“Or maybe she feels safe here,” Jaxon offers gently.
“Maybe,” Sara smiles.
They head upstairs to unpack, and Jaxon drifts into the kitchen, throwing together lunch with a quiet hum in his chest. Above him, the sound of feet—tiny, joyful footsteps—echo through the house like music. He closes his eyes and lets it sink in. This is what I’ve always wanted. Someone to share life with. I just never expected it to come in the form of a six-year-old whirlwind and her brave aunt.
The girls return and Jaxon looks up from the counter.
“Y’all get settled in?”
“We did,” Sara says. “Jaq took the room at the end of the hall, which... is weird.”
“Why?”
“Because she hasn’t slept alone since Claire died.”
“Maybe she’s ready to try.”
“Maybe. Or maybe she’ll crawl in bed with me around 2 a.m. We’ll see.”
Jaxon grins. “I made something simple. Grab the drinks—y’all follow me.”
Sara raises a brow like she’s expecting a surprise. The three of them step out onto the back deck. Two rocking chairs. One porch swing. The whole coast stretched out before them.
Jaxon and Sara take the chairs. Jaqueline dives straight for the swing.
They eat, talk, laugh—just a porch lunch, but to Jaxon, it feels like a lifetime in the making.
After a while, Jaq asks, “Can I go to the water?”
“Of course, baby,” Sara says, and off she goes, sundress twirling, arms stretched wide.
Jaxon watches her run through the grass, heart full.
“What are you smiling at?” Sara asks.
“You have no idea how much I’ve wanted this. I didn’t think it would look like this, or come this way, but... watching her out there? Looking up here with that smile?” His voice catches. “It’s everything.”
Sara nods, tears shining in her eyes. “She hasn’t smiled like that since Claire passed.”
“She’s strong,” Jaxon says, eyes never leaving his daughter. “She’s got you. Y’all did good.”
Sara nudges him. “You helped raise her too. Don’t forget that.”
He glances over.
“She knows you. Knows your stories. Your laugh. Your kindness. She’s funny like you, too—always trying to make people smile even when she’s hurting.”
Jaxon breathes deep, emotion pulling tight in his throat.
Funny how someone can be a part of you without ever standing in front of you.
Funny how you can find home in the laugh of a child who looks at you like you hung the moon.
He looks out at Jaqueline and whispers to himself, I didn’t even know I had a daughter. But she already has me.
64
Proven Point
