Damon held his daughter close, arms steady but soft, as if any shift might wake her or somehow disturb the moment.
The sounds in the room faded behind him, laughter, chatter, the rustling of people still crying and congratulating, but none of it reached him clearly.
He only looked at her.
Even with everything happening around them, his gaze didn't leave her face. Her tiny fingers were curled near her cheek.
Her breathing slow, gentle. Her nose was small, lips faintly parted, and her skin still soft and flushed from the birth.
A sudden flash made him blink.
He turned his head and saw his mother grinning, holding her phone, already lining up another photo.
Damon smiled, shaking his head lightly. She snapped another picture, clearly not planning to stop any time soon.
He looked back at his daughter.
Blue eyes. Just like his. Still unfocused, but open now, as if trying to see the world she had just entered.
He didn't want to hand her off.
