Page 61 of Redeeming Melodies

We sat there as the sun painted the falls in gold, my kid curled against me like time hadn't passed at all. Every breath felt precious, every moment burned into memory to carry me through the empty days ahead.

Tommy's breathing evened out, exhausted from emotional release. But his grip on my shirt never loosened, like some part of him knew our time was running out.

One month.

Thirty days without his laugh.

Seven hundred and twenty hours without his trust.

Forty-three thousand two hundred minutes without his heart beating against mine.

But I'd wait. I'd fight. I'd move heaven and earth and every fucking judge in New York to give my son the home he deserved.

Even if it meant facing my own mistakes.

Even if it meant admitting that maybe I wasn't so different from Vanessa once, lost in my own selfish pursuits while my kid needed me.

Even if it meant spending every second of the next month planning, preparing, making sure that when Tommy came home - really came home - he'd never feel alone again.

The falls kept falling.

Time kept moving.

And I held my son like I could freeze this moment forever, store it somewhere safe to get me through the longest month of my life.

The sun started its descent, painting the falls in gold and shadow. Time's a funny thing when you're counting down - moves too fast and too slow all at once. Tommy had fallen quiet, maybe sensing the weight of tomorrow in my silence.

"Ready to head back, sport?"

He nodded, but his hand found mine as we walked to the car. Such a simple thing - my son's fingers wrapped around mine, trusting me to guide him. How many moments like this would I miss in a month?

"We'll come back." The promise slipped out before I could stop it. "Soon as you're home again."

"Promise?"

"Knock knock."

His small smile in the reflection warmed something in my chest. "Who's there?"

"Promise."

"Promise who?"

"Promise you more than racing."

The words hung between us as we wound our way back through Oakwood Grove's quiet streets. Every turn felt familiar now, like the town had wrapped itself around us, claiming us as its own. Or maybe we'd claimed it, marked it with memories I'd replay during the empty month ahead.

Jake's house came into view - our temporary home that somehow felt more real than anywhere we'd lived since the divorce. No lights on yet; he was probably still at work. The thought of him sent something warm and complicated through my chest, but I pushed it aside. Couldn't deal with that now. Not when every second with Tommy felt like sand slipping through my fingers.

"Can you read me something?” Tommy asked as we climbed the porch steps. "The chapter with the flying car?"

"Whatever you want, buddy." I'd read the whole damn series tonight if it meant keeping him close a little longer.

The house welcomed us with its quiet comfort - so different from Vanessa's sterile perfection. Tommy's books scattered across the coffee table, his shoes kicked off by the door, evidence of a kid allowed to just exist without constant correction.

"Dad?" His voice came small as he changed into pajamas. "Will you stay till I fall asleep?"

"Course I will. Not going anywhere."

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