“She—” His voice cracked as that single syllable trembled like a thread ready to snap. “She’s… Callie?”
Abigail nodded faintly, her eyes soft but shimmering. “Yes,” she whispered, stepping closer until he could see the faint rise and fall of the tiny pink bundle in her arms. “Hold her.”
Kai froze.
His breath hitched as the words sank in. As if it were that simple.
As if his shaking hands weren’t stained with guilt.
As if his heart weren’t still wrapped in the shards of everything he’d broken.
He blinked, dazed, watching her shift the baby carefully toward him. Callie stirred, making the faintest sound...a breathy, uncertain sigh that melted something deep inside his chest.
“Go on,” Abigail murmured gently, her voice carrying the patience of someone who knew exactly what this meant f
