The rocker creaked beneath me while I moved in rhythm with Haze tucked securely in my arms. He latched on the second we sat down. His little hand clutched at the edge of my robe. The familiar ache that never quite left settled low across my back.
I could feel Corey shift. Not kick, not roll. Just settle. As if she recognized the sound of her brother feeding. Maybe she did. Maybe she knew they were connected in ways no one could explain. I pressed my lips to Haze's head and closed my eyes.
This was motherhood. This was the moment. He hadn't come from me, not by blood. He came from a plan soaked in cruelty. They wanted to use him as a pawn in whatever twisted scheme they built. That didn't matter now. That plan failed. He was here. I fed him from my body. I held him through his fears. Eve
