Chapter 27
you will always be mine
MIA
December
Watching Matt and Dom argue about football is strangely nostalgic. Today, they’re rooting for rival teams. They’ve been like this for as long as I can remember. When they were younger, these arguments would sometimes lead to days of silence between them.
It brings back memories of life before my parents’ divorce. When things were easy. When I was eager to spend time with my mom. Before she cultivated the resentment inside me.
I bite my bottom lip, forcing myself to stay present. Reminiscing always leads to thinking about Mom, and I have no interest in wallowing in bitterness tonight.
I’m determined to have a great night—not only because it’s Dom’s birthday, but because this is the first time in two weeks I’ve had more than an hour to spend with him at once.
His phone rings, ending their argument, and when he digs it out of his pocket, he smiles broadly.
“It’s Ethan,” he announces to Matt and me as he slides his thumb over the screen to accept the FaceTime call. “Hey, man.”
“Hey, kid.” Ethan laughs. His hazel eyes sparkle, complementing his blond hair perfectly. It’s the same color as Dom’s, just shorter. “Happy birthday.”
“Thanks.”
“I have a surprise for you.” He winks, and then another face appears.
This man has darker hair and a neatly trimmed beard. He’s probably in his forties, and he’s incredibly handsome, but I can’t put my finger on how I know him.
“Hola, chico,” the man says loudly. “Feliz cumpleanos!”
“Brody!” Dominic crows. “What the fuck? Aren’t you in Valencia?”
“I have some business here that needs my attention.” Brody—Dom’s uncle, Allan’s younger, wilder brother—shrugs. “I’m looking for a personal assistant, and it’s a pain in my ass. Figuratively speaking.”
“Who cares about the pain in your ass?” A beautiful woman with brown hair and big green eyes appears beside the guys.
Brooklyn. Ethan’s wife. The first time I saw her, I was in awe of her. She might be the hottest person I’ve ever met. “Happy birthday, Dom. May all your dreams come true.”
“Thank you, Brooklyn.” Dom nods, grinning. “I wasn’t expecting to hear from you guys.”
“Did you really think we’d forget about your birthday?” Ethan shakes his head. “Never. You’re stuck with us.”
“For that to be true, you’d have to visit.”
“Or you could visit us.” Ethan winks again. “And bring those two with you.” He waves. “Hi, Matt. Mia.”
“Mia is there?” Brody, who’d drifted off-screen, reappears, butting Ethan and Brooklyn out of the way. “Oh, hola, belleza! Take care of our boy, will ya? Don’t let him get away with anything. If he upsets you, put him in his place. Got it?”
I giggle. “Got it.”
“Great.” Brody smiles and then eyes Dom again. “We better go; we don’t want to monopolize your time. Enjoy dinner with the family, but tell my brother the next time he ignores my call, I’ll show up unannounced and stay for three months, just to piss him off.”
Dom chuckles. “I’ll pass on the message.” The screen goes dark, and he slides his phone back into his pocket.
“I still can’t believe Brody is Allan’s brother,” Matt says. “He’s more like his nephew.”
“I heard that.” A voice behind us startles us all, and we turn in unison.
Allan stands in the doorway, arms folded over his chest, feigning annoyance, though he struggles to keep his lips from trembling as he tries to hide his smile. “Are you going to stay out here all night, or can we finally have dinner?”
The house is warm and inviting, the air filled with the scent of garlic and herbs. There’s a Christmas tree glowing in the corner, its twinkling lights reflecting off the windows.
It’s all a facade.
When I sit between Dom and Matt, Mom purses her lips. When Dom fills my plate with food and gets up to pour me a drink, she watches us with disapproval so visceral, one would think he was feeding me drugs. When she sees us whispering to each other, she tsks. Loudly.
She hates that I’m with him, thinks he’s taking advantage of me, that I’m a silly little girl who doesn’t know any better.
I’m tired of trying to prove her wrong. It doesn’t matter anymore.
So, when Matt raises his glass and says, “Happy birthday, Dom,” I do something a little reckless.
I lean in and press a featherlight kiss to Dominic’s jaw. As I pull back, he gives me a tender smile, squeezing my knee gently.
“Do you really have to do that here?” Mom’s voice is full of venom.
Though I expected the reaction, my heart still sinks. Taking a deep breath, I narrow my eyes on her. I’m done letting her belittle me.
“Why does it bother you so much that we’re together?”
Her nostrils flare as she sets down her glass of wine.
“Because you’re ruining this family. You’re running around town without bothering to care what other people think about you, about us.
Mrs. Ackerman wasn’t the only one who called to let me know how depraved my daughter is.
