Chapter 6
K ate
Present Day
“I’ve never asked you for a sign, Mom, but if you could give me one right now, I’d really appreciate it,” I murmur, as emotion clogs my voice. Staring at my reflection in my bathroom mirror, in a simple pale pink dress that I found on clearance at Walmart, of all places, I’ve never missed my mom more.
It’s been one week since Dominic told me we’d get married so I could access his health insurance. One whole week of insane awkwardness. I really could use a heart-to-heart with my mom. He asked me about her a few days ago, and I reminisced about my childhood. My mom was the best.
“Do you have any pictures of her?” he’d asked me as we sat on the couch outside my room, discussing our marriage ceremony.
“I do. I saved all of the pictures I could find.” Running into my room, I took out a box of photos from the bottom of the closet. I’ve been meaning to organize all of the memorabilia, but I haven’t had time.
Rifling through the box, I find one of her when I was only a couple of years old. Holding the image in my hands, I can almost hear her laugh. Feel her hugs, and bedtime back scratches. “Here.”
“Wow,” Dominic said quietly. “You look just like her. ”
“I know. We joked that we’d try to pass as sisters when I got older, but then she got sick and …” I trailed off. We didn’t get a chance. So many things I wished we had time for. Things I had said.
“Do you think she would like me?” he whispered, a rare vulnerability in his voice.
“I do, actually. She’d admire your drive and tenacity. She’d probably also tell me she thought you were hot,” I teased, making a pink hue appear on his cheeks as he chuckled. “She’d probably be pissed at me for going this long without health insurance, though.”
“I don’t think she would,” Dominic said, as he straightened his posture on the couch. I’d noticed so many times that Dominic would stand taller as he was about to give advice or when he’d speak passionately about a subject. “You’ve spoken highly of your mom, her sass and love of life, and her own drive to live a life she enjoyed. I think she’d see you doing the same thing and be proud of you for your own moxie.”
“Moxie!” I exclaimed.
“Yeah. You’re gutsy. Purposeful in what you do. You obviously have an amazing heart for the people you love, and I have no doubt your stubbornness comes into play here,” Dominic said. I was dumbstruck as his voice held a note of admiration. Completely bewildered at this new version of Dominic, yet another layer I had slowly peeled away from the unemotional man I thought he was.
Still reeling about our upcoming marriage, I struggled to handle my emotions as the day grew closer. We’d agreed not to tell anyone about the ceremony, hoping to keep all of it under the radar for as long as possible. But I still wished someone from my family would be there with me. For me.
I knew I wouldn’t have my father at my wedding. I’d stupidly let myself hope and dream when I located him a few years ago. I was still mourning the death of my mother, and then I had to grieve what I had hoped to get out of a relationship with my father. The best part of the whole experience was finding my two half-brothers, Matt and Zane.
But seriously, what I wouldn’t give to have my mom’s advice right now.
What would she think? What would she say? She’d probably laugh at my predicament, but not in a bitter or condescending way. She’d find it humorous that I’m marrying quite possibly the most opposite man I could find. Stoic, grumpy, and monotone. I’d only seen him get truly angry once or twice, and it was typically something to do with his family. Once I moved in, that number ramped up a lot faster. Turns out, I can aggravate Dominic better than anyone just by be being, well, me.
I honestly don’t know how Dominic talked me into this, and why I’m letting him run the show. Well, that’s sort of a lie. When Dom gets all growly alpha and demands things, it’s so ridiculously sexy. And for some reason, him telling me we would get married so I could access health insurance was so insanely hot.
“Kate? Can you braid my hair?” Aspen asks as she barges into my space, jarring me back from my trip down memory lane. “You look weird. Why are you wearing a dress? Did you borrow that from someone? That’s not your style. You look really uncomfortable.”
“Thanks, kid,” I mutter. “I have somewhere to go where I have to dress presentably. And yes, I can braid your hair.”
“Are you going somewhere with my dad? He’s in a suit.”
