Dom shoved him away and growled at both of us.
“I was doing my goddamn job. I have a club to run!”
“You didn’t think to have me take her somewhere else? Or just reschedule the demo? No! You fucking made her sit there and watch you. You think that makes sense to her?” Leon walked closer to me and nodded to the screens. “Can I see her?”
I glared at Dom as I answered. “She turned off the camera.”
“I fucked up. I get it. I’m not used to this shit.” He scrubbed his hands down his face. “I’ll fix it.”
Leon laughed. “Yeah? How? How are you going to fix how hurt she was by having to watch you make another woman come in front of her? You didn’t feel the way she turned to fucking stone, Dom. She didn’t fucking blink.”
Dom paced away from us and locked his hands on top of his head.
“There’s no other option. I’ll fix it.”
“I think we’ll be lucky if she doesn’t fucking quit.” Leon grabbed the door and held it open. “The kids like her. They’ll be crushed.”
I rubbed at my chest.
“She can’t leave.I’llbe fucking crushed. I’ll follow her. I’ll take Charlie and we’ll go where she goes.”
They both stared at me with matching looks of shock on their faces. Leon shut the door and leaned against it.
“Shit.”
“I’d never leave this family without protection but I’m not going to just sit here and watch her go. You made a choice that affected the family without asking us our opinion. If I have to make a choice to keep Sutton, I’ll do the same.” I shrugged. “She’s special.”
“She’s angry at you, too, Theo.” Dom was grasping at straws.
“Because I made her follow your directions. Leon and I held her down and made her watch because you fucking barked at her like an asshole to sit and stay. All of this is your fault. She was happy.”
Leon nodded and pushed away from the door.
“She came to me. She was worried we didn’t want her because she’d been bad at the club. She said some shit about just being the nanny. She fucking wanted more. She wanted us to want her the way she wanted us. But she wasn’t sure we did. And now she thinks she knows that we don’t want her the same way. She helped me work on the bike. In pink fucking pajamas that my Great Aunt Sue would’ve worn. If you ruined that for me…”
“I’ll fucking fix it.” Dom went to the door and yanked it open. “I care about her, too. She isn’t a fleeting fucking feeling. She’s meant to be here. I didn’t fuck that up. I didn’t.”
Leon followed him out and then I was alone in my room with my screens and thoughts. I watched the screen that showed Sutton’s bedroom door for as long as I could before going to it. When I tried to slip it open, though, it wouldn’t budge. She’d pushed something in front of it.
Pain. It was blinding.
CHAPTER 32
Sutton
It was a new morning. No tears, no anger, nothing but the kids and Dad. I timed leaving my room so I’d be able to meet Naomi on the way down to the kitchen. She already had Lee in her arms and I took the sleepy little girl from her and followed her downstairs. I’d never been more thankful for the standoffish night nanny than I was when I saw Dominic sitting at the kitchen island, hands folded in front of him. He looked like the judge, jury, and executioner with his stoic face and tattoos.
“Good morning.” He was staring holes through me.
I focused on Lee and ignored the awkward tension and my aching heart.
“Good morning.”
“I’d like to speak to you, Sutton.”
I glanced over at him with a blank expression and nodded.
“Of course, Mr. Dominic. However I have a busy morning planned with the kids.”
