Chapter 31
THIRTY-ONE
KAI
The car pulls up the long driveway to Luca’s family home just after lunch.
I’m nervous.
Not the stage kind of nervous—the quiet, stomach-twisting kind that comes from meeting someone’s parents as their actual boyfriend. I’ve met Dax and Luca’s mom before, but that was as bandmate Kai. This feels different. Bigger.
Luca reaches over and squeezes my thigh once.
“You’re overthinking it,” he says. “They already like you.”
I nod, but my hands still feel clammy.
The front door opens before we even reach it.
Luca’s mom steps out first, smiling wide and bright. She’s wearing a simple sweater and jeans, hair pulled back, looking nothing like the wife of a rock legend and everything like someone who’s genuinely happy to see us.
“Luca! Kai!” She pulls Luca into a tight hug first, then turns to me without hesitation and wraps me up, too. “I’m so glad you’re here. Come in, come in. I made too much food, as usual.”
“It’s good to be here, Mrs. Clark,” I say over her shoulder.
She squeezes just a little tighter. Her hug is warm and real and exactly what a mother’s hug should feel like.
She releases me and leads us inside. Saying over her shoulder, “You can call me Beth or Mom if you want, Luca’s friends growing up always called me Mom.
” Then she calls out, “Dax, Luca is here, and he brought his friend, Kai.”
I can feel my stomach knot at her words. Friend. Is that what he told her we were?
“Boyfriend, Mom. We’re together.” Luca reaches for my hand and threads our fingers together without hesitation.
His mom’s eyes widen for a split second, then she smiles again, a little flustered but genuine. “Oh! Yes, of course. Boyfriend. I’m sorry, honey. I didn’t mean to say it that way. Old habits, I guess. I’m still getting used to the change.”
She looks genuinely sorry, and a little awkward as she fidgets with the hem of her sweater.
“I thought…well, you know, you were with Whitney for so long…but that’s not important.
What matters is that you’re happy. And if Kai makes you happy, then I’m happy.
I just want you to have the kind of love story your father and I have. The real kind.”
Luca squeezes my hand. “He makes me so happy, Mom. He really does.”
She nods quickly, still looking a bit embarrassed but clearly trying to move past it. “Good. Then welcome, Kai. Officially. As Luca’s boyfriend.”
The knot in my stomach loosens a little.
Dax appears from the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. He looks exactly like I remember—laid-back, easy smile, the kind of guy who could command a stadium but chooses to help his wife in the kitchen as if he’s got all the time in the world.
“Kai,” he says, voice warm. He pulls me into a quick, one-armed hug, clapping me on the back. “Good to see you again. Especially now that you’re officially putting up with my kid full-time.”
Luca groans. “Dad.”
Dax grins wider. “What? I’m just saying—keep my boy happy, and we’ll get along great. Hurt him, and I still know how to hide a body. Rock star perks.”
His gaze shifts to Luca, the teasing edge sharpening a tiny bit.
“Still got a lot to prove though, don’t you, kid? Even with the name and the talent, you’re still earning your place every night on that stage. Don’t forget that.”
I feel Luca tense beside me. We’ve had enough conversation that I know that he feels like he’s been given every bit of fame he’s earned. Before I can think too hard about it, I speak up.
“Actually,” I say, “Luca’s already earned his spot in Eclipse. We wouldn’t be the band we are without him. He works harder than anyone gives him credit for.”
I pause, glancing at him.
Including me, if I’m being honest.
“The nepotism stuff… being your son… that’s not the full story. He’s earned every stage he’s stood on.”
Dax studies me for a second. I brace myself for him to call me out—to laugh it off, or tell me I don’t know what I’m talking about.
Instead, his grin softens into something real.
“Well said,” he replies, giving a single nod. “Glad to hear someone else sees it, too.”
Luca’s hand tightens around mine. I squeeze back.
His mom bustles us into the biggest kitchen I’ve ever seen—bright, warm, the kind of space that feels lived in. She talks as she moves, pulling plates from cabinets, setting food out across the wide island like she’s done this a hundred times.
The smell hits me immediately. Garlic. Butter. Something roasting. My stomach growls before I can stop it.
Luca lets out a quiet laugh beside me.
“If you think this smells good, you should smell my dad cooking on the grill.”
“That’s tomorrow,” Dax calls from behind us.
Conversation fills the space—easy, constant. Dax tossing out dry jokes. Luca firing back without missing a beat. Beth moving between us, touching shoulders, setting plates, keeping everything moving like it’s second nature.
It’s…effortless.
And it’s real.
It’s clear in every small thing they do or say that they care about Luca.
Deeply. Not because he’s some star or in Eclipse, but because he’s theirs.
A quiet pang hits me in the center of my chest, the old emptiness of foster homes and broken promises rearing its ugly head, but I shake it off faster than I ever have before.
Because I get it now.
Luca’s life wasn’t easy either.
Different, yeah, but not easy in the way I imagined for months.
He grew up with money. With fame. With expectations that never let up. The constant pressure to prove he belonged somewhere people already assumed he was because of his father’s name.
