Page 73 of Jax & Knox

Her eyes close for a second as she leans into him, and I watch the tension slowly leave her shoulders.

Something settles inside me as I stand there looking at them.

We're not taking her somewhere else. We're not uprooting her again because some asshole refuses to accept that she left him. Justin already forced enough changes on her life. He doesn't get to decide where she lives now too.

This cottage is hers.

So instead of teaching her to run every time she's afraid, we're making damn sure she finally has somewhere she can stay.

By the time everyone finishes, it's almost four in the afternoon, and somehow that's the best part. The cottage still looks exactly the same.

Her porch swing is still there. Owen's toys are scattered across the living room. His high chair is tucked beside the kitchen table, and her blanket is still thrown over the back of the couch. We haven't taken anything from her or changed the home she's started building.

We've just made it a hell of a lot harder for Justin Williams to get anywhere near it.

Ainsley stands in the middle of the living room, looking around before her gaze eventually settles on us.

"You okay?" I ask.

She nods, then looks at Knox before turning back to me. "Yeah," she says quietly. "I think I am."

I pull her against me. "Good."

Owen comes toddling down the hallway, babbling at the top of his lungs, and Knox scoops him up when he gets close. Ainsley's body relaxes against mine as she watches them together.

This time when she looks around the cottage, I don't see her checking the windows or listening for something outside. I don't see her preparing to run.

For the first time, she looks like she believes she might actually get to stay.

THIRTEEN

AINSLEY

Heat already radiates across the landscape by the time we pull up to the job site on the east side of Jackson.

I'm sitting in the passenger seat of Knox's truck with Owen strapped into his car seat in the back, babbling happily and waving his hands at everything we pass. Jax follows behind us on his bike, the rumble of the engine a constant, comforting presence.

Knox reaches over and squeezes my thigh, his expression shifting to something more serious. "We want you here. Both of you." He glances back at Owen, then returns his gaze to me. "Until we find Justin, we need eyes on you at all times. That means you and Owen come with us when we work. No exceptions."

The words should feel suffocating, but they don't. Instead, they feel like protection. Like he's not willing to take any chances with my safety or Owen's.

"I understand," I say quietly.

"It's not about not trusting you," Jax says, appearing at my window and opening the door. He leans in, his voice low and serious. "It's about making sure nothing happens to either of you while that bastard is still out there. We keep you close, we keep you safe."

Knox nods. "You're ours to protect, Ainsley. Let us do this."

Something shifts in my chest at the certainty in his voice. The possessiveness that once would have terrified me now feels like a promise. "Okay," I whisper.

"You sure you're okay with this?" Knox asks, glancing over at me as he parks near a large oak tree that provides plenty of shade.

I nod. "Yeah. Plus, I want to see what you guys do."

He smirks, that rare flash of amusement crossing his face. "It's not glamorous, baby. Just landscaping."

"I don't care," I say honestly. "I want to see you work."

Something shifts in his expression, pride, maybe, or satisfaction. He leans over and kisses me, slow and possessive, before climbing out of the truck.