He rolls his eyes. I hope they get stuck in the back of his head. “Take the card, Liv.” He holds up a business card for a physical therapist who I’ve worked with before, and he’s good, but nowhere near as good as Kai. The card dances on his fingertips as he checks his phone. His arrogance irritates me. He knows I’ll take the card without hesitation because even at thirty-two years old, my father’s word is final.

I swipe the card out of his hand, letting the thick cardstock slide between my fingers. It feels wrong. It feels like a betrayal. So, I take three steps to the right and let the card fall where it belongs, in the trash.

“I’ll be watching, Liv,” he says to my back because I’m already walking away.

I really should thank my father for the ridiculous conversation we had in the park the other day. My conversation with Kylie already had my wheels turning, but the conversation with my dad was the final straw. The man is clearly unhinged. It’s tearing him up inside that Kai is back in my life. I thought if I kept it strictly professional I could keep Kai safe from him, but he clearly doesn’t want me involved with him in any capacity. So, if he’s going to lose his mind regardless, I might as well get what I want. And what I want is a six-foot-three, broad shouldered, brown-skinned man whose smile brightens my day.

Kai has never wavered with me. He deserves to be put first.

Today, we’re going to spend a few hours with his circle of friends. I reached out to Shane to organize it since Kai acts like he has no friends when I’m around. Kai and I have been circling each other, isolating ourselves in a world where only we exist. But a world where we exist outside of our problems isn’t sustainable. Our adolescent hearts are still tethered together, but our adult souls are strangers. I want to fix that. I want to know who Kai is outside of me. I want to allow Kai to know this new version of me, maybe even to love it too.

“Are you sure you wanna do this?”

I zone back in to find Kai watching me, concern swimming in the depths of his irises. We’re parked outside of Sasha’s, a coffee shop run by his friend’s sister of the same name. I’m not sure how long we’ve been parked, but his worried glance tells me too long.

“Why? You think your friends won’t like me?”

“You make a lasting impression on everyone you meet, Olivia. I know they’ll love you. You just seem like you’re in your head about something.”

“When am I not?”

“Well, talk to me. What do you need?”