Caleb pov
The question hung in the air, and I saw everyone watching me, waiting to see how I'd respond.
"years ago, you would have been right," I said quietly. "I was dead inside, so focused on control that I couldn't let myself feel anything. But Bella, losing you broke something open in me. I've spent years learning to feel again, learning to be human again. And when I saw Tom at the aquarium, when he smiled at me and asked about penguins, I felt more in those two minutes than I'd felt in my entire life before."
Bella's eyes were wet now, tears she was fighting to hold back. "Pretty words don't make you a father."
"No, they don't," I agreed. "Actions do. So let me show you. Let me prove that I've changed, that I'm capable of putting Tom first. And if I fail, if I hurt him or disappo
