“Fuck,” Dominic groaned and slumped into his seat. “You’re right. I’ve been losing my shit, and I don’t even know why now. What’s wrong with me?”
Mac let out a full belly laugh. “Love may be patient and kind, but it also grabs you by the balls and takes you on the head trip of a lifetime. Welcome to it, my friend.”
Chapter Nineteen
Gwen stood in the doorway of her refrigerator, eating chocolate pie straight from the pan. She could practically hear the five pounds that she’d gain settling on her already big butt. Tonight, though, she didn’t give a damn. She’d already had phone sessions with both Mia and Crystal and even Suzy had stopped by this afternoon at the office to check on her. The other woman was practically glowing, apparently now over her initial anxiety and excited to move forward with adopting. All three women seemed certain that things would work out with Dominic, but Gwen wasn’t so sure. She hadn’t heard from him all day. It was now nine in the evening, and she’d eaten everything in her refrigerator. She alternated between never wanting to see him again, which was unrealistic since they were having a baby together, and begging him to talk to her, which would be humiliating after the way he’d taken off yesterday.
She was still brooding with a spoon stuck in her mouth when her doorbell rang. Freezing in place, she wondered if she’d wished for the sound so much that she’d imagined it. But a few seconds later, she heard it again. Tossing both the pie and the spoon into the refrigerator, she smoothed her hands down her hair and grimaced at her lounge pants and tank top. If it was Dominic and he wasn’t here to break things off, he would probably consider it after seeing her disheveled state. “Screw it,” she said to the empty room. “If he doesn’t like it, what do I care?” She stalked to the door and looked through the peephole. Dominic stood there, looking as if he had no plans to leave anytime soon. Squaring her shoulders, she jerked the door open and felt her body completely betray her as she stared at him. He was still wearing his too small outfit from earlier. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was sporting some scruff on his face. Despite her best intentions, her nipples hardened, pushing against the thin material of her top. Of course, she wasn’t wearing a bra and if the widening of his eyes was any indication, he’d noticed.
When she didn’t move to let him pass, he cleared his throat nervously. “Hey, babe. I . . . um . . . just got home. Can I—can I come in?”
Dammit, she wanted to say no. To strike a blow for women everywhere who’d been hurt by a man, but she found herself moving to the side and waving him forward. Heat gathered between her thighs as she noticed the way the tight pants he was wearing outlined his butt. Her body was fast turning traitor and her mind was barely holding her libido in check. “Wh-what are you doing here?” she managed to spit out around the knot in her throat.
He sank down on her couch before dropping his head in his hands. “Baby, I think I’ve lost my mind lately. You started pulling away from me, and then Gage told me I wasn’t showing enough interest in the pregnancy possibility and was not being supportive. Then I made a fool of myself over that Jane Fonda movie, and Gage said I acted like a pus— um, girl. Then I was supposed to give you the space that you needed because I was coming on too strong and scaring you. You told me you weren’t pregnant and I typed out this whole text in reply about it not changing anything and how I felt about you, but Gage said I was being a pus— um, girl again and going too fast. I tried not to push you, but when you got home from your sister’s, I couldn’t stay away from you. Of course, I had to go to Charleston AGAIN. Next, I come home to find out about Gage and Shannon and you’re not pregnant, but now you are. Then I got drunk and passed out in some nasty bathroom before Gage carted me home and made me wear his more than likely dirty clothes. The pants are so tight they’ve crawled up my ass all day. Gage said I was complaining like a pus— girl again. Mac pointed out that I could shoot an M4 assault rifle but couldn’t tell the woman I’m crazy about that I love her and I needed to stop acting like a pus— girl.” He grimaced, shaking his head. “We say that word too much, don’t we?”
Gwen’s head was spinning as Dominic finished with his rapid-fire explanation. She was trying to process his words when it hit her. Her heart seemed to pause before taking off. “You—you love me?”
Dominic got to his feet, looking completely exhausted and pale, but his eyes were filled with emotion. He stopped just inches away from her and took both of her hands in his. “I used to think I was a cool person. Nothing ever shook me. I’m the original ‘Plan B man.’ Then you came along, and I just lost it. I prayed that Mac and Ava would finally get their head out of their asses and be together because I had wanted you from the beginning. You were dating my best friend, and I hated it. I waited too long to ask you out and fate handed you to Mac. Finally, though, you came to me and you were nothing like I’d imagined, baby—you were so much more. I thought I fell in love with you the first time I saw you with Megan and Maddy on the playground outside, but I knew I loved you the first time I held you. I’ve made a lot of mistakes trying to tell you—and show you—how I felt when all along it should have been one moment and those three words.” He released one of her hands and raised it to cup her face, stroking her cheek. “I love you, Gwen. God, I love you so much, baby.”
Gwen felt tears begin to flow from her eyes as she heard the words that she never thought she’d hear from a man other than her father. She knew at that moment that every heartache in her life had led her to this moment—to Dominic, who loved her unconditionally and who was surely meant to be the father of her child.
His eyes were now watery, as well, as she turned her head to kiss his palm. “So, you’re saying this is all Gage’s fault?”
