Chapter 21
TWENTY-ONE
november
PENELOPE
Do you know the effects of having daily orgasms on a person’s life?
It’s like my entire body is buzzing with energy, every nerve ending heightened to the world around me.
The air, crisp with the promise of winter, carries a sharp, invigorating scent that fills my lungs with a sense of clarity and freshness.
The colors around me seem almost exaggerated in their brightness; the other day, as I walked past our storefront, I could have sworn I saw a rainbow arching across the window display.
People on the street appear to be transformed; exchanging smiles and kind words as though the world has collectively agreed to be more compassionate.
Yes, I realize that I’m projecting, but wow.
Just… wow. Since that beautiful night with Dom in October, we’ve been more solid than ever.
I’ve never felt this connected to anyone in my life.
A lifetime of reading romance books couldn’t have prepared me for how this feels in reality— the softness of being cherished for who I am, every curve and every blemish acknowledged and accepted.
Whether he’s making love to me slowly and passionately, or claiming me with rough urgency after a hard day, I feel completely worshipped and adored.
“Pen, are you paying attention?” Dom’s voice snaps me out of my daydream and I turn my attention to him and the tall, broad man beside him. We’ve just closed the store for the evening and we’re kicking off the beginning of several exciting updates for the store.
“Er, yeah. Sorry. Can you repeat that last bit?” The proof of my embarrassment at being caught in a daydream burns on my cheeks.
“I was introducing you to Jack, the lead contractor on our updates.” Dom smirks.
“Nice to meet you.” Jack extends his hand to mine. “And I’m sorry for your loss.”
It’s a kind thing to say, even months later.
Dominic slips his hand into mine and I give him a comforting squeeze.
We’ve been working on our communication the last few weeks, and working through the difficult grief-laden topics was…
not easy to get through, but we made it.
We’re in a much better place than we were weeks ago.
The topic of Gloria doesn’t trigger sadness or anger in Dom— at the very least, he’s managing his emotions better.
“Thank you.” I nod. “I promise I’m fully focused now!”
“Mhmmm,” Dom murmurs and I give his hand a death-squeeze.
Glancing over to the far corner of the store, I ask, “So what’s the deal with all of that?”
Jack smiles and leads us over to the makeshift workspace he’s set up— essentially a piece of plywood set on top of two wooden workhorses. Blueprints, drafts, sketches, and papers filled with measurements are laid out in what I’m assuming is some orderly fashion for Jack.
He begins to walk us through the plans— well, I should say, these are Dom’s plans.
The plans Dom has been drafting and puzzling over for almost two months without saying a word to me.
The plans that he poured his heart and soul into; beautiful, bright ideas on how to take Gloria’s legacy and not just expand it, but make it into something fresh and fun.
Ever After won’t just be a cute, niche romance bookstore in the suburbs— it will be a sleek, sexy destination that will bring in visitors from all major neighboring cities.
“So when will demolition start?” Dom asks, shuffling through the papers.
“Well, I recognize that you’re coming up on your busy season, so I’m trying to consolidate this entire timeline into something that’s feasible, without rendering this place a complete construction zone.
” Jack nods at the wall next to us. “I know your dream for the expansion was to have the opening run the length of the wall—”
“But you’re gonna crush that dream, aren’t you?” Dom asks, a smile playing at his lips as he crosses his arms over his broad chest.
Jack shrugs and says, "The decision is yours.
To be honest, it's a tradeoff. I could remove the wall, but it would mean shutting down the store for several days.
Removing the wall would require installing a support beam along this area.
" He gestures towards the front corner of the store, where the door meets the wall.
"Additionally, we'd need to upgrade the current external structure, which would not only extend the project's start while we obtain permits but also add time to the entire process. "
Dom absentmindedly kicks at the floor with his boot— I can tell he doesn’t love that idea. “You said it was a tradeoff, right?” I ask, staring along the wall. “What’s the other option?”
“Glad you asked.” Jack flashes me a swoon-worthy smile before he pulls out a tablet, similar to the one I’ve seen Dom using.
He swipes through a few images before turning the tablet to us.
“This is another option. Instead of blowing out the entire wall, we create an opening here.” He points at a large section of the wall with a stylus.
Jack glances at Dom as he says, “You laid out some gorgeous aesthetics for the bar in the expanded area. What if we really play up those vibes and make it into a speakeasy?”
Dominic and I are quiet for a moment, looking between Jack’s tablet and the wall as it currently is, with the largest shelf running the length of it.
“What do you think?” I whisper to Dom. It’s a bit awkward, Jack standing here, waiting for us to give him immediate feedback to an idea that he just laid out.
“Give me a minute,” Dom grunts, closing his eyes.
