“We are,” Sam said with a sigh.
Taylor looked Dominic over, not even trying to hide his disgust with their disheveled appearance. “Truthfully, we always thought our sister would marry Ken. She dated him for five years. Isn’t that right, sis?”
“I’ve met Ken,” Dominic cut in. “I wasn’t impressed. It took me all of five minutes to see that he didn’t deserve Sam.”
Taylor’s eyes narrowed.
“That’s so true,” Emma said. “Ken is a weasel and a half.”
“Emma,” Taylor said. “What did I tell you?”
“No talking about inappropriate subjects,” she mimicked. “Don’t talk out of turn. No cursing. Wash my hands. Did I miss something?”
Sam couldn’t help but smile at her niece. The list sounded familiar.
Everyone grew quiet.
Her brothers and her father adored Ken and they didn’t like what Dominic had to say about him. Heck, they didn’t even care that Ken had left her for another woman.
Dominic made his way around the room, shaking hands as he went along.
“Where’s Mom?” Sam asked.
“Dad didn’t think she was dressed appropriately, so she went to change. That was before we saw the two of you.”
“So, out with it, little sister, what’s really going on with you and this gigolo?”
“Excuse me?” Dominic said, his jaw hardening.
“What do you mean?” Sam asked.
“We weren’t born yesterday,” Kevin said, obviously clueless to the fact that he was about to get decked. “Why would a famous celebrity such as Dominic DeMarco, a man who could have any woman in the world, marry a little mouse like you?”
“It’s true,” Taylor chimed in. “We’ve all seen the types of women your husband is photographed with on the red carpet and at all the ritzy parties he attends. The two of you together makes no sense at all.”
“Dad,” Sam pleaded. “Are you going to let them talk to me like this?”
“Well, we all have been speculating.”
“I can’t believe this family,” Emma said. “Sam is the prettiest, funniest, smartest girl in the whole world. What’s not to like? Geez.”
“Thanks, Emma.”
Sam looked at Dominic. Judging by the look on his face, he wanted nothing more than to put them all in their place.
Thankfully, her mom joined them before Dominic could say a word or put a fist to one of her brother’s faces. Clearly, judging by the look on his face, that’s what he wanted to do.
With open arms and a loving smile on her face, her mom crossed the room and pulled Sam into her arms. When she straightened, she looked at Dominic with warmth in her eyes that reminded Sam of better days.
“Dominic,” Sam said, “this is my mom, Rebecca.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Rebecca told Dominic, ignoring his offered hand and wrapping her arms around him instead.
“I don’t mean to rush things, but dinner is almost ready,” she said after pulling away. “If we could all have a seat at the main table, dinner will be served shortly. I hope you like roast beef with mashed potatoes and gravy.”
“My favorite,” Dominic assured her.
“You know,” Mr. Johnston said, “it would be nice if you put more thought into the meal next time we have guests.”
An awkward moment ensued before Mrs. Johnston managed to regain her composure. “I thought you would enjoy having your favorite meal with your new son-in-law.”
Mr. Johnston grunted.
Everyone found a place to sit, except Sam’s father, who poured himself another Scotch and then turned to Dominic, who was pulling out a chair for Sam.
“Just so we’re straight with each other, I think you should know that I’m not happy about this marriage of yours.”
Dominic held his gaze. “You’ve made that clear.”
“Perhaps if you had paid me a visit and asked for my daughter’s hand in marriage, I might have considered it. No, no,” he quickly amended, “I would have said no and sent you packing.”
“Why is that?” Dominic asked.
“The fact that the two of you didn’t have enough respect to dress appropriately or arrive on time tonight is reason enough.”
Dominic was about to respond, but Sam’s father was much too fast.
“It boggles the mind,” Mr. Johnston went on, “to think Americans put so much importance on escapism and make-believe. I don’t like actors—vacuous souls wasting our time with—”
“Dad,” Sam cut in, “that’s enough.”
