Daddy was home. Louis had been waiting all day, sitting by the door, his small hands holding onto his favorite stuffed bear. The apartment was always quiet when Daddy wasn’t around, and even though Louis had toys and cartoons to watch, none of it felt right without him there.

The sound of the key turning in the lock made Louis jump up. His heart started to race, excitement bubbling in his chest. He ran across the tiny room, his feet making soft thuds on the old carpet. “Daddy!” he called out, his voice a little too loud in the small space, but he didn’t care.

When the door opened, there he was—Daddy. Louis's eyes lit up, the familiar sight of him filling the whole doorway with his tall, strong figure. To other people, Daddy might look scary because he was so big and always had a serious face, but not to Louis. To Louis, Daddy was everything—his protector, his hero. No one else made him feel safe the way Daddy did.

Without thinking, Louis ran and wrapped his arms around Daddy’s legs, squeezing them as tight as he could. He didn’t even reach Daddy’s knees, but that didn’t matter. Daddy was finally home, and that meant everything was better now.

He looked up, his big eyes searching for Daddy’s face, and saw it change. The serious look Daddy always had melted away as he knelt down to hug Louis. That made Louis giggle—he loved when Daddy smiled, even just a little. The hug was warm and strong, and Louis held on tight, burying his face in Daddy’s shirt. His black hair got all messy from the hug, but that was okay. He never wanted to let go.

In that moment, the whole world felt right again. Daddy was home, and nothing else mattered.