Page 34

Kai

Nicole's hand rests on my thigh, her fingers curling and uncurling with a restlessness that betrays her calm exterior. Her eyes keep darting from the winding coastal road back to me, her mind no doubt cataloging every possible way this evening could unravel.

"You dominated my crazy friends,” I say, shaking my head. "Yet you’re terrified of Lana and her kids?"

She huffs out a laugh that holds no real humor. "Gstaad was a fairytale. No Aldridges, no Valencia, no expectations—no family to hate me. This . . . this is reality."

I glance over, taking in the way she's worrying her bottom lip between her teeth. "They could never hate you. And it’s the other way around for me. Gstaad is my home—the real deal—and as long as you’re comfortable there, well, that’s all that matters."

Her voice softens. “Comfortable? I loved it, Kai.”

Her admission warms me. “Good. We can put up with whatever shit that happens here. Lana doesn’t wear her heart on her sleeve, but she’ll love you.”

The words come easily because they’re true. Nicole is . . . warm, smart, and so fucking giving it’s impossible not to be drawn in. If anything, I’m the one who has to wonder if the dark side of my family—the ghosts we pretend not to see—won’t be too much for her.

We pull into the circular driveway of Lana’s house. It’s perched high enough on the cliffs to give a perfect view of the ocean, even on overcast days like this. Nicole’s eyes widen as she steps out of the car, her head tilting back to take it all in.

“It’s beautiful,” she breathes.

The house isn’t flashy, not by L.A. standards. It’s modern and open, all glass and clean lines, but it’s not meant to impress. It’s meant to feel like home—something Lana needed after the horrors of the fire that took her husband and left her to raise her twins alone.

Inside the hallway, faint sounds filter in from deeper in the house—cackles of laughter and running feet, a loud crash, followed by a sharp scolding from a harried mom.

Chaos.

Nicole flinches, one hand clutching her purse like she’s considering bolting. I shrug out of my jacket before dragging her against me.

“Relax,” I murmur. “It’s just nine-year-olds on a sugar high, and dinner. And me.”

She takes a deep breath. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous—”

“Here, let’s try this.”

I wrap my hands around her nape and drag her lips to mine in a chaste kiss. The look in her eyes when I raise my head has me returning for a second kiss. And a third. Then, I’m coaxing her lips apart to taste her fully.

The moment she makes that needy little sound, I back her against the wall and deepen the kiss, sliding my tongue against hers.

“You taste so fucking sweet,” I whisper, changing the angle to drink deeper, swallowing her moans as I thread my fingers into her hair. The hallway fades into the background.

A couple of snickers yank me back to reality.

I break away, though my eyes stay locked on hers. The haziness in Nicole’s gaze gives way to a glare the moment she realizes what the sounds are. “Way to make a great first impression, Kai Keoni.”

I grin, stealing one last kiss before turning to the saucer-eyed twins who’ve gone silent.

“Well, boys?”

As if suddenly unglued from the spots they were rooted to, they make a dash for me in a blur of energy. “Uncle Kai! You’re back!” they shout in unison.

“Careful,” I ruffle their dark curls as they barrel into me. “You’re going to start knocking me over soon.”

One of them—Liam, I think—eyes Nicole curiously. “Is that your girlfriend?”

“Yes,” I say, pride swelling in my chest.

Nicole moves forward with an easy smile, obviously in her comfort zone. “Hi. I'm Nic. You must be Liam and—” She glances at the other boy for confirmation.

“Lucas,” he supplies.

“Yep, Lucas,” she finishes. “You boys look just like your pictures. I’m not sure I can tell you apart, though.”

Liam beams. “Neither can Uncle Kai. Or David.”

“Or even Mom sometimes,” Lucas adds.

“Speaking of . . .” Liam cups his hands around his mouth and yells with that piercing volume only children can achieve, “Mom! Come meet Uncle Kai’s GIRLFRIEND!” He drags out the last word with a gleeful emphasis that makes Nicole’s cheeks flame.

“And we even caught them kissing!” Lucas bellows, then wraps his arms around himself, wiggling his body and making exaggerated smooching noises at us.

I can’t help my laugh, which only deepens when Nicole jabs an elbow into my side.

A moment later, Lana rushes in, wiping her hands on a dishtowel, her dark hair pulled into a messy bun. “Kai, I swear to God if you ever—” Her smile disappears when she sees Nicole, but it’s back up before I can process why.

I’m surprised to see David following her out of the kitchen—though I really shouldn’t be. Lana is finally giving him the time of the day. If I were him, I'd be all over her.