“He’s almost always in a suit,” I respond wryly. Honestly, I’ve only seen him dressed casually a handful of times. He’s typically even in a sport coat and slacks for kid events.
That one time I walked in on him in nothing but a pair of sweats hanging so low on his waist I could see the V … good heavens above. I’ve never met anyone as busy as Dominic, but clearly he finds time to work out. He might infuriate me, but the pecs on that man deserve to be celebrated.
“Sit on the bed so I can braid your hair,” I tell Aspen, motioning for her to move over to my bed. It’s been a few months since I moved in with Dom and his kids, and while I was initially apprehensive about the move, it ended up being really good for all of us. I’m right here when the kids need me, and I’ve saved a ton of money in rent, since Dominic won’t let me pay for using his guest room. And honestly, I love this house.
Set in the furthest corner of a quiet neighborhood on the outskirts of Eternity Springs, Dom’s house is picture perfect on a cul-de-sac. A much-loved wooden swing hangs from the oversized front porch, and a basketball hoop sits beside the driveway. Carter’s bicycle is always crashed somewhere in the front yard, and I’ve never seen the driveway without some chalk art on it.
This home is a family home, and I know it’s due to Dominic’s overwhelming love and adoration for his kids. He has two loves: his family and his work. He may look at me like I’m a nagging pimple on his chin, but the unconditional love and support he has for his kids just oozes from his pores. Aspen, Carter, and Sienna are so damn lucky to have him as their dad.
“I got in trouble at school again yesterday,” Aspen says quietly.
“Oh, really? Why?” I ask.
“Because that little bitch Greyson pulled my braid again, so I socked him in the face,” she says bluntly.
“I’m sorry, I don’t think I heard you correctly.”
“I said that little bitch —”
“Oh, I heard that part. If your dad hears you say that, you’ll be in big trouble,” I warn her. Personally, I bet Greyson is a little bitch. I know his mother, and she’s awful. Apple probably doesn’t fall too far from that tree.
“How else am I supposed to talk about him?” Aspen asks.
“You don’t have to call people names to get your point across.”
She shrugs. “But that told you exactly what I wanted. He’s a little bitch.”
“Aspen!” I hiss, looking at my open door. The guest room at Dom’s house is in the basement, but he has this infuriating ability to stealthily move around the house. He could be right outside my door and I wouldn’t know. “We can discuss different adjectives for describing Greyson another day. But you’re saying he pulled your hair, and you responded by hitting him? That seems a little excessive for pulling your hair.”
“He pulled me down to the ground at recess. It hurt.”
He pulled her down … oh, fuck no. “Did Greyson get reprimanded for his behavior? I thought an aide was supposed to watch him at recess.”
“She said she didn’t see anything.”
“Well that’s complete bullshit.”
“That’s what I said!” Aspen shouts.
“You said it was bullshit?”
“Yes. And then I got in trouble for that, but I said you say bullshit all the time, and you don’t get in trouble. Then Dad was really mad.”
Well, that explains the even frostier attitude toward me last night. Dominic has this aggravating tendency to internalize his thoughts and feelings, but at the same time have an external reaction that tells me he’s upset about something. But if I ask what the problem is, he won’t tell me. He takes forever to process his thoughts before he’s comfortable approaching me.
It is, for lack of a better word, bullshit.
“Okay, no more profanity at school,” I tell Aspen.
“But I can say bullshit at home?” she asks hopefully.
“No, you cannot,” her father’s voice speaks loudly from the doorway, making me shriek and pull Aspen’s hair.
“Ow! Katie, you weren’t supposed to do that too!” she cries.
“I’m sorry, sweetie. Your dad scared me,” I coo as I rub her head. Quickly finishing her braid, I turn to look at Dominic, and the vision in front of me literally steals my breath.
