“From what? From me? From my family? From people who would have loved her, supported her, given her a community?” He gestured around the room. “Look at this place. Look at what she has here. Great-grandmother, aunts, cousins, friends—people who showed up for her the minute they knew she existed. And you kept her from all of it. For her entire life.”
“I did what I thought was best.”
“No. You did what felt safe. For you.” Tyler took a step closer. “And I let you, because I was young and scared and I didn’t know how to fight for something that mattered. But I’m not young anymore. And I’m done being scared.”
Fiona’s hands were shaking. She clasped them together, trying to hide it.
“What do you want, Tyler?”
“I want my daughter. Full stop.” He met her eyes. “She wants to stay. She’s been clear about that since the beginning. And you can either accept it and find a way to be part of her life here, or you can keep fighting and lose her completely.”
“She’s my child?—”
“She’s not a child. She’s sixteen. She knows her own mind. And her mind is made up.” Tyler felt the anger settling into something steadier, something that would hold. “I’m not asking your permission anymore, Fiona. I’m telling you how it’s going to be.”
“You can’t just?—”
“Yes. I can.” He pulled out his phone. “I talked to a guidance counselor at the high school. She walked me through the options. Extended guardianship. Legal custody.”
Fiona went very still. “You talked to a lawyer?”
“I have.”
“I can’t believe this is happening.”
“This is reality.” Tyler dropped his phone in his pocket. “I don’t want to fight you in court. I don’t want Stella to have to choose sides in some legal battle. I want this to be simple—you agree, we file the paperwork, and Stella gets to live her life without feeling like she’s betraying someone.”
Fiona sank onto the arm of the chair, like her legs wouldn’t hold her anymore.
“You’ve changed,” she said quietly.
Tyler straightened. “You don’t have to figure everything out today. You just have to stop saying no.”
The room was quiet. Afternoon light slanted through the windows and outside, Tyler could hear birds, traffic, the distant sound of the ocean.
“Think about it. Talk to Stella when you’re ready—really talk, not lecture. And Fiona?”
She looked up.
“I meant what I said. She loves you. That’s not going to change just because she loves us too. Hearts don’t work that way.”
He left before she could respond. Walked back through the garden, past the bougainvillea, to where Stella was still sitting on the wall. She stood when she saw him coming, her face a question.
“Well?”
“I said what I needed to say.”
“And?”
“And now we wait.” Tyler put his arm around her shoulders. “Come on. Let’s go.”
“Where are we going?”
“Ice cream. Problem-solving food.”
“It’s three in the afternoon.”
“Perfect ice cream time.”