“Nic! So you’re the reason my brother fell off the face of the earth the last few days,” Lana's eyes twinkle, but her expression remains carefully flat. “And about time, I’d say.” She glances behind her, smirking. “I’m sure you’ve met David, too.”

David’s gaze darts from me to Lana, then to Nicole. His mouth opens, then closes—almost as if his brain can’t compute the image in front of him.

“Wow. Girlfriend?” He says stiffly. “I—I thought . . ."

“You thought what?” I shoot him a warning look.

David’s jaw tightens. “Nothing. Just . . .” He glances at Lana, then at me, then finally back at Nicole like he’s triple-checking reality. “The Aldridges. She’s engaged—”

“She’s right here, David,” I cut in drily.

His gaze snaps to Nicole in apology. “Of course. Forgive me, Nic, It’s just—I haven’t seen my friend around a woman in—”

“We get it, buddy, you’re shocked,” I snap.

Before the awkwardness can deepen, Lana interjects. “Anyway, Nic, you've arrived just in time for dinner. Come on, let’s leave the boys to catch up while I take you to the kitchen for some good old-fashioned grilling.”

Nicole laughs then follows her out of the room.

David stares at the spot Nicole was standing. The moment stretches a second too long before he drags a hand through his hair.

“I did not see that one coming,” he mutters.

Something about the way he says it makes the muscles in my shoulders tense.

The roast chicken is perfect—tender and buttery—but I barely taste it.

Nicole is relaxed, effortlessly conversing with Lana and enjoying the twins' antics as they outdo each other in trying to impress her — until they're sent to bed without dessert.

It should feel right. But it doesn’t. Something’s off.

David hasn’t spoken once. His food sits untouched. The only thing moving is the level of the wine in his bottle—his second—which is dropping alarmingly fast.

"So,” Lana begins as she spears a piece of green beans, "I have to say, Nic, you came across as a perfectly sane woman until that night . . . when you crash landed into my brother's lap."

Nicole hides her blush behind her wine glass, then gasps when I trail my hand up her thigh, my fingers digging into the soft skin beneath her maxi dress.

Lana’s eyes gleam with mischief. “Seriously. Kai was sitting in the darkest corner of the room wearing a mask, yet you abandoned everything and made a beeline for him. What was it about him that you couldn't resist?"

Nicole sputters, searching for an answer, but I cut in, “She was dared to approach me.”

Lana’s brows lift. "Interesting! And then he turned out to be your professor. Now, how’s that working out?"

"Scandalously,” I deadpan.

We all laugh—except David who only refills his glass again and downs it in a single, slow gulp.

What the fuck is his problem tonight?

After dinner, Lana and Nicole lounge on the couch, talking animated about their shared passion for charity.

Something primal coils tight in my gut as I watch them, letting myself sink into the fantasy of a house without ghosts.

Then, through the sliding glass doors, I catch David pacing on the terrace like a caged animal. One hand is white-knuckled around a glass of wine, the other—already clutching his vape—rakes through his hair.

Stepping into the cool night air, I catch the tail end of his biting tone.

"I don’t care what it takes, fix it! Call me when it’s done."

He yanks out his earbuds, throwing them on the ground, then turns to glare at the rolling tides in the distance.

“Everything okay, buddy?”

David barely glances at me. “Flooded bathrooms at the gym. Some idiot snapped the faucet and the new janitor couldn't find either the stopcock or his own asshole.”

I lean against the railing beside him, giving him space to either talk or stew. David used to manage gyms, some of them mine, before branching out on his own with Primal Fit. He knows how to handle a plumbing mishap.

This isn’t about the gym.

"You don’t seem like yourself,” I venture.

David lets out a humorless laugh. “Funny you should say that.”

My jaw tightens. "Meaning?"

He finally turns to me, the vape's LED light glowing between his fingers. His face is twisted into something bitter.

"So, she’s your sub?"

The shift is instant.

Cold slides down my spine but I keep my voice steady when I respond. "My girlfriend, yes. Is that a problem?"

“You played me, Kai.” He exhales a plume of steam.

“Excuse me?”

“You made Nic go through Lana because you knew I’d do whatever Lana asked. You let me set her up in my gym, let me rave about her like she was my golden goose . . . while all along, she was yours.”

Something sharp and digs deep in my ribs and I wonder why Lana didn't tell him about Nic. “I didn’t think it was relevant.”

David lets out another hollow laugh. “It's my fucking gym, and you still think you can call the shots?”

“I love her, David. She’s a proud, stubborn woman and doesn’t take handouts. Besides, I needed to teach her something important.”

