Текст книги "Watch Over Me"

Автор книги: Sydney Landon

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Текущая страница: 15 (всего у книги 16 страниц)

Chapter Eighteen

Gwen went from feeling sorry for herself to just being pissed as the red display on her bedside clock showed seven in the morning. She couldn’t believe that Dominic hadn’t showed up or called last night. What happened to all of the support he had promised her a few weeks ago? It seemed that now when it was crunch time, he was nowhere to be found. On the few occasions that she’d allowed herself to think of the “what-ifs,” she certainly hadn’t imagined Dominic taking off. For God’s sake, the man had brought her a bottle of folic acid and obsessively Googled information about early pregnancy. That just didn’t seem like the actions of a man who would panic.

She was still spitting mad when she slammed out of her door an hour later. She debated stopping by Dominic’s apartment but figured he would already be gone to work by now. And truthfully, she refused to chase him down. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know where she lived. When and if he was ready to act like an adult and have a rational discussion, he could come to her. If she had to raise the baby alone, then she would. Heck, she could move back to Columbia where she’d have her family. She had options, but what she didn’t have was the will to chase another man who didn’t want any type of commitment. She wasn’t after a marriage proposal, but being a father was a huge commitment and as of yet, Dominic showed no signs of being ready to make it.

As she was walking to her car, she saw that Dominic’s truck and his bike were still in his parking spaces. So, he was still home, after all. It was unusual for him to be this late going into work, and she felt a moment of worry before she shook it off. He certainly wasn’t concerned about her, that much was painfully obvious.

Of course, as luck would have it, she ran into him outside of the coffee shop in the lobby for the second morning in a row. She had no idea how he had arrived before her. He was still a few feet away, wearing dark sunglasses, but she could tell by the stiffening of his spine that he had spotted her. Beside him, Gage waved, seeming relaxed and thankfully not hostile over their confrontation the previous day. She was debating making a run for it when Dominic said, “Gwen, we need to talk.”

She dropped her eyes to the floor, counting to ten as she tried to control her temper. What she really wanted to say was, “Oh, so now you’re ready to talk?” When she looked back up, she noticed something strange. His pants were several inches too short. He was wearing his usual work attire of cargo pants and a company shirt, but none of it appeared to fit. His muscular chest, arms, and shoulders were always visible, but the shirt he was wearing outlined every taut inch of his upper body. Come to think of it, the pants were also formfitting. Heck, she had to pull her eyes away from his crotch. Those pants were like a spotlight on his impressive length. Oh God, she was staring. Gage was giving her a knowing grin, but she couldn’t tell if Dominic had noticed, thanks to his sunglasses. “I . . . er . . . have to get to work. Maybe we can talk this evening.”

Dominic raised a hand, rubbing at his temple as if he had a headache. “I don’t know what time I’ll be back. We’re going to Charleston as soon as Mac picks us up.”

“Charleston?” Gwen hissed out before she could stop herself. “You seem to be going there an awful lot lately.” She couldn’t remember Mac going that often when they’d been dating.

“We live for that place,” Gage joked before pointing to Mac’s car pulling up out front. “Gotta go, bro. You know how cranky McKinley gets when we keep him waiting.”

“I’ll call you tonight unless it’s too late when we get in. I really don’t know. But we need to talk.” They stood staring at each other for another moment. It felt weird not to at least touch in some way as they usually would. Dominic finally gave her a brief smile before walking off, still rubbing his head. I bet Kandi can make him feel better today, Gwen thought cattily. Maybe the other woman liked her men to wear clothes that were too tight. There was no way Dominic would be working a stripper pole in those pants, though. The seams would blow out within the first ten seconds.

Gwen kicked her foot against the tile floor in the lobby. This was the second official day of knowing she was pregnant, and so far, nothing had changed. She didn’t feel any different and she had no idea where things stood with the father of her baby. Yeah, her life was going so well. It made her long for the days when her hardest decision was what flavor of Ben & Jerry’s to buy for her evening at home.

*   *   *

“Dom, either you packed on twenty pounds overnight or your clothes seriously shrank in the wash, man.” Mac grinned as he looked at Dominic’s too tight shirt.

Gage, always one to volunteer too much information—except for his relationship with Shannon—stuck his head between the seats of Mac’s Tahoe, saying, “He got wasted last night and passed out at my place. We didn’t have time for him to go home and change this morning.”

Mac shook his head as if not believing what he heard. “You got drunk? And on a school night? That’s not like you. What’s up?”

“Well, Gwen is . . .” Gage began until Dominic put his hand up in the other man’s face.

“Mind if I talk here, Chatty Cathy?” When Gage waved a hand for him to go ahead, Dominic pinched the bridge of his nose before saying, “Gwen’s pregnant.”

Mac darted a look his way before pulling out into the Myrtle Beach traffic. “But I thought you said that she wasn’t. Didn’t you tell me that?”

“He did, but then shit got real yesterday outside his apartment and he had a bomb dropped on him,” Gage piped in again.

