What Makes a Man? (Sensible Hearts #1)

by H. Q. Frost

  Slowly approaching, Dom slid his way through the crowd that moved when they saw who was nudging them out of the way. Stopping next to Nyla, he reached for her hand and hoped she wouldn't deny him. Not on the day of his brother's funeral. In a sob that she quickly quieted, she pushed her face to his chest and he wrapped her in a coveting embrace. His eyes stayed locked on the box that held the body of someone he never imagined he would lose, all because of the lifestyle he cursed but wouldn't let go of. The pages to the book Nyla needed would be haunted with this loss, and he was determined to write the rest of the book according to her happiness and the person he wanted to be.

  Afterwards, before anyone could approach him, he grabbed a hold of Nyla and hugged her long enough that people got the hint and didn't stick around for his attention.

  "Dom," Boney's voice carried and Dom slowly let her go, looking over at him. "I want to talk to you."

  "Don't." Nyla grabbed his arm, unsure of his stance on what happened, and she didn't want a fight to break out in the cemetery.

  "Stay right here." He thumbed away a tear before heading toward Boney who waited off to the side of the crowd.

  "Fucker," Boney said pulling him into a hug and slapping his back before letting go. "I'm fucking sorry, dude. You know I would have never—"

  "I know." Dom stopped him. "I did that." He glanced toward the hole in the ground.

  "That fucker did that. Her neighbor. And I'm going to fucking kill him."

  "No. Greg, just fucking stop, man. Just stay away from Nyla. Don't worry about her fucking neighbor. Just... don't."

  Boney stared him in the eyes and saw the eyes of someone he never thought he'd see looking back. Dom was done. He had reached his breaking point with that city and Boney didn't expect to see much more of the guy he considered his brother.

  "Man." Boney pulled him into another hug. "You'll do what the rest of us never will."

  "It's not too late to get the fuck away from it all." Dom slapped him on the shoulder.

  "That's your thing, man." Boney managed a smile but it held regret and disappointment.

  "Dom." Nyla approached, not caring about the time he needed with Boney. She blamed Boney for all of it. And the fact she hadn't seen Dom in almost two weeks, she felt it was her turn.

  "Hang on," Boney said to her then looked at Dom again. "Let's party one last time. Celebrate Jeff. Come escape. Numb your mind for one more night, Dom."

  Nyla clamped her lips and dropped her head before she protested. Dom's answer would answer all the questions she'd had those past two weeks.

  Dom was quick to respond, "No, man. I'm going to my baseball game tonight for Jeff. I'm going to pitch the balls he should be pitching. I'm going to have the fun my brother should have been having instead of the fun we made him have. Take it easy, Greg." Grabbing Nyla's hand, he walked away.

  "Dom." His mom headed toward them and began straightening his collar, managing a smile. "Come to dinner with us."

  "I have a baseball game. Last weekend was canceled 'cause of Jeff but I know he'd want to play this weekend. So I'm going to play baseball. For Jeff."

  "He would." Her smile widened but still held so much pain. "And we'll come. For Jeff."

  Dom looked over at Nyla, hoping she'd agree.

  She nodded with a smile and tears on her face. "For Jeff."

  Their walk back to his house so he could change was silent. He had plenty to say but wasn't ready to say anything. His acceptance of a life without his brother didn't mean he wasn't feeling hopeless for what he had caused.

  "You could have gone to dinner first," he told her, unbuttoning his shirt.

  Remembering Marilyn complaining about all the gifted food and how Dom wasn't eating, she said, "I'll eat something here."

  He watched her walk to the refrigerator and wanted to grab her and apologize for shutting her out, but he headed to Jeff's bedroom for a reminder of why he was out of bed. The picture she drew was snatched up and he took it into his bedroom.

  Rounding the corner, dressed for his game, and seeing her with her head dropped while she sat at the kitchen table, he asked, "Nyla, ready?"

  "Mm-hmm." She got to her feet and managed a fake smile.

  When she tried to walk past him, he grabbed her wrist. "Hey." His hand went to her face and he lifted her head to look up at him. "I love you." He hesitantly bent to kiss her, expecting her to pull away, but she pushed up onto her toes to get to his mouth.

