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With that, they both walked out, and I started putting things away. I wiped down the tables and started over to the sink. That’s when I noticed that there were tiny pieces of clay stuck to the front of my shirt and under my nails. I smiled as I took the rag and tried to rake the clay into the sink.

I didn’t care about the mess.

It was worth it to have Reagan finally open up to me. I glanced over at the little house she’d made. It sat right next to the other items she’d made over the past couple of weeks. None of them were perfect, but that didn’t make them any less wonderful. Reagan had made progress. Real progress, and it was impossible not to feel good about that.

I’d just turned off the water when my cell phone started to ring. I quickly dried my hands, then hurried over to my desk to grab it. When I glanced down at the screen, I couldn’t help but smile when I saw that it was Uncle Jax. To everyone else, he was known as Knox, but to me, he would always be my Uncle Jax. “Hey, stranger.”

“Hey there, kiddo. How’s it going?”

“Pretty good, actually. I just finished a session.”

“With the little girl?”

“Yeah… We had a breakthrough today.”

“Oh, that’s great. I know that has to make ya feel good.”

“It does,” I answered proudly. “It’s been a long time coming.”

His voice softened as he said, “The kid’s lucky to have you.”

That was Jax. He always looked out for me, supported me, and let me know that my efforts hadn’t gone unnoticed. He was my dad’s brother, but over the years, he’d become so much more than just my uncle.

I’d just turned eleven when a log truck lost its load, causing Dad to lose control of the car that my parents were traveling in. Mom and Dad were both in the hospital for several days before they finally succumbed to their injuries. One day, I had a mom, a dad, and an older brother. The next, I had none of them.

Technically, I still had my brother Adan, but he had graduated high school and was leaving for college. I knew he hadn’t abandoned me, but when you’ve just lost your parents, your brother going off to college felt an awful lot like losing him.

I felt like everyone I loved was leaving me.

Except Jax.

He was there. He was always there, looking out for me. He had no clue what to do with a grieving eleven-year-old girl, but he tried. He showed up at school conferences in a leather vest and boots, sat through school programs just because he thought I wanted to go, and even learned that I’d eat cereal when nothing else sounded good.

He never made a big deal about any of it. He just did it, and it meant the world to me. He and the brothers showed me that I hadn’t lost my entire family.

I still had them, and I would be forever grateful.

“Thanks, Jax. That’s sweet of you to say.” I was eager to finish up for the day, so I asked, “Was there a reason you called?”

“Wanted to see about the brakes. They seem better?”

“They’re not squealing anymore, so I’d say they’re better.”

“That’s good. Glad to hear it. Figure you owe me one for hooking you up.”

“Is that right?” I laughed. “What did you have in mind?”

“You think you could swing by and feed Rosco tomorrow. I’ve got a run, and I’m not sure what time I’ll be back.”

“Sure.” Rosco was his ten-year-old Husky, and he’d grown grumpy in his old age. I was one of the few people he’d let into the backyard without trying to rip me apart. He wouldn’t let Adan come around anymore, and while that was sad, it meant a lot that he still remembered and loved me. “I’ll go by in the morning, as soon as I get done with work.”

“That’d be great. I know he’ll be happy to see you.”

“I’ll be happy to see him, too.”

“You need anything?”

“No, I’m good. Just busy.”