It was on the tip of my tongue to say I was happy enough, but nothing compared to how happy I’d been when things had been good between us.
That clouded my head even more than my infected sinuses.
I ate the rest of my soup in silence, Dominic and I just sitting together, but not together. It all still seemed so natural, even while I was doing my best to avoid him.
He needed to go, and I needed another nap.
“Did you sleep all day?” Dominic leaned forward, more concern pinching his brow.
“Mostly. On and off since I can’t really breathe.” I sniffled in a vain attempt to get any air through my nose.
“Your bathroom is upstairs?” he asked before pushing off the chair.
I nodded, causing the room to spin a little too fast. “Right at the top of the stairs.”
Dominic padded up the stairs, and I heard the squeak of a faucet in the distance. Before I knew it, he was standing over me again.
“I made the shower hot for now, so you can breathe in some steam before you step in.” He held out his hand. “Come on, you’ll feel better.”
“You turned on the shower?” I took his hand, my fuzzy brain taking a few minutes to catch up. The fog and the fatigue at the beginning were always the worst.
“Yes, and when you come out, maybe you’ll feel up to eating something else.” His mouth tilted in a crooked smile. Blaming my lack of resistance on sickness, I let him lead me up the stairs and to the bathroom door. The steam was already billowing out of the shower and fogging up the mirror.
“Are you leaving?” My voice was sandpaper.
“Well,” his lips curled into a wry grin, “I figured you’d want to shower alone, but I’m happy to come in with you if you need help.”
I tilted my heavy head to the side, stifling a laugh at the mirth in his eyes.
“I meant do you have to go back?”
He shook his head slowly and leaned against the banister.
“If you want me to stay, there’s nowhere else for me to be.”
Air expelled from my tight chest. I didn’t want him to go, and for this one time, I wouldn’t deny it.
“Thank you for this.” I nodded to the bathroom. “It would be nice to decongest.” My gaze stumbled back to his. “I won’t be long.”
“Take your time.” Our eyes locked for a few long minutes before he shifted toward the stairs.
I stepped into the bathroom, inhaling a big gulp of steam before I stripped and climbed into the shower. I’d spent all day bundled up to ward off the chill, and it was finally gone thanks to the stream of hot water pouring over my body, and the warmth I wanted to ignore spreading inside my chest.
23
Dominic
I should’ve letThea come to me. She wasn’t ready to talk about what had happened between us, and I did intend to give her the space and time she needed to figure it all out.
But when it came to her, I wasn’t very good at space or time.
I believed that she was back in my life for a reason, like the universe was giving me the chance to make it right and get my girl back.
When I’d overheard Caterina ask one of our delivery drivers to make a stop in Pentier Beach, my nosy ass had gotten in between them to ask who it was for. When Caterina said it was soup for Thea, I’d figured out that she was sick. Every summer she came down with these awful infections, one was so bad I had to take her to the emergency room because she couldn’t breathe.
I told our driver I’d take it from there and packed two more bags of food for her, yelling to Joe before I left that I’d be out for the rest of the day. He didn’t fight me, only nodded with a laugh. He probably thought I was pathetic, and I had no problems owning that when it came to Thea. But either way, I wasn’t allowing her to be sick alone.
I planned on lingering at least until I made sure she ate something of substance and didn’t have a high fever. When she’d asked me if I was leaving, I knew that meant she wanted me to stay. So, I wasn’t going anywhere.
