He didn’t speak. Just stared.
"But I need you to know, I love her. I’ve always loved her. I just didn’t believe I deserved her. Until now."
The silence stretched.
Before I could comprehend anything,I knew what was coming, Jasper's fist hits my face and I stumble back, clutching my bleeding nose.
"I deserve that" I mutter
"You deserve fucking words! How can you do this to her! You are fucking piece of shit! You are lucky my wife wouldn't approve of this and I can see Brit is happy,or else I would have had you bleeding on the floor" he hisses quietly.
There is another stretch of silence as he paces back and forth.
Then he stops and lets out a sigh,
Then he said, voice low, "Do you love her enough to stay? To build a life and not run when things get hard?"
"I’m already building it. I’m all in, Jas."
He clapped a hand on my shoulder. "You better be because you’re a lucky son of a bitch. And I’m happy for you. Don’t mess it up."
That night, Brittany stood in front of her mother’s door, hands shaking slightly. She’d been quiet all afternoon.
"You don’t have to do this today," I said.
"Yes. I do."
She knocked once. The door creaked open, revealing her mother — same cold eyes, same tight smile.
"What do you want, Brittany?"
Brittany didn’t flinch. "I want you to know that you were a shitty mother. You hurt me in ways I’m still trying to recover from. And I’m done carrying the weight of your cruelty."
Her mother sneered. "You think you’re better now? With him?"
"No," Brittany said calmly. "But I’m healing. And if you want to be part of my life — our life — you have to change. Otherwise, I’m closing this door and not looking back."
I stood behind her, not saying a word. Just a silent wall of support.
Her mother opened her mouth, then closed it. Brittany turned and walked away.
And just like that, she was free.
Two days later, I took her to the place that had been waiting for this moment for years.
It was an old hiking trail outside LA. At the top, the cliffs opened out onto a horizon so wide and endless, it felt like the world paused for breath. The sun was sinking low, casting the sky in streaks of peach, lavender, and gold. The breeze carried her hair around her face, and my chest ached with how beautiful she looked.
"Why here?" she asked.
I smiled. "Because this is where I used to come when I thought life had nothing left for me. And now, it’s the place where I ask for everything."
She looked at me, heart in her eyes.
I took a deep breath, reached into my pocket, and dropped to one knee.
"Brittany Ashford... You saved me. You didn’t even mean to. You just existed, and somehow, that made me believe in life again.I’ve loved you since the moment you showed up at Jasper’s party with your fire and your broken edges and that goddamn laugh that made me feel alive."
Her hand covered her mouth.