Page 84 of Sweetest Sin
—Dominick
I can’t help the butterflies that flutter in my belly. The man is such a contradiction. One minute, he’s threatening to slice a man’s throat, and the next, he’s letting me sleep in and leaving me sweet notes. I’m starting to realize that if I want to be with him, I’m going to have to accept that Dominick is a complex man. I was worried about him being violent toward me, but he’s yet to do anything but bring me pleasure.
That doesn’t mean I’m letting my guard completely down. My father didn’t show his violent side at first. But eventually, his true colors came out.
After showering, brushing my teeth, and getting dressed, I head out to find Dominick and Damien, but before I get to the stairs, I run into Brielle, who’s dressed to impress with a knowing smirk on her face.
“Looks like you made your decision,” she says, tilting her head toward the door I just came out of. “And from the way you guys were going at it all night, it sounded like it too.”
“Oh my God,” I groan, noting to be quieter in the future.
I’m not used to living with other people and having sex. Anytime I had sex after Damien was born, I went to the guy’s house, not wanting to bring him around my son.
Matteo walks over and slides his arm around my neck. He’s dressed in his usual jeans, T-shirt, and tennis shoes, and with his tattoos running up and down his arms and neck, he reminds me of the stereotypical gangsters you see in the movies. It’s comical how different he and Dominick are, yet they’re extremely close.
“Don’t be embarrassed,” he says, glancing down at me. “It’s nothing neither of us hasn’t done ourselves. Besides, I believe I have you to thank for my big bro’s good mood. He told me to take the day off because he wants a family day.”
Brielle laughs. “A what?”
“A family day,” Dominick says, appearing at the top of the stairs. “And get your hands off my girlfriend.” He flinches as he says the word, and I wonder why, until he adds, “We’re going to need to get married soon so I can call you my wife. Girlfriend sounds fucking juvenile.”
I snort out a laugh, thinking he’s joking, but he doesn’t crack a smile.
“Dominick,” I warn, “I said I’d give us a chance. That doesn’t mean marriage. And if you don’t like the termgirlfriend, don’t use it. Honestly, it’s probably too soon anyway.”
He glares, Matteo laughs, and Brielle tries to hide her grin. I duck from under Matteo’s arm and walk past Dominick, but he lowers his hand to my belly to stop me.
“We’re having a family day today,” he says. “Sundays used to be family dinners, but Damien wants to do something fun, so we’re all going to the aquarium.”
“Hell yeah,” Matteo says. “I’m down.”
“I love the dolphins,” Brielle says.
“Our mother’s going too,” Dominick says as Brielle and Matteo head downstairs.
I should follow after them to go say good morning to Damien, but I stay where I am, needing a moment to get composed.
“What’s wrong?” Dominick asks, spinning me around.
“Nothing,” I choke out, but he gives me a look that says he’s not buying what I’m selling. “It’s just that … my mom was always so sick, so we could never go anywhere or do anything. I spent most of his younger years taking care of her before she passed. I’m glad he has this.”
“Has what?” Dominick asks, seeking clarification.
“A family.” I look up at him. “It might not be perfect, but I’m happy he finally has a family. Now, I just have to hope you don’t do anything to take it away from him, like go to jail or die.”
It was meant as a joke, but as the words pour out, I realize I’m serious. It’s a real fear. While the violence scares me, what scares me even more is loving and losing another person. I lost my father to violence, my mother to disease. I don’t have anyone left but Damien and now Dominick. The thought of losing him, of my son losing him, is crippling.
“Peaches,” Dominick murmurs, pinching my chin between his thumb and forefinger, “none of us are going anywhere. Not if I can help it.”
“Didyou have fun at the aquarium today?” I ask Damien as I give him a bath.
We got there for opening and stayed until closing. The kid is officially obsessed with marine animals, and the only way we could convince him to leave was to promise we’d be back soon. Of course, it helped that Dominick bought him stuffed animals of all of his favorite sea creatures.
He slept during the drive home, but I had to wake him up to give him a bath because there was no way I was putting him into his bed after all the animals he touched.
“Yeah,” he says. “I wanna bring my stuffies to school to show Frankie. Can I go back tomorrow?”
He looks at me with bright eyes, and my heart cracks because even when he does go to school, he won’t see Frankie.
