Chapter Twenty-Four
Sadie looked nervous when she came down the stairs on Sunday morning. Dom went to her and cupped her face between his hands. “Relax, it’s all okay. I’ll be right there by your side.”
“Thanks. Can we walk on the beach this afternoon?”
He cocked an eyebrow, and she laughed. “I can’t wait for this to be over, and I want something to look forward to – something with you.”
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “We can walk on the beach if you want to, but that’s not all you have to look forward to. You can look forward to the rest of your life with me.”
She kissed him back. “I do. I just want to put this whole thing behind me.” She checked her watch. “Should we go?”
“Yeah, come on.”
He held her hand as he drove them down the hill to the lodge. Dale had wanted her to meet him in the restaurant last night. Sadie had refused. They’d talked about it before she called him, and Dom had suggested that she should meet Dale by herself at first. He had a feeling that Dale might change his tune when he discovered that he wasn’t just dealing with Sadie – and he wanted to find out what he was up to.
As they approached the lodge, he was second-guessing himself about the wisdom of doing it this way. It would mean that Sadie was alone with her ex for at least the first part of their conversation.
Dom intended to sit close by – close enough that he’d be able to hear – since he didn’t need to worry about Dale recognizing him. As far as they knew, Dale had no idea that she’d already met someone else.
He found a spot in the lot behind the lodge and pulled his phone out of his pocket.
Sadie gave him a puzzled look, and he chuckled. “It just occurred to me that we need to give Taryn a heads up. There’s a chance that she might give us away, and even more of a chance that she won’t be happy to see you sitting with some other guy if we don’t explain what’s going on.”
“Of course! I’m glad you thought of that. I hate to think how she’d react.”
Dom chuckled as he tapped out a text. “Yeah, it wouldn’t be pretty. And it’ll be good to have her on our side. Has Jo ever told you about what happened when her ex came to visit?”
“No. She’s told me a little about him – William, isn’t it?”
“Yeah, but I’ll tell you that story another time. Are you ready?”
“I am. You’re going to sit close enough so that you can hear what he says, right?”
“I am; I’ll be right there. And as soon as you want me to join you, just give me a nod.”
She sucked in a deep breath and blew it out slowly. “Okay.”
As they walked across the parking lot he said, “I want to hold your hand, the only reason I’m not doing it is just in case he sees us.”
“I know. I get it.”
When they reached the lobby of the lodge, she stopped. “I should probably go in by myself.”
He nodded, even though he wanted to walk right in there with her and tell Dale where to go.
He checked over his shoulder before leaning down to kiss her cheek. “Go on, I’ll be right behind you.”
As he watched her go, his phone buzzed, and he checked the message.
Taryn: What do you need from me?
Dom: Just keep an eye on them. I’ll be sitting close by. I had to give you a heads up so that you don’t give us away – and so that you don’t flip out on Sadie when you see her with someone else.
Taryn: It’s a good thing you told me. I would not have been happy. I think I have the ex pegged already – he’s sitting at the bar. And just in case you’re worried – you have nothing to worry about.
Dom had to smile.
Dom: Thanks.
He took a deep breath and then made his way into the bar. Sadie was standing with a man… In fact, no, she was standing, and he was sitting on a stool at the bar. He hadn’t even gotten to his feet to greet her. He was smiling at her, and she looked decidedly uncomfortable.
Taryn caught his gaze and jerked her chin toward an empty stool right next to them. It felt strange, but there was no reason for him to hide – Dale had no idea that he existed, let alone what he looked like.
He took a seat, and scowled as he listened to Dale saying, “You should have come last night, we could have had dinner.”
He didn’t get to hear Sadie’s reply, as Taryn approached and asked, “What can I get you, handsome?”
He rolled his eyes at her as he ordered a light beer.
She set his drink in front of him and made a face at Dale’s back. Sadie sat on the stool next to him, and Taryn turned her attention to her.
Dom had to hand it to her; there was no way that Dale would suspect that Taryn already knew them.
“What are you doing here?” Sadie asked.
“I told you on the phone – I came to see you. We need to talk.”
“Well, I’m here, so talk.”
“I’ve been thinking; we were too hasty.”
Sadie laughed. “If anything, we took too long. It’s over, Dale. And if you’re honest, you’ll admit that it should’ve been over years ago.”
