Chapter 42
always, baby
MIA
September
The bedroom is dark, the only light coming from the moon. Dominic lies on his back, one hand tucked under his head, the other gripping my shoulder as I rest my head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat.
After our third round, we cleaned up for real then crawled into his bed.
I was certain I’d pass out immediately. Instead, we’ve been lying here together, talking.
About the time we spent apart, about all the things we’ve missed.
About school, about the internship I was offered after my sophomore year and how it led to the job I have now with the same company.
About his position as assistant coach at the high school.
About the custom shop he and Miles officially started.
“So Mom told you about my grades?” I ask hours into our conversation. “How did she know?”
“She came to my place, said she overheard you telling Jeff you were falling behind. She told me I was part of the problem. Apparently, I wasn’t doing enough to talk you out of running yourself ragged.
” He presses a kiss to my crown. “At that point, I was already battling with the feeling I wasn’t good enough for you.
I was convinced I was being a selfish prick, just like I was when I let Miles take the fall for me.
It all led to this knee-jerk reaction. I acted before I could really think things through.
Instead of talking to you, I confirmed Monica’s story with Jeff and then… I broke your heart.”
My heart, that shattered organ I’ve been carrying around in my chest for years, pangs.
“Wow. I had no idea she was behind it. She visited me in Italy, apologized over and over for the way she treated me. She promised she’d do anything she could to make things right, but she never mentioned talking to you. ”
“She probably didn’t think there was any reason to tell you. We broke up, and she clearly didn’t want us together. I’m not surprised she never told you.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right.” I chew the inside of my cheek.
“Before we left for Tahoe, she admitted she was wrong about our relationship. She said she shouldn’t have cared about the opinions of others, that you’re a good guy.
” I shift a little so I can look him in the eye.
“Do you think she’d be okay with us now? ”
He arches his brow. “Honestly? I don’t care what she thinks. But we have a second chance, an opportunity to do things differently, to announce to our family that we’ve reconciled. What do you think? Should we wait?”
I shake my head. “I don’t want to wait. We’ve wasted too much time already. How about we tell them tomorrow?”
His hazel eyes look lighter in the moonlight. “Sounds great.”
I stroke his jawline, loving the way his beard feels against my hand. “Great.”
“Are you still friends with Jeff, by the way? Or is he too busy for old friends now that he plays in the NBA? Is he still with Tessa?”
“Yeah, Jeff is still my friend.” I smile softly. “Maybe I should be mad at him for keeping your conversation a secret, but I guess I get why he did it. He sent me tickets to the first game of the season. It’s in October. Wanna fly to New York with me to watch him play?”
“With you, baby, I’ll go anywhere.”
“Good to know.” My happiness dies a little as I remember his second question. “He and Tessa broke up after graduation, and she went back to Phoenix. She’s dating his brother.”
He stiffens beneath me. “What?”
“Yeah. It’s a long and messy story, and I’m not in the mood for it.
But Jeff was gutted when he found out, and I was gutted for him.
” Anger flares in my chest, the way it does every time I think about this topic.
“Tessa is nice, and she was always a good friend. Nolan’s a good guy, but them getting together the way they did was in poor taste.
And when he proposed five months after Tessa and Jeff broke up? That pissed me off.”
“Damn. They always seemed so happy.”
“They were. Just one more way life can be messy, I guess.”
“Yeah.” He sighs. “And since we agreed to be honest with each other, I should tell you I set up a savings account for you. Remind me to print you off a statement in the morning.”
I lift my head to look at him. “What are you talking about?”
“Remember all the mock-ups you did for the shop?”
I nod.
“Before we hired our in-house graphic designer, Paul, we used your designs. Every time a customer chose one you created, I set aside your commission. I think it’s around nine grand now.”
My breath catches. “You’re joking.”
“Hell no. You deserve to be paid for your work.” He crooks a smile, brushing my hair off my face with his knuckles. “Though I hoped to give it to you sooner. I planned to use it as an excuse to talk to you when you visited, but you never came back.”
I huff out a laugh. “You should’ve known I wouldn’t. Once I’m gone, I’m gone.”
“Yeah, you’re a little bolter.” He sighs. “What made you decide to come home for good?”
“I needed closure. It was the only way to keep myself from continuing to hurt people. If I didn’t figure shit out here, how would I ever give myself to another person? I thought that if I came home, I could see you and maybe finally move on.”
His deep chuckle rumbles through me. “I can’t believe you thought you could move on.”
A lightness I’ve only ever felt with him fills me. “I put you out of my mind in Phoenix, so I had hope I could do it again.”
“You only moved on then because you’d never actually had me before. Now? You’re all mine.”
“Still yours.” I sigh.
“Always, baby.” He kisses the tip of my nose.
I snuggle into him and close my eyes, resting my hand over his My Mayhem tattoo.
Beneath my palm, his heart pounds steadily, easing my nerves.
A wave of happiness washes over me. It’s overwhelming, yet at the same time, it’s not enough.
I want more of him, more in every sense of the word.
My love for him can’t be contained; it’s ever-growing.
Unreasonable.
Undeniable.
Unending.
That eleven-year-old girl who crushed on her brother’s best friend never would’ve believed that one day, that boy would grow into the man who belongs to her. That one day, he’d look at the grown-up version of her like she’s the only thing he ever wanted.
And that he’d mean every single word.
“Mia?” He slides his fingers into my loose hair. “If you knew I lied to you about Remi, why didn’t you confront me about it? Why didn’t you call me out on my bullshit?”