Dominic always looks attractive. Any woman would say he’s handsome. But right now, leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed over his chest, he’s powerful and alluring. His three-piece suit stretches perfectly over his physique, and the navy blue somehow makes his brown eyes sparkle even more. His tie today is pink paisley, matching my dress almost perfectly. Not many men can pull off a pink tie, but Dominic can. Hell, he can pull off anything .
Including my clothes.
Jesus. Where did that thought come from? I mean, he’s attractive. Clearly my body recognizes that. But we don’t like each other. We don’t even get along in a cordial way. Dominic puts up with me because his family basically adopted me.
Which makes this sham of a marriage even weirder.
“Daddy,” Aspen says, jarring me from my inappropriate thoughts, “your tie matches Kate’s dress.”
“I know,” he replies simply.
“Did you do that on purpose?” I blurt out.
“Yes.”
“How did you know my dress was pink?” I ask, intrigued.
“You left the bag on the counter yesterday. I assumed it was what you were going to wear. Dresses aren’t really your style.”
“Rude,” I mutter under my breath, but he hears me.
“It’s not rude. I’m stating a fact. There’s nothing wrong with your clothes. You dress how you feel comfortable, and that’s completely fine. You manage to showcase your personality with your clothes, and I can tell when you feel very confident in what you’re wearing. But I’ve never seen you in a dress, so I took a shot in the dark that the dress in the bag was for today.”
It sounds pragmatic. His reasoning is sound. Yet somehow, he’s made me feel about five inches tall. He always makes me feel like that, honestly. Maybe someday I’ll understand more of why I react to Dominic the way I do. But today is not that day.
“Aspen, Uncle Alex is upstairs with your cousins. I need to speak with Kate before we leave,” Dominic says clearly. As Aspen bounces out of the room, he quickly kisses the top of her head before straightening his suit coat. Clearing his throat, he says, “I like your clothes, Katharine.”
“You do?” I whisper.
He nods. “I do. You have this one shirt that I fucking love —”
“Which shirt?” I ask, noting a slight blush appearing on his neck as he refrains from looking me in the eye .
“It’s nothing. Not important. I do realize we’ve forgotten one aspect of this ruse that we have to discuss now.”
“Okay?” I ask, confused about what he means.
“We have to make this somewhat believable. I don’t think the judge would hold it against us, especially since he’s a friend of the family, but I’d rather be prepared.”
“I’m not following.”
“We have to kiss, Katharine.”
I stare at him as I feel the blood drain from my face. Of course we have to kiss. I’ve been to weddings before, yet somehow I completely forgot about that.
“Well it doesn’t have to be something long, right? It can just be a quick peck? People don’t make out in the judge’s chambers, do they? They shouldn’t. That has to be disrespectful, I think. Or uncouth. Or just gross. Something. I never even thought about that, Dominic. What the hell are we going to do —”
I never even saw him walking across the room. I barely processed him standing before me, until Dominic’s lips are on mine, and his arms wrap around my waist, pulling me into his embrace. His lips, firm and soft, suction against mine, pulling a moan from my mouth and into his. I feel him shudder against me as he kisses me again, a hand sliding up my back to grip the nape of my neck, moving my head into the spot he wants it. I moan again, realizing my hands have slid under his suit coat to grip his sides, my thumbs in the V that I still think about often.
I won’t try to lie and say his kiss didn’t rock me to my core, and that I’d never imagined what it might be like to kiss Dominic. Honestly, I’ve focused on his lips more than once since meeting the Santo family. Upon our first meeting, I noticed how attractive all the Santo kids are, and Luca gave me a huge smile as we’d already met through Matt. Dominic hung back, poised and steadfast, the clear leader of the bunch. My gaze immediately dipped to his lips, which I found pursed in a straight line. His gaze was emotionless, his posture as stiff as his suit, but the quick clench of his jaw told me Dominic was not impressed with me. When I reached out a hand to shake his, he hesitated before enclosing my hand into his. The touch, albeit brief, was a shock to my system. When he yanked his hand away from mine as if he felt repulsed by my touch, I decided then and there to either make him like me, or irritate the shit out of him.
