I'm sitting in my car outside Elena's building at 7:50 AM, holding a stuffed toy and gasping for calm. The dragon plushie feels ridiculous in my hands.
Nathan glances at me in the rearview mirror. "You look like you're about to defuse a bomb."
"Feels about the same."
"It's not a board meeting."
"Board meetings I can handle." I grip the plushie tighter. "A four-year-old whose father disappeared? That's different territory."
He shifts in his seat, turns to face me. "My daughter was three when I started dating her mother. Scared me more than combat deployments." He pauses. "Just be present. Kids don't need you to be perfect."
"What if I say the wrong thing?"
"Then you'll say the right thing next time." He almost smiles.
I finally exit the car. The plushie dangles from my hand—green sc
