Chapter 102

Kelvin was never meant to be part of tonight.

He had come for an unfinished business with Liam’s father, a deal still hanging between them.

But instead of leaving once it was done, he lingered, easing into the celebration as though he belonged.

That it happened on this night, of all nights, felt cruelly poetic.

The garden pulsed with warmth and chatter. My mom and Liam’s mom had already found each other, deep in the kind of instant bond only future grandmothers could forge.

Within minutes, they were plotting baby showers, debating names, and half-joking over who would win the title of “favorite grandma.”

Jay sat with his phone angled close, proudly declaring he was googling “how to be the best uncle alive.”

Across the lawn, Sophia had her father cornered in one of her infamous negotiations. The poor man looked doomed; she never lost, not when she had him wrapped around her finger and knew exactly how to use it.

And then there was Liam.

From the moment Kelvin arrived, Liam had gone int