He looked embarrassed as he said, “The only excuse I have for listening to him is that I was terrified of screwing up and losing you. I was constantly second-guessing myself and Gage always seemed to be around at those times. Hell, when a man’s desperate, everything starts to sound like a lifeline.”
“You might want to rethink that the next time.” She winced, causing them both to laugh before she sobered. “I love you, too, Dominic. I was so drawn to you after our first night together that I was running scared. I’d been hurt in the past, and I knew that those feelings would pale in comparison to loving and losing you.”
Dominic pulled back only to lower his hand and place it reverently over her stomach. “I was surprised at how disappointed I was when I got your text that you weren’t pregnant. I mean I’d never allowed myself really to believe that it would happen. But then when the possibility was gone—I had a hard time coming to terms with it. I didn’t say anything to you about it because I didn’t know how you were feeling and I was afraid of pushing you farther away.”
“I was sad as well,” Gwen admitted. “I knew I should probably be relieved because I hadn’t planned to be a mother at this point in my life, especially after only dating someone less than a month, but my heart still had a hard time accepting it. I’m a little scared and a lot nervous because I don’t know how this is going to work, but I want this baby—with you—more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Oh, my God,” she suddenly gasped. “But what about you and Kandi?”
“Kandi?” Dominic asked, looking dumbfounded.
“I saw the text she sent you, about Charleston,” Gwen blurted out. “She said she had something for you and Gage and were you going to be back in Charleston.”
“Baby, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t spoken with Kandi since I ended it. Plus, why would I see her in Charleston? I never saw a text from her. Hell, she’s not even in my contact list anymore.”
Gwen dropped her head against his chest and confessed to seeing the message from K and deleting it. “Then who is K?” she asked hesitantly.
“K? Just the letter, right?” When she nodded, he began laughing. “Babe, that’s the owner of the department store in Charleston that we’ve been setting up security for. She has some long nam
e, but everyone calls her K. She is a seventy-plus-year-old sweetheart who cooked for Gage and me when we were there. That’s probably what she was talking about. She wanted me to let her know when we would be back so she could cook us another meal.”
“Oh,” Gwen whispered, completely embarrassed. “Can we please forget everything I just said and pick up where we left off?”
Giving her a soft smile, Dominic hugged her to him tightly and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You got it. As for your being scared, we’ll take it slow, baby. I have no idea what I’m doing, either, but I don’t think we have to have all of the answers right now. We’ll move in together, get married, and make a life and a family together.”
“Whoa,” Gwen stuttered in surprise as she pulled back. “This isn’t the nineteen fifties, and I’m not looking for a shotgun wedding simply because I’m pregnant. A lot of people have children together without being married.”
Dominic grinned down at her, and Gwen felt her body turning to mush. God, how could he do that with just one look? “I didn’t say today, babe. Give me some credit. When I propose, it’ll be so romantic that the word no won’t even be a possibility. You’ll be screaming yes at the top of your lungs.” With a wicked wink, he added, “Both before and after the proposal.”
Gwen could feel the heat steal over her cheeks as he reinforced his statement with a grind of his hard length against her core. His cocky statement might not be so far-fetched because she was biting her tongue to keep from moaning “Oh, yes,” right then. She couldn’t imagine ever being able to say no to him.
Maybe they were starting their life together completely backward—putting the cart before the horse, as some would say. However, as Dominic kissed a line down her neck, whispering words of love and desire, Gwen had to believe that some of the best-laid plans were the ones that were—well, not planned at all.
Epilogue
It had taken Dominic exactly a month to wear her down and convince her to move in with him. Then it took him another couple of months after that to propose to her.
Even though she’d been expecting it, Gwen could still remember how surprised she’d been when he asked her to marry him. They had invited both of their families up to Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving. She had wanted to wait until she was through her first trimester before telling everyone about the pregnancy. Of course, that had proved to be impossible. Dominic had practically been bursting at the seams to tell his family and there was no way that she could keep the news from Wendy. And most of Dominic’s friends already knew, so in the end, they’d gone ahead and shared the news, trusting that all would be well.
Wendy had been thrilled, and her mom and dad, although more than a little surprised, seemed happy for her as well. Dominic’s family had been over the moon. His sister, Meredith, had been back to visit several times. She was desperately hoping for a girl in the family since she had two boys. She claimed all the testosterone was giving her hives and the women needed to level the playing field in the Brady family.
Their apartment had been beyond full with both families. They had just sat down to Thanksgiving dinner when Dominic stood. Gwen was surprised that he’d decided to give the holiday thanks and prayer, when suddenly he was on his knee and pulling her chair away from the table. Truthfully, she’d heard nothing but white noise for the first few seconds until he popped open a jewelry box and a breathtaking, princess-cut emerald and diamond ring winked at her. Finally, his words started penetrating the shocked bubble that had surrounded her. “Our love has been unique, unexpected, and amazingly beautiful—just as you are. Baby, almost any ring would pale in comparison to you, so I tried to find the one that I thought would be a perfect fit, just as you are for me.” Smiling to herself at the memory, Gwen admitted that he’d been right that night four months ago when he’d confidently told her that she’d scream yes, because she had—and then she had again later . . . when they were alone. A fact he had pointed out to her with much smug glee.
