Chapter Twenty-Six
DECLAN
The smell of toast lingers in the air, sunlight stretching slow across the counters.
The coffee maker clicks in rhythm, the kind of quiet morning that feels like a reset.
I’m taking out Sophie’s favorite cereal when I hear it—soft singing from down the hall, clear and sure.
It’s the first time I’ve heard her sing since she walked in on Charlotte and me having dinner last weekend.
And just like that, something in my chest eases.
A minute later, she pads into the kitchen, still in socks, hair pulled back, shoulders looser than they’ve been in days.
“Morning,” I say.
“Morning,” she answers, grabbing a bowl and pouring cereal. It’s been days of short answers and careful silences. But this morning, the air feels different. Easier somehow.
I pour coffee and wait, pretending not to notice the way she glances up at me, then back down again.
“Want strawberries or banana on top?” I ask, reaching for the cutting board.
“Banana,” she says, voice quiet but not closed off.
Progress.
A few minutes pass before she speaks again.
“Dad?”
“Yeah?”
She fidgets with her spoon, eyes tracing the pattern in the tabletop. “I’m sorry I’ve been weird lately.”
I set my coffee down, careful not to move too fast. “You don’t have to be sorry, Sophie.”
“I just…” She sighs, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I didn’t know you and Charlotte were—like that. I thought she was just your PT.”
“I know,” I say softly. “It was a surprise for both of us, too.”
She nods, quiet again, then blurts, “I like her. I do. She’s nice. It was just weird, seeing her here. With you.”
“That makes sense.” I sit across from her, keeping my tone even. “You’re used to it being just us.”
“Yeah.” She stirs her cereal again, then glances up. “You’ve never dated anyone since Mom.”
The truth lands between us, simple and heavy. “No. I haven’t.”
“Why now, though?” she asks. Not accusing, just curious.
I think about it before answering. “Because she makes things feel… steady. Not easy, exactly, but real.”
Sophie’s eyes soften. “You’ve been smiling more lately.”
A laugh slips out before I can stop it. “I have, huh?”
She nods, giving me a smile. “Yeah.”
