Page 7 of Louder Than Words

His eyes meet mine, and just like that, I feel like I can finally breathe again. Like there’s nothing in the entire world that could hurt me or my girls. I feel…safe. Safe to feel whatever I’m feeling, and to actually let it show.

I’ve found my home in his eyes. And I’m not letting anything take that away.

He brushes his fingers lightly along my arms, and goosebumps follow behind.

“You know you can tell me anything,” he says, giving me that soft, crooked smile that always makes me feel like my world isn’t completely falling apart.

Truth is? I just don’t want tothinkanymore. I just want to go back to how things were when everything was easy. When it was all love and laughter and still felt brand-new. Now it’s like we’re holding our breath all the time, waiting for the next thing to go wrong.

I shrug and finally lean into him.

“He was just… ruthless,” I admit quietly. “Refused to meet me halfway on anything. And then he said I was just trying to ‘steal’ his daughters to play house since I can’t have any more.”

The reminder still aches in my chest, slowly turning into something heavier, like I’ve swallowed a cinder block whole.

For a second, he goes completely still. Then he pulls me closer into his chest, his muscles tightening around me before he kisses the top of my head and starts rubbing my scalp.

I knew hearing that would upset him, but I just can’t hold it in anymore. All I want to do is cry, but I can’t. I’ve cried so much over the past few months, I’m not sure there’s anything left. And honestly? I just don’t want to anymore.

I’m tired of crying. Tired of feeling like I’m falling apart every damn day. And ifI’mexhausted by it, I can only imagine how everyone around me must feel.

I need to bring the old Allie back. The one who held everything together even when it was falling apart. The one who kept going because two little girls were counting on her. I know she’s in there somewhere. I just hope when I finally dig her out, the best parts of her will still be intact.

But I at least have to try. Not just for me. Not even just for Jax. But for my girls. They deserve a mom who smiles. One who shows them that even when life knocks you down, you can still get back up and keep going. And I’m not saying I can’t be upset. I’m human, and I know these things are going to bother me when I really think about them. I just can’t allow myself to get lost in it all before I end up losing it all.

And I can’t lose a single one of them.

I lift my head and press a soft kiss to Jax’s lips. He smiles against my mouth like he always does, and in that moment, I just know.

“Everything’s going to be okay,” I whisper.

He hesitates, but not in a way that makes me worry. I know he’s just carefully choosing his words, the way he has been every time we have to have a talk like this. Every time we have to talk about court, or the accident, he goes silent.

He brushes my hair behind my ear, keeping one hand cradling my cheek.

“And if it’s not… we’ll fight like hell to make it that way,” he says softly.

Leaning more into his hand, I press my lips into his palm.

I know things will never be perfect, and honestly, I don’t think I’d want them to be. A little chaos reminds you what’s worth fighting for.

But right now? We just need a break.

And if anyone’s earned that, it’s Jax.

He’s been by my side through all of it—showing up, holding the pieces of my soul together like it’s second nature. Some days,I honestly don’t know how he’s still standing. He drives back and forth without a single complaint, always arriving with that easy smile and those arms that feel like the safest place in the world.

I don’t think I’ll ever find the right words to tell him how much it all means to me. But maybe I don’t need to. Jax has never needed words because his actions have always screamed louder.

And if I’ve learned anything from all of this, it’s that if they wanted to, they would.

No questions. No expectations. Just showing up for the people you love.

Exactly the way it should be.

4

Jax