Page 102 of Finding His Redemption

He stood there for a long moment, staring at the empty doorway, his hands shaking. The black hole in his chest expanded, swallowing everything good he’d managed to build over the past few weeks. The sound of Oliver’s laughter drifted in from outside, bright and innocent, and it cut through him like a blade.

She was protecting her son, and he couldn’t fault her for that. What kind of mother would she be if she didn’t?

But Christ, it hurt.

He pushed himself off the wall and walked back through the bakery on unsteady legs. The cheerful décor—the cartoon sea monster logo, the mismatched chairs, the hand-painted signs—all felt like mockery now. It was just another reminder of what he couldn’t have.

Outside, Oliver was still painting with Echo, completely absorbed in their shared masterpiece. Jonah stood nearby, hands in his pockets, watching the boy and dog with a soft smile. When he saw Jax emerge from the bakery, that smile faded.

“Look, Jax!” Oliver held up the paper, now covered in splotches and swirls of color. “Echo made a flower!”

Jax stared at the abstract mess of paint. It looked like a tornado had hit a rainbow, but the pride on Oliver’s face shattered what little armor he had left. He felt raw, peeled open, like everything he’d tried to protect inside him was suddenly on display.

“It’s beautiful, buddy,” he managed, his voice so hoarse he barely recognized it as his own.

Jonah jerked his head toward the truck and mouthed, “Go on.” Then he knelt to Oliver’s level. “Hey, pal, Jax and Echo gotta get back to the ranch now. Let’s go find your mom and show her…”

Jax tuned the rest of it out and strode for the truck, calling on every ounce of willpower he possessed to keep himself together. He didn’t trust himself to say bye to Oliver without breaking down, and he didn’t want to upset the boy.

He’d just have to let Nessie figure out what to tell him.

Jax yanked the passenger door open and pulled himself up into the seat. As he reached to pull the door shut, he was surprised to see Echo right there behind him. She jumped up into his lap, and he lost it.

He wrapped his arms around her, buried his face in her fur and cried.

When Jonah returned from taking Oliver upstairs, he didn’t comment on the tears. He just cranked the key in the ignition and pointed the truck back toward Valor Ridge.

chapter

thirty

The bakery felt tooquiet without Oliver’s chatter, too empty without the warmth of her regular customers. It was closing time, and she hadn’t had a customer in nearly thirty minutes, but she couldn’t bring herself to flip the sign. Once she did that, she had a whole hour until she had to pick Oliver up from school.

Usually, she enjoyed this time to herself, but now an hour with her thoughts sounded like torture. She wanted her son back, wanted the distraction he provided.

Of course, as soon as she picked him up, the questions would start again.

Why did Jax leave so fast Saturday?

She’d told him Jax had to get back to work, that Echo needed to go home. Oliver had accepted it with the easy trust of a seven-year-old, but she’d seen the disappointment in his eyes.

The same disappointment she’d seen in Jax’s face when she’d told him she couldn’t have him around Oliver.

She’d done the right thing. She knew she had. Oliver was her priority, her responsibility. She couldn’t let her feelings for Jax put her son at risk.

But, dammit, it hurt.

The devastation on Jax’s face when she’d said it, like she’d reached into his chest and ripped out what was left of his heart.

She’d thought that was the end of it, but that night, the questions started.

Why did Jax look sad when he left?

When is Jax coming back?

Can we go to the ranch to see Jax and Echo and the other animals?

It had been nothing but Jax, Jax, Jax and Echo, Echo, Echo all weekend. She’d been relieved to put him on the bus this morning—just for the break—but now she wanted nothing more than to answer his barrage of questions. She’d had too much time to think. Too much time to wonder if she’d made the right choice.