“Oh yeah, I forgot she’s your student. How fucking noble of you to set up extra classes.”

My patience thins. I grip the railing tighter, forcing my voice to stay level. “What the hell is up your ass?”

David steps closer. “What’s up my ass,” he says, voice low and cold, “is you, Kai. And how you always take everything. Glory. Attention.” His lip curls. “Lives.”

The words land like punches—each one cracking against my control—but I rein in the urge to put my fist through his face and remind myself he’s my childhood friend.

“You’re drunk, David. We’ll talk when you’re not drowning your wits in wine.”

David just smiles and takes another drag of his vape. “I’m sober enough to see the familiar pattern. Enough to know you’ll destroy that woman too, just like the others. Normally, I wouldn’t give a fuck. But I know it’ll snowball onto your sister. As always.”

Guilt detonates into fury, and before I realize it, I’m moving—shoving him hard against the railing. It rattles beneath the force of his weight.

“Watch your fucking mouth,” I growl. “I bleed, sweat, and tear myself apart to give Lana everything.”

David just smirks. “So do I. Except I don’t leave.”

The words slice deep.

I release him and stumble back. “I saw an opportunity to change my life and, like any sane person, I took it.”

“Well, it wasn’t yours to take.” He snarls, voice thick with resentment. “Every Saturday morning, I owned that lake. Until this skinny boy started watching from the side and begging my customers for money.”

My breath catches in my throat.

David drops the vape in his back pocket. “And when that didn’t earn him enough pity, he started dragging his four-year-old sister along.”

His gaze locks onto mine, full of accusation.

“I took one look at that bony thing and thought, hell, let me help his sorry ass . I called him a friend and let him fleece my customers for money. Let him train with me and see how I execute my dives and stunts . . . I showed him everything.”

My jaw clenches so tight my teeth ache.

David continues, slicing me apart. “And how does he repay me? The snake impersonates me.”

I still remember the day it all changed.

The expectant crowd—the biggest we’d pulled, almost triple the usual—thanks to Valencia's Annual Citrus Fest celebration.

David didn't show up.

I was scared he’d lose his fanbase—and my meal ticket. We’d started charging ten cents a head, and I’d already taken their money.

Valencia’s finest would never step foot in our gig, but seeing some of the rich kids from the next town waiting endlessly to be entertained pushed me to desperation.

I stopped overthinking the moment the first kid demanded a refund.

I took his place.

David’s hands flex at his side, as if itching to hit something. “Some fool records the video and what do you know? It goes viral. He gets a sponsor, a scholarship, a new name, and next thing you know, he’s on the news. He goes to the fucking Olympics! Becomes a big shot and owns half the gyms in the country.”

His mouth twists into a sneer. “Yes, I'd say you took the motherfucking chance of a lifetime. But it wasn't yours.”

I swallow hard, my pulse a steady, guilty drumbeat. “What the fuck was I supposed to do?” I whisper, though I already know there’s no right answer here.

David laughs. “I don’t know—be less of a selfish bastard? Give credit to whom it belongs? Maybe look back once in a while—your father died and your sister was being passed around in foster homes?”

David takes a step closer, his voice dropping menacingly. “When she got scarred because of the fire your psychotic bitch of a girlfriend started, what did you do? You left her and fucked off to billionaire heaven and book tours.”

“While your sister was being carved up in the wreckage, you were smiling for the cameras.”

The world tilts and my vision blurs.

“Get out.”

David tilts his head, eyes glittering—like he’s savoring my pain.

And then—he lands the final blow.

“And now—now—you've waltzed back to take this one thing I have. You know,” he muses, almost lazily, “maybe my mood tonight isn’t just about my life that you stole.”

He grins wickedly. “Maybe I just wanted to have one thing you hadn’t jerked off all over. My own gym. A smart-as-hell, sexy-as-fuck tenant who rakes in deals like a genie—”

Red. That’s all I see.

Suddenly, David is on the ground, his hands clutching his nose as blood pours between his fingers.

“Get the fuck out,” I snarl, my chest heaving, “before I put you through that wall.”

David scrambles to his feet and adjusts his shirt with shaky hands, though his smirk stays intact.

Without another word, he stalks off—leaving me alone with the weight of every truth he hurled like jagged stones.

Each one was a perfect hit, aimed at scars that never healed.

Inside, Nicole’s laugh mingles with Lana’s—a soft, rising melody.

It breaks something in me.

David is right about one thing—I always claim the best for myself. And when I do, everyone I love suffers.

That is, if they survive.