"I know," he grumbles, and as though he's reciting it, "A dad doesn't have to be perfect. He just has to be there."

He'd made that vow already. That if Darcy can't leave, then he has to make staying worth it. It doesn't get any easier. They've run this topic in a circle, but maybe it's done something to hear it outside of his own head.

...

"Sorry about the, uh. Memory stuff with you and him."