Page 98 of Devious Love

I roll my eyes, nestling back into his arms. “Jesus, your ego is enormous.”

“Not just my ego,” he teases, squeezing me tighter.

“Shut up.” I smack his chest lightly.

He chuckles, and the sound soothes me from the inside out.

This is exactly why I’m here.

He is my home; that’s all there is to it.

The next morning,I wake up with Dominic curved around my back, the heat of him soaking into me. Last night, he put onMystic River, but I don’t think I made it more than a few minutes into the movie before I nodded off.

I ease out of his embrace and turn to look at him. When I came back to Monterey, his hair was buzzed. Now, it’s grown out, even a little shaggy. It looks good. So does the stubble on his sharp jawline.

Asleep like this, he looks so peaceful, somine. My heart squeezes in my chest.

I’ve never had to act around Dominic. I’ve never had to shape myself into something small and quiet and unassuming. Even when I was a little girl, always tagging along with him and Matt and annoying the life out of them, he accepted me the way I was.

With him, I’ve always felt like I’m enough. Not once, even when he was acting like an asshole, did he ever tell me I needed to change.

In the light of day, it’s hard to care what my mom thinks. I no longer have the energy to fight for a love she won’t give me unless it’s on her terms.

I’m tired of chasing my childhood fantasies. If Mom can’t love me the way she loves Matt, that’s not my fault.

I’m done.

Relief floods me as I press my face into the crook of Dominic’s neck and inhale his scent. Without opening his eyes, he pulls me tightly to his chest.

“Thank you for being you,” I whisper against his skin.

And then, I close my eyes and allow myself to doze off again.

CHAPTER 27

you will always be mine

MIA

Age 19

December

WatchingMatt 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.”