Chapter 18
K ate
I’m glad Dominic took a power nap in the car, because when we get back to the house, it’s absolute bedlam.
“Why is there water coming down the driveway?” Aspen asks, and Dominic sits up comically fast.
“What?” he asks.
Pulling around the bend of his driveway, we see his parents with buckets. Dominic rolls down his window. “What’s going on?”
“Your basement flooded,” his mom shouts. “We had a crazy storm overnight that dumped rain. A window well must have filled up, because your basement is full of water, and the basement drain is backed up.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” Dominic asks.
“We just got here. We knew you were on your way home. No sense in telling you when you’re driving,” his father says.
The basement flooded. That means my room flooded. Oh my God. “No!”
I slam the car into park and jump out. I hear Dominic calling for me, but I can’t stop. Flying into the house and down the stairs, I come to a halt when I see the water. I gingerly step onto what should be carpet, but is now three inches of water. Tears fill my eyes as I think about how many of my things are ruined, including some incredibly special mementos from my mom.
Opening my door, I see the reason why the basement flooded. My window is fully open, and I know I didn’t leave it open. I’m thankful I took my laptop with me to Matt’s, as I’d definitely not be able to replace that. I cry out as I stumble toward the closet, hoping against hope that the two boxes of pictures I have from my childhood were on a shelf, and not on the floor like I usually have them.
I force open the door and immediately see one box on the floor, soaked through, and let out a cry of anguish. The second box is safe on a shelf. I carefully grab the soaked box, sobbing, as I walk to my bed.
“Katharine!” Dominic shouts as he stomps down the stairs. He stops when he reaches the bedroom. “What happened? Are you hurt?”
I open the box, and stare at a piece of artwork I made as a child. The markers used have blended together on the paper, so much so that I can’t begin to make out what the picture is of. Beneath that, a soaked photograph of my mom holding me as an infant.
“Baby,” Dominic whispers as he sits next to me on the bed.
I turn to him, my eyes so full of tears I can’t fully see his profile. “It’s all I have left of her, and now it’s all ruined.”
As I begin to sob earnestly, Dominic wraps his arms around me as my head rests on his shoulder. He doesn’t say a word, he just lets me cry while slowly stroking my head.
When I finally stop crying, he speaks. “It’s my fault.”
“What?” I stammer, raising my head from his shoulder to look at him.
“I left the window open. I was cleaning out the window wells when Matt called, and I just ran out of here. I’m so sorry, Katharine.” His eyes are full of remorse.
“Where am I supposed to sleep?” I whisper, looking around the room.
“In my room, Katharine.”
“That’s your space. Then I’ll definitely get hair everywhere,” I joke bitterly.
I feel Dominic’s lips on my temple in a feather-like kiss. “I couldn’t care less about your hair. I was grasping at straws for why I was upset, and it was one of the first things I thought of.”
“This weekend can suck it,” I blurt out miserably.
“That it can,” Dominic answers. “Come on, baby. Let’s go upstairs and get you settled in bed for a little rest.”
“But … the mess!”
“I’ll handle it, Katharine. Right now, you need some sleep. It’ll help you gain some energy and allow you to recharge.”
“Okay,” I whisper. I think I’m too emotionally exhausted to recognize that Dominic also needs to sleep. Climbing the stairs, Dominic leads me to the second floor, calmly passing by Sienna and Carter, and into his room. Closing the door, he gestures for me to get into the bed. “Which is your side?”
“Closest to the door,” Dominic replies. Not thinking anything of his answer, I walk around the bed to the far side.
“But all your stuff is on this nightstand,” I comment.
“And I’ll change it to the other one now. Get in bed, Katharine.”
“Are you — will you —” I stop.
“What?”
I take a deep breath as I slide under the comforter, the smell of Dominic’s cologne and body wash clinging to the sheets like a warm hug. “Will you stay with me? Until I fall asleep.”
“Of course.” Dominic climbs into bed, curving his body around mine. When his arm tightens around my chest, I grab onto it. It’s like he’s centering me. Grounding me. He’s become one of the things that gives me peace, and that scares the hell out of me.
“I’m gonna want you to cuddle me like this again, you know,” I murmur, as I fall asleep.
I almost wonder if I dream his response. “I’m gonna want to cuddle you like this forever.”
Two hours later, I wake somewhat rested and ready to see what else is damaged in my room.
