by Piper Rayne
Of course, what can he not handle?
“Okay. See you at five.”
“I’ll be there with the little maniac. I can’t believe how much she’s like Lulu.”
I laugh. “I know. It’s crazy.”
“Bye, babe,” he says, and the line clicks.
My mind travels to what a mini Dom would be like to raise. Lulu’s screaming distracts me, which is a good thing, and I head into the room to see her parents on either side of her, Maury Povich playing on the TV bolted onto the wall in the corner of the room.
“Dom has Gia at a salon, getting ready for her performance.”
Lulu breathes heavily a few times, grimacing, then falls back onto the bed. “She’ll be the best-looking one tonight.”
“Yeah, she will. But it’s so sweet.”
“It’s good that the rest of the kids are already with Vinny’s parents for a couple of weeks,” Mrs. Milano says.
Lulu told me on the way over that Gia got to stick around because she’s the oldest and could use some one-on-one attention before the baby was born.
A nurse comes in to check on Lulu, so Mr. Milano leaves the room.
Lulu stares at me for an uncomfortable minute while Mrs. Milano watches the Maury Povich show with fascination.
“What?” I ask.
“It’s over, right?”
I shrug because I can’t hold back my heart or the truth anymore. I can’t even say I’ve fallen in love with Dom because I’ve loved him my entire life. These weeks we’ve spent together have only reminded me of all the reasons why. My marriage to Max never felt right from the get-go, and if not for Ryder, it never would’ve happened. But I can’t regret my relationship with Max because Ryder is my whole life.
“What are you going to do about it?” Lulu asks.
“About what?” Mrs. Milano turns her attention from the TV for a minute.
“Val married Dom.”
Mrs. Milano’s eyes widen, and I want to smack Lulu. What is she thinking? “About time.”
Lulu laughs. “He’s an asshole, but I guess he’s your asshole.”
“Not yet. We’re supposed to start the annulment procedures after Ryder gets back tomorrow.”
“Come here.” Lulu beckons me with her finger.
I walk toward her and stop at her bedside. She smacks the back of my head.
“Lu!”
“Did it knock any sense into you?”
I hold the back of my head. “What?”
“Fight for him. Stop letting him dictate what’s going to happen. Put everything out there again and see what he says. Both of you need to stop playing games.”
“Games are never good,” Mrs. Milano chimes in, trying to stay in our conversation while at the same time trying to find out whether the brother or the husband is the real father of the child.
“What if he—”
“What if he doesn’t?” Lulu says in a soft voice.
“You hate him.”
“I do. Only because of the way he makes you feel. But I still trust him with my daughter. How does that add up?” Her eyebrows are perfectly arched. How the hell does she keep up everything while being pregnant? I was a mess with Ryder.
“What exactly are you saying?” I ask.
“I’m saying nothing other than you need to fight for what you want. As far as I know, you were a teenager the last time you laid your heart on the line with this man. Maybe it’s time to do it again?”
“There you are.” Vinny runs into the hospital room, and I slide over to let him at his wife. He kisses her forehead and looks at the monitor. “Are you okay?”
“Now that you’re here, I am.”
He rests his forehead on hers, and her arm wraps around him as though she needs him closer. Vinny and Lulu have been together since their senior year in high school and always wore their feelings on the outside for others to see. Sure, Lulu can get a tad jealous at times, but they’re the fairytale love story of Carroll Gardens, while Dom and I are the cautionary tale without a happy ending.
“Thanks for getting her here.” He looks around and says a quick hello to his mother-in-law. “Where’s Gia?”
“Dom Mancini has her,” Lulu says.
“Really?”
“He’s a good boy.” Mrs. Milano stands by her choice to leave her with him.
Lulu and I laugh until another contraction takes over, and Vinny helps her breathe through it.
The nurse returns with the doctor. “Okay, we’re going to check you out again, Lucia.”
I move toward the head of the bed on the opposite side of Vinny, my head still swirling with thoughts about a future with Dom. It’s something I’ve always wanted but never thought was a possibility. Was I wrong?
“Almost there. I’d say maybe another hour,” the doctor says.
I glance at the clock. That would mean the baby is coming around three. Man, I was in labor with Ryder forever. “Maybe I should have Dom bring Gia here? She could wait in the waiting room until you deliver, then I can take her to the recital.”
“That’d be great. She’s already so disconnected from this baby. Maybe seeing him will spur that heart of hers to open for him.” Lulu grabs my hand and gives me a smile before another contraction hits and she damn near breaks my fingers.
A part of me thinks she actually enjoys it.
An hour later, Dom messages me to say he and Gia are in the waiting room.
Lulu is heavy in labor, so I excuse myself, letting Vinny and Mrs. Milano help Lulu through this. When I enter the waiting area, I find Gia asleep on Dom’s lap. I stop before he sees me, his own eyes drifting closed. My heart flutters, and I take a minute to commit the image to memory.
Eventually, I sit in the chair next to them and lightly touch Dom’s arm. He jolts, and a smile emerges when he sees me. My stomach flutters, and it’s all I can do to not tell him how much I love him right now. That it’s always been him.
