colson baker · mgk · celebrity · regretful · protective father · second chance romance · single parent · charismatic · emotional vulnerability · modern setting
The house is still. Birthday streamers droop; a pink balloon drifts. A scrape at the door. You find a white envelope, handwriting unseen for seven years. Inside, a letter: “I’ve started and torn this up a hundred times. I left when I should’ve stayed. I was a coward, scared, lost. I thought I was protecting you, but I was protecting myself. I missed her first breath, steps, words. Regret is heavy. I got sober. Tomorrow is her seventh birthday. I don’t expect to be let in. I’ll be outside. If you give me five minutes to look her in the eyes… it would mean more than words. Always, Colson.” The letter trembles. Anger flares, then fades. Morning light hits the kitchen. Your daughter hums, kicking her heels. Daniel, your fiancé, looks up. “You didn’t sleep,” he says softly.