The following morning, Raina stood by her apartment window, watching Liam stuff his backpack with his usual chaotic energy. His tiny hands zipped it shut, then unzipped it again to double-check that he hadn't forgotten his superhero pencil.
Cassian was meeting them today — again.
She sipped her lukewarm coffee, nerves tightening with every passing minute. Last night had gone... better than expected. Cassian hadn't run. He hadn't made excuses. And when Liam asked if they could see him again, she hadn't found it in her heart to say no.
"Mom?" Liam asked, slinging the backpack over one shoulder. "Is he really coming?"
Raina managed a smile. "He is."
Liam grinned — the kind of grin that made her heart ache. For seven years, she'd raised him alone, shielding him from disappointment. Was she doing the right thing by letting Cassian in?
A knock at the door answered her.
Raina opened it — and there he was.
Cassian stood tall in a crisp button-down and dark jeans, somehow managing to look both casual and effortlessly powerful. His eyes flicked to Liam, then to Raina, as if still surprised they were real.
"Morning," he said, clearing his throat. "I hope I'm not too early."
"You're right on time," Raina said softly.
Liam burst past her and hugged Cassian's leg. "I thought you weren't coming!"
Cassian smiled, crouching down to return the hug. "I promised, didn't I?"
It was such a simple moment, but Raina felt it like a bruise blooming beneath her ribs. It was the look in Cassian's eyes — the one that said I missed all of this.
—
They walked to the nearby park, Liam bouncing ahead, stopping to collect leaves or point out dogs with floppy ears. Raina and Cassian trailed behind, the silence between them filled with everything they weren't saying.
"He's… incredible," Cassian murmured.
"He's everything," Raina replied, folding her arms.
He nodded, his expression unreadable. "I should've been there."
"You made your choice, Cassian," she said. "I gave you the chance back then. You left."
Cassian exhaled, gaze fixed on Liam. "I know. And it's haunted me every day since."
Raina didn't respond right away. The past wasn't something you could just smooth over. It had jagged edges. Painful corners.
"I didn't keep him from you out of spite," she finally said. "I didn't want him growing up around half-hearted love."
Cassian flinched, but nodded. "I'm not here to be half-hearted anymore."
Raina looked at him — truly looked. For a long time, Cassian had been the man who shattered her heart and vanished. But standing here now, she saw something different: the same man, yes, but softer. Open. Changed.
Or maybe she was just afraid to believe it.
—
Later, while Liam played on the swings, Cassian offered her a bottle of water and leaned against the bench beside her.
"I've made arrangements," he said. "For a school closer to where I live. It's better funded, smaller classrooms. I'd cover everything."
Raina's jaw tightened. "That's not your call."
"I didn't mean it like that. I'm not trying to take over. I just… want to help. Be part of his life."
She studied him. His voice was calm, but beneath it was a rawness she hadn't heard before.
"I appreciate it," she said, slowly. "But don't buy your way into his heart."
Cassian looked down. "I don't want to. I want to earn it. And maybe yours, too."
Raina's breath hitched.
Before she could respond, Liam came running back, cheeks flushed and smiling. "Can we get ice cream?"
Cassian grinned. "Only if I get two scoops."
—
That evening, when they returned to the apartment, Raina let Liam watch cartoons while she walked Cassian to the door.
"This… this is all a lot," she said, wrapping her cardigan tighter. "You showed up. Saying the right things. I don't know what to do with it."
"I don't expect you to trust me overnight," Cassian said. "But I'm not going anywhere."
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a folded drawing — Liam's sketch from the café. It showed three stick figures: a little boy in the middle, holding hands with a tall man and a woman.
"I never had a family growing up," he said quietly. "But he drew this. He already sees us as one."
Raina felt her throat tighten.
"I want to give him what we never had," he added. "And if I have to start from the ground up — with him, with you — I will."
Then he turned, gave her one last look, and walked into the night.
Raina stood at the door long after it shut, her heart caught somewhere between fear… and possibility.