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“Oh, that’ll be stunning.”

Eli nods in approval from the head of the table. “Good choice.”

It’s a simple thing, talking about a car I’m working on over dinner with my found family, but there’s something about the way they all listen that makes it feel bigger than that. Like the shop, the long hours and the grease under my nails mean more beyond just paying the bills.

Peyton slides the bowl of roasted vegetables toward me and I catch the small smile she gives me, like she knows exactly what’s going through my head. She didn't plan tonight because she thought I needed a birthday party. She planned it because she wanted me to feel celebrated.

“So when do we get to see it?” she asks about the car.

“Give me a week.”

Tilly lets out a squeal from her infant seat. Her socked feet kick wildly, and both hands flap in the air like she’s trying to grab the attention of the entire room.

Jax glances at her. “You’ve got something to add, little lady?”

Tilly answers with another determined noise. Soph chuckles at her. “Look at that. She’s already judging all of us.”

The baby squeals again, even louder this time, completely pleased with the reaction she’s getting. The table bursts into laughter. Rose presses a hand over her mouth, trying not to giggle too loudly. “She’s perfect.”

“She’s mine,” I say without really thinking about it. The words come so naturally I don't even realize I've said them until the silence that follows.

I feel Peyton’s gaze on me before I even look up, and when I do, there’s a softness in her eyes that I love. Rose watches us with a gentle smile, while Eli studies me before giving a small, approving chin lift like he understands exactly what I meant without needing it explained. Jax and Soph exchange a knowing look. Meanwhile, Tilly remains blissfully uninterested in the emotional weight of the moment, stretching both arms toward the bread basket.

A strange kind of peace settles over me. The doubt I've carried all summer simply gone. No one questioned or corrected me. They all accepted it, because to them, it's already true. And somewhere along the way, it became true to me too. Not only because Tilly belongs to me. But because I belong to her too. Over the past weeks, she stopped feeling like my responsibility and became my daughter in every way that truly matters. Biology has never meant much in my life anyway. Love always mattered more.

As we continue eating, I find myself watching Peyton. How her eyes light up behind her glasses whenever she’s asked about art and her new job. The way she reaches for Tilly without even thinking about it. She sits at this table like she has always been here. I catch myself wondering whether this is how forever starts. Not as one grand moment that changes everything overnight, but as a collection of ordinary moments that become your favorites before you even realize it’s happening.

Halfway through dinner, Eli taps his fork against his glass. “Oh no,” Soph groans jokingly. “He’s making a speech.”

Rose nudges her with an elbow, but Eli ignores them both. He lifts his glass and looks straight at me, his expression steady.

“To Ollie; the man who stepped up when it would've been easier to walk away. You keep choosing family every single day, even when it's hard…now that I think about it; especially when it's hard.”

His gaze drifts to Tilly before returning to mine.

“I've watched you become the kind of father most kids only dream of having. Not because you had to, but because you wanted to. You built something real out of a situation most people would've run from, and turned it into a loving family and safe environment for Tilly.”

Eli has never been one to care for speeches, which makes every word hit twice as hard. My first instinct is to tell him anyone would've done the same. Or make a joke before everyone's eyes stay on me too long. But they aren't looking at me because they expect more from me. Instead, I'm being celebrated simply because I'm me. Not for what I’ve done or what I can give, but just me.

Jax lifts his glass next, pulling me from my thoughts. “And to the guy who’s about to become weirdly good at braiding hair.”

“I can’t wait to see all of that,” Peyton comments.

My brain grabs hold of the mental image and runs with it. Ten years from now, a bigger kitchen than the one we have now, Tilly and more children filling the space. Peyton leaning against the counter with a mug of tea in her hands, watching the whole thing with a smile on her face. The same soft smile that always undoes me.

The dream doesn't feel unattainable anymore. It feels inevitable. Loving Peyton and raising Tilly were never interruptions to my life; they were the life I'd been walking toward all along.

Rose raises her glass last. “To Ollie,” she says softly. “And to the life he's building. May you never forget how loved you are.”

Emotion swells so quickly it catches me off guard. I look around the table and my chest feels too full for words. “I love you all,” I say, my voice breaking.

“Love you too,” Rose replies without missing a beat.

Jax groans dramatically and wipes at an imaginary tear. “Can we all agree to stop making me feel things before dessert? I'm emotionally unprepared.”

A fresh round of laughter fills the space. I look around the table at the people gathered here. At Eli, who grew into the kind of man younger me assumed only existed in movies. At Rose beside him, warm and steady, softening every space she enters without even trying. At Jax and Soph, whose chaotic energy somehow fit together perfectly.

My focus shifts to Peyton. As if she feels me watching, her stunning gray eyes find mine and she mouths, “I love you.”