Chapter 163
Summer's POV
His hand came up to cup my face, his palm warm against my cheek, his thumb brushing away the tears that wouldn't stop falling. The gesture was so gentle it made my heart ache, made something inside me twist and break and reform into a shape I didn't recognize. "How are you going to protect me?" he asked, and there was something in his voice—not mockery, not doubt, but something softer, something that sounded almost like affection, like he found my determination endearing even if he didn't believe it was possible.
"I... I know I'm not strong." The words tumbled out in a rush, tripping over each other in their hurry to be said. "But I have money. I can hire bodyguards for you, or I can learn taekwondo, or—or whatever it takes. Just don't push me away again. Please don't shut me out. I can't—" My voice broke. "I can't go back to how it was before, with you pretending I don't exist, with me not knowing if you're okay, if Drake came back, if—"
"I won't push you away again," he said quietly, and the certainty in his voice made something settle in my chest, made the panic recede just slightly. "I already promised you that, remember? At the lake. I said I wouldn't hide from you anymore."
"But that was before Drake saw me," I said, my hands fisting in his jacket, holding on like I was afraid he'd disappear if I let go. "What if he comes after me? What if you decide it's safer to—"
"Everything I've been doing—pushing you away, keeping my distance, being cold to you at school—it was all to protect you from Drake, to keep you safe from this." He gestured vaguely at the street with his free hand, at the blood on the pavement, at the mess his father had left behind like a tornado's aftermath. "But that's changed now. He saw you. He knows you exist. Which means your safety comes first. Always. I can't protect you by staying away anymore, so I'm not going to try."
Something warm bloomed in my chest, pushing back against the fear and the tears, filling the hollow spaces with something that felt dangerously close to hope. But there was still a question burning in my throat, still a need for confirmation that went beyond logic and reason, that came from somewhere deeper and more desperate. "You won't hide from me anymore?" I asked, my voice small. "Even at school? Even when people are watching?"
"Even at school," he confirmed, and his thumb was still moving across my cheek, tracing patterns on my skin that made me shiver despite the warmth of his touch. "I'll sit with you at lunch like I promised. I'll come to your cheerleading performances. I'll be there, Summer. You won't have to wonder if I'm okay or where I am or if I'm avoiding you. I'll be there."
The relief that washed over me was so intense it made my knees weak, made me sway slightly in his arms. "Okay," I whispered, and then, because I needed to do something useful instead of just crying and clinging to him like a child, I wiped at my face with the back of my hand and tried to pull myself together. "Let's go take care of your wounds. There's a convenience store a few blocks away. They should have first aid supplies."
He glanced down the street toward where Mia's taillights still glowed red in the darkness, a small smile tugging at the corner of his mouth despite the split lip. "Your friend is very protective of you."
"She's the best," I said, following his gaze.
"Then we should go," Kieran said, but he didn't move immediately, his arms still around me, his eyes searching my face like he was looking for something. "Summer, about what you said—about hiring bodyguards and learning taekwondo—"
"I meant it," I interrupted, my voice fierce. "I know you think I'm just some rich girl who doesn't understand how the real world works, but I'm serious. I'll do whatever it takes to keep you safe."
"I know you are," he said quietly, and there was something in his expression that made my breath catch, something that looked almost like wonder, like he couldn't quite believe I was real. "That's what scares me. You shouldn't have to fight my battles, Summer. You shouldn't have to protect me from my own father."
"Too bad," I said, and I meant it with every fiber of my being. "You don't get to decide that. You don't get to push me away for my own good or keep me safe by shutting me out. If Drake is a threat to you, then he's a threat to me too, because I'm not going anywhere. Do you understand? I'm not leaving you alone with this."
For a long moment, he just looked at me, his gray eyes unreadable in the dim streetlight, and I wondered if I'd pushed too hard, if I'd said too much, if I'd scared him away with the intensity of my determination. But then he leaned down and pressed his forehead against mine, his breath warm against my face, and whispered, "Okay. Okay, Summer. We'll figure it out together."
And in that moment, standing on a dark street in South Boston with my best friend waiting at the corner and blood still drying on the pavement, I felt something shift between us—something fundamental and irreversible, like we'd crossed a line we could never uncross, like we'd made promises we'd have to keep no matter what came next.
"Come on," I said softly, reluctantly pulling away from him even though every instinct screamed at me to hold on tighter. "Let's get you cleaned up."
He nodded, bending down to pick up the cake box with his left hand, and together we started walking toward the convenience store.
Behind us, I heard Mia's car engine start up again, heard her pulling away from the corner to follow us at a discreet distance, and I felt a surge of gratitude so strong it brought fresh tears to my eyes. I had people who cared about me, people who would lie to the police and wait in dark streets and drive me home safely no matter what stupid decisions I made.