“She needs?—”
“What? More control? Another man telling her what’s best?” My voice dropped, all venom and ice. “She doesn’t need you. She chose me.”
Then I heard her.
“It’s okay, Nick.”
I glanced back.
There she was—bare legs, messy hair, wrapped in one of my shirts like she’d always belonged in it. And fuck me, I felt that same surge of pride I always did when I looked at her. She looked wrecked. Loved. Satisfied. Mine.
“Kennedy…” I said, my tone sharp. Not at her—for her. “You don’t owe him anything.”
She met my eyes, calm but resolute. “I know. But I want to talk to him.”
I didn’t like it, but I stepped back. Barely. Enough to let her make her choice—but not enough to make Jake forget who the hell ran this place now.
I stepped back, but I didn’t give up ground. Jake was already bristling, eyes locked on me like I was the damn villain in his sister’s story.
“Are you serious about her?” he asked, fists clenched at his sides like he was one wrong answer away from throwing the first punch.
My jaw ticked. I didn’t want to get into a dick-measuring contest with her brother, but I wasn’t going to back down either. “You think I’d have married her if I wasn’t?”
His nostrils flared. “Was this just a bet?”
The sound that left me wasn’t quite a laugh—it was darker than that. A low growl stirred in my chest, and I had to resist the urge to shove him into the hallway just to shut him up.
“No,” I bit out. “It was never a game. Not to me.”
He stepped in like he wanted to test my patience. I didn’t flinch. “What happens now?” he asked. “You just take her away and pretend the rest of her life doesn’t exist? What about Gary?”
And there it was—the weight of that name. Of all the bullshit she carried because of it.
I moved in, body coiled, voice low and controlled. “Gary can go fuck himself."
The air charged between us like we were seconds away from detonating. Kennedy stood just behind me—I felt her presence even before she touched me. Her silence burned hotter than any argument.
Jake turned toward her. “Kennedy?—”
“No.” He cut her off before she could speak, voice sharp and splintering. “You’re throwing your whole life away. Your career, your future, for him?”
“That’s enough,” I snapped, stepping between them again, jaw tight.
She didn’t need to defend herself. Not with me here. Not against this.
“She made her choice the night she kissed me back,” I said, voice even but laced with iron. “And I’m not letting anyone make her regret that. Not even you.”
Jake’s eyes flicked between us, his anger dimming just enough for reality to slip through. He saw it. The truth. That this wasn’t some fling or mistake. That she’d walked through hell and still chose me on the other side.
“This isn’t your fight,” I said, softer now but no less firm.
Kennedy stepped forward, her hand landing on my shoulder. Just that simple touch was enough to steady the storm building in my chest.
We were in this together. And I wasn’t letting anyone rewrite that. Not her brother. Not Gary. Not anyone.
Jake’s eyes narrowed, his mouth curling into a sneer. “You’re throwing everything away, Kennedy. Ruining your reputation for this guy? After one night?”
The heat hit me instantly—boiling up from my gut, sharp and blinding. Protective didn’t even begin to cover it. But I kept it leashed. Barely.
