"I want you to be honest about what your life looks like," I say finally. "No promises you can't keep. No commitments that force you to choose between the mission and us."
Stryker studies me for a moment. "Here's the truth. I'm Echo Ridge. That doesn't change. There will be operations. Some dangerous, some that go sideways, some that take longer than planned. I'll come home when I can, but I can't promise it'll always be when we expect."
"I know."
"But this is home now. You and Lucas. Echo Base. This is what I come back to. What I fight for." His hand finds mine. "I'mnot asking you to just accept the danger and uncertainty. I'm asking if you can live with it."
"Can you live with me asking you to be careful? To come back?"
"Yeah. I can live with that."
We stand there in the training room, understanding the reality of what we're building. It's not perfect. It's not safe. But it's real, and maybe that's enough.
"Lucas wants to know if you're going to be his dad," I say.
Stryker is quiet for a long moment. "What do you want me to tell him?"
"The truth. Whatever that is for you."
Stryker nods slowly. "Okay. I'll talk to him."
I find them later in the communal area. Lucas sits cross-legged on the floor with Odin beside him, Stryker crouched down to the kid's eye level. They're working through hand signals, Lucas demonstrating with the kind of serious concentration he brings to everything important.
"This one means sit." Lucas shows the hand signal. "And this one means stay. And this one means come."
Stryker mimics the signals, his movements precise. "Like this?"
"Almost. You have to be more clear with your hands. Odin needs to see it exactly right." Lucas demonstrates again. "See? Fingers together, palm flat."
"Got it." Stryker tries again, and this time Odin responds immediately to the command. Lucas's face lights up.
"You did it! Odin listened to you!"
"You're a good teacher." Stryker ruffles Lucas's hair. "You've been working with him a lot."
"Khalid helps. He says dogs need consistency and patience." Lucas looks up at Stryker with that serious expression that always makes my heart ache. "Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"Are you going to be my dad?"
The question hangs in the air. Stryker doesn't flinch, doesn't look away. Just holds Lucas's gaze with the same steady intensity he brings to everything.
"Your biological father was Mateo," Stryker says carefully. "He's gone now. You were really young when Hawthorne got you and your mom out, so you probably don't remember much about him."
Lucas nods slowly. "Mom doesn't talk about him much."
"That's okay. She doesn't have to." Stryker shifts position, sitting fully on the floor now. "I can't replace him. But I can be here now. Protect you and your mom. Teach you things. Be someone you can count on. If you want that."
"What do I call you?"
"What do you want to call me?"
Lucas considers this with the same seriousness he applies to Odin's training. "Mom calls you Colton. But everyone else calls you Stryker."
"You can call me whatever feels right to you."
"Can I think about it?"
