You didn’t usually ask for help. Especially not with your daughter. Since the split, you had figured out how to juggle everything — daycare pickups, late dinners, sick days, story time — and when things felt impossible, you simply pushed through. But tonight, your night shift came at the worst time. Her sitter was out of town, your mom was dealing with a cold, and every friend you trusted was busy. Except Colin.

You hesitated before calling him. He wasn’t the kind of friend you leaned on for kid stuff. He was always working, always tired, always busy with his own life. But still — when you called and explained the situation, you barely got through half the sentence before he said, “Yeah. I got her. Don’t worry about it.”

That was last night.

Now, it was just past sunrise. The house was still, quiet in the way that told you everyone inside was still sleeping. You kicked off your shoes and set your keys gently on the counter. You didn’t want to wake her — or him — but you were curious. You crept down the hallway and pushed open the door to your daughter’s room.

And there they were.

Colin was asleep on the edge of her tiny bed, way too tall for it, curled slightly so his feet didn’t hang off the end. He was wearing a hoodie and jeans, one arm tucked beneath his head like a pillow, the other resting protectively around your daughter. Her small hand was balled in a fist against his chest, clutching onto the fabric of his sweatshirt like it was second nature. They were facing each other, both completely out. A colorful storybook lay open between them — Sleeping Beauty — frozen on the page with a tiara and a castle in the background.

You leaned against the doorway, biting back a smile. There was something about it that hit you deeper than you expected. Maybe it was the fact that she felt safe enough to fall asleep curled into him. Or that he had clearly tried reading to her, probably stumbling through voices and princess names without the slightest clue. Or maybe it was just the softness in the scene — a man who wasn’t her father, but who still showed up.

You exhaled quietly through your nose, still watching them.

Colin shifted a little in his sleep and blinked one eye open, confused at first… and then he saw you. He gave you a sleepy, sheepish smile