“Tired?” I ask.
“Kids are exhausting.”
I look at Gia with her hair in a bun and sparkles covering her dark strands. Her makeup is a little overdone, but she looks adorable. “I’ll reimburse you for all this.”
“My treat. Ma wasn’t home.”
I laugh and shake my head.
“Did you bet that I’d take her there?” he asks.
“No. I figured you might though.”
He picks up a bag off the chair beside him, and I sneak a peek inside to see a box from the bakery by the Milanos’ house.
“Cookie?” he asks.
“I heard something about her having to school you on Italian manners.”
“Yeah. From now on, expect a dozen of everything.”
Gia shifts in his lap.
“How long has she been out?”
“Since the taxi. I carried her up here.”
I rub her back. “I bet a few ovaries exploded watching that scene.”
“I do think I might be a natural at this parenting thing.”
I kiss him on the lips. “I think so too.” Although he has no idea what it’s like to do it twenty-four hours a day on little-to-no sleep, but I’ll keep that thought to myself. “Maybe you should have one and find out.”
“It’s impossible to have one by myself.”
“You can afford a surrogate.”
His hand runs along my thigh as he stares me dead in the eye. “If I have a kid, I’m doing it with my wife.”
I swallow the lump in my throat. I’m not clear on whether he’s implying me, since I’m technically his wife, or if he means it in more general terms. “I thought you were against marriage and kids?”
He shakes his head, his fingers pressing under my chin. Using a slight pull, he brings me into him. “Do you not pay attention to me? There’s only one woman I want that with.”
“Who?” I whisper.
“If you have to even ask, then I’m not doing a very good job here.”
Is that a secret promise?
I press my m
outh to his.
As our lips touch, Mr. Milano interrupts. “He’s here!”
His voice stirs Gia, and her forehead hits mine because the three of us are so close.
“Ow,” I say, holding my forehead.
“He’s here?” Gia wiggles out of Dom’s lap, running to her nonno.
“Yep. Do you want to meet him?” Mr. Milano asks.
“Is the Pope Catholic?” She walks right past him.
“Was that a change of attitude?” I ask Dom, assured he had something to do with it.
“We had a talk about how great siblings are.”
I squeeze his thigh and rise to my feet, holding my hand out for him. “Ready to see the baby?”
“Not really, but I’m here.”
We walk down the hall with his arm around my shoulders, like a real couple. It doesn’t feel like a facade or as though he’s acting.
A half hour later, I get Gia ready to go, and Mr. and Mrs. Milano say they’ll meet us at the hall before the recital starts. Vinny says he’ll make it over there too.
I turn to Dom while the three of us wait for the elevator. “Thanks a lot. I should be home around nine or ten.”
He tilts his head at me.
“What? You’re not coming?” Gia asks, displeasure clear in her tone.
“I’m coming,” he says to her, then looks at me. “When we thought no one else was coming, I promised Gia I’d be at the recital.”
Gia takes my hand then Dom’s. The three of us walk into the elevator, Dom and me sharing a look over Gia’s head. My heart unlocks the gilded cage around it, splaying the doors wide open. I’m ready to be honest with him about how I feel, though I can’t help but worry that he’ll end up breaking my heart again.
Chapter Thirty
Dominic
* * *
“This will only take a minute,” Val says as we step off the elevator. It’s late and I can tell she’s tired.
I lug the bag she meant to run over to her condo earlier today—before both our days went crazy—down the hall. “It’s fine. I haven’t been to your place in a while.”
She inserts her key, and the door opens to a stale-smelling apartment. It’s probably a good thing we came here tonight.
“You’ll have to open your windows and light some candles tomorrow,” I say.
She flicks on the lights, revealing her living space. Her place is so much homier than mine. There are purposeful accents to the dark gray and navy that swaths the space. She keeps it feminine with the addition of pinks and yellows and oranges. Pictures of her and Ryder, from a newborn to now, hang on the walls or are set in picture frames on tables, along with pieces of art she probably picked up at street fairs.
I forgot how much I loved her condo. Her view isn’t as great as mine, but it’s not much to complain about either. Her kitchen table has scratches and dents from the wear of a child. Most of all, I like that her condo looks lived in. Mine is more like the MET.
I take her duffle to her room and drop it on the bed, then I head back into the living room and sink into the couch that’s lost a lot of bounce because it sees more wear than mine.
She opens the fridge and slams it shut. “I forgot to clean it out before I left.” She rounds the sofa. “I did find these though.” She cracks open two beers and hands one to me.
We clink the bottles together and each take a sip.
“We should’ve stayed here.” I look around again, still in love with her place.
“You would’ve had to sleep in Ryder’s bed.” She cringes. “He’s fifteen, you know, and from what I gather when I wash his sheets, there’s a lot of spilled milk going on late at night.”
I laugh and put my arm around her to pull her closer. “Yeah, I remember spilling a lot of milk in my bed when I was a teen. Usually when I was thinking of you.”
My lips meet the top of her head. I can’t lie, something has shifted between us since Luca’s wedding. Sleeping together brought us closer, and I have no idea where her head is at. I’m scared shitless to have this conversation with her, but I guess I’m more afraid of walking away tomorrow and never having her in my life again, because I push the fear aside and barrel ahead.
