There's No Way

Protector

[Shawn's POV]

Every morning I would wake up to the same view and it never once got old. Watching Camila peacefully sleep next to me would never not be one of my favorite sights. Her bare shoulders and the clothes haphazardly strewn around the room brought back a frenzy of romantic yet sweaty memories from the night before. I smiled blissfully before pulling her small body closer to mine.

"Good morning," she mumbled sleepily against my skin.

"Morning, cutie." I quickly kissed the top of her head as I lazily played with her curls. "Our families are going to be here in about two hours for brunch. We should probably start getting things ready."

"Five more minutes..." she groaned. I chuckled.

"Ehh, I'm feeling generous. You can have six." She squealed in delight against my chest at the provision of extra cuddle time.

We weren't really ones for fancy brunches - so we opted to get a shitload of takeout food from the diner instead. We still made sure to have mimosas and bloody mary's, though - the two brunch staples. We had cleaned up the house a bit - including a previously missing pair of Camila's panties that had apparently been discarded and thrown behind our couch at one point. After tidying up, I went to pick up all of the food and bring it back home. We put it all out on display on the kitchen counter. Just as we finished playing our lazy-day brunch, the doorbell rang. I ran over and opened the door to both of our families standing on the porch.

——

[Camila's POV]

Brunch was delicious and the company was even better, but I could still see that my dad was a bit apprehensive any time someone would mention Shawn and I's engagement and the future wedding. After everyone had finished eating, I took the momentary lull in the conversation as an opportunity to pull my dad aside and talk to him privately.

"Dad, can we talk one on one? Maybe out on the porch?" He nodded.

"Of course." He followed me out onto the porch and we both took a seat on the cement steps.

"Look, dad, I know this is a lot to take in...but I promise you that what Shawn and I have is real. I am so in love with him, and he's so in love with me. I know we kind of caught you by surprise...but I promise the more time you spend with him and the more you get to know him you're going to see exactly what I see - a man that deeply loves me and cares about me." He took a deep breath and kept his gaze away from mine.

"Mila, I can see that you two love each other," he began, emotion evident in his wavering voice. "It's just hard for me as your father to willingly give you away to a man that I don't know. You're my babygirl, I need to know that whoever you marry is going to take care of you and protect you and love you, no matter what. And right now...I have no way of knowing if Shawn would be willing to do that or not."

I took a deep breath and tried to control myself. My family was completely unaware of everything that happened with Lucas - but hearing my dad's words, I knew I had to tell him. If he needed to know if Shawn would be willing to take care of me and protect me then I would give him those answers.

"Stay right here...I'll be right back," I said before standing up and quickly heading back inside. Everybody was conversing amongst themselves, so nobody really noticed when I pulled Shawn aside to talk to him privately.

"I'm gonna tell my dad." Shawn gave me a questioning look.

"Tell him what, Mila?"

"About Lucas, about everything..." I explained. Shawn's eyes widened.

"Oh, woah. Are you sure? Why now?"

"Because..." I sighed. "...he said his concern with us getting married is that he has no proof that you would take care of me and protect me and love me, no matter what..." I reached forward and took Shawn's much larger hands into mine. "...but that story...everything that happened to me that night, everything that I've gone through in the year since that night...everything you've done for me is the proof. I need him to know." Shawn smiled and cupped his hands around my face as he placed his forehead against mine.

"You've got this, cutie." He gave me a reassuring kiss before I headed back out to sit with my dad once again.

I told my dad everything. He was heartbroken.

"I know this is hard to hear, but it was Shawn who found me that night - naked, broken, bruised & crying on the cold tile floor. He held me until I calmed down, he drove me home...and then to his house when I told him I didn't feel safe alone at my house. He gave up his bed for me - he slept on the couch for days. When I collapsed on the shower floor from a panic attack he came in and helped me - despite getting his clothes completely soaked. When I still didn't feel safe alone he offered to let me move in to his spare room as his roommate. He takes me to therapy, he talks me off the edge of every panic attack...during every flashback he's right there beside me comforting me and reminding me that I'm safe..." Tears were steadily streaming down both of our faces. "Dad, in moments where I felt like I was impossible to love he showed me more love then I ever thought possible. In the moments where my brain takes control and starts throwing me into a tailspin of dark and horrific memories, he's right there beside me reminding me that I'm safe with him. When I stood at the edge of my cubicle the first day back to work after everything happened, desperately trying to gather the strength just to sit at my own desk again, he was right there beside me to protect me." I wiped a tear from my eye. "I know you haven't seen his willingness to love me and take care of me and protect me no matter what firsthand, but I have. I have and it's so much more than I ever thought possible."

"C-can you t-tell him to c-come out here?" my dad choked out through a sob. I looked up at the window and saw him sitting on the couch with my mom. His eyes caught mine and I motioned for him to come outside. He excused himself from the conversation he was having with my mom and stepped outside. My dad immediately stood up and engulfed Shawn in a hug - not just any hug, a 'thank you for saving my daughter's life' hug. I could see that Shawn was getting a bit misty-eyed, and I was full-on crying at this point.

"Thank you," my dad said to Shawn. "And welcome to the family."

A/N: Raise your hand if you're crying. 🙋🏼‍♀️