Caleb traced the lines that connected the arms of the octopus to its body. He didn’t look away from the picture. “Do you remember me?”

Gretchen heard Jax sniffle, and she fought to maintain her own composure. “I don’t remember the things we’ve done together or the places we’ve gone, but I remember you. Of course I remember you.”

“You said I wasn’t your baby.” His frown was so deep, so intense, that he looked years older.

Gretchen hated herself. “I wasn’t feeling very good that night, but you know what’s cool?” She forced a cheery smile when Caleb raised his big brown eyes. “I’m going to be home every day for a while, so you can tell me about everything.”

“Everything?”

“Everything. Tell me about school, your friends, your teachers, and what we did over the summer.”

“Mrs. Henderson is my teacher. She’s nice. My friends at school are Tommy, Lila, Danny—”

Gretchen laughed. “Okay, Cricket. Why don’t you go get comfortable on the couch? I’ll be in in a minute to lie with you and listen to all your stories.”

“I need my blanket!” Caleb jetted off to his room.

Jax leaned back against the counter. Her expression was more relaxed, easier than it had been minutes before. “You might regret that.”

Gretchen knew Jax was speaking specifically about Caleb’s motormouth, but all she thought of were hours of Caleb in her arms telling her about his life and giving her a new memory to cherish. “Never. I’ll never regret it.”

Chapter Fifteen

24 days, 9 hours, 47 minutes

Gretchen was cranky the next morning. Her bed felt right, but the space was all wrong. Jax was upstairs, completely detached from her, and Caleb no longer needed to sleep with his mother. The quiet led her to so many of the thoughts she tried to avoid.

Who was Jax’s girlfriend? How long had they been together? Did Jax miss her the way she missed Jax? Did Jax have a hard time sleeping without her, too?

She tried to count the questions like counting sheep, but they were better than caffeine at keeping her awake. She opened the wrong cabinet in the kitchen yet again, grumbling to herself. All she wanted was to get a pot of coffee ready for when she got back from her run. A run she desperately needed. Why was everything in the wrong place? The coffeemaker should be on the corner of the countertop, the coffee mugs should be in the cabinet above it, and the coffee should be in the fridge. She really should’ve given Amanda a list.

“I thought I heard you down here. What are you doing?” Jax wiped sleep from her eyes as she shuffled slowly into the kitchen.

Gretchen hated Jax’s bedhead, and the way her stiff nipples caught her attention. And she really hated the strip of bare skin that peeked out from under her T-shirt when she stretched. Gretchen hated every single inconvenience this morning.

“I just want coffee.”