I prop myself up on my elbow. “Remember our first time? Not the Halloween party, but when we went to Santa Clara.”
“You’d be surprised how many memories I have of you, how many little details I’ve catalogued up here.” He taps his temple. “You are, indeed, my favorite subject to study.” With two fingers beneath my chin, he tilts my head until I’m looking him in the eye. “What about that night?”
“I told you I’d never fight for space in your life. You want me, I’m with you. The moment I feel I’m not needed, I’m out. Seeing you with her, her hands on you? How you let her kiss your neck? I knew in that moment, I was not needed.” I take a deep breath. “That’s all.”
“I’m gonna spend the rest of my life worshipping you, making space for you, loving you. You deserve all that and so much more.” He expels a breath, his body shuddering. “I fucked up once. I won’t do it again.”
He presses his lips to my forehead and clutches me to his chest. I nuzzle closer, inhaling his scent, feeling dizzy. Dominic Watson has always had this effect on me.
“I missed you,” I whisper my confession. “So many nights, I wanted to call you, send you a text, but I convinced myself you didn’t want that, especially after you showed up at the airport but didn’t even try to talk to me.”
“I was a fucking fool. When I found out you weren’t coming back, I went as far as selecting seats on a flight to Milan.
I talked myself out of it, convinced it was the right thing to do.
But I promise, baby, it won’t happen again.
I lost you once. I watched you walk away.
I let you believe I didn’t want to be with you.
It was bullshit, and I’ll never make you feel that way again. ”
“I’m taking your word for it.”
Sunlight filters through the window, stirring me from the best sleep I’ve had in years. I lie still, relishing in the comfort and safety of Dom’s arms.
I’m daydreaming about what the future has in store for us when his hot breath hits my skin as he tucks his lips to my ear. “How long have you been awake?”
“Maybe twenty minutes,” I whisper.
“How did you sleep?”
“Like a baby.”
We linger in bed for a long time, stealing touches, soft kisses, and even orgasms—because the man is dead set on eating pussy for breakfast.
When I finally drag him to the kitchen, I force him to sit at the table while I make his favorite pancakes.
He entertains me with stories about Miles and Chiara while I tell him about my life in Italy, about my dad and his new girlfriend, Bianca.
The more we talk, the more certain I am that the woman I am now and the man he’s become are perfect for each other.
Once we’ve polished off the pancakes and I’m so full, I can’t move, Dom loads the dishwasher. When he’s finished, he grasps my hand and pulls me to my feet.
“Wanna take a ride?”
“On your motorcycle?”
He grins. “On my Harley, baby. Just you and me and the open road.”
“I’ve never been on a motorcycle before,” I murmur.
“Then I’d love to be your first.” He pulls me into him. “I promise it’ll be fun. I’ll be careful.”
“Okay. But first, I need to change. There’s no way I’m riding a motorcycle without panties on.”
“Maybe you should?” he says as I head to the bathroom to change and wash my face. “We can find a secluded place to stop, and I can give you an orgasm while you’re straddling my Harley.”
“Ew!” I grimace and close the door on his laughing face.
The air this morning is crisp. I inhale, letting the wind caress my skin.
Dominic pulls an extra helmet out of the garage and hands it to me before he saunters over to the Harley. As he approaches, all the air leaves my lungs.
It can’t be.
“What’s wrong?” he asks.
Lips parted, I step closer and delicately trace the design on the fuel tank. It’s stunning. A raven stretches along the side of the motorcycle from the fuel tank to the rear fender. The details are intricate, the color scheme perfection.
“This is my drawing, the one I gave you on your twenty-third birthday.”
He rests his hand on one handlebar, watching me in amusement. “Of course it is.”
I swallow thickly, stunned by his easy response, and study every detail of the raven almost identical to the one inked on his arm.
“I can’t believe you did it,” I say, tears pricking the backs of my eyes. “This is incredible.”
“You designed it. I just brought it to life.”
I shake my head. “I didn’t think you’d want it.”
“The only girl I’ve ever loved told me if I ever had my own motorcycle, it should look like this.” He snakes his hand around my waist and pulls me to his chest. “The moment I bought this Harley, I knew what it needed. You created a masterpiece.”
I wrap my arms around his torso and smile up at him. “Thank you.”
“Always.”
He tucks a few strands of hair behind my ear, his touch tender, featherlight. “Be my girl again,” he says in a low, intense voice.
My breath hitches. “You mean your girlfriend?”
“For now, yes. Later, my wife. That sounds a thousand times better.”
Oh my God.
My voice trembles when I start to ask, “You mean—”
He grips my chin. “I mean you, me, this. Always. Say yes. Please.”
A smile overtakes me. “Yes.”
He molds his mouth to mine, his kiss full of fire, the kind that will keep us warm on the coldest days, one that burns forever.
When Dominic finally takes a step back, my head spins. Then, he presses a kiss to my forehead and buckles the chin strap of my helmet. Once he’s seated on the bike and braced for my weight, I climb on behind him.
“Wrap your arms around my waist and hold tight.”
I do as he instructs, molding myself to him. He revs the engine, and then we’re off.
It’s exhilarating.
And with every mile, we put distance between our present and our past, saying goodbye to our mistakes, to all our wrong decisions.
It’s time we move forward. No looking back.
My heart is bursting with hope and love.
It’s just the two of us, the way it always should’ve been.