Tears spring to my eyes, and I am mortified.
Paloma smacks Paisley's arm. "You made her cry."
"Happy tears," I clarify, picking up my glass. "My dad asked me to help plan my grandma's memorial. That probably doesn't seem like a big deal to you, but it is. He's..." I search for the words, but I cannot find them. "He's..."
Paisley smiles kindly. She picks up her own glass. "I get it. My dad is something indescribable, too." She extends her glass to the middle of the table. "To daddy issues."
I clink. "To daddy issues."
Paloma hangs back with her drink in hand. "I can't cheers to that. I don't have daddy issues."
Paisley and I dissolve into laughter. "You bitch," Paisley says before taking a big sip.
It feels so good to laugh with these women.
"You ready?" Dom asks, sliding my Jeep into Park.
"We're not walking to the gallows," I gently remind him, slipping my hand into his as we walk to the restaurant.
Dom chose a place that has outdoor seating and yard games, to give us something to do aside from making conversation.
A man and woman wait outside the restaurant door for us, and based on the way their eyes light up when they see us, I'm guessing it's Dom's parents.
"Domino!" the man yells, starting for us.
"Well, that is unbelievably cute," I murmur.
"Forget you heard it," Dom whispers.
"Never," I whisper back, letting go of Dom's hand to introduce myself.
Dom has his dad's infectious smile, and his mom's straight nose. They are both warm, eschewing my offered hand for hugs.
Later, when we're playing shuffleboard, Dom's mom thanks me for bringing her boy home. "I'd feared he'd meet someone and stay in New York City forever." Then she chucks my chin and I most definitely fall in love with her.
We go to a nearby place for gelato, and Dom's dad, with a mouthful of pistachio, asks, "Did Dom tell you I had a brush with the law?"
I clear my throat, trying to swallow down my lemon and white chocolate flavor. "Um, yeah. He did. How'd that work out for you?"
He shrugs. "About as well as it could have, I suppose."
"Does that mean it's over?" Dom asks, voice strained.
"Yeah," Ron nods, cinnamon hair bouncing on his forehead. "That slippery asshole got caught in another town doing the same thing. My name is clear again." He winks at me.
I bite back a smile. Dom's dad is a bit like a naughty child who knows he's a rascal but means well.
Before we leave there are hugs all around, and a promise to see one another soon.
"Thank you," Dom says, brushing a kiss over my knuckles as he drives my Jeep away.
My hand settles on his thigh. "After you spent all that time with my family, I'd say I have at least thirty more interactions with your parents before we're even."
Dom's shaking his head. "That's not how I operate. There's no tallying with me. We'll do what we can to make one another's lives better without keeping score."
At the next red light, I lean over and kiss him. "That sounds like everything I never knew to ask for."
CHAPTER 56