Every customer who comes into my store has something to say.
Some only stop in to spy on me, as if I’m some kind of abomination. How could you—”
“Live my life to the fullest, even without your approval?”
She scowls, her brows pinched together, making her look older than she is.
“I’m curious. Why is it that you always have something to say to me about my relationship, but never to Dom?” I rest my forearms on the table, ignoring the tension in my neck. “Is it because it’s easier to spew hatred on your daughter than it is to confront a man who can stand up for himself?”
She lifts her chin, her face reddening, yet she stays silent.
I don’t speak either, letting the silence stretch until it’s uncomfortable. She’s always been harder on me than Matt. And what she’s doing now? It isn’t just about my relationship with Dom. This is payback for me choosing to live with my dad. For choosing what was best for me.
A shudder rolls through me, one so violent, Dom feels it too. He squeezes my knee again and moves a fraction closer, silently telling me he’s got me.
And then he speaks, voice low and rough.
“I, for one, don’t give a fuck what people think about me.
” He angles forward, his focus fixed on my mom.
“You don’t like us together? Too bad. And if you think I’m gonna sit here and listen to you tear her down like this, you’re out of your goddamn mind. Grow the fuck up. You’re her mother.”
She glares at him, her lip curling. “You don’t understand. Our neighbors—”
“Fuck the neighbors. Fuck everyone.” He rolls his shoulders back. “You are the problem, not them, and we’re done putting up with your bullshit.”
Her jaw unhinges.
Dom stands abruptly, his chair loudly scraping the floor. He looks down at me, his hazel eyes still burning with anger, but the moment I smile at him, full of gratitude, his features soften.
“Let’s go to my place?” He holds his hand out to me.
Without hesitation, I stand and slip my hand into his, relishing the jolt of electricity that courses through me on contact.
“Sorry, Dad. Matt.”
“That’s okay, kid.” Allan nods, his eyes full of warmth as he looks at us. “See you tomorrow.”
Matt stands as well. “I’m headed to my room. I’ve lost my appetite.” He zeroes in on Mom, his face blanching. “I hope you’re happy.”
As Matt strides toward the stairs, I follow so I can collect a few changes of clothes and my backpack. I don’t want to stay here longer than necessary.
Tugging on the sleeves of the cotton shirt I stole from Dominic’s closet, I shiver. The colder it gets outside, the harder it is for the furnace in his apartment to keep up.
I’m staring at the notepad and the paperback sitting side by side in front of me when the bathroom door opens and Dominic steps out, wearing nothing but a pair of low-slung sweatpants.
His hair is wet and tousled, his skin a little pink from the hot water.
As I drink him in, my body heats up. Turns out, I don’t need to rely on the crappy furnace after all.
I loved his buzz cut, but the longer hair gives him a rough edge that ignites a fire deep in my belly. It’s cropped close on the sides, with just enough length on top to run my fingers through…and damn if I don’t do that all the time.
“What are you doing?” he asks, stepping closer.
“Trying to decide whether to read or work.”
His lips tug down as he crouches beside the bed so we’re eye to eye. “Are you eating enough?”
Confusion rushes through me. “What?”
He brushes a thumb over my cheekbone. “You look thinner.”
“I’ve been busy, but I grab food when I can.” I chuckle. “But everything’s fine; don’t worry.”
He scrubs a hand over his face, eyebrows furrowed. The expression sends a chill through me. I hate to make him worry, to be a burden. So, I stand from the bed, pull my iPad out of my bag, and quickly pull up a design I’ve been working on.
“One day, when the custom shop is off the ground, you should build a bike for yourself.” I tap the screen to enlarge the image. The black design is sleek and shiny—a raven, reminiscent of the one inked on his arm. “And when you do, I think it should be this.”
He hovers beside me, not moving, his hazel eyes locked on the screen. “You did this for me?”
My heart pangs with affection for him. “I wanted to give you something special for your birthday. I hope you like it.”
His breath hitches, and he swallows audibly. Then, he drops back onto his ass.
Dread swirls inside me. Something’s happening to him, but I don’t understand what. I lock my iPad and toss it onto the covers. Then, desperate in my desire to distract him from the emotions clearly overwhelming him, I say, “One of my professors recommended me for an internship.”
That stops his spiraling. He looks up at me and says, “Where?”
“A game studio in Palo Alto. It’s remote and unpaid. It’s more of a learning experience than anything.”
He smiles. “That’s amazing.”
I clear my throat. “I turned it down.”
“Why?”
With a shrug, I avert my gaze. “Because of my classes. Work. Freelancing… You.”
“You’re not actually putting me on that list.”
“Why not?”