Page 56 of Worth the Vow

“I know.” We’re silent for a few moments before I speak again. “Do you want to talk about it?”

“No.”

“Okay.”

“You — you’re not going to fight me on it?” she asks.

“No. I won’t force you to talk to me. I’d love for you to trust me, and confide in me, but if you’re not ready for that, I’ll wait.” I’ll have to remember to tell my therapist about this conversation. He’s going to be incredibly proud of me. Or he’ll think I’m a lying sack of shit.

Kate snuggles into me, throwing a leg over mine. “He wanted me to smuggle things into the prison.”

I swear under my breath. “And I assume you said no.”

She nods against me. “And then he started yelling at me, and said I was a miserable excuse for a child, and that he wished I’d never found him. He said some other things, but that’s what I really remember.”

“Fuck, baby. I’m so sorry,” I whisper.

“I just — I wanted a family so badly, Dominic. I overlooked so many things because I was desperate to have a parent. I miss my mom so much, and it’s not fair that I got him for a father,” she cries. My hand finds the nape of her neck beneath her hair, rubbing it softly.

“You have Matt and Victoria,” I say quietly. “And you have my family. I know it’s not the same as your mom, but I hope we bring some happiness to your life.”

“I know. I know I sound ungrateful. I’m so thankful for Matt’s family and him introducing me to yours. It could be so much worse. But I hate that I let my dad get to me like this. Matt told me not to visit him, and I should have listened.”

I exhale against her hair. “Sometimes you have to learn things in your own time, even if it means being broken along the way.”

“Is that how you feel about Savanna? About all women?” she whispers.

“No. Well, maybe a little? I don’t think anyone ever told me they thought I was making a mistake, or that she wasn’t a good person. Looking back, I probably ignored signs because I thought I was doing the right thing, especially once she was pregnant with Carter. I knew I wasn’t in love with her, so I don’t think I was that heartbroken when it didn’t work out. If anything, I felt like she proved me right.”

“You don’t believe in love.” Kate says this as a statement, not a question.

“I’d guess which one of my sisters told you that, but it would probably be all of them,” I joke, trying to lighten the mood.

“It was your mom, actually,” she whispers. “But you’ve mentioned it a time or two.”

“Oh. Well, that’s not exactly right. I love my family. I love my kids. So I believe in love, obviously. I just don’t believe in soulmates, and this bullshit tendency for people to think they aren’t worthwhile human beings unless they’re in a relationship.”

“I don’t believe in soulmates either.”

“You don’t?” I ask, and I feel Kate shake her head against me. Her hair tickles my neck with the subtle movement.

“You want to talk about bullshit? Thinking there’s only one person on the planet who is perfect for you. What if he was born on the wrong continent? If you don’t speak the same language? There’s no way that’s right.”

“Exactly.”

“I do, however,” she continues, “believe that love is something you can find anywhere, but you have to fight for it. No one is perfect, but there are people out there who will make me want to give it my all.”

“Ahh, that whole fifty-fifty nonsense,” I spit out. I fucking hate that theory.

“Oh, I hate that,” Kate snaps, making me bark out a laugh. “Seriously! You only give half effort, and I’m supposed to be thrilled with that? No! We should give our best to our partner. To our family. And on the days when we can’t give our best, our partner should rise to the occasion and cover the difference. That’s what makes a relationship work. It’s not about being even. It’s about being with the person who meets you where you are and still chooses to love you.”

Jesus. This conversation got deep incredibly quickly.

“Have you ever been in love, Katharine?” I ask quietly.

“No,” she murmurs. Moving her head, she props her chin on my chest, staring up at me with her big brown eyes beseeching me. “I hope I get to experience it, though. And I hope you get to as well, Dominic. You deserve to have a love story. You deserve to get a happy ending that is perfect for you.”

I’m utterly captivated by her eyes, entranced by how open she is in this moment. All walls down. It may be the most honest conversation I’ve ever had with a woman. “You deserve the world, Katharine.”

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