I watch it all from the doorway for too long. Boone with his daughter. Delaney at Sadie’s level, chatting. Caleb leaning against the counter, already unpacked emotionally even if his bag isn’t.
Boone clears his throat. “Alright. We should probably get settled.”
Caleb nods. “I’ll grab my bag.”
Delaney stands. “I should unpack before I forget what I brought.”
Boone shifts Sadie to his hip. “I’ll get her settled. Thanks again for watching her, Julia.”
“Anytime,” my mom replies. “She’s excellent company.”
Sadie beams. “I showed her Pickle videos.”
Boone winces. “I’m sorry.”
Julia laughs. “Worth it.”
They head off, boots thudding softly down the hallway, Sadie chattering a mile a minute about unicorn horses and snacks and something called sparkle rules.
And then it’s just us.
The kitchen quiets, the house exhaling around us, settling back into place.
Mom sets Sadie’s crayons aside and turns her chair so she’s facing me fully. She doesn’t pry. Never has.
“So,” she says lightly. “Cabin trip.”
I drag out a chair and sit across from her. “Yeah.”
“That was supposed to be a question,” she adds.
I smile despite myself. “It was… a lot.”
“Mmm.” She sips her tea. “And?”
“And good,” I admit. “Complicated. Honest. Messy in the way that feels like it matters.”
She watches me carefully now, not missing a thing. “You look different.”
“Do I?”
“You do.” She smiles. “Less like you’re waiting for the punchline.”
I blow out a breath. “She scares me.”
Julia’s eyes soften. “Good.”
I snort. “You’re supposed to reassure me.”
“I am,” she says gently. “The right things should scare you a little. It means you’re not hiding behind the easy version of yourself.”
I stare down at the table, tracing a groove in the wood with my thumb. “I don’t want to be a phase for her.”
Julia nods slowly. “Then don’t act like one.”
I look up.
“She’s been taken lightly before,” I continue. “Written off. Reduced. I don’t ever want to be another man who makes her feel like she has to perform or disappear to be safe.”
