I shook my head. “I couldn’t do that to him. He deserved a woman who loved him so much he made her crazy. I didn’t have it in me.”
“Because you loved someone else.”
I cocked my head from side to side.
“Hey, you can tell me as much or as little as you want.”
“I don’t think I’d ever stop loving Dominic, not completely. But loving someone doesn’t mean you belong with them.” I swirled my wine around the glass.
“Are you saying that to me, or saying it to yourself? Either way, you don’t sound very convinced.”
My eyes darted from Caterina’s raised brow.
“It’s funny when you think about it. Of all the projects that you could have been assigned to, it was in this sleepy part of New Jersey, back in Dominic’s path.” She sighed and shook her head.
“Oh, it’s funny all right. In fact, the first thing I said when I found out was ‘you’ve got to be kidding me’.”
We shared a laugh before Ava made a funny noise on the baby monitor.
“Excuse me one second.”
I nodded before Caterina jogged inside.
It was kind of comical. Fate was either nudging me or laughing at me.
But no matter how strong the pull to Dominic still was, I knew there would be no way I’d survive losing him a second time.
Maybe I was letting fear guide too many of my actions, but if I was going to make it through the summer in one piece, it was the only way.
18
Dominic
“Doyou really feel comfortable with this?” Joe asked me, his arms crossed and brows raised.
“Yes,” I reassured him for what seemed like the hundredth time. “Danny and Aiden have worked for us the past three years, and helped at the festival each time. And it’s not like we’ll be far. We’ll be walking around and can stop by to check on them. You can have the same trust in them as you do in me when I always manage it.”
I dropped a hand on his shoulder. “Sometimes letting go of control is a good thing. This is why we’re the same age and I look so much younger than you, dude.”
We turned toward Caterina’s snicker behind us.
“Come on, baby. Dom is right.” She came up behind Joe and wrapped her arms around his waist. “About giving up control, not looking older. I’m still the cougar with the sexy, younger husband.”
He craned his head to give her a close-mouthed but with just enough intention to make everyone around them queasy kiss.
“Ugh,” a gagging sound rose from my throat. “Can I have a second cup of coffee before the two of you turn my stomach?”
I was nothing but happy for them, but fighting the jealousy over not having any of that in my own life from the one person I wanted it with, grated on me, more often than not lately, and made me a cranky jerk.
Ava lay in her carriage next to them, ignoring all of us as her brows pulled together focusing on the stuffed animal in her hands. I leaned down to pluck her out of the seat.
As usual, when I lifted her up, her smile for me was wide as she kicked against my chest. She tried to grab hold of my head in a hug but her toy kept bashing me in the face.
“Tell Daddy that you want to go on the cool rides and eat ice cream instead of being chained to a tent.”
“She’snotgoing on those rides.” Caterina vehemently shook her head. “My baby isn’t going on anything that was assembled overnight.”
“They’re both kind of a drag,” I told Ava in a loud whisper. “That’s why you’re so lucky to have me.” I lifted her up high above my head, her loud squeal echoing throughout the pub.