“It’s okay,” Dominic told her. “Nothing I haven’t heard before.”
“Damn straight,” one of her brothers muttered.
The doorbell rang and Mrs. Johnston excused herself to see who was at the door.
“The other reason I would not have allowed you to marry my daughter,” Sam’s father went on, “is because she still has a lot to learn about life. Samantha should have carved out a life for herself years ago, but she’s a female. She’s never been one to make good choices when it comes to her career. Unfortunately, she has my father-in-law’s blood running through her veins. Why else would she want to be a reporter? He, too, had a creative side that took him nowhere in life.”
“And marrying a man you hardly know?” Kevin asked. “I always knew you weren’t anything like the rest of us, Sammi, when it came to business, but as far as relationships go, I thought you were smarter than this. Ken has been waiting for you to return from New York. He’s sorry for what he did and he wants to make it up to you.”
Dominic slammed a fist against the table before he stood, his face red, his teeth clenched. “Samantha is my wife now and you will talk to her with respect or you will not talk to her at all. Not only is she beautiful, she is kind-hearted, unlike any of the men in this room.”
Emma smiled.
“Ken is a pinhead. If he ever goes near my wife, I’ll break his nose and then his legs.”
“God, I love you,” Emma said.
“I warned you,” Sam told Dominic.
“You did and I’m sorry I didn’t believe you. In less than fifteen minutes, your family has made me appreciate my own.”
Sam’s smile turned into a grin before a snort of laughter escaped her. “I’m sorry,” she said, her fingers covering her mouth. “That’s just so horrible…horribly funny.”
Dominic chuckled along with her, both glad to see that they could find anything at all humorous within these cold brick walls.
“Well, would you look who’s here,” Kevin said when Sam’s mom returned with Ken at her heels.
Sam looked at her father. “How could you?”
“I thought you still loved him.”
“I can’t believe any of you. I’m embarrassed I brought Dominic here to meet any of you.”
“Ready to go?” Dominic asked, still standing.
“Yes, please get me out of here. We need to go, Mom, I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be, dear. I can’t wait to get out of this ridiculously tight cocktail dress and into something more comfortable.”
“Where’s everyone going?” Ken asked.
“You scared them away,” Emma said with a laugh before she got up from her chair. “I’m going to go see if Jason has posted any new pictures on Facebook.”
“Sam,” Mr. Johnston said gruffly, “Ken came all this way. Dominic can go, but I want you to stay for a while. I’ll have our driver deliver you home later…perhaps tomorrow, after you have enjoyed some time with your family.”
“Sam is coming with me,” Dominic told her father. “Not because I have any say in what she does or how she spends her time, but because she has a mind of her own and she is more than anxious to escape.”
Red in the face, Kevin jumped from his chair and puffed out his chest. “I believe you owe my father, and all of us, an apology.”
“I beg to differ.” Dominic stood tall. “You all need to apologize to your sister and your mother for treating them
both with so little respect.”
Kevin rolled his fingers into fists at his side.
“Go ahead and try it,” Dominic said.
“Leave him be,” Mr. Johnston told his son.
Dominic turned to Mrs. Johnston once again. “I’m sorry to leave so soon, before having a chance to eat a meal I’m sure you worked very hard to prepare.”
“Don’t worry about it,” she said with a sigh, her shoulders dipping. “I understand completely.”
And it was clear that she did.
Ken tried to pull Sam aside but Dominic’s withering stare caused the man to back off and they finally made it out the door and to the car.
***
The ride home was quiet. Dominic began to wonder if he’d gone overboard and said too much. Although he knew he owed Sam an apology, he knew the dinner party couldn’t have ended any other way, except maybe with fists flying. He would have liked it, too—bashing in Kevin’s sanctimonious face. It had taken everything he had inside him not to take a few teeth out before he left. He couldn’t stand to see Sam treated that way. Especially by her own family. No wonder she thought so little of herself.
