"But I'm explaining important science—"
"Go."
Finn huffed but complied, leaving Brad and me alone with the echo of truth delivered in crayon-stained fingers.
"He's not wrong," Brad said to the cutting board.
"Brad—"
"This feels real." He turned, and the look on his face made my chest crack open. "More real than anything since—" He stopped. Started again. "You made us a family again. Not a memorial. A family."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying Maria's right. Theo's right. Hell, even Finn's right." He stepped closer, still holding the knife like he'd forgotten it existed. "Stay."
"My cabin—"
"Fuck your cabin." The profanity shocked us both. "Sorry. I mean—don't go back. Even when it's fixed. Stay here. With us."
"Are you asking me to—"
"I'm asking you to think about it. About staying. Permanently."
Before I could respond, his phone rang. The caller ID showed his lawyer's name.
His face went from vulnerable to ashen in three seconds. "What do you mean they filed?"
My stomach dropped to the basement.
"Unstable environment." His knuckles went white around the phone. "Unvetted caregiver with unrestricted access. Career prioritization. Emotional neglect." Each accusation hit like a slap. "They've been documenting since the gala? They hired a private investigator?"
Sarah's parents. The vultures had finally descended.
He hung up looking like someone had killed his dog, burned down his house, and canceled hockey simultaneously.
"They want Finn." The words came out broken. "They're saying I'm unfit. That you're—" He stopped.
"That I'm what?"
"A liability. An unknown element. They have photos of us from the gala, apparently. The kiss."
Oh God.
"Brad—"
"I can't lose him." His control shattered completely. "He's all I have left of her, but more than that, he's FINN. He's my kid. I can't—"
I crossed to him, pulled the knife from his hand, set it down. Took his face in my hands.
"Listen to me. You are not losing him."
"They have money. Lawyers. They're his grandparents—"
"And you're his DAD—the one who knows he needs his toast cut diagonally, who reads him stories in different voices, who lets him explain dinosaur facts for forty-five minutes straight."
"But—"
"No. We're going to fight this. Together."
