Chapter 21
D ominic
I get two glorious weeks enjoying Kate before shit hits the fan. The air conditioning at the hotel malfunctioned. Granted, we don’t get incredibly hot at our elevation, but with four floors, the upper level rooms were stifling. After an entire day of troubleshooting, a technician discovered severed wires leading to the hotel. I immediately assumed it was someone lashing out, but the technician commented the wires weren’t severed perfectly. The remnants were jagged and mismatched. A look at security footage, and we found our culprit. Mason the marmot, proudly carrying a special edition Denver Wolves hat from when they won the Stanley Cup that he stole from Luca, looked right into the camera as he chewed on the wires. Then he just sauntered off as if nothing had happened. Why the town celebrates that little menace is beyond me.
Then the town mayor wanted to set up a meeting with my father and me to discuss some ideas for marketing the town to out-of-state tourists. Of course my father was on board, as he still likes to meddle as much as possible, but I shut it down. I told the mayor I was CEO of Everlasting Inn and Spa, not my father, and if he wanted to talk about marketing, he needed to do it with me, and only me. It still hurt when I walked in on my dad and the mayor having lunch a few days later to discuss marketing strategies. When my dad confidently strode into my office to tell me what I needed to do, I told him to get the hell out .
Worst of all, my brother Leo was injured while overseas.
We didn’t find out for almost two weeks after his injury. Leo remained guarded, giving us only a few details, but said he’d be fine. He was in a military hospital in Germany while recovering, and he’d let us know if or when he’d be home. As much as it was a relief to know he was safely in Germany, I felt like he wasn’t being fully honest with us. Why did he wait two weeks to tell us? He only said his convoy hit an IED, or an improvised explosive device, and that he was lucky. When we asked if anyone died, he shut down, said it was classified, and ended the call.
It’s honestly my own damn fault that I got comfortable, and with all the chaos in such a short time, I forgot that my wonderful ex-wife was roaming around, just waiting to fuck shit up.
Savannah showed up a few nights after learning about Leo’s injury to tell us the apartment she was renting had mysteriously burned down. We got a sob story about it, about how Savannah has no one, and her income is so low that she can’t afford a hotel. I can only assume Savannah has someone supplying her with money, housing, or drugs. Hell, maybe it’s all three. Regardless, Sienna gave me the puppy dog eyes, begging me to help her mom in any way. She said she’d sleep on the floor, or in Aspen’s room, and she’d give up her room for her mother.
A quick look at Everlasting’s reservations, and I’ve got Savannah booked for two weeks in the furthest room from my office. That woman is not staying in my house.
Savannah had the absolute audacity to look right at me and say, “I hope you’ll bring our children to visit, Dom. It’ll be like we’re a family again.”
I don’t think she expected Aspen to pipe up and shout, “At least Kate is married to Daddy now. She’s a screamer.”
Jesus. Kate gasped, and Savannah glared at us. Failing at hiding my smile, I addressed my youngest daughter. “It’s not nice to speak about someone like that.”
“What?” Aspen asked innocently, but I could see the wicked sparkle in her eyes. “Kate said you guys play Twister at night after we go to bed. She promised she’d let me play sometime soon. Can I stay up late to play it tonight?”
“I said no such thing,” Kate muttered after Savannah left. “That little girl is one hell of a good actress.”
Don’t I know it.
Which is why I’m now in my office, constantly hyper-aware of my surroundings, trying to keep the peace. What am I worried about? Savannah and Kate killing each other. Kate leaving me. Aspen killing Savannah. Sienna killing Aspen for killing Savannah. Honestly, the only one I’m not worried about is Carter, because he put on noise-canceling headphones the day Savannah showed up, and he’s rarely taken them off since. His only comment was how surprising it was that his mother had so much luggage.
Ironic that Savannah seemed to have all of her things cleared out of her apartment before the fire, isn’t it? I’ll circle back to that.