She was kind and generous. Passionate about her work. They never would have met, let alone married, if she hadn’t been so damned determined to get the story and prove herself. She didn’t deserve to be treated like a second-class citizen. He gritted his teeth at the thought. Temporary or not, she was his wife, and he protected what was his.
The drive home seemed interminably long. The gate slid open and he drove up the long driveway and parked his Mercedes next to the stone fountain. Looking around, Dominic suddenly saw his big house in a whole new light. Ben was the one who had insisted he needed a mansion to go with his career. Celebrities needed to live large, Ben was fond of saying.
The sheer audacity of Sam’s family…the cold and shallow minds of her brothers made Dominic realize what he already knew…there was so much more to life than massive homes and luxury cars. It was time to stop listening to Ben or anyone else. The house needed to go.
Once inside, the quiet ate away at him. He locked the door and turned toward Sam, touching her shoulder before she could walk away. He’d never felt so badly for anyone in his life. “Sam. I need to apologize for tonight. I should have stayed tight-lipped, especially after you warned me about your brothers.”
Turning around to face him, her purse dropped from her shoulder. She brought her hands to his face just as she had done at the festival, but this time she brought his mouth to hers and she kissed him long and deep.
She was needy and breathless and she put her weight into the kiss, backing him into the wall as she unfastened his shirt, buttons popping in her eagerness.
“Are you sure you want to do this?”
“I’ve never been more sure of anything in my life.”
He pulled off her sweater with just as much enthusiasm as she had shown when she removed his shirt. Their frenzied movements matched their moods as they stripped each other bare.
There was no time to move to the bedroom. Her hands were all over him, heating his flesh as he lifted her into his arms. The feel of her moist tongue on his chest made it hard to breathe. They got as far as the carpet in the living room. A chair toppled, something broke nearby, nobody cared. Maria wouldn’t return until Monday.
Sam’s hair gleamed in the moonlight that spilled through the window, but there was no time to admire her beauty as her short, non-existent fingernails raked across his back and shoulders, her legs wrapping around his waist as she arched into him. She was hungry for love and who was he to argue?
Chapter Eighteen
Rebecca Johnston stood outside on the balcony overlooking myriad stars. Goosebumps covered her arms and a gentle but cool breeze pushed her hair back from her face. She chilled easily and under normal circumstances she would have shivered from the cold.
But not tonight.
Before Samantha had left the house with Dominic, Rebecca had seen a look in her daughter’s eyes—a look filled with hope and dreams and countless possibilities. Yes, she saw all of that and more in one look as Samantha’s husband stood up for her. Nobody knew children better than a mother.
In that one glance, Rebecca also saw herself many years ago. And, for the first time in her thirty-nine years of marriage, she knew what she had to do.
“Rebecca!” her husband shouted, his voice grating. “What are you doing out there?”
Peering at the stars, Rebecca sighed and headed back inside where her husband stared back at her, his eyes gleaming in the dark.
“Why must you always be so inconsiderate of others?” he asked. “The room is cold now. How am I going to get back to sleep?”
She headed across the room and into their immense walk-in closet. She grabbed the biggest suitcase she could find and promptly began filling it with enough clothes to last a good long while.
The lights came on. Cameron stood in the doorway leading into the closet. Her once powerful barrel-chested husband now looked suddenly small and cowardly, hiding behind a gruff voice. He used to be kind and gentle, one of the sweetest men she’d ever met, but a few years after he took over his father’s business, the money and power became too much for him. He began to thrive on criticism and cruel words. Even their lovemaking became more demanding and less loving.
Rebecca had tried on numerous occasions to talk to him about his moodiness. She told him point-blank that it was affecting their marriage, but he was a man consumed with having it all. Money and power became all that mattered to him. She might have been able to go on like that, knowing his work had in a sense become his mistress, but it wasn’t long before Cameron began to sleep on the sofa at work rather than deal with her requests for dinners out or a few days’ vacation.