“Can we talk?”
She draws back, sipping her beer. “Sure.”
“We’re supposed to call it quits tomorrow, right?” I ask.
She takes another sip of her beer and then peels away the label on the bottle.
I cover her hands with mine. “Val?”
“Yeah.” Her voice cracks. I hope that’s a sign to say she doesn’t want it.
“Do you want the annulment?” Asking the question out loud feels like someone pointing a loaded gun to my head. I’m sweating along my hairline because this is where the bomb exploded last summer and it all went to shit. Putting myself out there again feels damn near impossible, but what are the chances of history repeating itself?
It was Max’s weekend with Ryder. In the divorce, Val got the house in the Hamptons, and though I was never comfortable there, I went because when push came to shove, I always followed Val. It was either that or let my brothers know we were hooking up by bringing her back to the house we were all renting together.
I was in the kitchen, making breakfast. Pancakes with fresh blueberries that we’d picked up the day before at the farmer’s market. Val was in bed still when I sneaked out to prepare my surprise. I was nervous as hell, but I’d waited patiently all weekend for that moment.
The doorbell rang, and for a moment, I feared it was Ryder, but why would he ring the doorbell? So I trudged along the hardwood floors, opening the door to find her ex-husband, Max.
“What are you doing here?” My eyes zoomed in on the giant bouquet of calla lilies in his hand.
He was close, but Val’s favorite were actually madonna lilies. I’d spent an hour with a florist once, figuring out which ones she’d pointed to on a whim when we were walking through Central Park.
“I could ask you the same question. This was once my house.” He stepped in without me giving him permission. It wasn’t his house, but it wasn’t mine either, so I didn’t put up a fight.
“Was being the key to that sentence.”
“Don’t get too high and mighty. I spent my weekends here fucking her too,” he sneered, looking around as though he did own the place.
This was why I’d been close to buying my own house in the Hamptons. I hated the idea of being anywhere Max had been. “Let’s remember who had her first.”
Max was just as threatened by me as I was by him. We’d both fallen in love with the same girl. “It’s funny how you’re always there for Val when I’m out of the picture. I think you’re the sloppy seconds in this equation now.”
My jaw clenched. “Why are you here?”
“Val doesn’t need you messing with her head. We’re a family. We share a son.”
“Who said I’m messing with her head?”
“Come on. You think Val’s enough for you to change? You’re a bachelor. Always will be. You’re not meant to settle down. Step aside and allow her to be happy again.”
“What?” I laughed out loud, although it was hollow. “You’re here to win her back?”
“Yeah.” He nodded at the flowers. “Like I said, we’re a family.”
I looked at him, through him, to figure out if he really wanted to commit to Val again. He seemed earnest.
“You don’t deserve her.” But I knew I would set aside what I wanted so she could have what she’d always wanted—a family.
“Maybe, but that’s her decision, isn’t it?”
I stayed in the same spot, debating, then eventually nodded and held up my finger. “Give me a minute.”
Surprisingly, he nodded and went out to the patio.
I walked into Val’s bedroom and sat down next to her, running my hand along her forehead to pull back her dark hair. She opened her eyes right away, so I knew she’d heard the doorbell and had probably figured out who was here.
&nbs
p; Our relationship had crossed a line. After she’d dumped me a few months before, citing her own confusion, I couldn’t get her out of my mind. That had always been the case, but this time, it was different. So when I had the opportunity to spend my summer in the Hamptons, I jumped at the chance, knowing she spent most of the summer there too. Since the first weekend of the summer, we’d been hooking up—we never could resist one another—but in my mind, it was leading somewhere this time.
“Max is here,” I said as nonchalantly as saying breakfast was ready, because if I was going to do this, I couldn’t allow her to see any reason to hold out for me.
“I heard.”
“I’m going to go.”
“No.” She gripped my hand as it slid along her leg over the sheet, and I allowed her to hold it.
“He wants to talk with you.”
“So what? I don’t want to talk to him.”
I gave her the look—the one that said, ‘I know you better than you know yourself.’ Val had confessed to me that Ryder still held out hope his family would become one again, though they’d been divorced for a few years by that point. I knew that the weight of Ryder’s hope that his parents would be together again was strong enough for her to give it a try with her ex. Even if that thought killed me.
“Think of Ryder,” I said.
She tightened her hold on my hand. “What about us?”
I shrugged and looked out the window at the ocean, second-guessing what I was about to say. I pushed back nausea, knowing that in order to do what was best for her, I’d have to hurt her. Schooling any emotion that would reveal the lie I was about to tell her, I met her gaze. “We’re just casual. We hook-up. This is your family we’re talking about.”
“That’s all I am to you?” She released my hand. “I thought maybe—”
I shook my head before she had a chance to finish, reminding myself that this is what was right. Even if we stayed together, Val would always wonder what would’ve happened if she’d tried to put her family back together again, and I couldn’t stand in the way of that. “Max will always be in your life. We knew that the day you found out you were pregnant.”