The day after Savannah began staying at Everlasting, I found her in my office. I’d just had lunch with Kate and the kids — Savannah has made absolutely no effort to cultivate a relationship with her youngest daughter, and Aspen clearly prefers Kate — and Savannah thought it was a perfect opportunity to reminisce about our past. Sitting in my chair behind my desk, she seemed irritated that I wanted her to move. Only then did she stand and drop her coat, revealing next to nothing on underneath.
“I just thought we could chat, Dom,” Savannah says seductively, standing before me in a too-tight silk tank top and booty shorts. Biting her lip, she twirls a lock of hair around her finger. The same finger comes to rest on my chest, her fake nail way too long and painted blood red. Perfect for the little viper she is.
“We have nothing to talk about that couldn’t be done over text, Savannah,” I state clearly.
“You hate texting. Besides,” she whispers, stepping closer to me. “I know you still want me. I can be quiet. She won’t ever know. I can make you feel good, honey. Bet you haven’t felt good in a long time. ”
I step back, staring at her in shock. I guess I shouldn’t be this surprised at Savannah’s complete disrespect for my marriage, considering she certainly didn’t respect it when we were married, but I’m still appalled she so blatantly tries to seduce me. “I felt good this morning with my wife. Twice, in fact. Actually, let me change that. I felt great. Best I’ve ever felt. And you need to get the fuck out of here before I throw your ass out onto the street.”
Savannah pouts, pushing her chest out. “Don’t be a party pooper, Dominic. You can have your cake and eat it too. Why settle for one pussy when you can have two?”
I step around Savannah so she has to turn, her back to the door. Crouching slightly so we’re at eye level, I throw down the gauntlet. “Do you want to know why, Savannah? Why I don’t want you?”
“Well, I mean, you don’t have to put it that way,” she stammers.
“Apparently I do, because you aren’t taking no for an answer. I think you’re vile. The things you did while married to me are things I’ll never forget about. Hell, I’ll probably never forgive you either. It boggles my mind that you think I’d jump back in bed with you just for some pussy? You’re insane.”
“I didn’t do all of those things, you know. I was just mad since you said you wanted a divorce, so I lashed out. I didn’t think you’d believe me.”
I stare at her incredulously. “Have you forgotten everything that you did, Savannah? You provided evidence. You sent me videos of men you fucked. Pictures of you doing drugs with random guys. You showed me text chains where you bragged about stealing money from me, and hinted that you stole from the hotel as well. I looked into that, by the way. Couldn’t prove it, even with the police involved.”
Savannah noticeably pales. “The police?”
“Of course. You stole from a business. That’s a punishable offense. Taking money from me, your estranged husband, wouldn’t be provable in court. But if I could have provided proof that you stole from the hotel, I had every intention of nailing you to the wall. ”
At this moment, Savannah gets angry. “What the hell does it matter? All you ever cared about was this stupid hotel anyway. Do you know how many nights you didn’t even come home for dinner, and I had to put the kids to bed by myself? And you wonder why I was lonely and had men come over to satisfy me.”
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I hiss, my voice deadly calm. “You brought men into my house? While my children were sleeping?”
“Of course I did!” she explodes, a sinister smile on her face, so opposite of the expression she used just moments ago to try and seduce me. “If only you knew the number of times you’d go to sleep and I’d go fuck someone in the basement. I figured out where the dead spots were for the cameras so you never knew. It’s not like you could get me off like some of the guys I fucked. There’s just something so sexy about a man on the run from the law, you know? I got off with them so much better than you. Honestly, I’m not even sure if Aspen is yours.”
“What?” I whisper, and Savannah’s grin grows even more.
“The night I got you drunk? I fucked two guys in a bathroom at that bar. Could be Aspen’s dad is one of them.”
“Get the fuck out of here, right now, you stupid tramp,” Kate hisses from the doorway. Arms positioned behind her, I know it’s to block my children from seeing their mother like this. Savannah turns slightly with a smirk as she cocks her head to study Kate.
