Chapter Eight
Dominik kissed her forehead. “How about we get up? I’d like you to pack some outfits, and we also need to go to the store today.”
Tessa looked up at him in confusion. “Why pack?”
“Because we’re staying at my house from now on.”
She lifted to her elbow. “Why?”
He let his fingers skate up and down her back. “Because I’ll become broken and twisted if I have to sleep in this bed again, and my house has great security, which will make you safer.”
He watched as she thought about it for a moment and then relaxed when she nodded. “Okay.”
“How about you go get dressed?”
Her nose wrinkled. “I should shower…”
He shook his head. “No, I want you to smell like me all day.”
She smiled and blushed at the same time.
He liked the excitement that burst from her. “Go. Get packed. I’ll shower, and then we’ll be ready to go. I want us to stop somewhere and get breakfast.”
“I’d like that. I’m very hungry.”
He didn’t want to bring up the fact that she still hadn’t regained the weight she’d lost after the attack. He knew the reminder would dull her happiness, and that was the last thing he wanted. Within twenty minutes, they were heading toward a diner that had great food.
“Coffee?” the waitress said after they sat down.
They both nodded. She set down cups and filled them. “I’ll be back to get your order.”
“Thank you,” Tessa said.
He reached for the menu the woman handed him and glanced at the vast selection. When he decided, he set the menu to the side and took a sip from his coffee cup.
Dominik reached across the table and took one of her hands. “Is there anything you need to get done today?”
“I was planning on cleaning my house, but that’s not important. It doesn’t really need it. It’s just routine to clean every Saturday.”
He nodded. “I should stop by one of my construction sites. Although I trust my foremen, I still like to check in at least once a week.”
“That would be nice. I’d like to see what you do.”
The waitress interrupted them and took their order. “I’ll get that out to you.”
“Thank you,” both said.
“Did you always want to be a nurse?” he asked her. He had wanted to ask about her childhood but decided to do that when they were home. Knowing her life had been so hard bothered him more than he thought.
She nodded. “Yes. I had a lot of medical issues when I was young, and the nurses were always so good to me. I want to be able to give that to children because it makes a difference.”
“You’re pretty special, you know that?” he told her. He smiled when she blushed.
She shook her head. “Not really. Oh, I try to be the best nurse I can be, but there is always room for improvement.”
“That’s with anyone. I never stop reading and learning about new innovations or tools I could use.”
“What made you want to be in construction?” she asked.
“I started working for a guy when I was fourteen.”
Her eyes widened. “Fourteen?”
He nodded. “Yeah, my mother was irresponsible and I spent some nights without food, or I grew out of my clothing and she never had any money for more so I got a job. That was the time I sprouted up, so I was going through clothes regularly.”
“I think I stopped growing when I was eleven,” she said and laughed.
“You’re perfect the way you are,” he said.
She rolled her eyes. “Are you sure you wouldn’t want me to have a few more inches?”
He shook his head. “No, I wouldn’t change anything about you.”
They were interrupted when the waitress set their plates down. He grinned at Tessa’s shocked look when four large plates were set in front of him.
“Is there anything else I can get you?” the waitress asked.
They both shook their heads.
“All right. I’ll be back to check on you.”
He looked at her plate. It had one egg, two pieces of toast, and a side of fruit. “Is that all you’re eating?”
“I can’t eat a lot at one time. It upsets my stomach.”
He nodded and started in on his food and glanced up when he didn’t see her move. “What?”
“You’re really going to eat all of that?” she asked.
He reached for her hand again. “Angel, I’m six-five and two hundred seventy-five pounds. I have to eat a lot to maintain my body and give me energy. I work it off quickly.”
“I’ll have to quadruple every recipe,” she said and grinned.
“Don’t worry, I’ll help you.”
They both ate in silence for a few minutes.
Tessa finished and sat back, drinking her coffee. He could tell she was relaxed as she stared out the window, waiting for him to finish.
Dominik wiped his mouth on a napkin and took a drink from his cup. “Do you want anything else, Angel?”
She turned and looked at him, smiling. “No. I’m good.”
Dominik raised his hand to get the waitress’s attention.
“How is everything?” the waitress asked.
“It was good. I want the bill, please,” he said.
She pulled her pad out of her pocket, tore off his bill, and handed it to him. “Here you go,” she said.
“Thank you,” he said and pulled out his wallet. He threw several bills down, enough for the meal and a nice tip, before he stood and held his hand out to Tessa.
He wrapped his arm around her and led her out to the truck.
“Let me get you in,” he said, lifting her into the seat and snapping on her seat belt.
When he pulled out of the parking lot, he took her hand. “Do you feel up for the grocery store, Angel?”
She turned and smiled at him. “Sure. I’d like you to finish your story about how you got into construction.”
“I was lucky to find a guy that owned a construction business. Stan was an old gruff guy, but he knew what he was doing and taught me everything. I worked after school every day and every weekend. It not only made me money, but it was a step toward my future and kept me out of trouble like most of my friends did. A lot of them ended up in jail or worse, dead.”
She squeezed his hand. “I’m sorry.”
Dominik shrugged. “It was the life I’d been born into. I’m afraid I would have ended up like them if it hadn’t been for Stan. He kept me focused and didn’t let me skirt on schoolwork. He told me I needed to get as smart as I could if I ever wanted to take over his business.”
“Oh, wow. I’m so glad you found him.”
“Me, too. I graduated early and took business college courses while I worked with him full time.”
“God, you were so young to be so driven.”
He shook his head. “No. I was determined to break the cycle of poverty my family had always been in, and I knew this was my only chance.”
“When I was twenty-two, Stan had a heart attack. He survived, but the doctor told him he couldn’t work again if he wanted to live. I took over the whole business. I’d been managing different sites already, but being responsible for everything was terrifying. The last thing I wanted to do was disappoint him.”
“You were so young. How did the older guys deal with that?”
He shot her a grin. “At first, I got a lot of shit, but it helped that I was going to college, and my size helped, too. There were a few times when some guy pushed me or would pick fights, but all it took was me to lay him flat with one blow. The few I wanted to keep, I gave them the opportunity to stay, but if they didn’t give it their all and respect me, they’d be gone.”
He remembered the first year after taking over had been hard. He’d had to outwork everyone and put in twice the hours. He was lucky he still had Stan around to answer questions.
“I’m assuming he’s gone?”
Dominik nodded. “Yeah, I was twenty-four.”
“I’m sorry,” she said.
Dominik had been thankful for being with him at the end, so he wasn’t alone. The old guy never married or had kids, so he considered Dominik his son and left everything to him after he passed. He’d been surprised when he realized that not only was the business worth a few million dollars, but the old guy had left him his house, where he lived now, and several million dollars in stocks and IRAs.
Dominik knew he never had to work another day in his life, but he continued like he’d been doing because he’d always felt Stan looking down from Heaven, and he still wanted to make him proud.
“When I was twenty-eight, I changed the name of the business. People were confused that I was the owner and not a Kenova, which Stan was. It made things easier.”
“I bet Stan’s so proud of you.”
Dominik smiled. “I always have him in mind, and I still feel he’s part of my life.”
Stan had always told him if he worked hard enough, he could accomplish and get everything he’d ever dreamed of, and he was right.