I give Jack a small smile as a few minutes pass. This is making me anxious, I feel like we need to say something, or I should—
My internal anxiety-logue is interrupted by the tinkle of the bells above Ever After’s doors. I spin around— I could have sworn we locked that door after Jack arrived? But there’s no one there. The door isn’t open and it isn’t on its way to being shut. The bells themselves aren’t even moving.
The hair on the back of my neck stands on end. Turning back to Jack, we share a look.
“Did you just hear…?” He trails off but I nod.
“I could have sworn…” Turning to Dominic, I see his eyes are open and he’s smiling.
Warmth floods me at the sight, instantly relaxing whatever intense feeling arrived with the tinkling of the bells.
Dom’s smiles, while always a rare occurrence, have been even more so since Gloria’s passing.
It’s just within the last few weeks that he’s started sharing them with me again.
Dom clears his throat and points at Jack’s tablet. “That’s a great idea, Jack. Can you revise the plans and email them later tonight? I’ll sign off on everything and then you and your crew can get started.”
Jack beams, reaching a hand forward to shake Dominic’s. “That’s great, honestly. After spending some time in this space, and knowing what your goals are with the cocktails and all… it just felt right, you know?”
Dom nods and I swear his eyes are glassy with emotion. “Yeah, it does.”
“With this shift, what timeframe are we looking at for completion?” I ask cautiously.
Jack grimaces slightly. “I wish I could tell you it will be done before Christmas, but my honest estimate is sometime in early January.”
My heart falls a bit, anticipating the hassle of dealing with construction through the holidays— the dust, the loud noises, the irritated customers.
“That’s fine,” Dominic says, to my surprise. He looks at me before taking my hand in his. “We don’t want to rush this.” He turns to Jack and says, “You guys take the time you need. We’re in this for the long haul.”
My stomach flips at his words and I squeeze his hand, a silent acknowledgement of how much those words mean to me.
The meeting wraps up quickly after that and I’m excited to get back home, where Dom and I can discuss the slight shift in plans in private.
Dom seems to have retreated into an internal, thoughtful mood, so I do my best not to chatter or prod him on our walk home.
Which is why I’m so surprised he bursts out as soon as we enter the house.
“Did you hear the bells?” Dominic asks, his previously blank face replaced with an expression of eager joy.
He hadn’t acknowledged it in the shop, and while I didn’t think Jack and I had some sort of shared hallucination, a wave of relief washes over me, knowing that Dom heard it too.
“I did! But you didn’t—”
“It was Gloria. I know it was.” Dom’s eyes fill with tears, something I haven’t seen in months, and I can feel the emotional lump ball-up in my throat as well. “She knew. I was standing there, overthinking shit like I always do, and she…”
“Gave you a sign.”
“Us,” Dom says with a fierceness as he steps toward me, cupping my face in his hands. “She gave us a sign, Pea.”
My hands come up to grasp his forearms, steadying myself. “She’s so proud of you, Dom. You know that, right?”
His face crumples with emotion and he inhales sharply. “I wish she could be here for this.”
I move my hands from his arms to wrap around his neck, tugging him to me. Dom buries his face in my neck, wrapping his arms tightly around my waist as I stroke his hair. Sobs wrack his body, his solid, lean frame, and I absorb everything.
“She’s here, baby. That’s why she gave us a sign tonight. She’s always with us.”
And as tears slip down my cheeks, disappearing in his hair, I truly feel that presence. Gloria might not physically be with us anymore, but she’s in our hearts. Her spirit will live on in the legacy of Ever After, and what her nephew is evolving it into.
When Dom pulls back, he lifts his head and cups my face once more. “I love you, Penelope Elizabeth Adams. So damn much.”
“Did you mean what you said earlier?” The question escapes before I can help myself. Dom’s brows furrow, so I clarify, “When you said… we were in this for the long haul. You meant the store, right?”
Despite the tears on his cheeks, Dom’s lips quirk up, a smile teasing on his lips. “You know I meant more than just the store.”
“Oh, thank god,” I sigh with relief. “Because I love you too, Dom. More than I’ve ever loved anyone.”
He brushes hair off my face, tucking it behind my ear. “Really, hmmm? More than… Tobias?”
Playfully, I smack his chest. “You know I do.”
“Uh huh. Sure. More than… Draco?” I open my mouth to reassure him, but he continues. “Fan-fiction Draco?”
Well, shit. I can’t help it— I pause.
“Ah ha!” Dominic laughs, a warm, soft sound that slips inside my chest and curls tightly around my heart. “To be fair, that’s some real stiff competition. I really played myself with that question.”
Shaking my head, I wipe the remnants of tears from my cheeks and beam back at him. “Dominic Miller, I love you more than any fictional boyfriend.”
Like a switch has been flipped, Dom’s eyes darken with need. “Show me.”
And I do.