Page 87 of Finding You

“Seriously, drop the fucking act,” Grace said, her voice rising.

Dallas’s head whipped around to face her. “Stop being a bigot.”

Grace reared back like she’d been slapped. “I’m not a…that. You don’t even know me!”

“I know that you’ve spent years tormenting the one man who doesn’t deserve it. A man who has stepped up to take care of people who are vulnerable when the rest of you looked the other way,” Dallas said. “I know that he’s a better parent than a lot of people sitting around this fire. He’s sacrificed his own personal life, his time, his job, his peace of mind, sleep…God, the list goes on. And what have you all done besides make him feel like he’s not enough?”

“You’re not even part of this family,” Kylen’s aunt said. “How dare you.”

Dallas looked back at Kylen, then grinned. “You’re right. I’m not part of this family. But he’s part of mine. And I suppose I do have you to thank for that, Grace.”

She spluttered. “How?”

“Being such a massive asshole that he lied about having a boyfriend and used the name of a scared stranger he comforted on a plane.” Dallas picked up Kylen’s hand, and when he felt his boyfriend relax into his grip, he turned his palm and kissed the center. “You might not appreciate how amazing he is, but I do.”

“I love you,” Kylen whispered.

Before Dallas could say it back again, Grace was suddenly there, leaning into their space. “This lying is fucking disgusting. And I don’t know what is wrong with you both. If you actually knew my brother, you wouldn’t be in this mess right now. I’m half-convinced he preyed on some vulnerable man fresh off a divorce, and if you wake up one day and realize that he manipulated you into thinking you’re a?—”

“Enough.” Dallas almost shouted, interrupting her vitriol. He had never been so angry in his life. He turned to face her. “I can’t believe you. I know I’m lucky because I have people in my life who are kind and genuinely good people, but it’s hard for me to believe you’re this cruel. What is the matter with you?” She stayed silent, and he scoffed. “That is an honest question. What the actual fuck is wrong with you?”

“I won’t be spoken to that way. You’re not welcome here anymore,” Grace said and turned back to her family. “Right?”

There was a beat of silence, and then his uncle rose. He was a tall man—not bigger than Dallas, but his posture said he was used to using his size to get what he wanted. “She’s right. You need to leave.”

Grace’s smile was sharp as she turned back to Kylen and Dallas. “You’re staying,” she told her brother. “And so is Flora.”

“No!”

The tiny voice was as loud as a gong, and everyone startled. Kylen jumped to his feet and turned to see Flora standing a few feet away. Her eyes were wide, and her hands were shaking.

“Oh, sweetheart,” Grace said, her tone changing. “Come here. Auntie can hold you.”

Flora took off running—not to Grace, but to Dallas. He swept her up in his arms, and Grace lunged at him, attempting to pull her away, but Flora let out a scream so piercing it had Dallas’s ears ringing.

“Stop!” Kylen’s voice boomed over everyone’s, and even Flora went quiet. “Do not touch my daughter.” He positioned himself between Dallas and Flora, then turned to face the small girl. She was clinging to Dallas, her face buried in his neck. “Baby. What do you need right now?”

“Blanket. Juice.” Her voice was muffled, but she raised her head. “Iy-ana go home.”

“Yeah, sweetpea. We can go home.” Kylen’s voice was soft as he spoke to his daughter, but he went hard as stone, his tone final as he turned to face his sister and his parents. “I didn’t know what it would take to convince you. I thought seeing me in love might make a difference?—”

“It was all a lie?—”

“Yes,” Kylen said, interrupting Grace’s attempt to hijack the conversation again. “It was a lie. Until it wasn’t. He was kind enough to play along because he thought it was sad and pathetic my family was so awful that I had to fake a boyfriend just to get them off my back. Somewhere in the midst of all that, I fell in love with him. And by some miracle, he loves me back. So accept it, don’t accept it, I don’t care anymore. None of you have done jack or shit for me in years. I don’t need you. So don’t call. Don’t show up. You won’t be welcome.”

There was a cacophony of protests as Kylen led the way in the dark toward the cabin, but Dallas tuned them out. Instead, he held Flora as tightly as she needed to be held and kept pace with his boyfriend. The whole thing felt like an ending, and he knew Kylen was going to be hurting for a good long while.

But it also felt like a beginning, and he could only hope that so long as Dallas remained patient and steadfast, their happily ever after was just on the horizon.

Chapter Twenty-Five

DALLAS

“Okay. So one, I need y’all to chill,” Dallas said to his friends, who were all practically vibrating with anticipation. Not only was he bringing his boyfriend into their circle, but his brother, who had finally confirmed his move. Bronx was flying in later that week with Lucas, so Dallas was trying to get the Kylen intros over with so it wouldn’t be two at once.

His friends were worse than his class right before a field trip.

“Two,” Dallas said, folding his arms, “I need us all to use inside voices.”

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