The Music of Us (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798233925986)

Casey Dietz's life is a rhythm he knows by muscle memory-bass lines, late-night gigs, and caring for his younger brother, Matthew. When Michelle Jones is rushed into surgery and dies after delivering their daughter, Casey is left with a tiny, perfect stranger and an impossible question: can he be both grieving father and fit parent? The hospital moves the newborn to the NICU, DNA confirms paternity, and within days Michelle's mother launches a custody challenge that threatens to take the child from him.

Thrown into hospital training rooms and arbitration hearings, Casey fumbles through diaper blowouts, late-night feedings, and legal forms while a chorus of well-meaning friends, nurses, and his pastor rally behind him. As he learns to parent-sometimes hilariously, sometimes heartbreakingly-he must prove that love, community, and perseverance can amount to a home for a daughter her mother never gets to raise. The question that haunts every step remains: will the law side with blood and the past, or with the father who shows up every day?