My heart cracked open, wide and exposed. “I hate that he still has this much power. That he can still make me feel this small.”
Nick didn’t hesitate. “Then let me take it back from him.”
“I just wanted…” My voice cracked. The words tangled in my throat, and I could feel the burn behind my eyes, the tears that refused to stay buried anymore.
Nick stepped forward, not charging this time—just moving like he couldn’t stand to be far. The tension in his shoulders hadn’t faded, but there was something gentler in the way he looked at me now. Like he was trying not to scare me away.
“You wanted what?” he asked, quieter now, but no less firm. “To protect me? From what? Because all you’re doing is pushing me out.”
I swallowed hard, chest rising with emotion I didn’t know how to name. “It’s not that simple.”
“It is,” he said, and God, he said it like he meant it. “I’m here for you, Kennedy. Whether you let me be or not.”
Those words—simple, unshakable—hit harder than anything else tonight. No threat. No ultimatum. Just… truth.
I broke.
The wall I’d built—the one I thought was holding us both up—crumbled with a single look from him. And suddenly I didn’t know whether I wanted to cry or fall into his arms or both.
“Then why does it feel like I’m drowning?” I whispered, more to myself than to him.
Nick didn’t flinch. Didn’t blink. “Because you’ve been swimming alone.”
The walls of the penthouse felt too tight. Like they were pressing in on me, stealing the air from my lungs with every breath I tried to take. Nick stood across from me, jaw tight, eyes burning with unspoken fury—and underneath it all, something rawer. Something that made my skin tingle with awareness.
I took a step back, instinctively trying to create space between us, but he followed. Of course he did.
“You’re bulldozing your way into something you don’t understand!” The words ripped out of me before I could stop them, sharp and wild with panic.
His eyes narrowed, hurt flashing quick and brutal. “And you’re treating me like a temporary fling,” he snapped. “Like this whole thing doesn’t mean a damn thing to you.”
“That’s not fair.” My voice rose with it—the emotion, the exhaustion, the fear. “It’s not just a game. I just… I wanted you to have something normal. Something safe.”
His laugh was low, humorless. “I don’t want safe,” he said, stepping closer. “I want you. Even when you’re a goddamn hurricane.”
I froze, those words crashing into me like a wave. I could feel the tears prick at the corners of my eyes, but I blinked them back, refusing to fall apart in front of him. Again.
“I can’t do this,” I whispered, voice cracking as I tried to turn away—because that was the only thing that had ever kept me safe: distance.
But before I could take a single step, his hand wrapped around my wrist—not harsh, but sure. Possessive. Like he knew I’d run and was already two steps ahead.
“You can’t walk away from this,” he growled. “Not from me.”
My breath caught, and I looked up at him—really looked. Not the superstar forward or the viral boyfriend. Just Nick. The man who knew every fracture inside me and still wanted to stay.
“I hate that Gary still has this hold over me,” I choked out. “That he gets to be a shadow in every room I walk into. That he’s still part of us.”
Nick’s jaw flexed, but his voice was steady. Fierce. “And I have every intention of changing it.”
The words landed like a promise. One I didn’t know if I was brave enough to believe in.
“How?” My voice was barely audible, trembling with fear and hope.
His thumb brushed the inside of my wrist—soft, reverent, the contrast making my heart ache. “By standing beside you. By showing up every time you try to push me away. You think running makes you strong?” His voice dropped lower. “You think giving him more space in your head keeps me safe? I’m already in this, Kennedy. I’m already yours. Whether you want to admit it or not.”
The anger surged again—sharp and hot—curling in my chest like a flame I couldn’t control. Anger at Gary for always finding a way to crawl back into my life, even when he wasn’t supposed to be part of it anymore. Anger at myself for letting him get this far, for letting his presence color everything I felt for Nick. Everything I wanted with Nick.
“I didn’t ask for any of this!” The words cracked out of me, trembling with everything I hadn’t said—everything I was still too scared to feel.
