Building Her Throne Burying My Heart (Claire) novel Chapter 56

"Thank you for always sticking by me."

Garrison turned Claire's face so she could lean against his shoulder, gentle and careful. Inside, though, he was a mess. He had always believed that as long as he was with Claire, I would never stand a chance. Now here I was, back in her life, even playing driver for her. It made him feel unsettled, even if I kept saying I wouldn't interfere. The truth was, he just couldn't trust himself.

"Don't thank me. If you're happy, that's all I want," he said softly, reaching out to hold her hand. That was as close as they ever got. All these years, Claire never let things go any further. Garrison never forced it. Their relationship was just meals together, talking, taking walks, holding hands once in a while. They hadn't even kissed, let alone anything more. Garrison tried hard to keep up his image, to control himself. He'd never do anything Claire didn't want.

But now, something inside him shifted. After all this time, maybe she had never truly let me go. Maybe that's why she kept her distance.

When Garrison fell silent, Claire felt torn up inside. He was always the one making compromises. Maybe it was time she did something, gave a little more. But every time she tried, she just couldn't break through that invisible wall in her heart.

"How about I go look at wedding dresses the day after tomorrow?" she finally said, almost in a whisper.

But Garrison shook his head. "Can we do another day? I need to go out of town for work the day after tomorrow. The trip's been planned for a while."

Claire hesitated, then nodded. "That's fine. I'll go take a look by myself first. When you get back, you can come with me."

"Alright, that works. Let Daisy go with you then," Garrison replied.

"Okay."

***

After making sure Darleen was settled at the hospital, I headed back to The Gates Group, ready to drive Claire again.

That first day back, Laird filled me in. "Claire's going to try on wedding dresses today. Don't go anywhere else, just wait at the entrance for her."

Daisy laughed. "Exactly. He's not worth it. Such a jerk. If I saw him again, I'd kick him a couple times just to help you let off steam. But it's like he vanished off the face of the earth. Who knows what hole he's hiding in now..."

Daisy talked the whole way. Claire just stared out the window, silent.

When we arrived, I got out to open the car doors for them. Daisy looked up and saw me. Her jaw dropped, eyes wide with shock.

"You... Lambert... what are you doing here? Just now..."

Claire glanced at her. "Come on. What you see is just an empty shell. A man without a soul isn't worth your attention."

I looked over at the bridal shop. Life really could be cruel. Was I really supposed to stand here and watch the woman I loved try on a wedding dress for someone else?