Page 29 of King of the Weld

"Sorry," I say, moving to join them. "Just thinking."

"Dangerous pastime," David quips, but his smile is understanding.

We gather around the picnic table, this strange family we've built. Sophia sits with Mia on her lap, my brothers and their partners circling us. I light the single candle, and we sing "Happy Birthday" to our wide-eyed daughter, who seems both fascinated and alarmed by the sudden attention.

"Make a wish," Sophia whispers to her, though we all know Mia has no concept of birthday wishes yet.

I catch Sophia's eye over our daughter's head, and the love I see there still humbles me. Three years ago, I was a solitary blacksmith hiding from the world, convinced my only path was isolation. Now I'm a husband, a father, a brother who actually shows up for family gatherings.

Mia reaches for the flame, and I gently guide her hand to help blow it out. Everyone cheers, and my daughter's delighted laughter rings through the clearing, the purest sound I've ever heard.

Later, after cake has been smeared across Mia's face and presents unwrapped with more enthusiasm for the paper than the gifts, I find a quiet moment with Sophia on the porch steps. Our daughter is being entertained by her uncles, shrieking with joy as Jack lifts her high into the air while Michael hovers nervously below.

"Happy?" Sophia asks, leaning her head against my shoulder.

"More than I thought possible," I admit, wrapping my arm around her. "You?"

She tilts her face up to look at me, her expression serene despite the chaos of the birthday party.

"I used to dream about freedom," she starts. "About escaping the life they planned for me. But I never dreamed about this, about how full life could be once I was free." She presses a kiss to my jaw. "You gave me that, Ethan. You and Mia."

I shake my head, still amazed by how she sees me.

"You gave it to yourself," I correct her. "You were brave enough to run, to choose your own path. I just happened to be at the end of it."

"Not the end," she says firmly. "The beginning."

Across the yard, Mia's laughter rises again as David pretends to be a horse, crawling on all fours with my daughter clinging to his back. My brothers, once distant figures I kept at arm's length, now integrated into the fabric of my daily life.

All because I opened my life to a barefoot woman in a torn wedding dress.

"I love you," I tell Sophia. "Both of you."

She smiles, that radiant smile that first broke through my defenses. "We love you too. Always will."

As the sun begins to set over our expanded cabin, casting golden light across the clearing where my family celebrates, I finally allow myself to believe it.

This happiness is mine to keep. The peace I've found isn't temporary.

And sometimes, the battles we think we can never win are the very ones that save us in the end.