  Even knowing the team was waiting for him for a warmup before the game, he couldn't stop his traveling mouth over her jaw and down her neck as her moans encouraged him. Pushing her against the wall, he pulled her dress up over her head while she clawed at him, trying to climb up his body. Privacy was the last thing on his mind as he slid inside her with her pinned between him and the living room wall.

  "Dom," she moaned as her eyes flashed to the door. "The curtain and front door is open."

  He didn't ease up, wanting her body to soothe the ache inside him.

  "I need you, Nyla." His tone was ragged as he verged on tears and made her grab him tighter.

  "I'm right here, and I'm not going anywhere."

  "I'm sorry. Fuck, I'm sorry. I love you, La." He kissed her before his release and let tension, misery, and hate escape with the intense orgasm he'd been neglecting himself of for two weeks.

  Words weren't needed after the intense ardor shared between them. They weren't healed or without worry, but she had the comfort she needed back and hoped he wouldn't abandon her again.

  Before heading to the field, he stopped at Nyla's while she ran in to change. His sight stayed glued to Austin's lawn where his brother had suffered.

  "Dominic," Nyla's voice pulled him from his trance when she got in. "Baby." She slid over and put her arms around his neck. "I love you," she told him, kissing over his jaw.

  "I love you too." His eyes flashed to the 'For Sale' sign on Austin's lawn and he started the truck. "I'm sorry for what I did, how I acted. For not talking to you."

  "I needed you, Dom, but I get that you needed space."

  "I needed you," he responded quickly. "And I'm sorry. Just don't break up with me."

  "Dom." She buckled up and laid her head on his shoulder as he headed toward the field. "I love you and we'll overcome anything together."

  "Promise me." He looked over at her. "Promise me we can overcome anything together."

  "I promise you, as long as you promise not to shut me out again."

  "I promise you." He slammed his lips to hers while stopped at a stop sign until a horn honked behind them. His fingers stayed locked with hers until he quickly said, "I need to make a stop," and pulled into the cemetery.

  Getting out, he ran to Jeff's grave and placed the framed picture Nyla had drawn on the dirt that was covered with fresh flowers.

  "I'm sorry," he said to the dirt before running back to the truck and rushing to the practice he was already forty-five minutes late for.

  His mom and Maleek showed up right before Dom's first pitch. Dom wasn't even a backup pitcher on the team but everyone agreed he needed to throw the first pitch of the game. For Jeff.

  ***

  "Dom, you're going to be late," Marilyn said after pushing open Jeff's bedroom door and finding Dom dressed for work, sitting on Jeff's bed.

  "You just get home?" He glanced her way.

  "Yep. And I'm headed to bed. Maybe you should take a few more days off work. Or quit the job, honey. You don't need it."

  "Love you, Mom." He kissed her cheek before walking past her.

  Walking onto the job site, he made eye contact with Boney who nodded; Dom returned his nod but that was the only contact the two had. Jesse tried to contact him a few times that week, but it only took a week of Dom ignoring him for him to get the picture. It was a week he'd spent busting his ass not to lose his jobs, and a week kissing ass so he didn't lose Nyla.

  ***

  "Hey, Mr. Wood." Dom walked through their front door.

  "Nyla
just ran to the store for buns. Have a seat. How's work?" He tried to hand Dom a beer but Dom declined.

  "It's keeping me busy."

  "You almost to your goal to get that SS?"

  Dom chuckled. "Naw, that's not the goal anymore."

  "No?" Maleek cocked an eyebrow. "What is?"

  "Getting your daughter out of this city." Dom stared across the living room at him in confidence. "I don't want to take her away but when I leave, I can't leave her here."

  Maleek sat down with a grunt as his joints protested. "I'm not only saying this because she's my little girl, but she deserves a good life. That girl deserves the best life."

  "Yes, Sir." Dom nodded. "And that won't happen here so I want to take her out of the city and in less than a year, I'm hoping to do that." Confidence drove his words as he maintained eye contact with the only man that held his utmost respect.

