"If he loved me, why didn't he do something about it sooner?"
"Because you weren't ready. Because you needed time to figure yourself out. Because he's patient and smart enough to wait for the right moment instead of rushing in when you were still healing from those other assholes."
The bluntness makes me blink.
"Njal and Bjorn?—"
"Weren’t the right fit for you," Geirolf says flatly. "Everyone knew it. They were boys—not men, when you were with them. They did you dirty."
"They proved what I am."
"They proved what they are—cowards who couldn't handle a real woman." He leans forward. "Gunnar's nothing like them. You know that, right?"
"Everyone keeps saying that."
"Because it's true. Gunnar's solid. Loyal. One of the most capable guys we have. And he's been waiting for you to see him for years."
"But what if—" I stop, swallow hard. "What if I'm too broken? What if I mess this up?"
"Then you mess it up and you fix it. Together. That's how relationships work." Geirolf's expression softens. "Nobody's perfect, Ingrid. We're all carrying damage. The question is whether you find someone willing to love you through it."
"You think Gunnar is?"
"I know he is. He's already been doing it—showing up when you spiral, being patient when you push him away, caring when you try to convince him not to. That's love. He’s just been waiting for you to love him back."
The words settle into my chest, warm and heavy and true.
"I'm scared," I whisper.
"Good," Astrid says. "If you weren't scared, it wouldn't mean anything."
"But the trafficking stuff—he's doing something dangerous. What if something happens? What if I finally let myself love him and then I lose him?"
Geirolf and Astrid exchange a look.
Some silent conversation passing between them.
"You tell her," Astrid says. "She deserves to know what he's walking into."
Geirolf sighs, runs a hand through his hair.
"All right. But this doesn't leave this room. Understood?"
I nod.
"We've been investigating a child trafficking ring. Got a lead last night, went to a dive bar near the Georgia border to gather intel." He pauses. "Gunnar went rogue. Saved a little girl right out from under the traffickers. Got her to safety, reunited with her family."
My breath catches. "He saved her?"
"Completely against orders. Compromised the investigation. Alerted the network that we're onto them." Geirolf's eyes meet mine. "But he couldn't walk away. Couldn't leave that child with those monsters. So he acted, and your pops is pissed. Angrier than I’ve seen him in a long time, but he did it because he knew it was the right thing to do."
Tears stream down my face.
"That's Gunnar," Geirolf continues. "That's who he is. Someone who does the right thing even when it's not the smart thing. Someone who protects the vulnerable. Someone who fights for what matters."
"And that includes you," Astrid adds softly. "He's been fighting for you for years, Ingrid. Just waiting for you to let him."
"What happens now?" I ask. "With the investigation?"
