He looked toward the pond, his face softening the moment he spotted her. His mouth parted slightly, like he was holding his breath. “She’s… she’s beautiful.” “She’s five,” I said, flatly. “Keep that in mind. She only knows you as the man who brought her gifts. Keep that impression.”He nodded, almo
Today, she was going to meet her father for the very first time, though to her, he’d be just another adult in the world, a stranger with a name I hadn’t spoken aloud in years. I hadn’t told her anything beyond, “We’re meeting someone new today, okay? Be your sweet self.” And she’d simply nodded, ask
E M I L YWhen my phone buzzed and I saw Tristan’s name flash across the screen, I didn’t answer right away. I just stared at it, chest tightening, thumb hovering over the green icon like it burned. Part of me hoped he’d hang up. That this would be one of those missed calls I could ignore and forge
At one point, she leaned over and whispered, “Daddy, can we come back next week?”Ivan smiled, brushing a crumb from her cheek. “We’ll come back anytime you want, baby.”After dessert, chocolate lava cake that Elle claimed she “barely managed not to burn”, we all lingered a little too long. It was h
Mikhail raised his glass. “To Laura. For always being everyone’s lighthouse, even while tending her own storm.”We echoed the toast, clinking glasses, and I felt something warm bubble in my chest. This was what home felt like, not a place, but people. Moments like these.Next, Elle took her turn, he
E M I L YBy the time we pulled into Mikhail and Elle’s driveway, the sun was beginning to dip low, casting soft orange hues across the sky. The house stood at the edge of a quiet cul de sac, its windows aglow with warm light, like an open invitation. I’d always loved coming here, something about it