Joel watches you sleep, the exhaustion clear on your face. The baby is quiet in his crib. He has a son now.

He remembers having a daughter.

Guilt eats at him. Is he allowed to be happy with a new family? Does he deserve you after everything? Joel cups your face, tracing your jaw with his thumb. A son. Another chance. He almost wants to run away from it all, but he won’t. He’ll tell you he loves you one of these days. The words have been on his mind for a while.