Page 38 of Say Yes To The Fake Date

“Dom, stop. You are always here for everyone else while you hold everything in. Talk to me. What’s going on?”

“I fucked up. That’s what’s going on. Lucy and I are seeing each other.”

She shrugs. “What? Is that supposed to be some earth-shattering news or something? I know you guys tried to sell the this is a fake date or whatever, but seeing the way you two look at each other isn’t fooling anyone.”

“Well, her mom hates me.”

She rolls her eyes. “Her mom hates half the town.”

I cross my arms over my chest. “How am I supposed to be with her and come between her and her mom?”

Chrissy puts her hand on my arm. “That’s not for you to decide. All you can do is love her, Dom. You can’t take her decision from her this time. You love her and then let her decide what she wants to do.”

I suck in a breath and look down the hall where Lucy walked away. Chrissy nudges my arm. “You want to go after her?”

“No. Let’s go see our niece.”

We are walking through the halls, and Chrissy is filling the silence. “The baby is perfect. I could look at her all day.”

“Oh no, is this what they call baby fever?”

She stops in the middle of the hallway and turns to me. She has a worried look. “Do you think I’d be a good mom?”

Her face is scrunched up, and she looks like the weight of the world is on her shoulders. “Do I think you’d be a good mom? You’d be the best, Chrissy. Look at how you always took care of us.”

She opens her mouth, and I shake my head. “Don’t try and deny it. You may be the baby, but you always took care of King, Gabe, Holden,Ledger, and me. There’s no denying you’d be a good mom. Where is this coming from?” There’s a weight on my chest. “Shit, are you pregnant?”

She gasps and smacks me on the chest. “What? No! But I’m going to have a baby. I may never get my happily ever after, but I want a family, Dom. I want my own family.”

I can’t even argue with her because I know exactly how she feels. “Whatever you need from me, I’m here for you. But don’t do anything crazy.”

She rolls her eyes. “Have I ever done anything crazy?” She shrugs her shoulders. “Let me correct that. Have you guys ever let me do anything crazy? I’m good.”

I throw my arm around Chrissy. “Come on, let’s go meet our niece.”

She just laughs. “I’m taking bets on which of you are going to be the first one in jail. You guys are so protective… I’m just glad it’s going to be directed at someone other than me from now on.”

“Oh honey, you’re my little sister. I’m always going to be protective of you.”

She leans into me, and as we walk into the room, I see my family… everyone but Ledger, who is on a mission on the other side of the world.

Gabe comes over and stands beside me. Irelease my hold on Chrissy, and Gabe instantly pulls her into his arms. I walk over to Haven and King and look at the baby in Haven’s arms. “She’s beautiful.”

King wipes a tear from his eyes, and I’m stunned because I’ve never seen the man emotional like this. “Congratulations, brother.”

He bear hugs me and then laughs as he pats me on the back. “Thanks.”

Everyone talks in low whispers as to not disturb the sleeping baby. We laugh, reminisce, and it’s a sight to see my big brother, the man that took care of me, hell of all of us, become a father. Walking out of the hospital later that day, I have no doubt what I have to do. I just hope that Lucy doesn’t come to resent me later because there’s no way I can let her go.

19

LUCIANA

I fucked up, and I know I did.

I said I wouldn’t let him hurt me again, and I did.

But it pains me to say that he was right: I hadn’t told my mom about me and Dom either.

---