“Tyler, I need you to hear something, and I need you to hear it separately from everything else that happened that day.
The fact that your first instinct — the fear that leapt up fastest — was that I’d betray you over who you are… that tells me something. Not about you being paranoid. About how much the world has already taught you to brace for that. That somewhere, even with me, you’ve been holding your breath.
I’m sorry the world taught you that.
I’m going to spend the rest of my life proving it wrong.
I did not lock that man in the basement because you love men. I would have driven him there myself and locked him in the trunk on the way if he’d been a woman doing the same con. I don’t care who you bring home, sweetheart. I care whether they’re good to you and good for you.
That’s the only test. It was always the only test.”
Tyler was quiet for a long time.
Then he said, “The next one’s going to have to get past you first, huh.”
“The next one,” I said, “is going to have to get past both of us. Because you’re going to be a lot harder to fool now, and that’s the one gift that garbage human accidentally gave you. You’ll never hand your heart over quite so fast again. That’s sad. It’s also going to keep you safe.”
