My throat closed.
“It’s for your desk,” Harper said softly.
I pulled her into me again, holding on longer this time. “Thank you, sweetheart.”
She nodded, satisfied, then pointed at Dani. “He brought us stuff too.”
I reached back into the bag and pulled out a small wrapped box, handing it to Harper first.
“For you.”
She tore into it, revealing a little bracelet with pink beads and a tiny silver dolphin charm.
She slipped it on immediately, then threw her arms around my waist. “I love it.”
I looked up to find Dani watching us, something unreadable flickering across her face.
I reached into the bag again, slower this time.
“Hey,” I said, holding out the second gift. “This one’s for you.”
Her brows lifted in surprise as she took the bag carefully, like it might disappear if she moved too fast.
Inside was the candle. Matte glass with a simple label that read:
Home.
She lifted the lid and breathed in.
Then she turned it around to read the label; her eyes softened instantly.
“Oh,” she whispered.
The room went still.
“I—uh,” I started, suddenly aware of my heart beating way too fast. “I thought of you when I saw it. I remember you saying how you felt by the water. Wanted you to always know you’d have a home here.”
She looked up at me then, really looked at me, and I noticed the tears building in the corner of her brown eyes.
“Thank you,” she said quietly. “I love it.”
NotI like it.
NotThis is nice.
I love it.
Harper clapped her hands. “Okay! Cake now!”
We lit the candle again and Harper made a wish for “Dad to stay home forever,” and Dani shot me an apologetic smile that made my chest warm instead of tight.
As I blew out the flame, frosting already smudged on Harper’s nose, I realized something terrifying and perfect all at once.
This.
The mess.
The laughter.
