Chapter 18 - What Family Really MeansMaya's first birthday arrived in spring.
There were balloons in the living room.
A tiny cake.
Photographs everywhere.
David watched Leah lift Maya into the air.
Maya squealed with laughter.
David smiled.
Once, his mother had taught him that family meant blood.
Obligation.
Loyalty without limits.
Silence.
But she had been wrong.
Family wasn't the person who demanded access to you.
Family was the person who respected your boundaries.
Family was the person who stayed when life became difficult.
Family was the person who protected your right to become yourself.
David looked at Leah.
Then at Maya.
This was his family.
Not because they shared his blood.
Because they shared his life.
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He didn't know what the future would bring.
But whatever came, he would face it with them.