“That’s your dad talking.”
Dom scowled, but he was proud of Sadie’s reply.
“I’m not going to get caught up in the old arguments with you. You wanted to see me, so what do you want to talk about?”
“I think you should come home.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
There was an edge to Dale’s voice when he spoke again. “Sadie, be reasonable. We spent a lifetime building up the business. We can’t let it all fall apart now just because you decided that you want to leave me.”
Dom’s hand curled into a fist at his side.
“You know, Dale, I built the business. You’re the one who’s letting it fall apart. We both know damn well that I didn’t just decide to leave. You gave me good reason.”
“You mean Adrienne?”
Dom met Taryn’s gaze – she looked as furious as he felt.
“I do,” said Sadie.
“It was nothing. She meant nothing to me.”
“And yet, she was worth throwing our marriage away for.”
“You’re the one who’s throwing it away.”
Sadie let out a strangled laugh. “Don’t turn it around on me. This isn’t my doing. Although, I won’t say that it isn’t my choice – that I’m not glad.”
“You’re glad?” Dale spat out the question.
“I am. It’s better this way.”
“It isn’t, you stupid bitch! It’s going to cost us a fortune.”
Dom grasped the bar rail with both hands. Sadie had warned him that Dale might call her names and say things that made Dom angry. She’d requested, and he’d agreed, that he shouldn’t interrupt the conversation until she gave him the nod.
Right now, it was taking everything he had not to break that agreement. He wanted nothing more than to turn around and punch Dale.
Sadie on the other hand, sounded calm. Dom understood why when she said, “You don’t get to call me names like that anymore.”
She was calm because she was used to it – that just made Dom’s blood boil. In his mind, no man should ever speak to a woman like that.
“I’m just trying to talk some sense into you, Sadie. I came here prepared to take you back – to take you home with me so that we can fix this mess. If you refuse to do that, then we need to figure out how we’re going to divide things up.”
“That’s what the divorce is for.”
“We don’t need to waste thousands on lawyers when we can figure it out for ourselves.”
Dom folded his arms across his chest. He couldn’t wait to hear what this asshole was going to come up with.
“What exactly do you have in mind?” Sadie asked.
“As I said, my hope was to bring you home with me. If you won’t come, then perhaps we should just divide things evenly down the middle.”
“That sounds fair.”
Dom scowled to himself. From listening to just a few minutes of their conversation, he knew that Dale would never be fair about anything – let alone with Sadie.
“It is. I was thinking that you could take the business, and I’ll take the house.”
Dom squeezed his eyes shut. Sadie had told him that they had a few hundred thousand dollars of equity in the house. Dale was trying to make sure that he got a sure thing while offloading the business on Sadie.
If she still lived there and were running the place, it might not be a bad deal. He’d been surprised when she told him how much the business had been valued for. However, that number was a multiple of profits. From what Josh had told him in a text conversation this morning, the business was already in decline.
He raised his eyebrows, and Taryn gave him a small smile when Sadie said, “How about we do it the other way around? You keep the business, and I’ll keep the house.”
“I’m trying to be fair here,” said Dale.
Sadie laughed. “You don’t know the meaning of the word. You’ve already started to run the business into the ground. Now, you want to give me the mess to clean up while you get the easier job of selling the house.”
“You need to be the one to do it. You turned the employees against me.”
“I did no such thing!”
“You did; they all took your side.”
“Even if they did, that’s your doing, not mine.”
“However we ended up here, the point is, you can turn the business around – I can’t.”
“Then perhaps we should agree on a settlement where we sell everything and divide the proceeds.”
“That doesn’t make sense. It’ll be faster and easier this way.”
“No…”
“Listen, Sadie. I came here prepared to be reasonable. I offered to bring you home with me – you don’t have to stay in this shithole with your dad. I offered to give you the business – you’re a good manager. It’s not as though you have anything else in your life, is it?”
Taryn cocked an eyebrow at Dom – she no doubt saw that as his cue. Dom finally met Sadie’s gaze, but she gave him a tiny shake of her head. So, no – he had to wait until her say so.
Sadie didn’t answer, and apparently it was only a rhetorical question. Dale continued, “Since you’re too stupid to go along with me, I’ll just have to make your life difficult.”
