Page 90 of Sweetest Sin
“All right, I’m out of here,” Matteo says, interrupting my thoughts. “If you need me, you know how to reach me. If I don’t answer, it’s because I’m balls deep in a woman.”
“You’re so fucking crass,” I tell him as he walks away.
I glance at my seat, ready to get back to work, then to my sandwich. I’m behind from working from home, but instead of having a seat, I take my plate and go in search of Peyton so we can eat together, like she wanted, and then I can bring up us going out on a date. I’m sure Martha or Brielle would be willing to watch Damien.
I find her in the kitchen with Martha, who’s shooing her away.
“I can help, you know,” Peyton says. “Besides, it’s not like I have anything better to do. Damien is in school, and Dominick is working.”
“Well, I’m sure you can find something to do that doesn’t involve trying to steal my job,” Martha says with a laugh. “What do you usually do for fun?”
“I don’t know.” Peyton sighs. “I’ve always worked. Since before Damien was born, I worked and went to school. I thought after I graduated, I would finally be able to start my career, but …” Her words trail off, and even though I can’t see her face, I can imagine the longing in her features.
She’s bored. She’s always worked, and now, she’s sitting around, twiddling her thumbs while I run my empire. Most women would die for her life, but Peyton isn’t most women.
My thoughts go back to our time in the Dominican Republic. She wanted so badly to go to school so she could have a career in hospitality. When I mentioned her having another baby, shebrought up her working. But I didn’t think about it because the women in our world don’t work.
But Peyton isn’t from our world.
“Dominick,” Martha says, pulling me from my thoughts, “are you finished with your lunch?” She glances at my untouched plate.
“No.” I slide onto the stool next to Peyton. “I wanted to have lunch with my future wife.” I shoot her a wink, and the most beautiful blush warms her cheeks. “And”—I turn toward her—“I was thinking, tonight, we’d go out … on a date.”
Peyton’s brows kiss her hairline. “Really? Are you sure? I mean, I know you don’t like to go out …”
“I don’t like to go out clubbing with my brother, trolling for ass,” I clarify. “Taking you out is another story.”
“What about Damien?” she asks.
“Oh, I can watch him,” Martha offers.
“Where are we going?” Peyton asks with a genuine smile that shows off her twin dimples.
“It’s a surprise,” I tell her since I haven’t thought that far.
Peyton eyes me speculatively. “A surprise? This’d better be a good date.” She playfully glares.
“Oh, it’s going to be good,” I tell her. “It’s going to be so good that you’ll be begging me to marry you and give you all the babies.”
Peyton snorts out a laugh. “I can’t wait to see what you have planned.”
Me too,I think to myself.Me fucking too.
30
Peyton
I’m goingon a date with the father of my son. A man I never thought I’d see again, let alone date. All those years ago, when I’d overheard him in his office and ran, I had accepted that I was going to be a single mom. That I would have to be both parents for Damien. And for the next several years, I focused on being just that.
Now that Dominick is in our lives, I can’t imagine going back to raising Damien without him. Not that I’m not capable of it. I single-mom’d like a boss. But somewhere deep down, I longed to give my son the home my father had cheated my mom and me out of. Dominick is everything I wanted the father of my son to be—caring, loving, protective, patient. He might be scary and violent outside of our walls, but within them, he’s an entirely different man.
A man that I want to date.
I never thought I’d think those words. He’s the head of a criminal organization, for God’s sake. He threatens and hurts people to get his way. He deals in weapons and drugs and manyother illegal imports. But he’s more than that. He’s tender and smart, and he looks at me and Damien like we’re his entire world.
At the end of the day, isn’t that all we want in life? To be loved. To spend our life with someone who makes us feel good? I lost my mom too soon, and all I wanted was more time to love her. So rather than pushing Dominick away for the life he grew up in, I’m choosing to embrace who he is and love him the way he is.
Holy shit … I love him.
