The best thingabout mornings is that for that brief second when I first open my eyes, my grandma is still alive.
The worst thing about mornings is that the following second, I have to tell myself Grandma is gone.
It has been three days. Three mornings of forgetting and remembering, and I don't know if it will be like this forever, but I hope not. The bright spot in all of this is Dom.
Dom in my bed when I wake up.
Dom in my kitchen, pouring me coffee, preparing it the way I like it, with just the right amount of cream.
Dom washing the dishes from dinner.
He holds me close, and he calls me Menace because he knows it makes me smile.
"Do you want to meet for lunch today?" he asks. He's standing shirtless in my bathroom, brushing his teeth as I coax my hair into a ponytail.
I'm returning to work today. A week earlier than planned, and Paisley told me to take all the time I need. But what I need is to bury myself in work, in clients, in content creation andmarketing plans. My brain needs the exercise, my heart needs the distraction.
"I was supposed to go to lunch with Paisley and Paloma to our favorite place, but I can cancel." I finish tying the elastic around my hair.
Dom spits into the sink and rinses his mouth, shaking his head the whole time. "Don't cancel. I'll see if Klein is free. We need to discuss his book. That'll make it a work lunch, and I can use the company card."
Stepping behind him, I splay my fingers on his stomach and glide them up over his chest. I can't get enough of him. How can I be heartbroken and falling in love at the same time?
Because you're already in love.The thought comes to me, clear as day and in my grandmother's voice.
I press a kiss between Dom's shoulder blades. "I can't wait to hear about the potential sites for the new office." Dom has three appointments today to see office spaces, all within fifteen minutes of the heart of Scottsdale. "Dinner?"
Dom turns around, leaning back against the counter. "My parents were hoping to get dinner tonight." He pauses, gazing at me in a way that's hard to name. Reluctant? Bashful?Apprehensive. "With both of us. I told them everything. Mostly, anyway. They're looking forward to meeting you."
I step in closer, running my hand up and down his arm. "I can't wait to meet your parents, Dom."
Relief loosens the set of his eyebrows. "They're going to love you."
"And I will love the people responsible for creating you." I rise on tiptoe, brushing a mint-flavored kiss over Dom's lips. He deepens the kiss, leaving me wishing I'd taken Paisley up on her offer to take more time off.
Dom drives me to work in the Jeep he pretends not to mind but I know he still hates. One ofmanyitems on his movingchecklist is buying himself a vehicle. It'll be his first time owning a car, and I can tell he's excited at the prospect, immersing himself in safety ratings and such.
Dom pulls up to the curb in front of P Squared Marketing. Paisley and Paloma are already there, unlocking the front door. Paisley carries two coffees, one of which I know is for me because Paloma's already holding one. They offer a wave and hustle inside.
"See you for dinner." I lean over to kiss Dom goodbye.
"And I'm having you for dessert," he growls, the rumble running the length of my spine.
Away from the parameters set by a meticulously planned road trip, Dom and I have been insatiable. The stolen moments in the RV, against the boulder, and the elevator were great, but this is even better. Last night it started when I placed my feet in his lap while he was reading a book. Two days ago, it was me bending over in the kitchen searching for the right container to store leftovers.
Dom waits for me to step through the front door of the office before pulling away from the curb.
Paisley and Paloma might've gone inside, but they didn't go far. Waiting just inside the door for me, I'm hardly inside the building before they pounce.
"Wife'd." Paloma jams a bright pink fingernail my direction.
"It's nice to see you, too." I look at Paisley. "What is she talking about?"
Paisley shrugs and hands me the second coffee she carries. "How should I know? I only keep her around because she has a nice rack."
Paloma sticks out her chest and bounces. The performance ends and she holds up two fingers. "Two things. First, we are sorry for your loss. You thought you would have more time with your grandma, and you didn't, and that sucks." She pauses,letting me speak if I want to. When I don't say anything, she continues. "Second, you have domesticity written on your forehead." Using the tip of one nail, she draws a line across my forehead.
I bat her away. "No, I do not. Am I allowed to go to my office now?"
