Jax

Chapter One

       I stare down into the box with confusion. A baby? Who would just set a baby in front of an apartment and leave? Why specifically for me? And how did they know my name?

      My thoughts were interrupted as he started crying. "Uh, what's that? Make it stop!" Izzy panicked from beside me. I picked him up slowly and held him close to my chest. I bounced and shushed him calmly while internally freaking out. Izzy and I looked at each other, shocked, as the baby lulled to sleep.

       "Are you okay Jen?" Izzy asked once the baby was asleep. "Um, define okay" I said staring at the baby boy in my arms. "Are you gonna keep him? Jen you're 17 and a freshman in college." It's true, where my birthday falls, I'll turn 18  in about a month, it's August now. "I can't let him go uncared for. Even though my life will probably never be the same again, I need to keep him" I say, walking back into the apartment. She nods, "well, then he needs a name."

I chose the name I'd had in mind since I was 10. The one I always wanted to name my future son.

"Jax. His name is Jax." I say to her. "Jax..." she says testing it out. "I like it, Jax and Jen" she smiles at me. I smile back. This is going to be one wild ride.

***

   Myself, Izzy, and some family gathered around as we watched my beautiful, black haired, silver eyed, baby boy make a mess out of his third birthday cake. Well, we don't know his actual birthday, but we celebrate on the day I got him, August 6th.

       "Jax, you're a mess!" I say smiling. "I like messy!" He says, throwing up his arms. Everyone laughs and I kiss his forehead. "I love you, Jaxy" I tell him. He beams, "I love you too momma!" He yells back. I smile wide and he asks if he can open his presents now.

"After we get you cleaned up a bit," I say. "Izzy! Can you give him a quick bath while I clean out here?" I ask her. "Sure thing momma bear," she said, she's called me that since Jax was one. "Thanks, alright J.E. Jr, go with Aunt Izzy," I tell him. My close relatives call me J. E., Jennifer Elaine, and since Jax's middle name also starts with an E, Jax Erin, they started calling him "J.E. Jr." I thought it was cute.

As Jax and Izzy went into the bathroom, my older sister, Lauren, walked up to me. Lauren is a year older than me, but if you didn't know that you'd think we were twins. We both have the same small stature, dark brown, wavy hair, hazel eyes, and freckled cheeks.

"He is so cute, it's crazy that it's been three years since you got him. Honestly, I never thought you would become a mother before I did" she said. "Yeah it is crazy, but nothing in this world could ever make me give him up. I love him so much it's kinda crazy, he isn't even mine," I reply, wiping off the table Jax was at so I could put presents on it, she nods. "So are you gonna have any of your own?" She questions. "Oh no, sista, don't even ask me that question." I say, putting my hand up sassily. "There are absolutely no possibilities. Plus there'd have to be a dad..." I trail off. "...so you are looking for a father figure?" She presses. "Not actively," I say.

     "So you do want to find him a dad!" She exclaimed. My face became pink tinted. "I mean, eventually. I'm 19, almost 20," I gave, sitting the last bag on the table. "Hopefully you'll find someone, you're amazing," she put her hand on my shoulder. "Thanks L." I said smiling. "No problem J. E." She smiled back.

Just then, a stark naked Jax came sprinting through the living room, followed by a breathless Izzy. "Jax Erin Donelson! You need clothes!" She yells. "No I don't! It's hot out!" He screams, still running. I laugh and scoop him up as he runs by. "Let's get you dressed buddy," I smile. "Okay momma!" He says excitedly. "How?" Izzy asks, exasperated. "I'm his mom, he loves me more." I shrug. Izzy rolls her eyes and we all laugh.

After dressing Jax, we start opening presents. It was a fairly small party, just my family and Izzy's, which consisted of my parents, Lauren, and Izzy's twin brother Ian.

Izzy and Ian lost their parents four years ago from a car crash. Izzy doesn't drive still to this day.

I sit Jax in front of his presents. "Here, open me and Uncle Ian's first bud!" Izzy says, sliding a large box toward him. Jax haphazardly rips the red paper off the box, making a mess in the process. "Momma," Jax starts when he sees the box is taped shut. "I got it bud" I say, pulling my pocket knife out, yes, I carry one of those, and cut the tape.

Jax opens the flaps. "Oh wow drums!" He says, trying to pull the set out of the box. I get up to help him but Izzy and Ian beat my to it, pulling out a medium sized (not full size but not quite child size), red, drum set.

"I mentioned how you thought drums were cool and are always tapping, Ian just went with it so you could be 'just like Uncle Ian'," Izzy says, using air quotes. "Trust me bud, bass is the way to go," she winked at him. Izzy, Ian, Lauren and I play music together a lot. Izzy plays bass, I play ukulele, guitar, piano, and vocals, Lauren does guitar and vocals, Ian plays the drums.

Jax hugs Izzy and Ian, thanking them. They hugged him back and sent him back to his presents. He opens the next present, a medium sized red bag with white tissue paper from my parents.

He throws the white paper everywhere laughing and pulls out a small art kit. Pencils, crayons, markers, pastels, and watercolors. He gasped loudly. "Now I can draw like momma does!" He said, beaming. "We thought you'd enjoy it. J.E. Jr." my mom said smiling to him. He hugged her. I smiled. It's adorable how much he idolizes me. I go to an art college for painting, cinematography, and music.

Jax ran over to me. "Look momma! Look! Do you think someday I'll be as good as you?" He asked. "I think someday you'll be better," I said and laid a hand on his shoulder. He smiled widely and hugged me tight. Which only made my smile grow.

"Go open your presents Jaxy" I said. "Oh yeah!" He yelled, going back over to the medium sized box wrapped in red and black stripes. "That ones from me," I say. He then smiles and quickly rips off the paper and opens the box. He pulls out the small red Cars themed ukulele. "A Lightning McQueen Uke!" He yelled. "Thank you thank you thank you momma!" He continued to squeal while jumping up and down. Then he hugged me and I was just laughing. "You're welcome," I said between laughs, hugging him back.

"Alright now open mine!" Lauren encouraged, holding out the bag. He ran over and plucked the average sized white bag from her hands. He opened it and revealed what he'd gotten to us.

It was a picture in a red and black frame of me and him the day I'd gotten him. He was still a newborn. He brought it over to me. "Who are you holding in this picture?" He asked. "That's you," I told him, poking the picture of little him. "That's me?!" He said. "Yep!" I tell him. "I was so small," he comments. "You were. You've gotten so big since then," I say.

***
"Will I be as big as you one day momma?" He asked as I was tucking him in. "Well, Jaxy, I think you'll be bigger," I tell him. "Really?" He questioned, excited. "Really really. Now, it's time for bed." I kiss his forehead. "Goodnight momma, I love you" he says, rolling over. "Goodnight Jax, I love you too, more than you'll ever know"