  A few minutes passed of the intense stare down before Maleek replied, "I hope so too."

  Turning on the television, they focused on the screen until Nyla came back. Her smile cut through the tension in the room and Dom's smile couldn't be tamed as he got to his feet to greet her.

  "Hey." Her hand went to his chest and she pecked his lips.

  "Your hair looks good," he told her, following her to the kitchen. Maleek quietly snorted with a shake of his head but a smile on his face.

  They all sat down to dinner and Nyla sensed Dom's tension and Maleek's contemplative silence.

  "Everything okay?"

  Dom looked at her, but she wanted her father's attention as well.

  "Dad?"

  Dom replied yes at the same time Maleek responded with no.

  "Dad, what's the problem?" She set her fork on her plate.

  "I didn't mean any offense, Mr. Wood," Dom quickly clarified.

  "What happened?" She looked back and forth between the two men.

  "Dom wants to move you out of here," Maleek spoke up.

  Her eyes dropped to her plate because it wasn't only Dom's plan.

  "If I could convince you too, Mr. Wood, I would. I'm still working on my mom, but she'll never leave here. Nyla's supposed to start classes in a month and just last week someone was shot by a stray bullet on the community campus. I can't protect her in a dangerous city without being with her twenty-four hours a day, and that's not possible."

  "Dad, I won't abandon you," she spoke up. "We'll still visit but me and Dom want to move to Issaquah. It's not that far and we'll visit all the time. I'm not sure what Dom's mom thinks about it, but that's our plan as soon as we save up the money."

  "You're saving your money too?" Maleek asked.

  "I'm trying but I don't make as much as Dom, and I've been trying to help you out. I'll still help you out," she blurted. "I'll help you where I can, but I can't live here forever."

  "Shut up, Nyla," Maleek groaned. "Both of you, shut up." He huffed and sat back. "What kind of man do you think I am?" He looked between them. "I didn't know you wanted to leave the damn city. I know Marilyn's stance on the city and I thought that was Dom's. I assumed you two wanted to stay. I'm not upset you want to leave, I'm upset I'm the reason you're still here."

  "You're not, Sir," Dom quickly clarified.

  "Money is, Dad."

  With a sigh, Maleek shook his head. "I'm a poor old bastard, but that was only so when I die, I could take care of you again." He looked at Nyla with guilt.

  Her face scrunched in confusion. "What?"

  "I have money, Nyla. Not a lot, but in my will I left it to you. What the hell good will that do then!" He chuckled. "If you need money now, I'm going to give it to you now."

  "I don't understand." She glanced at Dom who seemed just as confused.

  "There's money sitting, waiting for me to die and when I do, it goes to you. But you need it now and I want to give it to you now, as long as you promise not to spend any of it on me."

  "Dad, if you have money, why aren't you using it?"

  "Well, it's not that much money, and it's your money. Money I saved for my daughter, not for my daughter to help her pathetic old man."

  "You're not pathetic," she mumbled.

  "I am by keeping you kids here. Dom, how much do you need to put a down payment on a place wherever you two are trying to move?"

  "I…" Dom looked at Nyla, seeing the slow smile spread across her face.

  "This means when I die, that money won't be there, Nyla, you understand?"

  "Yes!" she said with a giggle. "You sure, dad?"

  "Yes, I'm sure," he insisted and his arms opened for a hug that she sprung up for. "You two have had a rough past two months. I know what the hell happens in this city, and if I knew you wanted to get a place outside of the city together, I would have helped sooner." He let her go and looked at Dom who stared blankly. "You any closer to getting that SS?"

  "I can't," Dom said.

  "You can because it's her money and if my little girl wants to buy or rent a place across the state from here, you will."

  "It's my money, Dom." She rounded the table pulling him into a hug before squealing in excitement. "And I want to get a place together!"

  When the concern on Dom's face never slipped into a smile, Maleek glanced toward Nyla, worried heartbreak was coming for her.

  "Dom?" Nyla said and he stood.

  "I love you." He quickly kissed her cheek and headed for the front door.

