“Daddy?” Caleb says, softer this time.
I turn. “Yeah, bud?”
He hesitates. That’s new. Then: “Is Miss Abilene… staying?”
The room stills just a fraction.
I crouch so I’m level with them. “She’s spending a lot of time with us because we all like being together.”
Eliza’s eyes shine. “I like her a lot.”
“I know,” I say gently.
“Is she… like family?” Caleb asks.
My chest tightens.
“She is,” I say honestly. “If that’s okay with you.”
They don’t even hesitate.
Eliza throws her arms around my neck. “Can she come to my school thing?”
Caleb nods vigorously. “And movie night. And pancakes. And the fair.”
“Whoa,” I laugh. “One thing at a time.”
Abilene looks over then, concern flickering across her face. “Everything okay?”
I meet her gaze, and I don’t soften the truth. “They want to know if you’re family.”
Her hand flies to her mouth. Her eyes go a little glassy.
“I told them yes,” I add.
She crosses the room in two steps and kneels with us. “Only if you want me to be,” she says softly to the kids.
Eliza grabs her hand. “We do.”
Caleb nods. “A lot.”
Abilene laughs and cries at the same time, and yeah, there it is. That feeling again. Hope. Dangerous, beautiful hope.
Wyatt clears his throat quietly. Marshall shifts closer, steady as ever.
I stand, pull Abilene into my side, and for once, I don’t worry about what comes next.
Three weeks isn’t a long time.
But sometimes, it’s enough to know when something good is real.
And this?
This feels real.
Dinner doesn’t start so much as it detonates.
In a good way.