They had also had their first ultrasound the previous day. The doctor had wanted to do it earlier than usual due to the spotting she’d had before her pregnancy had been confirmed. They were relieved to find out that everything was fine and she was measuring exactly where she should be. It had been emotional for them both. And whoever said that tough, military men didn’t cry, was wrong. Tears had trickled down Dominic’s face as they’d seen their little bean’s heartbeat flicking on the screen and his or her little hands and feet kicking and moving. It was still too early to know the sex, but Dominic was sure it was a boy. He swore he saw a penis on the screen although the doctor had assured him it was actually an arm. So, the jury was still out on that. Gwen secretly thought it was a boy, as well. It was just hard to imagine a macho man like her fiancé not having the dominant Y chromosome in his child. She knew that secretly, though, a little girl would own him; he’d never stand a chance.
“Ready, baby?” Dominic pulled her from her musings as he rubbed her stomach tenderly before dropping a kiss on her upturned lips. She was just beginning to get a very tiny baby bump, and he couldn’t keep his hands off it.
She had been resting as he’d insisted. Maddy was in her first school play, and they were meeting Gage, Shannon, and Megan at school to see it. Yawning as she stood from the chair she’d been curled up in, she answered, “I’m ready, babe.” He put a protective arm around her shoulders and led her out of the apartment. He had been pushing her to look at houses, but for now, she wanted to stay where she was comfortable. Frankly, she was just too tired at this point to tackle the big task of moving.
“Thank God they didn’t give Maddy a speaking part in this play, right?” he joked as they found a parking space at the school. “I can only imagine how epic that would be.”
Gwen laughed, agreeing. “I know. Poor Shannon would be terrified. I think the girls are even worse with Gage practically living there. You know, it seems that we were all wrong about him,” she admitted. “He is crazy about Shannon and a natural with the girls. I’ve never seen her happier than she is now.”
“Yeah.” Dominic nodded as they walked through the entrance to the auditorium. “I’m still surprised by that. The guy talks about her nonstop. He’s the last person I would have ever imagined in a serious relationship, much less with kids involved. He’s still a goof, but Shannon has grounded him. I don’t know, despite all his joking around, he always seemed like he was kind of lost. I thought it was because he never had much of a relationship with his family.”
“Maybe he was just waiting for her,” Gwen suggested softly as she curled her arm around Dominic’s waist.
“Maybe he was, baby,” Dominic agreed, looking at her with so much love in his eyes that she knew they were no longer talking about Gage.
Before she could reply, Shannon came rushing up. “Hey guys! We saved you a couple of seats beside us. Oh, my God, you aren’t going to believe it, but my brother Mason brought his boyfriend, Cash! I thought my father was going to swallow his tongue! My mother gave him a few digs in the side, and he actually stood up and shook Cash’s hand and was passably friendly. I left Megan to keep them distracted.”
“Good times,” Gage smirked as he clapped Dominic on the shoulder before hugging Gwen. “Hey, little mama, looking good.” Gwen laughed while Dominic removed his arms from around her.
Rolling his eyes, Dominic said, “Hands off, bro. I think we’ve discussed this.” Both Gwen and Shannon giggled because this conversation happened every time they were together. It was perfectly innocent, but Dominic was the ultimate alpha male where she was concerned and Gage loved to get under his skin.
Shannon took Gage’s hand, pulling him down the aisle, while Dominic and Gwen followed. “Come on, Romeo; let me get you in your seat before Dom takes you out.” Soon they were all settled in the four end seats with a few minutes to spare until curtain time.
Megan was already restless and fidgeting when a little girl about her age walked down the aisle. Megan burst out of her seat and
ran to hug her. “Caroline!”
As the girls talked, Shannon leaned over telling Gwen, “Caroline has a sister in Maddy’s class. I think she has one of the speaking parts.”
Beside her, Dominic was saying to himself, “Caroline?” as if trying to figure something out. Gwen gave him a questioning look before a little boy walked up and pulled Megan’s hair, causing her to scream.
As Gage made to grab for Megan, who now looked completely pissed off, Shannon stiffened, saying, “Oh no,” under her breath. It hit Gwen at the same time that Dominic started chuckling under his breath.
It was as if everything suddenly went into slow motion. Megan, bent on revenge, grabbed the little boy’s arm and yelled loud enough to be heard in the next state, “I’m going to get you, Bastard!”
Shannon gasped in horror and every mouth around them dropped open in shock. Gage leaned around the women to give Dominic a high five. “That’s my girl.” He grinned proudly.
“Our kid cannot be friends with anyone named Baxter—are we in agreement?” Dominic smirked.
Gwen started giggling as she snuggled into his arms. “I agree,” she whispered against his neck, “but you’d better prepare yourself. With Megan and Maddy as honorary aunts, I’m scared to think of what our child will pick up along the way.”
She continued to laugh as her words turned him to stone. “Holy—” he began before she elbowed him in the side. He finally relaxed, dropping a kiss onto her head. “I’ve got this, babe. I’ll just run interference whenever they’re visiting. No problem.”
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