“This was my husband before it was yours, so watch your fucking tone,” Savannah snaps.
“I don’t have to watch anything. You are only a guest in this establishment, and my husband no longer belongs to you. In fact, I bet nothing ever belonged to you, because I’m sure Dominic was the only one with money. Were you even on the mortgage?” Kate asks, and I vehemently shake my head. I bought the house on a whim before Sienna was born. Savannah and I were newly married, but things were already tense. At that time, I chalked it up to acclimation times, as well as pregnancy hormones, and didn’t bother thinking about how off the relationship felt from the start .
Kate slips past Savannah and comes to stand by me, wrapping her arm around my waist. A quick squeeze tells me she’s giving me support, and she clearly heard Savannah’s nasty words about Aspen’s genetics.
Kate turns to Savannah and speaks clearly. “This isn’t going to work. You have no boundaries, and you’re just here to try and get Dominic back.”
“Which will never happen,” I stress.
Savannah scoffs. “Oh, please. I trapped you three times. You actually think I can’t do it again?”
“Not with me, you can’t.”
“I’ll just do the same thing I did when I got knocked up with Aspen,” she says confidently. “Put a little something in your drink.”
My eyes widen at her admission. “I always wondered why that night is pretty hazy.”
“I can’t believe you just admitted to drugging him. You know that’s a crime, right?” Kate asks, and Savannah shrugs in response. “You really are a piece of work.”
“Maybe I am, but mark my words. I’ll be pregnant with his baby by the end of the summer,” Savannah snarls, her eyes locked on Kate’s, but pointing at me.
“Yeah, that’s not going to happen,” I drawl. When both ladies look at me, I smile maliciously. “I had a vasectomy four years ago, Savannah, and I get it checked every year. So if you do end up pregnant, don’t come crying to me. No fucking chance it’ll be mine.”
Savannah’s eyes widen comically before she lets out a screeching yowl, launching herself at Kate, her hands stretched out as if she’s going to strangle Kate. I swoop in, standing between the women. “Katharine, call the police.”
“No! You can’t do this to me! We have to be married again so I can get your money,” Savannah wails.
“Why?” I ask, holding Savannah’s arms behind her back so she can’t attack Kate.
“I gotta pay off this guy. He’s a bad guy, Dom. He’s threatened me.” Savannah peers over her shoulders, her eyes wild. She looks desperate, which is a bigger concern for me. How desperate might she be if she doesn’t have access to any funds?
“How much do you owe?” I ask quietly. Kate is in the hallway, and I know she won’t agree with me entertaining the thought of helping my ex-wife.
“Ten thousand,” Savannah stammers.
“Christ, Savannah. What the hell were you thinking?” I ask.
“I wasn’t thinking! I figured I’d take the money and run, be long gone. But the fucker put a tracker in the bag, and followed me across the state. I told him I didn’t have it. That I didn’t even have family to get it from. He asked about husbands or boyfriends. I must have hesitated, because he latched onto it and made me tell him about you. He Googled you, Dom. He knows you’re rich.”
“I am not rich!” I say, rubbing the bridge of my nose.
“You’re richer than the rest of us. And Tony wants his money, plus interest,” Savannah whispers.
“Interest? On top of the ten grand?”
She nods. “It’s twenty total.”
“I don’t have twenty thousand I can give you, Savannah. Not even including the kids savings accounts.”
She looks down at the ground. “He knows about the kids, Dom. He said —”
Dread fills my stomach. “What the fuck did this guy say about my children?”
Savannah begins to cry as she admits, “He said he’ll take Sienna. Then I don’t owe him anything.”
“What do you mean he’ll take me?” Sienna shouts from the hallway, tears pouring down her face as she stares at her mother with a crestfallen expression. “Did you sell me to pay off your debts, Mom? After I begged Dad to let you stay here, this is how you repay us? What did you mean? Who is taking me?”
