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“Reuben is?” He shook his head, lips twitching. “Jean set up another meeting this afternoon. It’s not far. We’ll walk.”

I nodded again.

“You…” He grimaced, running his fingers through his hair. “I need to set up schools.”

“I’m not going to school,” came the sulky response from Marmie.

He was definitely going to school. Eventually.

“I need to get the hang of all this. It’s… I mean?”

“I know,” I said. “You’ve got this. I’ll stay with these two and figure out dinner.”

Intrusive? Maybe. But right. He looked relieved.

“Stewart.”

“My son called your daughter his sister. It was…sweet.”

“Disturbing.” He laughed. “But…is this what we are now?”

“Family?” I suggested.

“I like family,” Marmie said. “I like being home.”

“I like it too,” Dylan said as I helped Phinney sip more milk.

“Nugget,” Phinney declared.

“I’m going to call you Nugget,” Dylan said, walking up and kissing the top of his son’s head. Phinney promptly wailed.

I saved the glass. Go me.

“Go,” I offered, letting Dylan take the boy from my lap. His son.

We had this. We had to have this. Make it work. Be normal.

Nothing was normal here, yet everything was.

I stood and brushed myself down as Dylan hoisted Phinney onto his hip.

“Nugget!” Phinney shouted.

“Phinney,” Dylan scolded gently, kissed his cheek, then turned to me and leant in. Kissed me too.

“Beso,” Phinney said, poking Dylan’s cheek with a finger.

“Kisses,” Dylan echoed. “Your Spanish is excellent. Better than mine. Here, beso.”

More kisses. And suddenly, I thought…

Yes.

Life throws curveballs, but maybe this—this chaos, this sweetness—was what life really was.

Happiness. Struggles. Challenges.

But ones we’d overcome.