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“I never said I was becoming a monk,” Dominic protested.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Celeste said sarcastically. “I thought you said you were done dating.”
“I’m raising my daughter,” Dominic said tightly.
“And you can’t do that without taking a vow of celibacy?”
Again with the innocent tone, and in the reflection of the glass, Gavin could see Dominic shaking his head.
“Ma. Please stop.”
“I’m just saying,” she said with another quick glance at Gavin. “God is testing your commitment.”
Gavin found the crown molding above the living room windows suddenly fascinating.
“Ma.” Dominic sounded weary.
“I’m just sharing information,” Celeste said.
Gavin wondered if the innocent routine had ever actually worked.
“You’re matchmaking,” Dominic said flatly.
Celeste pressed her lips to Lucia’s head. “It’s just such a shame.”
Dominic closed his eyes and took a few deep breaths. “You’re unbelievable.”
“So I’ve been told,” Celeste said gleefully, completely unrepentant.
“Celeste, leave him alone.” Frank wrapped an arm around her shoulders and she leaned into him.
Gavin took that as his cue. “I’ll…give you all a minute.”
Dominic looked over immediately, gratitude flashing across his face. “Sorry.”
“Don’t be.” Gavin offered a small smile. “I’ll go look around and take measurements upstairs.”
He slipped quietly out of the living room, trying not to interrupt whatever family conversation was unfolding behind him. The staircase creaked beneath his boots, and he reached the landing before the voices drifted after him.
“I just don’t want him to spend his whole life alone.”
Celeste spoke as quietly as she seemed capable of. Gavin hesitated, just for a second. He knew he should keep walking, but curiosity got the better of him. He found himself standing motionless at the top of the stairs, one hand resting on the banister.
“I’m not alone.”
That was Dominic. His voice was quieter than before.
“Could’ve fooled me.”
A long silence followed, then Dominic spoke again. “Lucia comes first now.”
“She can come first, and you can still have a life.” Celeste was relentless. Gentle, but relentless.
“I’m not doing relationships.” The conviction in Dominic’s voice surprised Gavin. “Not now. Not next year.” Another pause. “Maybe not until she’s grown.”
Eighteen years. Maybe more. Gavin stared down at the hardwood beneath his boots. He’d met the man less than an hour ago, but there was something about the certainty in Dominic’s voice that weighed heavily. Whatever had happened to him had left a mark.
Gavin forced himself to move. At the top of the stairs, the hallway stretched ahead, quiet and empty. He ducked into a room that someone had marked as the nursery, a piece of paper taped to the door with Lucia scrawled in large letters. Sunlight spilled across the bare floors through oversized windows, and he got to work, grateful for something concrete to focus on. He made notes as he moved: measurements of each room, a plan to replace the carpet with hardwood, new baseboards in the nursery. By the time he reached the primary bedroom, he’d settled into familiar territory. Houses made sense. Every problem had a solution if you looked at it long enough.
