Something’s coming.
But for just a second longer, he holds on to the peace she left behind.
59
Echoes
Jaxonwakestothesound of his 7:00 AM alarm. He lays there for a moment, staring at the ceiling, trying to blink the sleep from his eyes and the weight off his chest. It doesn’t move. It never really does. Eventually, he drags himself out of bed and stumbles toward the bathroom. Same routine. Same silence. Same ache he doesn’t talk about.
He brushes his teeth, then steps into the shower, hoping the hot water might wash away the fog clinging to his thoughts.
But it doesn’t.
Because that dream… it won’t let go.
Her face.
A child.
Laughter that didn’t belong to him—but shattered him all the same.
Why the hell did I dream about her now?
He rinses the shampoo from his hair, running his hands through it like he could scrub the memories out too.
I haven’t seen or thought of her in almost four years. Not since Atlanta. Not since he stood at that glass door, watched her smile from across the restaurant, and let her walk away again.
And now she shows up in a dream—with a kid?
Nope. No more sleeping pills.
As he reaches for the body wash, the doorbell rings.
Caught off guard, Jaxon grabs the towel from the shower door, quickly drying his face and hair before wrapping it around his waist. He heads down the stairs, passing the mirror in the living room. He pauses—makes sure his towel is secure. No sense in traumatizing the UPS guy.
But when he reaches the door, everything changes.
The glass is textured, warping the figure behind it. All he can see is the outline of a woman, standing with her back to him, long hair curling slightly at the bottom. Something about her stance stops him cold.
He opens the door.
And time bends.
“Well,” she says with a faint smile, “it’s been a few years since I’ve seen you standing in the doorway like that.”
His jaw tightens. Eyes widen.
“Sara?”
“Hey, Jax.”
He blinks. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to see you.”
There’s no anger in her voice. No gloating. Just something tired. Heavy.
He steps aside. “Come in.”
