ter

ars Ago –

t pack

mber Ruby showing up with Lane, her voice sharp, angry, motherly. She wanted to burn the whole worl

il we were halfway

the words were

gave birth to a boy

ng a life I'd created from t

him Ki

ard his cry, the gi

ore

ore

e fair

rotect girls like

ed how to

The only single mum. The quietest. But I never missed a mark. Ne

ors said I w

nes don't feel the ache of watching a child grow with no father. Machines don't fal

lt i

piece of it inside

his own good. He keeps me on my toes. Some days he's all hormones and chaos,

his dad

told him the truth-or most of it. That his

too busy

Jaxon now. If he looked into those same p

let myself

's been fi

t a life w

n goo

back now and pretend he

e his

did