Ethan wrapped an arm around her shoulders.
“As long as I’m here, there will always be food.”
Emma didn’t answer.
But she quietly rested her head against him for the first time.
It lasted only a few seconds.
Yet for Ethan, it felt like a miracle.
Lily adjusted much faster.
Within weeks she followed him everywhere.
If he answered emails, she climbed onto his lap.
If he walked through the ranch, she held his hand.
If he left a room, she immediately asked:
“Dad, are you coming back?”
Every single time, Ethan answered the same way.
“Yes, sweetheart.”
And every single time, she smiled with relief.
One rainy afternoon, several months later, Ethan found Emma sitting alone beside Grace’s old garden.
