Both Sophia and Less kept glancing at me like they were waiting for some kind of psychotic break. Honestly? Fair. I was holding it together, but only because the excitement from earlier was still carrying me a little. Less tried to reassure me with the confidence of someone whose children were only twelve hours older than mine.
“See? You survived,” she said.
“Barely.”
She laughed.
But once things settled down a little, my brain finally caught up to the moment. Watching Desi move through the room as a young adult stirred up memories so fast I could barely keep track of them. Failed pregnancy tests. Fertility appointments. The first time we heard her heartbeat. Holding her in our bedroom and being irrationally terrified she’d break in my hands despite weighing less than a bag of flour. And then suddenly:
First words.
First steps.
First day.
First crush.
Prom night.
Now this.
I’d spent so much of my life focused on raising Desi that I never really stopped to think about what came after. Not because she was leaving my life, but because she didn’t need me in the same way anymore. That realization hit harder than I expected. Luckily, I still had Logan at home waiting to keep me humble, exhausted, and emotionally unstable for years to come.
Across the room, I spotted Desi wrapped around some tall dude with wild hair. It took me a full second to realize it was Josh. Somehow he looked exactly the same and completely different all at once. Same shy posture. Same careful little smiles. Just … older. Sharper around the edges. The sight of them together hit me right in the chest. Not because I disliked it. Because I understood it. This wasn’t some cutesy teenage romance anymore. This was becoming their actual life. And apparently, that life involved leaving my birthday party almost immediately.
Desi floated over looking entirely too happy with herself.
“So…” she started carefully.
I already knew.
“You’re leaving.”
“Yes.”
I sighed dramatically just to make her laugh. Then I pulled her into a hug before I could start acting weird again.
“I love you,” I told her quietly. “Have fun. Be safe. Text us if your plans change.”
“I will.”
Then she squeezed me tighter for a second before pulling away.
When she pulled away, I kissed the top of her head out of habit before realizing I almost needed a ladder to do it now. Unacceptable.
While she made the rounds saying goodbye to everybody else, I motioned for Josh to come over for a second. Poor boy looked terrified immediately. Despite the facial hair and deeper voice, he was still the same nervous kid I met on prom night. I never imagined I’d become one of those dads whose presence alone stressed out his daughter’s boyfriend, but apparently fatherhood comes with universal software updates. And honestly? Watching Josh try not to panic was making me enjoy myself a little too much.