“What do you mean?”
Dominic was glad that Sadie didn’t sound afraid. He got the impression that she was asking that question for his sake. She wanted Dale to elaborate, so that they knew what they were dealing with.
“Tell your lawyer on Monday that we’re going to settle – I’ll keep the house, you’ll keep the business. If you don’t, then I’ll drag this thing out and make sure that you end up with nothing.”
Dom clenched his jaw. He tried to catch Sadie’s gaze, he really needed to step in, but she ignored him.
“Is that a threat?” she asked Dale.
“Jesus Christ! Are you that stupid? Yes, Sadie, it’s a threat. In fact, no, it’s a promise. You blew your chance. The lawyers can take over now. Tell yours that you want the business, and I get the house, or you’ll regret it. I’ll make your life hell – yours and Harvey’s. Is that clear enough? Do you understand me now?”
Dominic was relieved when Sadie finally gave him the nod. He was already halfway to his feet when she did.
He towered over Dale as he gripped him by the throat. Dale’s arms flailed, and he made pathetic gasping sounds. Dom just stared down at him.
“What are you doing?” Dale managed to squeak out.
“I’m making you a promise. I promise you that if you ever threaten Sadie or Harvey again – if you ever come near either of them again – you’ll wish that I’d made your life hell because I’ll put you through so much worse than hell.”
“Who…? Why…?” Dale’s eyes narrowed, and he shot an ugly look at Sadie. “Are you serious? This guy’s with you?”
Sadie nodded.
He turned back to Dom. “I can pay you more.”
Dom tightened his fingers around Dale’s throat as he leaned in closer. “What the fuck are you talking about?”
“Whatever she’s paying you, I can pay you more.”
Dom shook his head. “You think she’s paying me?”
Dale glanced at Sadie again. “Why else…”
Dom grabbed the lapels of Dale’s jacket and pulled him down from his stool. He shook him, and Taryn shot him a cautionary, “Dom, careful.”
She was right. He could crush this puny little asshole too easily. He couldn’t help it, though; he gathered both lapels in his left hand and delivered a gut punch with his right.
“Because I recognized a true gem when I found one.”
He wasn’t even sure that Dale heard or understood what he said – he was doubled over, gasping.
“You were right about one thing, and that’s the divorce being handled exclusively by the lawyers from here on.”
When Dale straightened up, Dom grabbed his shoulders and turned him around. “Go – get out of here.”
Dale turned an icy look on Sadie, but she just shrugged. “I think you said everything you came to, didn’t you?”
“This isn’t the end of this.”
Dom pushed Dale’s back. “Are you saying that you want more?”
Dale looked back over his shoulder at him. “You’ll be bored of her in no time. You’re welcome to each other.” With that, he stalked out of the restaurant.
Dom went to Sadie and wrapped his arms around her. She was shaking badly.
He kissed the top of her head. “It’s okay. You’re okay.”
She clung to him but didn’t say anything.
Taryn set two glasses of Bailey’s on the bar with a wry smile. “Damn, girl! Talk about trading up.”
Dom relaxed when Sadie started to laugh, and he shot Taryn a grateful smile.
~ ~ ~
Sadie rocked gently back and forth on the swing by the pool, sipping the glass of Bailey’s that Dom had brought out for her. She was still a little shaken up by their encounter with Dale earlier. It wasn’t so much what he’d said, or even the way he’d treated her. What bothered her the most was that she’d put up with him for so long – endured his nastiness.
She stared out at the beautiful view of the lake. It should be easy to put Dale behind her. She was here now – here with Dom, who’d been so good to her. She smiled a guilty little smile to herself. All the time that Dale was talking to her, she could see how riled up Dom was getting. It was obvious that he wanted to intervene, but he’d given her his word that he wouldn’t until she asked him to. And when she had…
After Dale had left, Dom had been concerned that she might be mad at him. She wasn’t, not in the least. In general, she didn’t believe that violence was a way to solve anything. In this particular circumstance however, she didn’t have a problem with it.
After they’d left the lodge, she’d spent most of the afternoon on the phone. Both her dad and Josh had wanted her to call to let them know how the meeting had gone. And Dom had suggested that she should call Leanne right away.