Craving attention and love, she’d slept with Bill Harrington, a real estate broker with the hands of a creative artist and the voice of an angel.
After being with Bill, Rebecca had come home expecting an empty house, but instead happened upon a husband she no longer recognized. She didn’t even bother trying to pretend nothing had happened. She broke down in tears and told Cameron what she’d done and why.
And Cameron had been punishing her ever since.
All these years, she’d figured she deserved his spiteful words and cool stares. But seeing Samantha and Dominic stand up to her husband before walking out made Rebecca realize she’d paid her dues. She deserved better.
“I’m leaving,” she finally said, the words bittersweet.
“Like hell you are.”
Rebecca zipped her suitcase, and then turned toward her husband. She marched right up to him and used one finger to poke him hard in the chest. “I’m leaving. And you can’t stop me.”
He moved aside, a smirk playing at his mouth. “If you leave this house, I’ll make sure you get nothing.”
She smiled at him. “What do you think I’ve been getting for the last forty years?”
She exited the bedroom, her bare feet sinking into the plush carpet as she walked across the hallway and down the stairs. She expected tears to come, but her eyes were as dry as the Mohave Desert. Barefoot and wearing her nightclothes, she opened the front door.
“Mom, where are you going?”
She’d forgotten that her eldest son had stayed the night. “Go back to sleep,” she told him.
“You can’t go outside wearing your pajamas. What if the neighbors see you?”
The idea of it cheered her immensely. For the first time in years, maybe ever, she didn’t give a shit what anyone thought. She stepped outside and shut the door softly behind her. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a lungful of crisp air.
She was free. Free at last.
***
The next day, after eating burgers and homemade potato chips, Sam and Tom’s wife, Gretchen, sat on cushioned lounge chairs on Dominic’s sprawling stone patio while they watched Dominic and his agent, Tom, make silly faces at Tom’s three-month-old son, Landon.
Seeing Dominic hold a baby melted her heart. His hard exterior softened right before her eyes. He would be a good father someday. After he’d made it clear over the past few days that he could never trust her, she hadn’t planned to make love with him. But after watching him stand up to her brothers and her father, her resolve weakened and she had no regrets. Making love with Dominic had been everything she’d imagined it could be.
Their lovemaking started out frenzied, continuing on from the living room floor, to the couch in the family room, and finally to his bed. Their night of lovemaking had been blissful. She’d never experienced anything like it. Even now, her body tingled from head to toe. There wasn’t a part of her he hadn’t seen or touched and she was okay with that. For the first time ever, she’d made love to a man and didn’t feel regret or fear that he’d run away. For the next two months, for better or for worse, they were stuck with each other and she smiled at the thought.
Dominic usually came across as secretive and aloof, as if he were holding back, afraid to say too much, but in bed he’d let the walls come crashing down. He wasn’t a selfish lover. Not even close. He was a giver, a doer, a pleaser.
What she didn’t possess in the way of experience, she’d made up with sheer purpose and curiosity. She’d had so many orgasms, she’d lost count. When she’d awakened this morning, she’d felt like a new woman, her body more content than ever. Strangely, she felt stronger…wiser, as if she’d grown more in the past few weeks than she had in her entire lifetime. For the first time in a very long while, she was certain that she could handle whatever came her way.
As she watched Dominic with the baby, she couldn’t stop thinking about those hands…those lips. Never before had she felt such a feverish desire for a man. All she had to do was see him to want him.
Although he liked to pretend he was a man without feelings, he couldn’t hide his emotions forever. He was charming, funny, and caring. Thinking of him as a two-timing jerk had made him much easier to resist. But now that they had spent time together, had a chance to get to know each other, she knew he wasn’t anything like the man she’d first thought. He went out of his way to be considerate to people around him and he protected those he cared about.
Here Comes the Bride Page 11