By the time Jey pulled up to Natalia's house, the moon was high, and Malakai was fast asleep in the backseat. The BBQ had gone on longer than expected-laughs, food, and stories stretching late into the evening-but Jey wasn't complaining.

Tonight had felt right.

Jey cut the engine and glanced over at Natalia, who was staring out the window, lost in thought. "You good?" he asked, his voice quiet.

She turned to him, offering a small smile. "Yeah. Just... didn't expect all of that."

"All of what?"

Natalia exhaled, shifting in her seat. "Your family. How easy it was. I mean, I know they're your family, but it didn't feel weird. They weren't mad at me. They didn't make me feel like I did something wrong."

Jey frowned. "Why would they? Nati, you raised our son. You ain't do nothin' but protect him."

Natalia looked down at her hands. "I just thought-" She stopped herself, shaking her head. "Never mind."

Jey didn't push. Instead, he reached over, taking her hand in his. "They love you, Nati. They love Malakai. We family."

Natalia's fingers tightened around his for a second before she let go, sighing. "It's just... I'm not used to this. You being here. Him having all these people around. It was always just me and him."

Jey's stomach twisted at that. He hated that she had to do it alone. Hated that he had missed so much.

"I ain't going nowhere," he murmured.

She looked at him then, really looked at him. There was something unreadable in her gaze, something hesitant yet hopeful.

"I know," she finally said.

Jey nodded toward the backseat. "Come on, let's get him inside."

Natalia unbuckled and got out, quietly opening the back door. Jey carefully unlatched Malakai's seatbelt and lifted him into his arms. The kid barely stirred, his head resting against Jey's shoulder.

Jey followed Natalia to the door, stepping inside for the first time. It was cozy, lived-in-pictures on the walls, a blanket tossed over the couch, Malakai's toys in the corner. A home.

Natalia led him to Malakai's room, pulling back the covers as Jey laid him down gently. He brushed a stray curl from the boy's forehead, staring at him for a long moment.

His son.

His world.

Natalia stepped forward, adjusting Malakai's blanket before looking up at Jey. "You wanna stay for a bit?" she asked, voice soft.

Jey met her gaze, something shifting between them in the quiet.

"Yeah," he said. "I do."

For the first time in a long time, he wasn't rushing off to the next thing.

This was exactly where he needed to be.