“So, it was pretty bad, huh?” he asks as we turn onto the park path. The snow is almost deep enough to hide the walkway, but not quite. Even though my life is a chaotic mess right now, I’m not sure I’ve ever felt so peaceful and free as I do right now. This is the first time I’ve ever walked down the street with someone holding me as though I’m something special.
“There’s the understatement of the year,” I respond sarcastically. “I can’t say I’m really surprised, but it still sucks, being turned out by my family like that.”
Dom kisses my temple, turning me to face him. “They’re the family you were born to, but they’re not everything. I can’t say I know what you’re going through because my dad is practically a saint compared to yours at this point, but what I do know is Mama Rossi is probably going to smother you with affection when we get to the house. That woman and Nona are angels on Earth as far as I’m concerned.”
It’s the same speech Cara gave me in the car. There’s a weak comfort to be had knowing that she doesn’t hold the same views as the rest of the family, and we’re likely both cast aside because of it. As the adrenaline of the fight wears off, it’s replaced with guilt because she was the good kid and I’m the one who fucked up her life.
“They do seem pretty cool,” I agree. “I just wish I didn’t have to dump this on them. It’s funny, I don’t regret what happened with my parents today because it needed to be done, but the fact that this shit is going to follow me into Gus and Mama’s is upsetting. I don’t want them hating me for bringing my drama to their house.”
A strong hand lands on the back of my head, pulling me so our foreheads are touching. “They won’t be. Gus might tease you about it for a year or two, but their house will become your home when you’re in town. I promise you that.” Dom seals his vow with a kiss that quickly becomes hot enough that I’m surprised it doesn’t melt the snow around us.
His icy hands work their way beneath my pea coat, tugging at the hem of my shirt to find purchase on my bare back. “Jesus, Dom! You trying to give me frostbite with those fingers?”
Dom kisses me yet again, laughing as he slides his way down to cup my ass. If he keeps that shit up, I’m going to lay him out in a snow bank and fuck him raw. My heart lightens a bit at that image, immediately plummeting when I remember that Dom isn’t a forever deal. I’m letting myself fall for him, but in a week I have to head back to Virginia and he’ll fly back to Phoenix or wherever he’s planning on going for the time being.
“Hey, why’d you get stiff as a board?” Dom asks, brushing his fingers across my cheek. I chuckle at his choice of words and he smacks my chest. “Not like that, you perv. Although…”
He reaches between our bodies, verifying the fact thateverypart of me is rigid right about now. “Hmmm, want to do something about that for me?” I ask, hoping he’ll forget my awkward moment.
“Tonight,” he breathes into my ear. “But only if you tell me what you were thinking a minute ago.”
Fuck. More talking. Now I see what Dom meant about being sick of talking last night.
I turn back toward the house, figuring it won’t be long before Cara comes looking for us. “You’re going to think it’s stupid.”
“Don’t tell me what I will or won’t think, just tell me what’s on your mind.”
“I’m just trying to figure out a way to keep from waking up from this dream.” My choice of words makes me sound like a pansy, but that’s exactly what this past week has felt like. Sometimes the sweetest of dreams and much of it a freaking nightmare, but either way, I’m waiting to wake up. When that happens, pieces of the nightmare will haunt me forever, but the good parts will fade away.
“How so?” Dom urges, sliding his arms around my waist.
“This,” I say, motioning between our bodies. “It just hit me that I’ll be heading home before long and that’ll be it. The problem is I don’t want to think about not having you around. Even though I fucked up, I feel like our paths crossed for a reason. Never mind, I told you it was stupid.” I shake my head and start to walk away, figuring I’m being ridiculous, but Dom reaches out to stop me.
Dom squeezes me tightly as we stand in the middle of the path. An old woman walking her dog comes along, smiling at the two of us cuddled close together. “Sometimes, you talk too much,” Dom laughs. “And I’m quickly learning that you think too much a lot of the time. What happened to enjoying whatever time we have? I have to say, you’re kinda sucking at the whole boyfriend experience. I’m going to ask for my money back pretty soon.”
I offer Dom a faint smile and shrug. “It’s not enough for me anymore.” I dig into my pocket, curling my fingers around Dom’s gift. This morning, I knew exactly what I wanted to offer him today, but now, I feel like I’ll burst if I don’t do it right this minute, while we’re alone so I won’t be humiliated in front of a bunch of people who probably already think I’m a total head case. Worst-case scenario, I’ll be able to pile all of the rejection at one time and start to shovel the shit back out of my life. “Last night, you said you don’t want to go back to Phoenix. My heart jumped when you said that because it meant there’s at least one more we have in common.”
I press my finger to Dom’s lips when he starts to speak. Once I’m confident he won’t interrupt me, I take his hand in mine, pressing the gift into his palm. “Before you turn me down, hear me out. I have a two-bedroom house. It’s not a total shithole, but it’s not posh by any means. Right now, the second room is empty because my roommate got a job down in Charleston. If you seriously don’t want to go home, I’d like for you to stay with me for a while. As roommates if nothing else, but I don’t think that’ll be enough for either of us for very long.”
“Tony, I don’t—”
“Dom, please just let me finish,” I practically beg. “I like you. I mean, Ireally fucking like youso much that it’s scary. And it’d be a hell of a lot easier trying to woo you when you’re across the hall than if you’re across the fucking country.”
Now, it’s Dom’s hand pressing tightly over my mouth to silence me. “Has anyone told you that you talk too much?” Dom laughs. He removes his hand, sliding his tongue into my slightly open mouth. “What I was going to say is that I don’t know what to say.” We both laugh at that circular statement.
“You should know that I’m not easy to live with. Sometimes, I’m a real pain in the ass. But I suppose Virginia is as good a place as any to figure out what I want to be when I grow up.”
I don’t give a shit if he leaves dirty dishes all over the place, can’t find the hamper, or doesn’t realize when the garbage can is full. Dominic claims he can be a moody bastard at times, but I highly doubt anything he can throw my way will trump what we’ve already been through. Not interested in hearing anything else from him, I seal my mouth over Dominic’s. I wince when his tongue runs across the cut on my mouth, my lips falling open to allow him in.
“Oh, my God. Would you two quit sucking face and get back to the house before Mama has a fit?” Cara teases. Her cheeks are flushed as she closes the distance between us. “Andrew and I are leaving tonight and then the two of you will have our place to yourselves to do whatever it looked like you were about to do right here in the park.”
I rush toward my sister, placing her in a playful headlock so I can muss her hair. “Stop it, Tony,” she squeals, her arms flailing about. Dominic stands aside, watching the two of us as we fall into a pile of snow. “Fuck, that’s cold!” she screeches.
“Okay,nowwho’s going to get us in trouble with Mama?” Dom teases, running down the path toward the street. It’s not until he turns around that I realize he’s armed. He lobs a snowball at us, ducking behind the trees as Cara and I form our own snowy artillery.
Today could be seen as a disappointment, but I’m choosing to see it as a resounding success. I have my sister, her husband’s family, and a boyfriend who all love me just the way I am. We continue our snowball fight the entire way back to the Rossi home, joining forces to attack Andrew when he tries to lecture us for being gone for so long.
Chapter Seventeen
