Samantha is standing in the garden, barefoot in the grass, watering the plants Angelique helped her pot last summer.
The air is still warm, humming with late afternoon.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtQCuNqqfaJ
Everything feels... still.
Peaceful.
She hears the gate click.
Ryan.
He's carrying a paper bag and a familiar box from that bakery Angelique loves. She tries to hide the smile before it escapes.
"You didn't have to bring anything."
"I know," he says. "But I like being the reason she smiles."
Angelique peeks from behind the curtains. The moment she sees the box, she shrieks:
"RYAAAAAAN!"37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2OXK6wZRWx
She bolts outside and crashes into his legs.
He lifts her easily with one arm, grinning. "Chocolate mango tarts, your majesty."
"You remembered!"
"I always do."
Samantha watches them. The way Angelique rests her head on his shoulder like it's second nature. The way he settles into the space like he's been there for years.
And then Angelique says it. Out loud.37Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7RO4nctyMt
Without fanfare. Without setup.
"Are you gonna be my dad now?"
Samantha's breath catches.
Ryan looks at her before he answers. His eyes don't waver.
"I'd be lucky to be anything you want me to be," he says softly. "As long as your mom's okay with that."
Angelique beams. "She is. I saw her smile when she saw you. She only smiles like that for me."
Ryan chuckles, eyes still locked on Samantha's.
"I hope that's true," he says. "Because I'm not going anywhere."
Later that night, after Angelique's asleep with a crumb-smudged cheek and Ryan's washed the last dish from dinner, they end up in the doorway together.
The silence feels full, not empty.
She leans against the frame. "You really mean it, don't you?"
He nods once.
"I'm not scared of what we are, Sam. I'm scared of what I'd be if I didn't try."
She looks at him, heart open, armor down.
"I think I've been waiting for someone who wouldn't make me feel like I had to choose between being a woman... and being a mother."
He steps closer.
"Then you've been waiting for the wrong kind of man."
He kisses her.
Not rushed. Not desperate.
Just right.
The kind of kiss that feels like coming home.
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