Page 49 of Worth the Vow

“No way!” she breathes. “He really did that?”

“Yup. Then he was shocked when I was so upset about it.”

“I don’t think men understand how intimate it is for women in a gynecology appointment. You don’t want just anyone elbows deep in your hoo-hah,” she comments. I can’t help but giggle. She’s completely right.

“Thankfully, the OBGYN Hannah recommended is really nice. I felt heard for probably the first time ever,” I joke.

“God, the way females are treated in the medical world is disgusting,” Victoria seethes. “Heaven forbid something be treated instead of excused away as being anxiety, depression, or a weight issue.”

“The last doctor I saw told me I needed to exercise more,” I admit. Victoria looks horrified. “I’m not the most physically fit person out there, so he wasn’t completely wrong.”

“You are already too thin,” she says. Rolling her eyes, she continues. “It doesn’t surprise me that a man would suggest exercise instead of looking at medical information.”

“Yeah. I hate when they say labs are normal, but when I look into it, I’ll find I’m vitamin-D deficient and have low iron.”

“I think every woman has a vitamin-D deficiency,” Victoria says, then leans toward me and nudges me with her elbow. “And I’m not talking about the actual vitamin.”

I snicker at her innuendo. I’ve gotten fairly close to Victoria since finding Matt. I love that she feels comfortable enough with me to make these kinds of jokes.

“If you were to be really struggling with a vitamin-D deficiency, would you accept some from Dom?” she asks nonchalantly.

“Victoria!” I hiss.

“What?” she asks innocently. “I’m just looking out for your health.”

“Really.” I cock an eyebrow at her as she fails to conceal her wicked smile.

“It’s not like you would be committing a crime. You’re married to the man.”

“It’s not the same, and you know it,” I sigh. “Besides, I really don’t think he even likes me that much. He’s never pleased with anything I do, and he rarely wants to spend time with us if I’m there.”

“Could it be the opposite?”

“What do you mean?” I ask.

“Perhaps he keeps away from you because he’s struggling with feeling an attraction toward you. And I wouldn’t take it too personally about thinking he’s never pleased. From what Matt tells me, that’s just how Dom is. He’s the epitome of a type-A grump.”

“He rarely smiles. At least never at me, I guess. He only smiles at his kids. Which is fine. I’d rather them get the happiness than me. But …” I trail off.

“What?”

I look over at her, then behind her to see where Matt is with the kids. We’re sitting at a picnic table shaded by massive Aspen trees, and Matt is happily pushing Silas in a swing. “When he’s kissed me? God, Vic. I was so unprepared for it. He seems so closed-off, but then —”

“He had no problem sticking his tongue down your throat,” Victoria finishes with a giggle.

“Yeah, sort of. Granted, I don’t have a lot of experience with guys. I went right from childhood into taking care of my mom, and then working a hundred jobs to try and make ends meet. I can count my sexual partners on one hand. But I knew the moment Dominic kissed me that he would be a tough act to beat.”

“It’s always the quiet ones,” she teases. “I’ve only met him a handful of times, but I can see what you’re saying. He has this dominant power that sort of seeps from his pores. Like you just know he’d be an animal in the bedroom, and afterword, you’d be thanking him for the experience.”

“Right?” I say, glad I can finally talk to someone about this. I can’t talk to Arianna about it. It’s weird. Hannah as well. Arianna’s two friends who adopted me ages ago, Natalie and Claire, would probably listen and give advice, but I don’t know if they’d run right to a Santo family member and rat me out. I’d hope they wouldn’t, and they’d honor girl code, but I’m fearful of what might happen if they gossiped about me.

“So why did you tuck tail and run down here this weekend?” she asks.

“Well it’s good to know my brother didn’t gab to you about it.”

Victoria smiles. “I won’t lie, he started to tell me. But I said I wanted to hear it directly from you. My husband is amazing, but it’s like playing the telephone game. Something would get messed up in translation.”

I take a deep breath, exhaling hard as I watch Silas tip his head back and let out a loud belly laugh. “We had an argument about money.”

---