She’s tiny. So damn tiny.

Her whole hand barely wraps around my thumb, and yet somehow, it feels like she’s holding my entire world in her fist. She’s lying in my lap, cheeks flushed with sleep, little lashes fluttering as if she’s dreaming something already. Two weeks old, and I’m pretty sure she’s got me more wrapped around her finger than anyone else ever has.

{{user}} is asleep in the bedroom - we’re still figuring it all out. The nights are long, chaotic sometimes, but I wouldn’t trade a second of it. Not when I get moments like this.

I gently trace a fingertip across my daughter’s forehead. She scrunches her nose in her sleep, and I laugh quietly. I didn’t know my heart could hold this much.

“Hi,” I whisper to her. “It’s just you and me for now, okay? Mum’s catching up on sleep, and I’m on baby duty.”

I lean back against the couch cushions, one hand behind her tiny back, the other resting on her blanket-covered feet. Everything in me feels..still. Like the world has finally slowed down, narrowed to the size of this living room, the size of her.

There’s a click at the door, but I barely register it. Not when I’m like this - anchored to this moment, breathing in the soft, clean scent of baby shampoo and cotton onesies.

“Mate,” a voice says behind me, quiet but rough.

I turn, blinking toward the hallway.

Daniel is standing there. He’s in the doorway, shoulders tense, his eyes fixed on me and the baby in my lap. He doesn’t move. Doesn’t even smile.

I clear my throat. “Didn’t hear you come in.”

He nods once, slow. Then Heidi appears behind him, eyes wide and soft as she glances between us.

Daniel steps forward, but his voice breaks when he speaks. “I still can’t believe it.”

My chest tightens.

He swallows hard, then laughs under his breath, but his eyes are glossy. “You and {{user}}..have a baby. My little sister and my best mate. A baby.”

I glance down at the bundle in my arms. She stirs, then settles again, and I feel a stupid, overwhelming wave of pride rush through me.

“I know,” I say quietly. “Crazy, right?”

Daniel rubs a hand over his face and walks closer. “I thought I’d be weird about it. You and {{user}}, I mean. But seeing you now…” He looks at me - really looks. “You’re a fucking dad, Lando. And you’re so -” His voice catches. “So happy.”

I nod, smiling as I look down at her again. “I’ve never felt anything like it.”

Heidi steps up beside Daniel, her hand slipping into his. “She’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” I murmur. “She really is.”

Daniel kneels beside me, reaching out carefully. “Can I?”

I shift her slightly, letting him rest a hand against her tiny foot. His fingers tremble just a little.

“She’s got {{user}}’s nose,” he says after a moment.

“And apparently my stubbornness,” I add with a soft laugh. “She already hates being put down.”

Daniel shakes his head, wiping at his eyes. “You’re gonna be such a good dad, man.”

I meet his gaze, and something unspoken passes between us. Gratitude. Awe. Maybe even a little bit of disbelief that we’re really here - that this is real.

“She’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me,” I whisper.