I am unprepared for what I find in the hallway, as a wet photograph slaps me in the face. “How in the …”
A line of some kind zigzags down the lengthy hallway, and at least one hundred photographs are clipped to the line.
“They won’t be perfect, but you’ll still have your memories,” Dominic’s mom, Sofia, says from the staircase.
“How did you —”
“I didn’t do anything. It was all Dominic,” she says with a kind smile. “He was determined to salvage as much as he could from your room, especially the photographs.”
I look at each photo as I pass it, overcome with emotion. Meeting the Easter Bunny when I was around three. Christmas morning when I was about ten. A fun trip my mom and I took when we drove to the top of Pikes Peak.
“Be careful as you walk around. He has stuff strung everywhere,” she says as she takes a basket full of clothes into the laundry room. “We’re washing everything from your room, even things that were above the water, as a precaution. You’ll need to empty the dresser drawers, as I didn’t feel comfortable going through your unmentionables.”
I find myself laughing. “Thanks for that.”
Sofia’s face reddens slightly as her head ducks down. “You’ll need to replace your personal care items, as those were definitely ruined.”
“My personal care — oh my God.” For fuck’s sake. My fake mother-in-law found my vibrators? “I’m so sorry you opened that drawer.”
“I didn’t open the drawer. The entire nightstand was tipped over. Dom said he hit it with the bag of trash while he was cleaning out the window well yesterday, then forgot to put everything back inside.”
“I guess that’s a little better than you finding them yourself,” I mumble.
“No need to be embarrassed. Women have needs, and once you and my son realize your marriage isn’t fake at all, you won’t need those items anymore.”
“It’s not — I mean, I’m not, we’re not —” I stutter.
Sofia walks toward me and places her hand on my cheek. “You’re not there yet. I understand. Take your time.”
She slaps my cheek lightly before turning to walk down the stairs. I follow her in a daze, finding more lines of photographs drying all throughout the house. Fishing line? That’s what this is. I didn’t even know Dominic had fishing line.
When I find him in the kitchen, scrubbing something at the sink, I stop to watch him for a moment. I can’t believe he went to all this trouble for me.
As if he senses me, Dominic turns around. “Hey, you. Feel a little bit better?”
I don’t think, I just act. I catapult myself into his arms, wrapping my legs around his waist and burying my face in his neck. His arms wrap around me tightly, and I feel him moving. Sensing from the location, I figure he’s walking us into his first-floor office. As I hear a door close, I let out a relieved exhale. Dominic sits in a chair, relaxing his arms just slightly so he can rub his hands up and down my back.
“What’s going on in that head of yours?” he asks softly.
“Have you slept at all?” I ask, ignoring his question.
“No.”
“You should go sleep.”
“I’m fine right here,” he murmurs. “Nice try at redirecting the conversation, baby. What’s going on?”
“You did all of this for my pictures, and I don’t know how to process that,” I finally confess.
“Of course I’d try to save those pictures. They’re important to you, and you’re important to me.”
I stiffen in his arms. “What?”
“You heard me. ”
I shake my head against his shoulder. “But this — this is supposed to be fake.”
“Maybe it was. Or maybe it was never fake to me,” he says. I lift my head from his shoulder to stare at him. I’m not sure if he realizes his hands settle on my ass as he continues. “I think I nitpicked things you did and fought with you because I was attracted to you, and it was easier to use my normal defense mechanism of being the grump than actually try to discern my feelings. I’ve been content for so long in not wanting a relationship that I chose to ignore the connection we clearly have.”
“But you just said you’ve been content,” I argue.
“I’m not explaining this right,” he sighs. “I swore off love. Decided relationships weren’t for me. I didn’t want to bother trying. I figured I had my family, my kids, and work, and that was good enough. And then you steamrolled in here.”
I frown. “I steamrolled? This isn’t giving me any confidence, Dominic.”
He chuckles. “You’re a force to be reckoned with, Katharine. You have the patience of a saint to deal with me and my family. You’ve had a shitty set of cards dealt to you from a shitty deck, and you still wake up each day knowing something good will come of that day. Do you know what I thought the first time I saw you?”
“Her fashion sense leaves a lot to be desired?” I joke.
Dominic smiles. “I thought you were Matt’s girl, and I was so fucking pissed that he got to you first.”
“What?” I breathe.
