He felt numb. He didn’t remember taking a seat across from his mom. Nor did he remember reaching out and taking her frail, cold-as-ice hands in his, but when he pulled himself back into the moment, he realized that’s exactly what he’d done.
He suddenly realized how badly he’d messed up by letting his past ruin any chance of happiness in his future. He should have gone to his mom and let her explain herself. Just because.
Yep, he’d blown it big time.
He’d been keeping himself too busy to give Sam much thought, hoping time would make him forget about her. It had been a little over a week now and he missed Sam more today than he had the first night he told her to leave.
“I really fucked everything up,” he announced.
“Stop it,” his mother said, squeezing his hands, unwilling to let go. “There’s still a chance if you go after her.”
“You think so?”
“I do.”
The room was quiet for a moment. Sitting here with his Mom felt surreal. “What about Dad?” he asked. “Do you think he’ll ever stop drinking?”
“I hope so.”
“Me, too,” he said with a nod before his gaze settled on watching her thumb rub against the top of his hand. He felt something bubble within. Whatever it was inside of him, it made a low rumble as it moved up through his body to his chest. “I should have talked to you when I saw you in the crowd,” he blurted.
“It wasn’t the right time.”
“It could have been the right time. I should have made it the right time.”
“You did the best you could,” she said, throwing his words right back at him. “You’re a good man.”
“I think everything might be okay,” he told her.
She nodded.
“I need to find Sam. I need to talk to her.”
“I think that’s a wonderful idea.”
She must have been telling the truth because she released his hand.
Dominic stood, still looking at his mom, glad she was here, hoping they would have more moments like this one. And that’s when he realized Sam was right. Having his mother back in his life could very well end up being a gift.
“Everything has happened so fast,” he told her. “My mind is spinning and I’ve been questioning these unfamiliar emotions I’m feeling inside.” He white-knuckled the back of the chair. “As a mom,” he said thoughtfully, “you know, as my mom, do you think Sam’s the right woman for me?”
His mother tilted her head just so, smiling all the while. “You know the answer to that, Dominic, but they do say that mothers know best so I’m going to tell you with one hundred percent certainty that not only is Sam the right woman for you, she’s the only woman for you.”
Chapter Twenty-Eight
“How do I look?” Sam asked Shakespeare.
“Meow.”
Sam had showered, curled her hair, and dabbed on some mascara and lipstick. Her entire family was on their way to her apartment. She’d never had her family for dinner. Two months ago, she never would have allowed them into her apartment all at once, if at all.
But today she was excited to see them.
The table was set. There wasn’t enough room for everyone. Her brothers would have to sit on the couch and use the coffee table.
Taylor and Kevin didn’t think she could cook. She’d show them. After her day making everything from lobster bisque to chicken tacos, she had no doubt she would surprise the pants right off them. After tonight, if any one of her family members ever said she couldn’t cook, she would have this night, this dinner to rub their noses in.
Her parents were the first to arrive. As beautiful as ever, her mother beamed with happiness, but her father looked stiff. Taylor, Kevin, and Emma arrived next and that’s when she pulled her father aside. “Is something wrong, Dad? You don’t look right.”
He rubbed the bald spot at the back of his head. “I’m nervous, okay?”
It was true. He was perspiring. “Is this your first date since we talked?”
He nodded. “This is it. She said no to all the other plans I came up with…musicals and even a damn opera. But when I asked her to join me for dinner at our daughter’s apartment, she said yes. And now I don’t know what to do, don’t know how to act. Look at her, would you? She’s gorgeous. Could have any man she wanted. She doesn’t have a nervous bone in her body. What’s happened to her?”
“She’s finally grown up, Dad. For the first time in her life, she doesn’t need you. You know it and she knows it.”
“Yeah, well, I’m really glad we had this talk, Samantha.”
Sam laughed. “Me too, Dad. You might not realize it, but if you do this right, if you treat Mom like the wonderful, beautiful woman that she is, you’ll be the one who reaps the benefits.”
“What are you, a therapist now?”
There was a rap tap tap on the door, but since everyone had already arrived, Sam had no idea who she would find on the other side.
Her last guess stood there, looking overdressed in a fitted suit and tie. For just a moment, she’d let herself hope she would find Dominic standing there.
“Hello, Ken.”
She hadn’t asked Dominic to the party, but still, it was just a fleeting thought.
Sam looked over her shoulder at her family, wondering who told Ken about her private dinner party. They all gave her innocent looks, letting Sam know they had nothing to do with Ken’s sudden appearance.
He cleared his throat. “Can I come in?”
“My family is here,” Sam told him, “and I can’t remember the last time, if ever, they’ve all gathered at my place.”
“I won’t be long,” he promised.
“Mom, Dad,” Ken said as he stepped through the door like a Las Vegas entertainer. “Kevin, Taylor, and Emma. I have something I’d like to say and it involves all of you.”
