
After he left, the house felt quieter… softer.
Jax sat there, staring at the card in his hands.
“Mom,” he said after a while, “am I messed up for feeling bad for that girl? The one who left him?”
I shook my head.
“No,” I said. “What she did was wrong. But she was scared—and she’s only 14. You’re 16. That’s what makes it unsettling.”
He picked at a loose thread on his sleeve.
