When I’m finished, Megan's face goes still.Blank.“She’s your student?"she asks, her voice carefully neutral.
"Yeah.I didn't know at first.But once I did...it was already too late.I was already in."
She doesn't say anything at first.Her fingers twist the hem of her loose dress, and her eyes are glassy.
"You always tried to protect me from him," she finally says, her voice softer now."Even when you were just a kid yourself.You took the brunt of everything.You kept me out of his way."
I know she is talking about the guy our mom dated right after my dad left.Mom was always chasing love.It didn’t matter how the guy treated us.Most of her boyfriends made sure there was food in the house and gave us money to leave them alone, but Justin wasn't like that.We were in the way.
"You deserve to be happy, and I know you worry about being like him, but you won't because you are a good person," she says.
How did she know?Because I don't think I could voice the worry I'd always pushed away.
Megan's eyes flick up to mine."Is she good to you?"
"She's everything.She's smart, fierce, and brave.She's more than I ever thought I could have."
Megan exhales slowly and leans back, her expression unreadable.
"You know," she says after a pause, "I was pissed for like...a minute.But then I remembered who you are.You never got to have a normal life because you were too busy shielding me from everything.You gave up so much for me.And perhaps this is your chance to at last have something of your own."
"But if this gets out, it could affect you too..."
"We have stood through worse.We’ll get through it because we’re family."She waves me off.
"She has me to protect her now," Megan's husband, Ian, steps out of the kitchen.
"Are you sure you're okay with this?"I ask.
She shrugs, smiling faintly."If she makes you happy, and you make her happy, then screw everything else.I want you to be happy, Gage.You've earned that.And I really want to meet her."
I sit with her for another half hour.We talk about old memories.She tells me about her husband's recent promotion, how they're trying for a baby.And through all of it, my chest feels lighter.Like something I've carried for years has finally lifted.
When I leave, I don't drive home.I go straight to Skye's.
She opens the door in leggings and a tank top, her hair in a messy bun, barefoot and sleepy-eyed.She looks real.She looks like home.
"Hey," she says, voice cautious but warm.
"Can I come in?"
She nods and steps aside.I follow her in, close the door, and turn to face her.
"I need to say something.And I need you to let me finish."
She straightens, crossing her arms loosely over her chest."Okay."
I take a deep breath and reach for her hands, pulling them gently away from her body so I can hold them in mine.Her fingers are warm, soft, and they anchor me.
"I went to see my sister today.I told her about us."Her eyes widen slightly, but she doesn't pull away."I was terrified, Skye.Not just about what she'd think of me, but about what this could mean for her if everything goes sideways."
Pausing, I study her face.Those warm eyes focus entirely on me, patient and steady.
"My whole life, I've been careful and controlled.I built walls around everything because I had to.Because someone had to be the responsible one, the one who didn't make mistakes."My thumbs brush over her knuckles."But with you, all of that falls apart.You make me want things I never thought I could have."
"I've been fighting this.Fighting you.Because of the rules.Because I thought I was supposed to.But I can't anymore.I'm in love with you, Skye."
The words hang in the air between us, and I watch her face carefully, searching for any sign of what she's thinking.Her lips part slightly, and I can see the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
