Either way, Silas gets neither.
And he knows that. Has known it all along.
Yet he’s loved them anyway. Protected them anyway. Called this place home. Promised to come back. Held them when they cried. Made them hot chocolate with too many marshmallows.
That’s who Silas Vale really is, underneath the Reaper facade.
A man who loves so fiercely he doesn’t need biology to claim it.
A man who had the ability to create children stolen from him and chose to be a father anyway.
A man who was broken and is healing, piece by piece, through these two boys and the woman who brought them into our lives.
I look down at Noah sleeping peacefully on my chest, and I let myself hope—just for a moment—that he’s mine.
That the DNA will come back and confirm what I see in his features, in his mannerisms, in the way he finds calm in chaos.
But even if he’s not—even if the results say Liam is mine and Noah is Jace’s, or some other combination—it doesn’t matter.
Not really.
Because we’re all their fathers now.
All of us.
Biology might determine which boy came from which man.
But love?
Love makes us all their dads.
And that’s what matters.
“Uncle Cal?” Liam’s voice again, softer now, sleep finally pulling at him. “Do you think Uncle Silas is okay? He’s been gone a long time.”
I check my phone. Forty-five minutes since Silas left. No check-in yet, which means he’s either still gathering information or things have gone loud.
Knowing Silas, probably the latter.
“He’s fine,” I say, projecting confidence I don’t entirely feel. “He’s tough. And he’s got backup with him. He’ll be home soon.”
“Promise?” Liam’s eyes are drooping.
“Promise.”
It’s a lie. I can’t promise that. Can’t guarantee Silas will come back unharmed, can’t guarantee the Ramirez situation won’t explode into something bigger, can’t guarantee any of us will survive what’s coming.
But these kids don’t need truth right now.
They need comfort. Safety. The belief that the adults around them have everything under control.
So I lie.
And I hold Noah closer.
And I hope to God I’m right.
44