“I thought you were breathtaking, and I was jealous of my cousin. When Victoria walked up, and Matt introduced you as his half-sister, I was immediately horrified at my thoughts, because I wasn’t sure if we were actually related or not. Then I felt guilty for being jealous of Matt. The next time I saw you, once I finally got up the nerve to talk to you, it had been too long that I was standing there staring at you, and so I bit your head off about something dumb. ”
“You told me my shoes matched your daughter’s shoes, and maybe I should buy something made for adults,” I remark dryly. Our first interaction was equally as memorable, when he explained that he hadn’t met me yet because he ran the hotel and was a busy man, making me feel about an inch tall in comparison.
Dominic winces, dropping his chin to rest on his collarbone. “I would think one thing, and say another, when it came to you. I was never well-spoken around you, it seems.”
“I’m pretty sure I threatened to kill you one of the first times I hung out with Hannah and Arianna.”
“For hotel issues or me issues?”
“I think it was you and your kids. One of the first times I nannied for you. I can’t remember exactly why.”
Dominic gives me a weird smile before he bursts into laughter. “Did I yell at you to leave the kitchen while I was in there?”
My eyes widen. “Yes! You said I couldn’t be in the same space as you. What the hell was that about?”
“Do you really want to know?”
“Obviously.”
“Baby, I was hard, and I was trying to get it to go down.”
“Hard? From what?” I blurt out.
“You were wearing this shirt, and the top button ripped? You talked about it as you were walking in the door. I don’t think you knew I was home, because you looked as surprised to see me as I was to see you. But I saw your bra, and the tops of your tits, and … well, my dick took notice,” Dominic says sheepishly.
My mouth agape, I’m speechless.
“Close your mouth, Katharine,” he says, clearing his throat. He leans forward and whispers in my ear, “Or I’ll fill it with something else.”
I can’t help the whimper that comes out of my mouth.
A knock sounds on the door, and Dominic mutters, “Fuck.”
“Dom? Your dad wants some help removing the soaked carpet and drywall downstairs,” Sofia calls out.
I scramble to climb out of his lap, but notice the bulge. “Don’t look at it or it won’t go down.”
“What?” I ask, laughing.
“Turn around, and don’t look at it.” Dominic closes his eyes, his hands in fists, as I watch, captivated. “Will you ever do what I ask, Katharine, or am I destined to a lifetime of discipline with you?”
“It’s fun doing the opposite of what you ask — wait, discipline?”
Dominic opens one eye and smiles at me mischievously. “You are the quintessential brat, are you not? Good girls get rewarded. You are rarely ever good.”
“That’s not fair —” I start, but Dominic stands and puts a hand over my mouth.
“Don’t worry. I’ll make it worthwhile.” He slaps me on the ass, hard, and the pain zings right to my clit.
“Oh,” I say, my eyes widening in shock.
“That’s what I thought,” he says with a chuckle, before opening the door and strutting out.
I collapse in a heap at Dominic’s desk, my mind reeling. He insinuated forever more than once. He talked about sex. I’m important to him, but he also wants to discipline me? There’s a lot to unpack from today.
“Kate? Do you want to start hanging your clothes in Dom’s closet, or do you want me to?” Sofia shouts from upstairs.
“I’ll do it!” I yell back. She’s already seen my vibrators. I’d prefer her not to go through any sexy clothes I might have in there.
I barely see Dominic the rest of the day. When I’m not trying to get my things organized and see what else is a loss from my basement room, I’m catering to Aspen, who hates the crutches with a passion. Carter chose to help his dad and grandfather with the construction in the basement, especially once Luca came to help. I drove to pick up a pizza order for everyone, and by the time I got back, Sofia whispered that Dominic had fallen asleep on the couch, and ushered me outside with the pizza .
What could have been a very awkward evening with Dominic’s family, turned out to be nothing of the sort … until The Eagle Has Landed decided to publish its most recent article about my marriage. Alex had stopped by with his kids, and while the younger set played in the backyard, even including Aspen in a chair, the adults sat around Dominic’s patio and chatted. I felt like a valued member of the Santo family, until Sienna let us all know a new article had been published.
“Kate!” she shouts. “You’re the top story on the site again!”
“Uh-oh,” Luca drawls. Great. Everyone automatically pulls out their phones to pull up the ridiculous gossip website that claims it’s a city news source.
Trouble in Paradise?