  "Dom!" she cried, but Maleek grabbed her arm before she went after him.

  "Let him go, Nyla. Give him the space he needs."

  "Dad!" she urged.

  "He just lost his brother in this city three weeks ago. He wants to leave, but maybe it's too soon," he explained.

  When Dom walked into the station, his mom smiled until she saw the worry on his face.

  "What happened?" she asked, always prepared for the worst.

  "When's your break?"

  "Not for over an hour, Dom. Sit down, honey. What happened? Is Nyla okay?"

  "She's fine. I just need to talk to you." The seriousness on his face worried her too much to put it off.

  "Let me tell someone I'm taking an earlier break."

  They sat across from each other at a restaurant and she waited as long as she could.

  "Dominic, what's going on?"

  "Nyla wants to move to Issaquah."

  She inhaled a breath then frowned and put her hand over his. "I'm so sorry, honey. Maybe something long distance could work for a little bit? Dom, if she's worth it, you can make it work until you two can be together again. That's only a little over an hour away."

  "Together, Mom," he said and her eyebrows rose.

  "What? What do you mean together?"

  "Me and Nyla want to move to Issaquah. I'd planned on waiting the year, saving more money. Mom, you know I've wanted to leave here—"

  "Yes I know that," she snapped at him. "But you're going to throw everything away now? Why can't you just wait, Dominic?"

  "Because I want to be with Nyla. I'm not going to lose her because of this city too."

  "That won't be why you lose her." Her brows furrowed farther into her eyes. "You throwing your life away after everything you've accomplished will be." Getting to her feet, she grabbed her wallet from her purse and pulled out two twenties. "I won't allow it, Dom. You may have Nyla, but you're still my son and living under my roof."

  "I want to move out from under your roof," he stressed.

  "I've let a lot of shit happen. I've let you boys get away with some screwed up crap. But not this time," she sternly said with her finger pointed in his face before storming out of the restaurant.

  ***

  Sitting in Jeff's room, he dialed Nyla's phone number.

  "Before you say anything," she answered. "My dad isn't loaning us this money. This is my money and there's nothing else I'm going to do with it or want to do with it. I could use it for college, but if I do that, I'll just use my student loans for a place to live. This money is going to sit and wait until my dad dies any
way, Dom. Why not use it now if we need it?"

  "I can't go, Nyla."

  She waited a minute before saying, "Why'd you lie and say you wanted out of here?"

  "I do," he insisted. "I promised my mom I'd wait one more year."

  "Dom, in one year, me, you, or both of us could be dead if we stay here. I'm not trying to take you from your mom, baby, I'm really not, but maybe she just wants you to stay because she's afraid of losing you too. I won't allow that to happen! We'll be back here almost every weekend to see our parents, but we have an out right now, Dom!" She laughed in excitement and worry. "We can get away from this hell you hate, right now! I know you're not happy here and just because your mom wants to force you to stay, doesn't mean you have to. Dom, I love your mom, you know I do, but I want to spend the rest of my life with you and if we can start that right now in a city I know you won't hate waking up in, why can't we?"

  "I promised my mom I'd be here at least another year. If it makes you happy, Nyla, go."

  "What?" she shrieked. "What? You're breaking up with me over this? This was your fucking plan all along! You brought up the idea of leaving here and convinced me it was what needed to happen for us to be happy! Now you're breaking up with me because I want to leave right now and your mom doesn't want us to?"

  "I want to make you happy, but I can't do it right now. I promised my mom. If you can wait the year for me, I promise I'll get you out of here, but I'm not going to hold you back from getting the hell out. From moving somewhere safer. And I'm not going to hurt my mom by leaving her."

  "I'm not leaving without you." The severity in her tone drove her point home and he closed his eyes in relief. "You're a good book, Dom. My book."

  "I love you," he said in an exhale.

  "Why do you look like you've been crying?" Dom asked Nyla, finding her in her room.

  He'd been walking on egg shells around her for two weeks after telling her he wouldn't disappoint his mom. Worry that she might change her mind and leave him in that city at any minute had him spending every second he wasn't at work, with her.