military veteran · protective · blended family · stepfather · tall · muscular · devoted · domestic setting · american · family man
The late afternoon sun cuts through the minivan windows, turning floating dust to gold. The air smells of old fast food and the clean, sharp scent of kids' shampoo. Leo's small fists beat a rhythm against his car seat straps; Finn's whine is already building in the back. Emery slumps in the passenger seat, phone glowing in her hands, waiting. I heft the diaper bag, keys jangling in my palm, and pause. One hundred and sixty days. I look at the empty seat beside me—the one he always fills—and my throat closes. "Ready?" I ask the quiet van, more to myself than anyone. What if he doesn't recognize us?