Chapter 34
KAI
The curtains leaked stripes of sunlight across the bed, warming Jasmine’s skin where she sprawled against me. Her palm rested over my chest, light but steady, like she’d planted her flag there.
Mine.
That thought settled in my bones, heavy and sure. For weeks it had felt like it would never end—the smugglers, the threats, the constant coil of waiting for the other shoe to drop. Now it was quiet. For the first time, I believed it was really over.
She stirred, eyelashes fluttering before her eyes blinked open. Sleepy, soft, beautiful as hell.
“Hey,” she whispered, her voice scratchy with sleep.
“Hey,” I said softly, brushing my thumb over her cheek.
She smiled, slow and lazy, and I swore my chest could barely hold what I felt for her. After everything—the fights, the fear, the secrets—we were here. And she was still mine.
She snuggled closer with a sigh. “Mmm. Don’t move yet.”
Christ, I didn’t want to. But I’d promised Dad I’d help him swap a throttle cable on one of the boats. “I’ve gotta give my old man a hand,” I said softly, pressing a kiss into her hair. “Be back soon.”
Her nose scrunched adorably. “Fine. But hurry.” She closed her eyes again, sinking back into the pillow.
I eased out from under her, tucking the sheet around her bare shoulders before pulling on yesterday’s khakis. One last glance at her—my girl, finally safe, finally mine—and then I stepped out into the heat and salt of the day.
The dock was already alive with gulls wheeling, tackle clattering, diesel fumes thick in the air. I was halfway to Dad’s boat when the bait shop door banged open, and Reef stepped out.
For a second we just froze, two halves of the same face, the weight of the last few weeks hanging heavy between us.
His hand flexed on the bag of bait he carried. “So… we’re good?”
I let the silence stretch, long enough to feel the sun beating down, the gulls crying overhead. Then I nodded once. “Yeah. We’re good.”
Relief flickered across his features. He shifted the bag from one hand to the other. “I didn’t tell you because… hell, I didn’t want to ruin it for you two. You finally had something good, and I wasn’t about to stomp all over it. Not over something I barely remember.”
I studied him for long enough to make him squirm, then gave a short nod. “I get it.” The past was the past. And he was always going to be my brother.
Some of the tension drained from his face, and the corner of his mouth tugged into a grin. “Besides, you’re the one who got the girl.”
That hit me square in the chest. Mine. After weeks that felt like months, after hell that welded us tighter instead of breaking us, Jasmine was mine.
“Yeah,” I said, meeting his eyes. “I did.”
And just like that, the edge between us eased enough to move forward.
Dad was already bent over the outboard when I reached his boat, a wrench in hand, sweat darkening the back of his shirt. He straightened when he saw me, squinting against the glare.
“You look lighter,” he said, giving me a once-over. “Guess that means things are finally settled.”
“Yeah,” I said. The word carried more weight than it should have.
He studied me for a long beat, jaw tight. “I won’t lie, son—I hate that you didn’t tell me sooner. That you thought you had to shoulder it all without me. That’s a hard thing for a father to swallow.”
I opened my mouth, but he held up a hand, stopping me. “That said…” His eyes softened, lines deepening at the corners. “You got through it. Kept your head. Protected the people you love. That’s all a man can ask for.”
He clapped a heavy hand on my shoulder, the kind that spoke more than words ever could. “I’m proud of you, Kai. Proud as hell.”
The words hit deep, grounding me in a way even forgiving Reef hadn’t. For weeks I’d been braced against fear and secrets. Hearing that pride in Dad’s voice made the last of the tension in me finally relax.
“Thanks, Dad,” I said quietly.
He gave a short nod, like that was all that needed saying, and bent back over the motor. But the warmth of his words stayed with me, steady as the tide.