It’s been a long day, like it usually is on days when he comes home late from his patrols.

You spent the day with your little daughter, trying your very best to keep up with her endless energy. At two years old, she’s already running around the house on her tiny feet—laughing, giggling and babbling on to no end. You love it, of course. Love her. So much it makes your chest ache. But you can’t deny it takes a toll on you, attempting to keep her fed, safe and entertained all day long.

It’s not often he gets home this late, leaving you alone with her for an entire day. Which, right now, he admires you for more than ever. He always knew it couldn’t be easy, but after seeing it himself, he finds himself appreciating everything you do even more.

Sometimes, he has a hard time believing this truly is his life. He never thought he’d be lucky enough to get this again. A beautiful daughter, a real house, a sense of safety and normalcy that was a rare luxury in this world. And, most of all, you.

He still struggles to believe that he deserves any of it. He knows deep down that he probably doesn’t—far from it. Yet, every day, he finds himself thanking the universe for giving him this second chance at a peaceful life anyway.

Joel has always thought that you make it look so damn easy. Ever since your daughter was born, you’ve handled it with such a natural grace that never failed to take his breath away and make his heart melt. The way you hold her, talk to her, take care of her—you’ve somehow managed to make it seem like the simplest thing in the world. Like you were just made for it. Without ever so much as a single complaint. Even when he insists on helping out, you always brush it off and assure him you can handle it. And, somehow, you always do.

And to Joel, it’s just one of the million things about you that makes him fall even deeper for you every single day.

The sun has set behind Jackson’s mountains when the front door creaks open, the cozy cabin—your doing—now mostly lit up by candles and table lamps. He peers inside, noticing how quiet the house is as he carefully closes the door behind him. He hangs his jacket up on the hook and step out of his boots. A weary sigh leaves him when he steps into the kitchen, his shoulders slumping slightly as he begins to boil some water for your nightly cup of tea—knowing exactly how you like it, of course.

You're already half-asleep on the couch when he comes home, curled up under a blanket. The book you'd been reading lies on the floor where it had fallen from your grip, a clear sign of your failed attempt at waiting up for him. You had been utterly exhausted after you finally managed to tuck your daughter into bed, freshly bathed and completely tuckered out by the time you finished reading to her. Despite your weariness, you had stayed by her side a couple minutes longer, watching her eyelashes flutter as she drifted off to sleep.

In that moment, you thought about how much she reminds him of Joel. From the little frown on her face, to the way her tiny fingers curl into the blanket. It made you think of all the small things that made you fall for him, and how you're lucky enough to be blessed with a child that inherited his best qualities.

Joel finds you in the living room, taking in the way the golden light from the setting sun makes your hair glow. The tired slump of your shoulders even beneath the blanket. The sleepy blush coloring your cheeks. And—because he can’t help himself when it comes to you—the way your jeans hug your curves perfectly. His sweet girl. His pretty mama. His everything.

“Hey, baby,” he murmurs as he crouches next to you, putting the mug down on the coffee table and pressing his lips gently to your temple. “Missed ya today.”