“Bah! Bah!” Eli exclaimed and laughed.
“Careful, buddy.” Jess chuckled as she wiped Eli’s fingers. “You’ll have the kitty spoiled.”
“I think Rascal’s already there,” I added, watching as the cat stretched and settled even closer, purring like a motor.
Eli let out a happy babble, waving his arms, which made Rascal dab at one of Eli’s sleeves, the tiniest tap that sent the boy into a fit of giggles. The sound filled the room with something warm and light, like hope stitched into the fabric of this place.
I glanced across the table at Tyler. He was watching them too, a contented smile pulling at his lips. His eyes met mine, shining in the glow of the Christmas lights strung across the windows, and for a moment, everything was perfect.
Home. Family. Healing. It was all right here.
And it was laced with hope.
EIGHTEEN
Tyler
I sat backin the music room, quiet, long after my sister and nephew had gone. My chest felt too full, as if there was no room left to breathe, but I stayed still, afraid that if I moved, everything inside me might crack wide open.
I was an uncle.
The words felt strange, unreal. I kept turning them over in my head, like maybe if I repeated them enough, they’d make sense. An uncle. Eli’s uncle. Pax’s son.
I swallowed hard. Pax never got to see him. Never got to hold him or hear him laugh or feel the way those tiny fingers curled tight around mine as if they were meant to be there. That part twisted inmy chest—the knowing. All the things Pax had lost. All the things we’d lost.
And Jess—God, Jess. Seeing her again after everything, after all the time I’d spent convincing myself it was too late to go back, had shaken something loose in me. She hadn’t looked at me with pity or blame. She simply smiled, and it was like a piece of home I thought I’d burned down was still standing.
Eli was beautiful. Bright-eyed and curious, and so small it scared me to breathe too close. But when he’d reached for me, something inside me settled in a way I didn’t expect. Like maybe I hadn’t lost everything. Like maybe there was still a place for me.
I could be there for him. Show up. I could be the uncle Eli deserved. I didn’t know how to do that yet, but I was determined.
The door creaked behind me, but I didn’t turn. I didn’t need toseeMarcus; I knew it was him. His footsteps were light, careful, as if he wasn’t sure if I wanted company. But I did. I always did.
He sat beside me, close enough that I could feel the warmth of him, but not so close that it crowded me. I was grateful for that unspoken understandingbetween us—how he always seemed to know when to wait.
After a while, I let out a breath. “Jess looks the same.” My voice sounded small in the stillness. “And Jesus, Marcus, have you ever seen such a beautiful baby?”
Marcus shook his head, his voice gentle. “I haven’t.” He might have been lying; maybe the baby that had arrived with the veteran was some angelic little thing. But although all babies are pure and sweet, Eli wasmynephew, and he wasperfect.
Excitement flooded me. “He reached for me, Marcus, as if he knew me, and these didn’t scare him.” I touched my scars, felt the ridges and the smooth parts. I tipped back, staring up at the ceiling. Marcus reached for my hand, his fingers warm as they threaded through mine. His thumb brushed over my knuckles, slow and steady. The kind of touch that said I didn’t have to rush. That I was safe here.
“Babies don’t judge appearance, they just know love when they see it,” Marcus murmured.
I swallowed, my throat tight. “I’m scared I’ll screw it up.”
Marcus lifted our joined hands, pressing his lipsto the back of mine. His breath was warm on my skin. “You won’t.”
“You don’t know that.”
“I know you.” His eyes didn’t waver. “You love them. You’ll figure the rest out.”
The way he said it made my chest ache. My heart thudded as I leaned in, closing the small space between us.
His mouth met mine, no urgency, just a quiet reassurance settling in my bones. I let myself sink into it, let the warmth of him wrap around the cold places I still carried. When we parted, he rested his forehead against mine.
“I’m still learning how to live again,” I whispered.
He smiled, the kind of smile that crinkled the corners of his eyes. “And you’re doing an amazing job,UncleTyler.”
