But I knew Theo.
And I knew Debbie.
I knew what they meant to each other.
And I knew what they meant to me.
“You’re right,” I said quietly. “I don’t know that, but I know you, and I know that little girl in there who calls you daddy and trusts you with her whole heart. I know that you’ve been everything to her for four years, and I know that no biological aunt who couldn’t be bothered to call on her birthday is going to change that.”
“But what if it doesn’t matter? What if the law doesn’t care about love or stability or—”
“Then we’ll fight.” The words came out of nowhere, surprising us both. “Whatever happens in there, we’ll figure it out. We’ll get the best lawyers, we’ll appeal, we’ll do whatever it takes; but Theo, you’renotalone in this. You’renotfacing this by yourself.”
The silence stretched between us, broken only by the sound of his ragged breathing and the distant murmur of courthouse activity.
“I’m scared,” he whispered finally, and the raw vulnerability in his voice nearly undid me. “I’m so scared, Jer.”
I closed my eyes, leaning back against the brick wall of the building, trying to find words that would matter, that would help, that would somehow make this nightmare less terrifying.
I thought about morning coffee with Mrs. Chen, about her stories of forty-three years with Harold and her regret over all the time they’d wasted being afraid. Then I thought about the rhythm we’d built over the past weeks—the three of us on the couch, Debbie’s laughter, the way Theo looked at me like I was something precious.
I thought about family, and what it meant, and how sometimes love had to be stronger than fear.
“I’ll be here,” I said, and somehow the words felt solid and true, like a promise I could actually keep. “By your side, no matter what. Whatever happens in that courtroom, whatever comes next, I’m not going anywhere. We’re in this together, all three of us. Always.”
I heard his breath hitch, then a long, shaky exhale.
“Okay,” he said, and his voice was steadier now, quieter but less frantic. “Okay.”
“Go back in there and show them what an amazing father you are. Show them what Debbie already knows—that she’sexactlywhere she belongs.”
“What if I mess it up? What if I say the wrong thing?”
“Just be yourself. Be the man who makes pancakes shaped like dragons and reads bedtime stories with different voices for every character. Be the dad who teaches his five-year-old that dragon princesses are stronger than regular princesses. Be the person who loves that little girl enough to fight for her.”
Another pause, and when he spoke again, something like determination crept back into his voice.
“I love you,” he said. “God, Jer, I love you so much.”
“I love you, too, both of you. Now go show that courtroom what family really looks like.”
The line went quiet, and it took forever before I realized he’d hung up.
I stood there for what felt like forever, staring at my phone, packages still scattered around my feet, evidence of the moment everything had changed.
Then I bent down and started gathering them up, my hands steadier than they had any right to be.
I had deliveries to finish.
But more importantly, I had a family to get home to, whatever shape that family took when the day was over.
Because one thing I knew for certain—no absent aunt and no prejudiced legal system was going to tear apart what we’d built.
Not without a fight.
Not while I still had breath in my body.
Chapter 37