It ended up the latter … but this kiss tells me Dominic has been potentially hiding underlying feelings for me. He can’t kiss me like this and still hate me, can he?
I feel Dominic’s tongue tentatively touch my lips, and my mouth automatically opens for him, beckoning him to deepen the kiss. As if we were doused with ice-cold water, Dominic jumps back, breaking off the kiss as I lean toward him in an attempt to continue it.
“I thought we should practice, but that wasn’t what I meant. I apologize.” His dark brown eyes are stricken with fear as he reaches up to rub his lips with his thumb. I can’t tell if he’s trying to wipe away the kiss, or commit it better to memory. “It won’t happen again.”
“What won’t happen again?” I ask.
“A kiss like that.”
“How are we supposed to kiss after the ceremony then?”
“Not that way, Katharine. I won’t kiss you like that again.”
I hate that he calls me Katharine. Well, that’s not entirely accurate. I actually love it. Which makes me hate it even more. No one has ever called me Katharine. Not even my mom.
“Stop calling me that,” I seethe.
“It is your name.”
“I don’t go by Katharine, and you know it. You just say it to irritate me, so stop.”
I trounce out of the room and swiftly walk up the stairs, acutely aware of Dominic following closely behind.
“It’s the same as you calling me Dominic when everyone calls me Dom,” he comments, and I whirl around near the top of the stairs. Dominic stops, the distance between us mere inches, our faces at the same height due to the stairs .
“It is not the same thing.”
“Why?” he asks, his head cocked to the side. With the light streaming in from the open door at the top of the stairs, I can see flecks of gold in Dominic’s deep brown eyes.
“The only people who call you Dom are your close friends and family. I’m neither of those,” I tell him. Turning, I continue up the stairs. As I come to the top, I walk toward the kitchen, where Dominic’s next statement stops me in my tracks.
“You’ll be my wife, Katharine. That qualifies as family.”
Holy shit.
I’ll be his wife .
I’m going to be someone’s wife. Legally.
“Katharine? Are you okay? Do you need your painkillers?” Dominic asks, rounding the island and coming to stand in front of me. Of course he’d be caring right now. Always the poised and in control head of the household. Good fucking God, what have I gotten myself into?
“I can’t do this,” I whisper.
“Yes, you can,” he says nonchalantly, but he reaches up to grip both of my biceps tightly. “You are the strongest person I know, Katharine. You can do anything you set your mind to.”
I feel my eyes heat with tears as I stare at him, a bitter laugh breaking through my shaking exterior. “You’ve never lied to me before, Dominic. Don’t start now.”
“Why do you think that’s a lie?” he asks. “You are strong. You cared for your sick mother, then tracked down your father. Even everything he put you through didn’t make you lose your spirit. You moved here, knowing no one, yet you’d immediately got immersed in this town. Any of those challenges could have made you throw in the towel, but you’ve thrived. As I said, you’re the strongest person I know.”
“Why not Leo or Alex?” I murmur.
Dominic’s mouth tilts in a small smile as he moves an errant piece of hair behind my ear. “Don’t tell either of them I told you this, but Alex joined the military to escape. He didn’t want to have the responsibility of Everlasting dropped in his lap, and I think he knew it was something I wanted. But he didn’t have the balls to tell my parents. He just enlisted and left. And Leo … well, he wanted to make a name for himself outside of Eternity Springs and our family. But I fear he tries too hard, and it’ll bite him in the ass one of these days if he doesn’t slow down.”
“That doesn’t mean they aren’t strong.”
Dominic sighs. “Everyone has a weakness, Katharine. Maybe I just know their weaknesses more than I know yours.”
It’s a good thing Aspen chooses that moment to interrupt us, bursting in from the backyard with her uncle Alex and cousins in tow, or Dominic might have had an opportunity to ask me point-blank what my weakness is. And I might have answered him.
My weakness is him.