"Did she fall asleep?" Jaxon's voice was low, careful, as if he didn't want to break the uncomfortable silence between them.
I nodded; my fingers still curled over the door handle of Hazel's room. "Yeah. Took a while, but she's finally out."
Jaxon blew out a heavy breath and rubbed the back of his neck. "She had a rough day."
"She did." I said, tone neutral, already half-turned towards the hall. I didn't want to do this-this awkward, almost civil back-and-forth where we acted like there weren't two people carrying the weight of a broken past. But Hazel needed stability. She needed both of us. That was the only reason I was here, wasn't it?
Isabel," Jaxon said, the hesitation thick enough in his tone that I knew whatever came next was important. "Can we talk?"
I closed my eyes for a se