Emma pushed past her dad and uncle so she could get a front row look at whatever was going down.
“Samantha,” Ken said, turning back around so he and Sam were face to face, his eyes peering into hers as he reached out and took her hand in his. “We’ve known each other for years now.”
She wondered if he had any idea how many years, but she remained silent.
“We’ve both made mistakes and we’re stronger because of them. You’ve changed and I like what I see.”
For the life of her, she had no idea what she’d ever seen in the man. She tried to pull her hand out of his grasp but he held tight.
“I’m ready to take a chance again,” Ken told her, excitement making his eyes twinkle. “I’m ready to put my heart on the line.”
“I’m only fourteen, but I’m pretty sure that’s from a Barry Manilow song,” Emma said.
Taylor nodded proudly at his daughter’s perceptiveness.
Ken fell to one knee.
Sam gasped. “Oh, for goodness’ sakes, Ken, get up.”
He let go of her hand, reached into his coat pocket, and pulled out a diamond ring. “Marry me, Sam. Make me the happiest man in the world.”
Sam finally succeeded in yanking Ken to his feet. He was such a childish, clueless little boy; she could only wrap her arms around him and pat him on the back.
Emma held out her arms. “Is this a joke?”
“Is that a yes?” Ken asked Sam.
“No,” Sam answered with a pitiful look on her face. “It’s a definite no, but thanks for asking…again.”
Taylor walked over and slapped Ken on the back. “Sorry, bro.”
***
After sitting way too long in his truck, one of the few things that hadn’t been taken from him, Dominic forced himself to climb out and shut the door.
Despite everything that had happened over the past ten days, movie deals were still pouring in. According to Ben and Tom, hundreds of emails were coming in daily. His fans understood hardship and they were ready to stand one hundred percent by his side. Ben tried to talk Dominic into taking out a loan and keeping the house and the f
ancy cars, but Dominic was finished pretending to be someone he wasn’t. Acting was his passion, but all the rest, the fancy parties and media blitz, was not a game he was willing to play any longer. For the first time in his life, he was close to having it all. He had ten acres and a house he was working hard to make into a home. He liked the simplicity of living in a smaller house without all the bells and whistles, a place where the dogs could run free. But he was still missing the main ingredient to his ultimate happiness: Sam Johnston.
He finally knew what it felt like to love someone and he didn’t want to live without her. He knew that now. Sure, she could be insecure at times, even a little nosy, but she’d had good reason.
When it came to talking to his mother without telling him, he knew Sam’s heart had been in the right place. He never should have asked Sam to leave and yet he’d needed the time apart to figure things out. At least that’s what he kept telling himself.
He’d never been to Sam’s apartment before.
He followed the pathway. The building was blue and green, sort of artsy looking. The grounds were well kept: healthy palm trees and lots of manicured greenery with tiny white flowers. He inhaled jasmine and honeysuckle, liked the way the sun felt on his shoulders.
Through the front window screen of Sam’s apartment, Dominic saw Ken bend down on one knee and offer Sam a ring.
His breath caught in his throat. He had every intention of taking Ken by the collar and roughing him up a bit until he saw Sam smile and wrap her arms around the guy.
What the hell was going on?
Stuck between wanting to confront her and wanting to let her have a moment of happiness after all he’d put her through, he stood frozen in indecision and then turned back toward the parking lot.
“Look! Dominic’s here!”
Sam’s apartment door came open.
Emma rushed toward him with the rest of Sam’s family following close behind.
Ken broke through the crowd, his big shoulders knocking Kevin out of his way. For a long moment, some sort of weird staring war ensued between the two men until Ken said, “Good luck with that one. You’re going to need it.” And then he walked off.
More confused than ever, Dominic watched Sam exit her apartment. She stopped short. Their gazes met and held.
“Are you coming or going?” she asked.
“What do you mean?”
“When I looked out the window, you were walking away from my apartment, not toward it.”
“That’s because I saw Ken propose to you and the next thing I know you were all over him.”
“I gave him a hug,” Sam said.
“She hugs the mailman, too,” Emma informed him.
“It’s true,” one of her brothers said.
“I saw you in the LA Times today,” Sam said. “The paparazzi caught you dancing with another beautiful woman I didn’t recognize.”
“Photoshop,” Dominic said.
“It’s amazing what they can do with that program,” Sam’s dad said.
Sam’s mom nodded in agreement. “They can literally take someone’s head and stick it on someone else’s body.”
“Mom, Dad, everyone,” Sam said. “Could Dominic and I please have a private moment here?”
“Sure, sure.”
“You definitely know how to ruin a party,” Emma told Sam.
After they were all back in the apartment, Sam plunked her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”
“What do you think?”
“I really have no idea. I haven’t seen you in ten days. That’s a long time.”
“Yeah,” said Emma, “that’s almost as long as the gestational period of a Virginian opossum.”
Sam pointed at Emma and told her to shut the door all the way this time.
