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I take my glasses off, pressing my fingers to my temples as Carlton, my chief operations officer, drones on about bug reports and sprint cycles.

We have touch-base calls semi-weekly so I can stay in the loop on what’s happening at headquarters.

It’s been a long morning reviewing upcoming product changes before we move them into production for our clients.

Before Caleb, my career was everything. It gave me control and structure.

I built DataLock Systems from the ground up, vowing never to depend on anyone or risk losing what I’d built.

But the past month has shown me that money can’t replace love and family.

Those things are earned, not bought, and require time, patience, and a willingness to be present.

It makes me grateful for the support system we’ve built in Bluebell. Thank god for Julie, who takes Caleb to the summer camp, and Briar, who takes care of pickups. It allows me to concentrate on work during the day so I can give Caleb my full attention in the evenings.

The longer I’m away from the city and my office, the harder it is to remember why I was convinced success had to come with solitude. Now that I have Caleb, I finally understand why the silence in my penthouse used to echo so loudly.

These days, the quiet I’ve been feeling is for a different reason.

Since that kiss with Briar a week and a half ago, we’ve managed to remain friendly, but there’s been a distance between us.

Every night, I see her on the porch, but I don’t go out.

If I did, I wouldn’t trust myself not to pick up where we left off: with her lips against mine.

It would be easy to give in, but I’m afraid about the impact it would have on Caleb. He just lost his mom and the last thing I want is for him to think I’m trying to replace her or that he’s not my priority.

To distract myself from my impossible dilemma, I glance at my phone, a chill running through me when I see that I’ve missed five calls from Caleb’s school.

“Dammit,” I mutter under my breath.

My mind races with a million worst-case scenarios. The last call I received related to Caleb changed everything, so now every unexpected one feels like it could bring life-altering news.

Carlton furrows his brow, sensing my panic. “Jensen, are you alright?”

I glance up at the monitor, shaking my head. “We’ll have to finish this later. Something urgent has come up.” I end our meeting, not waiting for him to reply.

Just then, the school calls again. I swipe to answer on the second ring, dread tightening in my chest.

“Hello, this is Jensen.”

“Mr. Harding, this is Lisa, the summer camp receptionist from Willow Creek Elementary. I have Caleb here in the office with me. He was sent here because he got into an altercation with another student. ”

I straighten in my chair, running a hand through my hair. “What the hell happened? Is Caleb okay?”

“I was told he pushed another student to the ground.” Her voice is hesitant, as if she’s trying to soften the blow.

“Excuse me? You think my son, whose idea of confrontation is walking away, started a fight?”

“I’m sorry,” she apologizes, her tone genuinely remorseful. “I’m just relaying what I was told. You’ll have to speak to his camp counselor to get the details.”

“I’m on my way,” I say as I stand and grab my keys before heading to the front door.

“See you soon, Mr. Harding,” Lisa replies before hanging up.

I wonder where Julie is. Even if Caleb had done something wrong, which I doubt, she’d be by his side if she could. I try calling her, but it goes straight to voicemail, so I focus on getting to the school as quickly as I can.

I’ve just swung open the truck door when I spot Briar walking down the lane. She breaks into a jog when she sees me.

“I was going to change and make myself lunch before picking up Caleb from camp. Where are you racing off to?” she teases.

“The school called. Caleb’s been in an altercation .” My voice tightens with every word, barely masking my anger.

Briar gasps, covering her mouth with her hand. “Is he okay?”

“They wouldn’t give me many details. I’m heading there now.”

“Would you like me to come?” she offers tentatively.

Do I?

In the past few weeks, she’s become a fixture in Caleb’s life, and she understands him as well as I do. I’m certain he would want her there, and honestly, I do too.

“Yeah, hop in.”

The drive to the school is quiet. Briar and I are both too preoccupied with our thoughts to talk much.

As soon as we pull into the parking lot and I shut off the engine, we rush to the entrance. Once we’re buzzed in, we head straight for the office but stop short when we see Caleb sitting outside the office on a bench next to Julie. My stomach drops when I notice the tears in his eyes.

When he spots us, Caleb jumps off the bench and bolts to Briar. She crouches, arms open wide, and he throws himself into her arms, hugging her neck tightly.

“It’s alright, sweetie. Your dad and I are here. You’re not alone.” Her voice trembles, thick with concern.

