I opened the door before they even knocked.
“Hey,” Kyle said with a bright smile. “This is Ava, my girlfriend. She really wanted to meet Emma.”
Ava waved politely.
Emma stood beside me, staring at them with a mixture of curiosity and hesitation.
“There’s my girl!” Kyle said, opening his arms.
Emma stepped forward and hugged him, though it was clearly a bit awkward.
Ava immediately lifted her phone and started filming.
Kyle slipped easily into his performance as the caring dad.
“I brought you a present,” he said, handing Emma the gift bag.
Inside was a trendy water bottle covered with sparkly stickers—the kind of gift someone grabs in a hurry.
“Thank you,” Emma said politely.
I leaned against the kitchen doorway and watched everything unfold. Kyle beamed with pride, Ava kept adjusting her camera angle, and Emma looked slightly uncomfortable as what should have been a private visit turned into a recorded moment.