Newlyweds Dominic and Kate Santo were seen exiting a nearby hospital early this morning, both looking much worse for wear. In fact, they were evidenced fighting in public at the Party at the Park performance Friday evening, and Dominic was seen flying out of town alone Saturday afternoon. Has the bloom faded from the rose? Is it possible one of the county’s most eligible bachelors will be back on the bachelor list soon?
Sources also say Kate has been seen cuddling up to Dominic’s younger, and very much taken, brother, Luca. Will the rogue bartender/nanny/assistant move her way through all the Santo men, or will they run her out of town first?
Hand covering my mouth, I look up to find every person staring at me with varying expressions. Dominic’s father looks disappointed, bordering on disgusted. He slams his phone down on the table and crosses his arms with a grunt. Dominic’s mother looks concerned, with a heavy dose of pity. Alex’s eyes bounce between Luca and me, obviously trying to determine if anything written about the two of us is true. When I finally glance at Luca, his mouth is open in shock.
“I’m so sorry,” I whisper. “I don’t — I’d never — you know that, right? I love Hannah. I’d never do that.”
“I’m more concerned that your first thought was about Hannah, instead of thinking about how my brother will read into this,” Luca says, crossing his arms exactly like his father.
“Your brother knows his wife,” Dominic growls from the door. His hair sticks up in every direction as he glares at everyone. Walking out, he stands behind me and places both hands on my shoulders. “If any of you believe that bullshit, you can leave right now. I know Katharine, and I trust her. If you don’t, then you don’t trust me either.”
“You don’t have the best track record with women, now do you?” his dad retorts. Dominic snickers indignantly.
“You were the one who told me to marry Savannah, Dad, so quit with this sanctimonious crap like I made this major mistake. I’ll never say that relationship was a mistake because the three best things to ever come out of me are sitting right over there,” he says, pointing into the yard. “I’d marry Savannah again and again if I knew they were the result. I may not have been in love with her, and she may not have been faithful to me, but writing Katharine off because you immediately believe a gossip rag without any concrete evidence? Jesus, Dad. That’s absurd.”
“That’s not what I meant, son,” his dad says.
“It really doesn’t matter.” Dominic’s hands grip my shoulders, and I raise mine to cover his. I look up at him, ready to apologize, but he speaks first. “You don’t owe them any explanation. I told you this the day we were married.”
“It does matter,” I say, my eyes tearing up as my voice breaks with emotion. Turning to his family, I continue. “You’ve treated me like family, and that’s something I’ll always cherish. I’d never do anything to jeopardize that. I respect each and every one of you, but you all need to know I’d never do what Savannah did. I’d never mistreat Dominic or have an affair. Our marriage might be unconventional, but we took vows, and that’s important to both of us. ”
Luca stands and offers a hand to Dominic. “I’m sorry, man. You’re right. We need to be more trusting of you, and respectful of your marriage. I’m sorry, Kate. Obviously I know nothing happened between me and you, but I jumped to conclusions based on your reaction. I’d hate to see my brother get hurt again.”
I offer a small smile as I take deep breaths and try to calm my nerves. One tear slips down my cheek, and I discreetly swipe at it before standing. “Excuse me.”
“Katharine, wait —” Dominic starts, but I walk swiftly out of his reach and into the house. I’m not sure where to go, since the basement is ripped apart. Normally I’d escape into my bathroom, turn on the shower, and quietly sob into a towel. Looking around, I quickly walk upstairs, sneaking into Dominic’s bedroom, through his bathroom, and into his closet. Using the light of my phone, I climb behind two large suitcases. Wrapping my arms around my legs, I bury my head down and let the tears fall.
I’m so tired of wishing for a family. For the unconditional love I got from my mom. For anything to replace the deep void in my heart that’s been empty since she died. I knew I shouldn’t have gotten comfortable here. I’ll always be the one they don’t fully trust.
I just want to be loved. Needed. Wanted.
I’m beginning to realize that it’s never going to be in the cards for me. As I cry silently, listening to murmured voices below me move around Dominic’s house, I again ask my mom for help. “Give me a sign. Please. I’m so tired of doing things alone, Mom. If I’m meant to be with Dominic, please send me a sign.”
I’m not sure how many more hits I can take.
And I’m definitely not prepared for how quickly I get that sign, when the closet door opens slowly, and Dominic’s head peeks in. “Katharine.”