Page 116 of When Morning Comes Around

When Dale straightened up, Dom grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. “Go – get out of here.”

Dale turned an icy look on Sadie, but she just shrugged. “I think you said everything you came to, didn’t you?”

“This isn’t the end of this.”

Dom pushed Dale’s back. “Are you saying that you want more?”

Dale looked back over his shoulder at him. “You’ll be bored of her in no time. You’re welcome to each other.” With that, he stalked out of the restaurant.

Dom went to Sadie and wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking badly.

He kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”

She clung to him but didn’t say anything.

Taryn set two glasses of Bailey’s on the bar with a wry smile. “Damn, girl! Talk about trading up.”

Dom relaxed when Sadie started to laugh, and he shot Taryn a grateful smile.

~ ~ ~

Sadie rocked gently back and forth on the swing by the pool, sipping the glass of Bailey’s that Dom had brought out for her. She was still a little shaken up by their encounter with Dale earlier. It wasn’t so much what he’d said, or even the way he’d treated her. What bothered her the most was that she’d put up with him for so long – endured his nastiness.

She stared out at the beautiful view of the lake. It should be easy to put Dale behind her. She was here now – here with Dom, who’d been so good to her. She smiled a guilty little smile to herself. All the time that Dale was talking to her, she could see how riled up Dom was getting. It was obvious that he wanted to intervene, but he’d given her his word that he wouldn’t until she asked him to. And when she had…

After Dale had left, Dom had been concerned that she might be mad at him. She wasn’t, not in the least. In general, she didn’t believe that violence was a way to solve anything. In this particular circumstance however, she didn’t have a problem with it.

After they’d left the lodge, she’d spent most of the afternoon on the phone. Both her dad and Josh had wanted her to call to let them know how the meeting had gone. And Dom had suggested that she should call Leanne right away.

Her dad was satisfied with what she told him. Josh was still cautious – he’d said that he was going to call Trevor and some of the other guys. Leanne had told her the same thing Dom had – that she should take some time to think things over.

She was tempted to do exactly what Dale wanted. If she were to take sole ownership and control of the business, she’d probably be able to run it more efficiently even from here than Dale did while he was right there. Not that she wanted to keep it, but she knew she’d be able to sell it for more that way.

She looked up when Dom came back outside. When he met her gaze and smiled, her heart felt as though it melted in her chest. How had she gotten so lucky? She smiled when she remembered what Taryn had said – she hadn’t just traded up though, she felt as though being with Dom was living in a whole new world – a much better, kinder world.

He came to sit beside her on the swing. “Are you ready for a fresh drink? Do you want anything else?”

“I’m good, thanks. All I want is you.”

“You’ve got me, you should know that by now.”

“I do. It’s funny – after today, I feel as though I should be upset or angry or just… Something. But I’m not. It’ll all figure itself out. All that matters to me is that you’re here – that I’m here with you – I told you that you feel like my safe place, but you don’t just make me feel safe, you make me feel – peaceful, too. It feels like whatever happens, nothing can touch me.”

He slung his arm around her shoulders. “It feels that way because it’s true. Nothing’s going to touch you.”

She laughed and tried to wriggle away from him when he tickled her side and added, “Nothing except me.”

She couldn’t get away from him; he tightened his arms around her and hauled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I love you, Dom.”

“I love you, too. How’s your thinking going?”

She smiled. She loved that he’d gone inside when she told him that she needed some time to think about it all. He understood her, perhaps better than she understood herself. He’d fetched her drink and told her that he’d check back in a while – and here he was.

“I’m done thinking by myself, I’d like to talk to you about it now.”

“Okay.”

“What do you think?”

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