Page 22 of Jax & Knox

I'm here .

By the time I finish the windows, my arms are trembling and my ribs are throbbing, but I don't stop. I move to the small pile of donated baby clothes sitting in a basket near the couch, soft onesies, tiny socks, a few blankets.

I sit on the couch and start folding them, one by one.

Each piece is a gift. A kindness I didn't ask for but desperately needed.

I smooth the fabric carefully, folding each onesie with precision, stacking them neatly in the basket. My hands are steady. My breathing is calm.

This is something I can do.

Something I can control.

Something that's mine to give back, even if it's just keeping their generosity organized and cared for.

I'm halfway through the pile when I hear Owen stirring in his crib.

I set the clothes aside and move to his room, my heart lifting at the sight of him blinking up at me, his little fists rubbing at his eyes.

"Hey, sweet boy," I whisper, lifting him carefully.

He babbles softly, his hands reaching for my face, and I carry him back to the living room.

I settle him on a blanket on the floor and hand him one of the soft onesies to hold. He grabs it, his fingers curling around the fabric, and I smile.

"See this?" I say softly, holding up another onesie. "We're going to fold it. Like this."

I demonstrate slowly, folding the tiny garment, then setting it aside.

Owen watches, his wide eyes tracking my movements, and I feel something warm and fierce bloom in my chest.

I'm teaching him.

I'm showing him that we can do this.

That we're capable .

That we're not helpless.

When the last piece is folded, I sit back and look around the cottage.

The clean porch. The wildflowers on the counter. The clear windows. The neatly folded clothes.

It's not much.

But it's something .

And for the first time in what feels like forever, I feel it, not safety, not yet, but purpose .

This space is mine.

Even if it's temporary. Even if it's borrowed.

Right now, in this moment, it's mine .

And I'm going to take care of it.

These people don't know me. They don't owe me anything.