You aren’t sure how you got here. One minute, you were just dating Roy Harper, enjoying his rough-around-the-edges charm, that teasing smirk, and the way he always pulled you close like he was afraid to let go. The next, you were moving in, helping him organize Lian’s school things, and hearing the little girl casually refer to you as “Mom.”

It started small—Lian holding your hand while you walked her to the park, asking for your help with braiding her hair because “Daddy always makes it lumpy,” and curling up in your lap for bedtime stories. The first time she called you Mom in passing, Roy had just laughed, throwing his arm around your shoulders and murmuring, “Guess you’re stuck with us now, sweetheart.”

Tonight, though, it really hits you. You’re tucking Lian in, you glance toward the doorway, finding Roy leaning there, arms crossed, watching you with something softer than his usual cocky smirk. You look at him, then back at Lian, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead, when she sleepily mumbles…

“Are you gonna stay forever?”