Her dad was satisfied with what she told him. Josh was still cautious – he’d said that he was going to call Trevor and some of the other guys. Leanne had told her the same thing Dom had – that she should take some time to think things over.
She was tempted to do exactly what Dale wanted. If she were to take sole ownership and control of the business, she’d probably be able to run it more efficiently even from here than Dale did while he was right there. Not that she wanted to keep it, but she knew she’d be able to sell it for more that way.
She looked up when Dom came back outside. When he met her gaze and smiled, her heart felt as though it melted in her chest. How had she gotten so lucky? She smiled when she remembered what Taryn had said – she hadn’t just traded up though, she felt as though being with Dom was living in a whole new world – a much better, kinder world.
He came to sit beside her on the swing. “Are you ready for a fresh drink? Do you want anything else?”
“I’m good, thanks. All I want is you.”
“You’ve got me, you should know that by now.”
“I do. It’s funny – after today, I feel as though I should be upset or angry or just… Something. But I’m not. It’ll all figure itself out. All that matters to me is that you’re here – that I’m here with you – I told you that you feel like my safe place, but you don’t just make me feel safe, you make me feel – peaceful, too. It feels like whatever happens, nothing can touch me.”
He slung his arm around her shoulders. “It feels that way because it’s true. Nothing’s going to touch you.”
She laughed and tried to wriggle away from him when he tickled her side and added, “Nothing except me.”
She couldn’t get away from him; he tightened his arms around her and hauled her onto his lap. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him. “I love you, Dom.”
“I love you, too. How’s your thinking going?”
She smiled. She loved that he’d gone inside when she told him that she needed some time to think about it all. He understood her, perhaps better than she understood herself. He’d fetched her drink and told her that he’d check back in a while – and here he was.
“I’m done thinking by myself, I’d like to talk to you about it now.”
“Okay.”
“What do you think?”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “I think you should tell me what you think.”
She laughed. “I’m not asking you to tell me what to do.”
“I know, you’re only asking for my help, but I think we should use your thoughts as the starting point – not mine.”
“I think I want to do what he asked. Not because he asked – and certainly not because of his threats.”
His face remained neutral as he asked, “What’s your reasoning, then?”
“For starters, it’ll be the quickest and easiest way to get rid of him. If we come up with a settlement that we both agree on, the proceedings will be straightforward and it’ll all be over in a couple of months – well, three months.”
He nodded. “And?”
“And it’d be a shame for the business to just fold, and I’m fairly certain that’s what will happen. If we drag out the divorce, the business will fail in the meantime. If I somehow manage to get the house while Dale gets the business, again, it will fail. And the thing is, if it fails, it’s not just me losing money. Some of those guys have worked there since the very beginning. They’re not just employees, Dom. They’re friends – we’re as close as family. I’m going to talk to them – see if they’d still be interested in buying it.”
“Okay.”
She laughed. “You’re doing a great job of staying neutral, but I’d love to hear what you think.”
“I think you should do what you feel is right.”
She frowned. “Do you think I’m wrong?”
He pressed a soft kiss to her lips. “No. I’ll be honest, part of me wants you to fight him just for the hell of it – just because he’s such an asshole. But you’re right, that would only drag it out. I hate that he’ll get what he wants, but that’s not as important as you feeling good about your decision.”
“Thank you.” She tightened her arms around his neck. “You don’t think I’m being stupid?”
He rested his forehead against hers, and she could feel the way his eyebrows drew together in a frown.
“I don’t. I never will. Whatever choices you make, you’ll have your reasons for them. Even if I disagree – and there will be times when I do – I’ll never use that word; I’ll never think it.”
“Thanks, Dom.”
“There’s nothing to thank me for – it’s just how things are for us.”
“Take me to bed, then?”
He chuckled. “Be happy to.” He held her close to his chest as he got to his feet, making her laugh.
“I love the way you carry me off to your bed.”
He kissed the tip of her nose. “Me too, except for one thing.”
“What’s that?” she asked, her heart starting to pound.
“Relax, I was just going to say that the only thing I don’t love about it is you calling it my bed – it’s our bed, if you want it to be.”
“You know I do.”
He smiled as he closed the kitchen door behind them. “I like to think so, but I like to hear you say it, too.”
She laughed and pointed toward the stairs. “Then take me to our bed, big man!”