Mine came from instability and being passed around. And never knowing if I’d still have a place the next day.
They might sound different, and sure, the roads we took to get here were a little different, but right now, it feels like the same kind of hard.
We both had to prove we belonged. But together, we don’t have to do that anymore.
After dinner, we move outside to the patio by the pool. The city lights sparkle in the distance, the water reflecting them like scattered stars. It’s quiet out here—just the soft hum of the pool filter and the occasional laugh from inside.
Luca and I settle on one of the wide lounge chairs, his arm draped loosely around my shoulders, holding me to him. Beth brings out drinks and a plate of cookies she insists we try. Dax drops into the chair across from us, stretching his legs out with a contented sigh and cracking open a beer.
For the first time in weeks, everything feels…calm.
I lean into Luca’s side, letting the warmth of him chase away the last of the day’s tension. His fingers trace lazy patterns on my arm. I can feel him smiling against my hair.
This is nice.
This is what normal could look like.
Then the side gate clicks open. Whitney walks in with a bright, fake smile plastered on her face. My stomach tries to drop out of my ass. Is this where the other shoe drops? Will everything be yanked away from me now?
“Hey! Surprise visit!” she calls out, voice too cheerful. “I was in the area and thought I’d drop by to say hi to everyone. I heard Luca was home. I brought wine.”
She steps onto the patio, still smiling, until her gaze lands on us—me tucked against Luca’s side, his arm around my shoulders, our bodies relaxed and close on the lounger.
The smile drops instantly. Her expression twists, hurt flashing first, followed quickly by anger, before turning into something ugly.
“Really, Luca? You brought him home, to your parents’ house? This is our place.”
I try to sit up, and Luca’s arm tightens around me, holding me in place. “Whitney, this isn’t the time for whatever you think this is.”
“No, it’s the perfect fucking time,” she snaps.
Her eyes lock on me, dismissive and cold.
“You think you’re actually special? You’re not better than me, because he’s playing house with you for a few weeks.
He’ll get bored. He always does. Then we will be back together.
You’re just the new shiny thing until the next bright thing comes along and catches his attention. ”
Her words stab into me, digging at all of my insecurities, but I keep my face neutral. Luca starts to sit up, anger radiating off of him. But I put a hand on his thigh, stopping him.
“Whitney,” Beth gasps, her hand flying to her chest, while Dax leans forward looking like he’s ready to intercede. “You can’t come into my home and treat a guest that way. What has gotten into you?”
Whitney’s gaze snaps to Beth, then back to me. Her voice cracks with raw hurt. “I’m sorry, Beth. I really am. But I’ve known Luca since we were kids. I was there through everything. And now he’s parading this…this replacement around like it’s real. Like I never mattered.”
Luca’s voice is low and tense. “You mattered, Whit. But we’re over. We’ve been over. This isn’t about replacing you. This is about me and Kai. And it is real.”
She laughs, and it comes out bitter. “Real? Please. You two have been faking it for months. The whole world knows it. I know it. And deep down, Kai knows it, too. He’s just convenient right now. A place to stick your dick.”
“Whitney, you need to leave. Now!” Beth moves toward her, taking her by the arm and leading her back the way she came. “You’re not welcome in my home with that behavior.”
Luca stands up slowly, his arm sliding away from my shoulders. His voice cuts through the tension, calm but ice-cold.
“No. Let her hear this.”
Beth pauses, still holding Whitney’s arm.
Luca steps forward, eyes locked on Whitney. His tone is flat, final.
“You don’t get to talk about him like that. Ever. Kai isn’t convenient. He isn’t a placeholder. He’s the person I choose. The one I want to be with. And if you can’t handle that, then you need to stay the hell away from both of us.”
Whitney’s mouth opens, but Luca keeps going, voice steady and unrelenting.
“We were over long before Kai and I got together. You know that. I told you that. Multiple times. So stop pretending this is about me replacing you. This is about you not being able to let go. And I’m done letting you make Kai feel like he’s less because of it.”
He glances at me for a second, eyes softening just a fraction, then looks back at her.
“You were important to me once. But that’s done. Kai is my boyfriend. He’s not going anywhere. And if you can’t respect that, then you don’t belong here.”
Whitney stands frozen, face pale, eyes glassy with hurt and anger. For a moment, she looks like she might argue, but something in Luca’s expression must stop her.
Beth gently but firmly guides her the rest of the way to the gate.
The moment the gate clicks shut behind them, the patio falls quiet again.
Luca exhales and sits back down, immediately pulling me against his side like he needs the contact.
“You okay?” he asks, voice softer now.
I nod, leaning into him. The sting of Whitney’s words is still there, but it feels smaller with Luca’s arm around me and his quiet defense still ringing in my ears.
“Yeah,” I say. “I’m good.”
He presses a kiss to the top of my head, lingering for a second.
“She’s wrong,” he murmurs. “You’re not convenient. You’re mine. And I’m yours.”
I close my eyes and let the words settle all of the slowly healing parts of my soul.