Choosing to Stay
The next morning, Aaron canceled his trips.
He reassigned meetings. He learned dinosaur names. He learned about superhero capes, bedtime fears, and how thunder sounds through a child’s ears.
Weeks went by.
Then months.
One afternoon, Maya stood in the doorway with a suitcase.
Her sister was sick. She had to go.
The boys cried as if the ground itself were splitting beneath them.
Aaron knelt down and gathered all four into his arms.
“I’m here,” he said with certainty. “I will stay. I will take care of you. I will be the father you deserve.”
Maya smiled through her tears.
“Then I can leave in peace.”