Dominic paled, figuring Emma was trying to say something. “Are you pregnant?”
“No, of course not. I might have actually tried to find out where you were staying if I was.”
“But since you’re not, you didn’t?”
Sam crossed her arms. “Why would I?”
“Because you said you loved me.”
“You asked me to leave.”
“I wish I hadn’t.”
“You could have called.”
“I should have.”
“What took you so long to come see me?”
“I’m stubborn and truthfully, I never thought the day would come when I would meet a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”
“You were set on spending the rest of your life alone?”
He nodded. She was too far away for him to reach out and draw her close. In the past, if he just pulled her into his arms and held her, she sort of melted against him and forgot about whatever it was they were arguing about. “I don’t want to live without you,” he added for good measure.
She cocked her head as if she were waiting for him to say something more.
Damn. He wasn’t prepared for a long speech. “If we come to some sort of conclusion here,” he said, struggling for every word, “and we decide to get married, I want it to be forever. For instance, let’s say that ten years from now, if I tell you to pack up and move out, don’t listen to me.”
Sam wrinkled her nose. “I’m just supposed to ignore you?”
He nodded. “Exactly.”
“Okay,” she said. “If I agree to be your wife again and five years from now or maybe even five hours, you see me hugging the clerk at the local market and I tell you you’re being a jealous fool, you just need to know that it doesn’t mean anything and that I only love you. No need to make a big deal about a hug.”
“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll have to think about that one. But if you locate any long-lost relatives of mine or you run into my thieving uncle, I would appreciate it if you didn’t invite any of them to dinner without talking to me first.”
“Agreed.”
“Are they serious?” Emma asked.
Sam had forgotten the front window was open.
“Will you marry me?” Dominic asked.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Family only. A small wedding at our new house.”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Can I be a bridesmaid?” Emma shouted excitedly.
They both ignored her, each taking a few steps toward the other and finally closing the gap.
Dominic held her close, breathed her in. “I love the way your hair smells. Have I ever told you that?”
“I think you have. Thank you.”
“It’s not always going to be smooth sailing,” Dominic said, loving the way she felt snuggled up close to him.
Sam pulled away just enough so she could peer into his eyes. “Some days will be like riding a rickety rollercoaster or a scary Ferris wheel.”
“We’re both going to have to work on insecurities and trust issues.”
“I want children,” she said, making him wonder if she were testing him.
“As many as you want,” he said with a smile.
“Do you mean that or are you just trying to make me happy?”
“I think three children is a good number, don’t you?”
She laughed. “Three is good. Maybe four.”
“Maybe. We don’t have to have them all next month, do we?”
“I guess if I were a Virginian opossum, it might be possible.”
“Where does that kid come up with those things?” Dominic asked. “Is she really related to you?”
“She really is. You might end up with four daughters just like Emma.”
“Got a problem with that, Uncle Dom?” Emma shouted.
They both laughed.
“She has really good hearing,” Dominic said. “We might as well go inside.”
“I’m glad you finally came,” Sam whispered.
“I love you, Sam Johnston,” he whispered back, “and I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you.”
Epilogue
One y
ear later…
Through the screen door of the master bedroom, Sam saw family and friends take their seats. At the sight of the minister, her heart did a double beat, and she placed her hand on her chest. This is really happening. Dominic, Tom, Taylor, and Kevin had spent the past few days setting up potted plants and chairs, doing their best to make sure there would be enough shade for everyone. They did a wonderful job. Everything looked lovely.
Although a white picket fence framed the ten acres of land surrounding the small one-story house, Caesar, Rex, and their newest addition, Cleopatra, a three-legged beagle, liked to stay close to the house, and she could see them greeting the guests. Shakespeare preferred the indoors where she could circle Sam’s legs as she tried to get ready.
Rebecca laced the back of her summer dress, talking all the while, because that’s what she did when she was nervous.
“Don’t worry, dear. It’ll all be over in a blink of an eye.”
Sam suppressed a laugh. “I’m getting married, Mom. I’m not having my tooth pulled.”
“Of course you are, dear. He’s a good man. You’re both young, but it’s not as if either of you just graduated from high school.”
Sam inhaled.
“It’s not easy standing in front of friends and family, declaring your good intentions to be with each other for the rest of your lives. Never mind that so many marriages end up in divorce.” She paused, checked her lipstick in the mirror. “It’ll be fine, just you wait and see.”
“Mom, what’s going on? Is there something you’re not telling me? Did you see Dominic in another one of those tabloids? That’s it, isn’t it?”
Her mother wiped her eyes with a tissue.
Something was seriously wrong. Sam slipped her arm around her mother and held her close. “What’s bothering you?”
Another sob. “Your father proposed last night.”
Sam kept her cool. Through the screen door, she could see Dominic at his assigned place before the minister. A classic summer suit that fit him to a tee hugged his body, making her insides flip-flop. God, he looked hot.
Here Comes the Bride Page 18