As my son clings to Briar with his head buried in her hair, I know I made the right call bringing her along. It’s not about who comforts Caleb—but about making sure he feels safe. And I’ll never stop being thankful that we’re surrounded by people who offer him that, without hesitation or condition.

As Caleb lifts his tear-streaked face, his lower lip trembling, I kneel beside him and gently wipe away his tears. I give him a quick once-over for any physical injuries and am relieved when I don’t find anything visible.

“Briar’s right, buddy. We’re here now and will take care of everything.” He’s my whole world, and I’ll do whatever it takes to protect him.

A lump catches in my throat as he presses his cheek against my hand, his trust anchoring me.

I rub his back, trying to ease the tension from his small frame.

These are the moments no one warns you about in parenthood.

The ones that leave you powerless, wishing you could shield your child from the harshness of the world and promise them a life without pain or fear.

Julie approaches, her face heavy with regret. “I apologize for missing your call. I was interviewing a candidate for a fall teaching position and came as quickly as I could.”

“What happened?” I ask.

“I’m not certain yet, but we’ll get to the bottom of it. Michael, the other child involved, is with a camp counselor in one of the classrooms. His mom, Vickie, is waiting in my office now. I think it’s best if we all sit down together.”

This is one of those times I wish Caleb would speak. It’d be much easier if he could tell me exactly what happened. Instead, I’m left relying on another student and his mom, who are only looking out for their own interests.

“What about Caleb?” Briar chimes in.

“Lisa can keep him company in the front office,” Julie says with a reassuring smile. “It shouldn’t take long.”

I’ve met her a few times since Caleb started summer camp, and I trust she’ll look after him. Still, it’s hard leaving him this shaken, but I have to get to the bottom of this.

“Caleb.” I wait until he lifts his head to continue. “Briar and I are going to speak with Julie for a few minutes, but we’ll be right back, okay?”

He burrows his face into the curve of Briar’s neck, and she draws him closer.

“It’s alright, little man. You’ll hang out with Lisa for a little while, and I have it on good authority that she has a hidden stash of cookies in her desk drawer.

I bet she’ll let you have one.” Briar’s voice is gentle.

“And when we get home, we can play with Ziggy. I’m sure he’d like some cuddles too. How does that sound?”

She waits patiently as Caleb sniffles, peeking up at her. Briar’s face softens into a warm smile when he gives her a small nod.

“Sounds like a plan. We won’t be gone long,” she promises.

Caleb glances at me for confirmation.

“She’s right, bud. We’ll be right back. ”

“Come on, honey, we’ll go find Lisa together, and I’ll make sure she gets you a cookie,” Julie says.

Caleb hesitates for a moment before pulling away from Briar. He slips his hand into Julie’s outstretched one. As she guides him toward the front office, he glances back, and I give him a thumbs-up.

My heart shatters at the sight of him so upset, but I keep my emotions in check, not wanting him to witness me losing control. The best thing I can do is be strong and figure out what actually went down.

“You two go ahead to my office. I’ll be right there,” Julie says over her shoulder.

I nod, heading in that direction. Briar stays in step beside me, neither of us speaking. I don’t bother knocking before walking in.

Julie’s office is warm and welcoming with large windows letting in the sun. Framed student artwork lines the walls, and a colorful rug covers the center of the room, surrounded by beanbag chairs and a low table scattered with picture books.

Vickie is perched behind Julie’s desk as if she owns the place. Her auburn hair is twisted into a messy bun, and thick eyeliner frames her eyes. She’s dressed in a grease-stained jumpsuit with her name stitched on the front, which makes me think she came straight from work to be here.

“You must be Caleb’s dad,” she says, her voice clipped. “Mind explaining why your kid thought it was okay to hurt mine?”

I stiffen at her accusation but bite back my frustration. “That doesn’t sound like Caleb.”

She scoffs. “Oh, please. My Michael said he wanted a turn with the bubble wand, but Caleb wouldn’t share. When he asked again, your son shoved him, and now he’s got a big bruise on his left knee from the fall.”

I exhale through my nose, willing myself to remain calm. It’s probably best to wait until Julie gets here to continue this conversation, but I refuse to stand by and let this woman paint Caleb as a playground bully when I know he’d never show aggression like she’s describing.

“Bullshit,” I retort.

Vickie gapes at me. “Excuse me?”