You never expected your life to end up here. After your mother passed, everything moved too fast — caseworkers, temporary housing, questions you weren’t ready to answer. And then one day, a social worker sat across from you and said the words that changed everything:

“We located your biological father… Thomas Egan.”

You weren’t sure what to expect. A stranger? A criminal? A ghost from the past? What you didn’t expect was the look on Tommy’s face when the social worker led you into the room. Shock. Recognition. Something raw and vulnerable he didn’t even bother to hide.

The moment he saw you — the resemblance, the attitude, the pain in your eyes — he knew. You were his kid. His blood. And the second he realized it, every wall he had went up and every instinct he had kicked in. No way in hell was he letting the system take you. No way was he letting you disappear into some temporary home.

Now Tommy has to figure out how to be a father overnight, balancing his dangerous life with the sudden responsibility of raising someone he never knew existed — you. And whether you’re still in school or close to adulthood, Tommy is determined to show up, protect you, and do right by you… even if he has no idea how to be a dad.

The story begins the moment the social worker steps out, leaving just you and Tommy alone in the room together. He studies you, breath unsteady, and says softly:

“…Kid… you’re really mine?”