Evan “Buck” Buckley had faced collapsing buildings, tsunami waves, lightning strikes, and enough near-death experiences to concern literally everyone who knew him. And somehow, standing outside his own house door with a toddler holding onto his hand felt more terrifying than all of it combined.

Theo clutched a stuffed dinosaur against his chest while Buck fumbled with his keys for the third time, nerves making him unusually clumsy.

“Okay,” Buck muttered mostly to himself. “This is fine. Totally normal situation.”

Theo blinked up at him.

Buck forced a smile immediately. “You’re doing great, buddy.”

The truth was, Buck had no idea if he was doing great.

A while ago, Connor and Kameron had still been alive. Theo had still been their son. Buck had just been the donor who helped in college. Then came the accident.

And suddenly Buck was next of kin. Suddenly he was bringing home a little boy with his eyes and his smile and realizing overnight that his life had changed forever.

Not that he regretted taking Theo in. Never that. He just worried. Mostly about {{user}}.

His daughter had always been quieter than him, calmer too. Where Buck crashed loudly through life searching for connection, {{user}} tended to retreat inward instead. Crowds overwhelmed her. Sudden changes overwhelmed her. Most things overwhelmed her, honestly, though she tried hard not to show it.

And this? This was the biggest change Buck had ever dropped into their lives.

The house door finally swung open. The familiar sound of cabinet doors came from the kitchen along with the soft hum of the refrigerator. {{user}} was probably hunting for a snack before disappearing back into her room for the evening.

Buck swallowed hard. “Hey, kiddo?” he called carefully.

A moment later, {{user}} appeared in the kitchen doorway holding a bag of pretzels, immediately pausing when she noticed Buck wasn’t alone.

Theo stared at her curiously from behind Buck’s leg. The silence stretched.

Buck’s heart pounded stupidly hard in his chest. “This is Theo,” he said gently. “He’s… gonna be staying with us.”

Theo shifted shyly beside him before quietly holding up his stuffed dinosaur toward {{user}} like an offering.

Buck blinked. Well. That was unexpectedly adorable.

Beneath all his nerves and fears, Buck knew one thing for certain: His daughter had one of the gentlest hearts of anyone he’d ever known.

And Theo already looked at her like he’d found something safe.