I push Savannah against the wall and go to Sienna, pulling her into my arms. “No one is taking you. No one. Do you hear me? I will never let that happen.”
Kate clears her throat as she walks down the hotel hallway with two police officers. Her confused expression becomes anger when she hears my words. I turn to the officers and sigh, grabbing the bridge of my nose and pinching in an attempt to rid myself of the tension headache barreling toward me. “Officers, we may need some more assistance. My ex-wife has put myself and our children in danger.”
I step to the side, catching Kate as she tears down the hallway, ready to rip apart Savannah’s face. “What did you do, you stupid bitch?”
Leaning down to Sienna, I whisper in her ear. “Go get Aspen and Carter, and go find the chef, okay? Tell him I said you all can have ice cream sundaes. Everything is going to be fine. I promise.”
Sienna inhales carefully, the sound staccato as sobs shake her lungs. “You better call Uncle Alex.”
As she walks away, I nod affirmatively. “I’m calling the whole fucking family.”
By the following morning, after Kate and I took turns sleeping so the other could stand watch over the kids, all the available Santo’s arrived, ready for battle. Savannah was taken in for questioning, including how she admitted she drugged me the night she got pregnant with Aspen. I still haven’t wrapped my head around possibly not being Aspen’s biological father.
The doorbell ringing a little after eight makes both of us stand in alarm, and Kate starts to giggle.
“What is so funny?” I ask.
“I highly doubt a criminal would ring the doorbell.”
“Better safe than sorry,” I murmur as I bring up the doorbell camera video. “Oh, it’s Alex. ”
Letting my brother in, I wait a moment, then look at him in confusion.
“I put them in a summer camp this week. I’ve got appointments all week anyway,” Alex explains, recognizing my confusion due to his children not being with him.
“Oh? Everything okay with you?” I ask as we walk back to my kitchen.
“Well, you might as well be the first to know. I’m retiring from the Guard, and I’m going to become a police officer for Eternity Springs.”
I stop suddenly, forcing Alex to run into my back.
“Jesus, Dom,” he mutters. I turn around, staring at him in shock.
“I couldn’t have heard that right. You’re retiring? I thought you couldn’t retire until you’d been in for twenty years?” I ask.
“You’re correct. I have so much leave saved up, I’m pretty much done. Plus I technically signed on two months before my eighteenth birthday, but no one knew,” he says sheepishly.
“Wow. And the police officer thing? You’ve never mentioned that before.”
He shrugs. “I figure it’s the closest I can get to doing what I did overseas. And you know it would kill me to have any kind of desk job,” he says with an exaggerated shrug.
“Don’t you have to go through some kind of police academy?”
“Technically, yes, but they’re kind of fudging some of the paperwork on that because of my military experience.”
“When do you start?”
“Day the kids go back to school. They’re letting me work days, thankfully, since they know my situation, but I’m sure I’ll need some help here or there with the kids.”
“Of course, man. We’ll help out whenever we can. Are you … happy about all of this? It’s hard to tell with you sometimes,” I confess.
Alex smiles briefly, but it never makes it to his eyes. “Yeah. I don’t want to deploy anymore. It was harder and harder to leave the kids. I just never thought this was how life would be for me, Dom. I miss my wife. I’d give anything to have her with me today.”
“I know,” I say quietly, turning as I hear Kate approach.
“Hey. Everything okay?” she asks.
“Yep. Just chatting with Alex about his job,” I tell her hastily, and I hear Alex exhale behind me. Alex never talks about his wife around other people. The fact that he’s spoken about her twice in the last few weeks speaks volumes to how much he’s struggling.
“Let’s discuss what’s going on with you guys and figure out a plan before everyone else gets here. I assume the whole family is bound to show up any second,” Alex says, effectively shutting down any further discussion about him.
Kate’s hand finds mine, our fingers weaving together seamlessly, and it gives me a moment of tranquility. Looking down, I find her beautiful eyes staring back up at me, an emotion covering her face that I can only think of describing in one way: love.