The words land like a shockwave. Silence follows. I feel it in my chest. Dad’s expression shifts, his eyes narrowing. “You don’t get to?—”
“I do,” Garrison cuts in.
Calm, steady, and unshakable.
“I’ve loved her since the first moment we touched,” he continues. “Since the garage.”
My breath catches. He says it out loud. To my dad without hesitation or fear.
“And I know what you think,” he adds, his voice lowering just slightly. “I know what this looks like. I know why you’re angry.”
“You think?” Dad snaps.
“I don’t blame you,” Garrison says. “If I were you, I’d probably want to kill me too.”
That almost makes me laugh. Almost.
“But that doesn’t change anything,” he continues. “It doesn’t change how I feel. And it doesn’t change what I’m willing to do about it.”
Dad’s jaw tightens. “You already said what you were willing to do. You promised me you’d stay away from her.”
“I did.”
“And now you’re breaking that.”
Garrison exhales slowly.
“Yeah,” he says.
Just like that. No defense. No justification. Just truth.
“Because I can’t keep that promise anymore.”
My heart slams against my ribs.
Dad stares at him, disbelief flashing across his face. “You don’t get to just decide that.”
“I do when it comes to her,” Garrison says, his voice firm. “Because she’s not something I can just walk away from.”
My chest tightens painfully. This is everything I wanted him to say.
“I love you,” he says to my dad.
That catches him off guard. I can see it.
“I always have,” Garrison continues. “You’re my best friend. You’re family.”
Dad’s expression flickers, just slightly.
“But nothing you say to me is going to change the fact that I love your daughter,” he finishes.
The words settle. And then—He turns to me like I’m the only thing that matters now.
“This time is different,” he says.
My breath catches.
“This time, I’m not walking away.”
