Page 87 of From the Wreckage

Everett

My words hang in the air between us. “ You’re it, Bri. You’ve been it for me since the day I met you.”

Her chin dips to her chest as I hold my breath, waiting for… something. A word, a look, a touch… something that will give me a clue that she wants to try again. That we aren’t finished.

She wraps her arms around herself like she’s trying to hold all her pieces together. And the words that fall from her lips shatter my hope.

“Thanks… for coming.” The smile she forces is so fragile it feels like glass about to shatter. Then she turns, retreating into her bedroom. The soft click of the door closing hits harder than any slammed one. It detonates in my chest, leaving nothing but ringing silence and the taste of smoke.

More distance. Always more distance.

And I hate it.

I stay there, my heart breaking against my ribs, until footsteps draw my gaze. Grayson stops inside the door, his shoulders squared, jaw tight. But his eyes are softer than I’ve ever seen them, studying me like he’s trying to decide if he should punch me or thank me.

“How’d it go? I take it… not as well as you hoped.”

I drag a hand through my hair, blowing out a breath that scrapes my throat raw. “I… I have to give her space right now. Though I don’t want to.”

Silence stretches, thick and jagged. I can still feel her on the other side of that door, slipping further from me with every second.

“I… better—” I gesture toward the door, then take a step toward it.

“You really do love her, don’t you?”

His words stop me cold.

My chest tightens. At this point, there’s no hiding, no pretending. Not when it comes to her.

“I’d die for her,” I whisper, my voice low but fierce. “I’d kill anyone who hurt her. She’s my everything, even if I…” My eyes squeeze shut, the burn of tears threatening to undo me. I exhale hard, finishing with a ragged breath. “Even if I can’t have her.”

I open my eyes to see the war on his face—anger, sorrow, and resignation. Then, finally, a reluctant softness.

“Then keep fighting for her,” he says, his voice rough. “Show her you care. Show her you didn’t abandon her. That you’re here.”

I stare at him, stunned into complete silence.

His expression is contrite but unyielding. “God help me, I can’t lose my little girl. So if you love her… prove it. Don’t let her slip away.”

I swallow hard, meeting Grayson’s eyes. “Then I’ll fight like hell for her,” I vow, the words tasting like blood and truth. “I won’t stop.”

Something flickers in his gaze—hope or fear, I can’t tell. He gives the faintest nod, then steps aside so I can leave.

I step out into the cool evening, the air sharp in my lungs. Gravel crunches under my boots as I make my way around the side of his cabin and down the grassy hill. Each step away from her feels heavier than the last. My mind circles the same relentless truth: I can’t let her go.

My skin prickles, and I stop cold.

Slowly, I turn.

Bri is standing at her bedroom window, framed by the fading light. Her eyes lock with mine across the distance, a tether pulling tight.

For a long moment, neither of us moves. Then, deliberately, I mouth the words: “I’ll be back. I’m not leaving you.”

Her face softens—just for a heartbeat—before she closes the blinds.

The sliver of light vanishes, and the pain slices through me like a thousand knives.

I square my shoulders anyway, forcing myself forward. The twilight settles heavily around me, but one thought rises above the rest, spilling from my lips in a rough whisper.

“No matter what, I’ll prove to her I love her. That I want her more than anything in this world. And I’ll do any damn thing to scale her walls so I can help her repair all her broken pieces.”