My heart feels like it might break out of my chest. Because I believe him.
Ifeelit. In every word. In every look. In every step he takes toward me. He stops right in front of me, close enough that I can see everything in his eyes.
“Come with me,” he says.
My stomach flips, my chest tightening as everything collides all over again. My dad. My family.Him. All of it.
I look at Garrison. Then at my dad. Then at Emma. And back at him. My heart is pounding so hard I can barely hear anything else. Because this moment changes everything. I have to choose.
CHAPTER
NINE
WILLOW
Everything goes quiet.Garrison stands in front of me, his hand still slightly outstretched, his eyes searching mine like he’s bracing for whatever I’m about to say.
My dad is behind me. I can feel him. Feel his anger. His disbelief.
Emma is there too. Watching. Waiting.
And I’m standing in the middle of it all. Torn. Completely, painfully torn. My chest rises and falls too fast, my heart pounding so hard it feels like it might break through my ribs.
I look at Garrison. At the man who came back for me. Who didn’t walk away this time. Who stood in front of my father and said everything I was too afraid to believe he would.
And something inside me— Finally settles. It’s clear. My heart knows. I turn slowly.
“Dad…”
My voice is softer now. Not sharp. Just… steady.
He looks at me, his expression already guarded. “Willow, don’t?—”
“I love you.”
The words stop him. Not what he expected. Not what he was ready for.
“I love you so much,” I continue, my voice trembling just slightly. “And I’m so grateful you’re okay. That you’re both okay.”
Emma’s eyes soften beside him. Dad’s jaw tightens, but he doesn’t interrupt.
“I was so scared,” I admit. “I didn’t know if I was ever going to see you again.”
Something flickers in his expression. Something softer. But it’s gone almost as quickly as it appears.
“And I don’t want to lose you,” I say.
“Then don’t,” he replies immediately.
It would be so easy. So simple. To just stay. To go with him. But I can’t because something else is just as real. Just as important.
I shake my head slowly. “I can’t lose him either.”
The words hang there. Final.
Dad’s expression hardens instantly. “Willow?—”
“I know you don’t understand,” I say quickly. “I know this isn’t what you want. But this—” I gesture between me and Garrison without turning away from my dad “—this isn’t something I can ignore. It’s not something I can just walk away from.”
