“A harmless crush behind closed doors is way different than this!” He points at the box. “Not the fucking same!” It’s just the shock, give him a second to calm down, I think to myself. Sure enough, he takes a deep breath and his next words are calm. “How are we going to explain this?”

I shrug, not exactly giving a fuck about what a bunch of random people think. “I care what you and Mom and Monica think. Maybe some extended relatives but certainly not anyone else. And as far as you and Mom and Monica, I care, but there’s a limit to that. Not being with Gab isn’t an option.”

He’s staring out my window and for a moment he doesn’t say anything before he turns towards me, a scowl covering his features. “Did you…” he winces, “before she was eighteen?”

I know this is a question that I’m going to have to keep answering but it’s tough to hear nonetheless. “No. Dad, this is me and Gabrielle. Think about the last seventeen years.”

He picks up the overturned chair and slams it back in place before sitting down again. “Not helping your case, James.”

“It started right before Christmas last year.” I let out a sigh. “It just happened one night and I think it shocked us both how much we wanted to do it again. It was never a ‘this was a mistake thing.’ It was a ‘this feels so fucking right thing.’”

“I cannot believe what I’m hearing.” He says as he drops his head into his hands.

“When have I ever not looked out for her? When have I ever done anything but be there for her and do right by her?”

He runs a hand through his hair and lets out a deep sigh. “That’s exactly my point. You’ve been everything short of a parent to her and now you’re her partner?” My father knows how to be calm in even the most intense situations so I’m not surprised that he’s so collected despite his first outburst.

“I love her.”

He rubs a hand over his head. “It’s Gab, Son. You…you can’t have her like that.”

Watch me. I think immediately. “You think I went looking for this? That I wanted to make either of our lives this hard? Monica is just now talking to us after she found out.”

“Your sister knows?”

“Yes, and be happy you didn’t find out the same way she did.”

He puts a hand up. “I do not want to know; that’s my daughter you’re talking about. And right now, it’s hard to see you like my son and not the asshole defiling my little girl.”