In Love With Him

Chapter 50

Dominic – POV

I stormed down the porch steps, fists clenched so tight my nails dug into my palms. My blood was still boiling, chest rising and falling like I’d just gone ten rounds in the cage.

He had to bring up Dad.

He always f*****g brings up Dad.

I reached my car, ready to slam the door behind me and take off somewhere—anywhere—just to breathe. But when I patted my pockets, reality smacked me right in the face.

No keys.

I cursed out loud. “Are you f*****g kidding me?!”

Of course I left them inside.

And there was no way in hell I was going back in there, not after the way I stormed out like a goddamn lunatic. I already saw Kennedy’s face when I walked away—wide-eyed, confused… maybe a little scared.

FUCK IT.

I turned on my heel and started walking, hands in my pockets, head down. I didn’t care where I went. I just needed to get away. From the house. From Kyle. From the ache still lodged in my chest like a goddamn splinter.

My pulse thudded in my ears.

Every step I took felt like stomping on dry glass.

God, I hated him sometimes.

Kyle.

The perfect big brother. The soldier. The man of discipline and medals. The guy with the beautiful girlfriend and all the family charm.

Except he wasn’t there.

Not when it f*****g counted.

Not when Dad slammed Mom against the wall so hard the drywall cracked.

Not when I had to stand in front of her barely tall enough to reach her shoulder, screaming at a drunk man three times my size to stop.

At first, Kyle tried. I’ll give him that. He used to yank Dad off her, yell back, take a few hits himself. But as time went on, he just… gave up. Checked out. Pretended it didn’t happen. Found ways to get out of the house more and more, until finally he was old enough to run away for good. The military gave him a clean exit—and he took it without looking back.

Meanwhile, I was the one left behind.

With the broken mother.

The bruises.

The weight of trying to hold our mother together with two small hands and a heart that cracked a little more every day.

But still… I wanted to be like him.

He was strong. Confident. Girls fell all over him.

And yeah, he slept around. Constantly.

So I thought that’s what a man was supposed to do.

I didn’t know any better. How could I?

When your role models were a womanizing ghost and your father is a violent monster… you pick the lesser of two evils and pray you don’t become either.

But maybe I did.

Maybe I became both.

I didn’t even realize where my feet were taking me until I heard the ocean.

The cool breeze off the water slapped my face like a wake-up call.

The beach was nearly empty, just a few people walking their dogs or taking pictures of the sunset. I dropped onto the sand, elbows resting on my knees, head hanging low.

The sky was streaked in purples and oranges, the sun dipping low, turning the waves to gold.

And for a second… just one f*****g second…

I could breathe.

The burn in my chest didn’t disappear, but it eased a little.

The guilt, the rage, the shame—they were still there. But muffled. Distant.

I stared at the waves crashing in steady rhythm and felt the sting behind my eyes.

Not now.

I clenched my jaw and dug my fingers into the sand.

I hated that Kennedy saw that side of me.

I hated that Kyle was right—about some of it, at least. I did have a temper.

And yeah, I let it get the best of me sometimes.

But what the hell did he expect?

I was a product of chaos trying my best to unlearn the damage. Trying to make myself into something better than what I came from.

And lately… being around Kennedy, for the first time in a long time… I felt like I could be that.

Better.

She made me want to be soft without feeling weak.

She made me feel… safe.

And then Kyle had to open his damn mouth and remind everyone of who I used to be. The guy who slept around. The guy who exploded on a professor and got kicked out of Stanford. The guy who learned how to survive by turning off his emotions and pushing people away.

I’m not that guy anymore.

I don’t want to be.

Especially not around her.

I took a deep breath and let it out slow, watching the sky bleed into twilight.

I didn’t know how long I sat there. Maybe an hour. Maybe more.

But eventually, the anger cooled into something else.

Resolve.

I couldn’t keep running from this—from her.

And I couldn’t let Kyle or my past or my own fear keep me from facing the truth.

I had feelings for Kennedy.

Big, messy, dangerous feelings.

And they weren’t going away.

My phone buzzed in my pocket, the vibration cutting through the sound of crashing waves.

I sighed, already bracing myself. Figured it’d be Kyle or Mom, maybe even Paul trying to play peacemaker.

But when I pulled it out and saw her name on the screen, something shifted.

Kennedy.

I swiped it open.

Are you ok? Everyone's asleep. If you want to come home and not worry about seeing anyone. I also saved you a piece of apple pie from the gremlin. Almost lost a hand fighting him for it but I won.

I stared at the message for a second, a slow grin pulling at the corners of my mouth. A quiet chuckle escaped me before I could stop it.

God, she always knew how to take the edge off, didn’t she?

I typed back.

Yea I’m ok. Just needed some air. I’ll be home soon. Thanks for saving me a piece of pie.

Not even a full minute passed before she responded again.

Well hurry up. We’re on the last season of Euphoria and I want to know what happens.

My chest tightened in the best possible way. It was like being wrapped in a blanket after standing out in the cold too long. She didn’t have to reach out. She didn’t have to still want me there—not after everything she overheard at dinner.

But she did.

She wanted me there.

I exhaled through my nose, that familiar warmth crawling up the back of my neck.

I typed one more message and hit send:

Anything you want, princess.

I slipped my phone back into my pocket, the weight of the day finally feeling a little lighter.

Maybe she didn’t care about what Kyle said. Maybe she saw past the stories, the temper, the reputation.

Maybe she saw me.

I looked out at the waves one last time, the sky now painted in midnight blue with the last sliver of orange melting on the horizon.

This time when I stood, the anger was gone.

I brushed the sand off my jeans, shoved my hands in my pockets, and started the walk home.

Home.

To her.

---

Kennedy – POV

The soft hum of Bob’s Burgers played in the background, Tina’s awkward mumble blending into the quiet whir of the ceiling fan above. The familiar cartoon used to make me laugh, but tonight… it was just background noise.

I sat curled up on the corner of the couch, a blanket over my legs, my cheek resting in my palm. My eyes were on the screen, but I wasn’t watching. Not really.

My phone sat face-up next to me. The glow had faded, but I didn’t need to look. I’d already memorized the last message.

Anything you want, princess.

A small, stupid smile tugged at the corner of my mouth as I picked up the phone and reread it for what had to be the tenth time.

“Princess.”

God, it used to make me want to roll my eyes so hard they’d fall out of my head. I thought he was being condescending, cocky. A pet name from a smug stepbrother who thought he was so charming.

But now?

Now it gave me tingles. It made my stomach flutter in ways I didn’t even understand.

It wasn’t just the word. It was how he said it. The softness in his voice. The way he looked at me after. Like I was something delicate, something his.

Everyone had gone to bed after dessert—Morgan practically dragging Kyle by the ear, Max complaining about being "stuffed like a turkey," and dad muttering something about heartburn and bourbon.

The house had gone quiet. Except for me.

Still here. Still waiting.

I didn’t want to sleep until I knew he was home. Until I saw him, safe and okay. Even if we didn’t talk… even if he just walked past me and up the stairs. I needed to see him.

But the warmth of the blanket, the lull of the TV, the heaviness in my eyes…

Eventually, it pulled me under.

Still clutching my phone, I curled tighter into the cushions, my breathing soft and steady.

And just before sleep fully took me, my last thought was of him.

Dominic.

My complicated, infuriating, beautiful… Dominic.