Gerald
I watched her walk away with my son, her spine straight like a rod of steel, but her steps a little too quick, a little too stiff. She was running not physically, not yet but inside, her guilt was sprinting in circles.
Good.
Let it wear her down.
Because that crack in her resolve? It was widening.
And I would find my way through it.
I moved slower, hands in my pockets as I stepped out behind them, squinting into the morning sun like I hadn’t just threatened to claim my son’s fiancée like she was mine.
And God help me, she already was.
She just hadn’t admitted it yet.
“Dad,” Dave called over his shoulder as he opened the car door for her. “Thanks for brunch. I didn’t realize how long it’s been.”
I hummed in acknowledgment. My gaze slid to Esme as she bent to step in the cur
