After spending the night at Garrett’s, Jennie is touched to find he keeps a basket of feminine products in his bathroom specifically for her. During dance practice later, thoughts of Garrett are triggered by a love song. Simon has been quiet since his apology. After practice, Carter picks Jennie up, and they visit Hank, who asks Jennie when she plans to let someone new into her life.

Later, Emily loses her keys and stays with Jennie. The two bond. One day, they go out for lunch and run into Kevin. Kevin dismissively tells Jennie to get over it, remarking, “You looked hot” (309). Enraged, Emily punches Kevin in the nose. In that moment, Jennie realizes that she has found a genuine friend.

Before Garrett leaves for a road trip, Jennie makes him dinner, and they dance in her apartment. He tells her that Adam knows about their secret relationship. On the team plane, Carter casually mentions that Jennie recently told him and Hank she isn’t ready for a relationship and is happy being on her own. The comment shakes Garrett’s confidence, making him second-guess his plan to formalize things with Jennie on their upcoming date.

Upon landing, Garrett is inundated with missed calls from his sisters. Gabby tearfully tells him their parents were screaming at each other. His other sister, Alexa, angrily accuses him of never being there for them and shouts “I hate you!” before hanging up (317). Finally, his mother confirms that his father walked out and took a bottle of whiskey with him. Overwhelmed by the family crisis, Garrett attempts to call Jennie for support, but his calls go straight to voicemail, leaving him in a state of turmoil.

Following a successful final dance rehearsal, Jennie is confronted by Krissy, who accuses her of living in Carter’s shadow. Jennie confidently stands up for herself, asserting that Krissy is merely jealous and miserable. Garrett arrives to pick her up and becomes visibly angry when he sees Simon touching her familiarly.

In the car, Garrett repeats Carter’s comments about her not wanting a relationship, and what he overheard her telling Simon about them being “just friends.” He reveals he is overwhelmed by a family emergency and felt abandoned when he couldn’t reach her. At her apartment door, he tells Jennie he needs space, stating that the current arrangement is “not enough for [him] anymore”—though he assures her she is “nothing short of perfect” (329). As he walks away, Emily arrives to find Jennie crying and heartbroken in the hallway.

Garrett flies from Vancouver home to Halifax to handle his family crisis. He finds his father Lucas at the only 24-hour diner around; Garrett is convinced he will be drunk, but Lucas is sober. He reveals that the factory where he had worked for 25 years was sold, and the new owners laid everyone off without notice. He admits he was tempted to drink but shows Garrett the still-sealed bottle of whiskey. Garrett convinces his father to return home and speak with his mother.

Back at the house, Garrett helps his parents begin to reconcile. He comforts his frightened sisters, and Alexa apologizes for her harsh words, encouraging him to ask Jennie for a second chance. Garrett flies back to Vancouver, arriving just in time for Jennie’s dance recital. Before the show, Adam informs him that a worried Jennie had called earlier, trying to find him.

During her recital, Jennie performs with a heavy heart until she spots Garrett in the audience, which revitalizes her. At the end of the dance, her partner, Simon, kisses her on stage without her consent. Backstage, an enraged Jennie slaps Simon, confronts him for his repeated unwanted advances, and quits as his partner.

Later, the group gathers at a restaurant for Carter’s birthday. Jennie is surprised to see Garrett already seated at their table; Olivia, who appears aware of their relationship, pulls out the seat beside him and gestures for Jennie to sit. Jennie’s hand is stinging from slapping Simon, and Garrett discreetly passes her a napkin filled with ice under the table. 

Their tense evening is interrupted when Susie approaches and asks Garrett out. Carter volunteers that Garrett “was” seeing someone, and Garrett slowly and uncertainly echoes “I was” before stepping aside to speak with Susie privately. Devastated, Jennie asks Olivia to take her home. In the car, Olivia intuits the situation and advises Jennie to be honest about her feelings.

Jennie opens her apartment door to find Garrett waiting for her. He immediately sweeps her inside and confesses he is tired of pretending he isn’t in love with her. He explains that he took Susie aside only to tell her he was in love with “the brunette who fell off her chair and whacked her head” (355)—meaning Jennie—and that there is nobody else. Garrett details his family emergency, admitting that Carter’s comments and his own insecurities caused him to panic and push her away.

Jennie forgives him, and they exchange Valentine’s gifts. Jennie gives him a box of cookies, a pair of boxers, and a keychain featuring a bear (her nickname for him) and a sun. Garrett gifts Jennie a new sunflower-shaped locket containing a photo of her with her late father. His final, most meaningful gift is her lost childhood stuffed bunny, Princess Bubblegum, which he searched for and found in the bushes near her old house.

Jennie tells Garrett she is ready to have sex. He stresses that there is no pressure, but she tells him that she loves him, too. They have sex for the first time, and the experience is safe, loving, and everything she felt her first time should have been. The next morning, Jennie wakes to find Garrett cooking breakfast in her kitchen.

Garrett is at Carter’s house, where the team is doing Disney karaoke. Olivia notices a hickey on Garrett’s neck, which Carter wrongly assumes is from Susie. The evening is interrupted when Olivia has an intense pregnancy craving for a specific brownie sundae, sending Carter into a frantic panic.

Jennie calls Garrett, asking him to pick her up from practice early. When Garrett arrives, Simon is making derogatory comments about Jennie, who is refusing to accept his apology and be his partner again. Garrett punches Simon twice, bloodying his nose. Back in the car, Jennie admits she is extremely aroused by Garrett’s protective behavior and asks him to take her home.