Dominic’s head was killing him and his body felt like a bus had hit him. He was ready to kill someone, and Gage was setting himself up to be a perfect target with his loose lips. “Shit got real all right, when I saw your boy back there sucking my neighbor’s face.”

Mac’s hands twitched on the steering wheel, causing them all to yell in alarm before he quickly righted the Tahoe. “Gage, what the hell man? You caused this mess? Please tell me you didn’t hit on Gwen!”

As Gage bristled indignantly in the backseat, Dominic continued, “Gage has been involved in a secret little affair with our neighbor, Shannon. As in the single mother, with two kids.”

“Maddy and Megan’s mom?” Mac blinked. “Gage, that’s who you’re in a relationship with? That’s just—well, hell, I don’t even know what to say.”

“Messed up?” Dominic offered. “Can you imagine the shit that will come out of their mouths now with Daddy Gage in the house?”

“Hey listen, you nosy assholes,” Gage snapped, sounding seriously pissed off, “that’s my girl and her kids you’re talking about.”

“Actually, we’re talking about you and not them,” Mac pointed out. “Come on, brother, we all sprout the F-word like it’s our national anthem. Plus you’ve screwed your way through most of the women in South Carolina and more than your fair share overseas. How are you managing to keep your mouth PG-rated and your dick in your pants?”

“It’s not as if I’m incapable of being faithful to someone,” Gage defended. “I’ve just never found anyone who I wanted to be with—like that. But Shannon, she’s different. She makes me want to be better. She . . .”

Dominic opened his mouth and pretended to gag. “I swear to God, if you say she completes you, I’ll have Mac pull over and throw you out of the car.”

“Just because your life is a mess, big papa, don’t take it out on me. Shannon and I have it together more than you and Gwen do right now.”

“Our boy appears to have a small point there, Dom,” Mac threw in. “You’re one of the calmest fuckers I’ve ever known. You stood behind me in Afghanistan more times than I can count with an M4 assault rifle in your hand, and I never thought twice about it. You’re complete ice under pressure—usually. Since you’ve been seeing Gwen, you’ve been all over the place. I mean, case in point, you’re wearing Gage’s clothes, which he probably went commando in without washing because you pulled a drunk. I’ve seen you drink a whole bottle of tequila and still be able to walk a straight line so I can’t imagine what put you down that hard.”

“Don’t forget the part about lying in piss—that was freaking disgusting,” Gage added.

Mac shuddered. “I don’t even want to know the details. I’m just saying that I’m a little worried about you. I thought you were crazy when you started spouting words of love so soon, but I believe it now. Only something that life altering would have you so far off your usual mark. I have no idea what’s going on with Gwen and the pregnant or not pregnant thing, but you need to straighten it out. I told you in the beginning that she’s a good woman, and I don’t believe for a minute that she’s trying to bullshit you. I do think that you two have some serious miscommunication going on and a part of it is probably your listening to advice from everyone else instead of just figuring the shit out on your own like you normally would.”

“That’s directed at me, isn’t it?” Gage grumbled.

Mac ignored the question and continued. “Avie told me that you helped her out a lot while we were both trying to get ourselves together. That’s who you are, brother. You don’t overreact, freak out, and second-guess yourself. You told me after Gwen and I broke up that you’d wanted her all along. All right, guess what. She’s there. She’s having your baby. Are you waiting for an engraved invitation or what?” As Gage started laughing, Mac looked in the rearview mirror, adding, “And I don’t even know where to start with you. Single mother? You better be good to her, Gage, or I’ll kick your ass myself.”

“Fuck,” Dominic groaned and slumped into his seat. “You’re right. I’ve been losing my shit, and I don’t even know why now. What’s wrong with me?”

Mac let out a full belly laugh. “Love may be patient and kind, but it also grabs you by the balls and takes you on the head trip of a lifetime. Welcome to it, my friend.”

Chapter Nineteen

Gwen stood in the doorway of her refrigerator, eating chocolate pie straight from the pan. She could practically hear the five pounds that she’d gain settling on her already big butt. Tonight, though, she didn’t give a damn. She’d already had phone sessions with both Mia and Crystal and even Suzy had stopped by this afternoon at the office to check on her. The other woman was practically glowing, apparently now over her initial anxiety and excited to move forward with adopting. All three women seemed certain that things would work out with Dominic, but Gwen wasn’t so sure. She hadn’t heard from him all day. It was now nine in the evening, and she’d eaten everything in her refrigerator. She alternated between never wanting to see him again, which was unrealistic since they were having a baby together, and begging him to talk to her, which would be humiliating after the way he’d taken off yesterday.

She was still brooding with a spoon stuck in her mouth when her doorbell rang. Freezing in place, she wondered if she’d wished for the sound so much that she’d imagined it. But a few seconds later, she heard it again. Tossing both the pie and the spoon into the refrigerator, she smoothed her hands down her hair and grimaced at her lounge pants and tank top. If it was Dominic and he wasn’t here to break things off, he would probably consider it after seeing her disheveled state. “Screw it,” she said to the empty room. “If he doesn’t like it, what do I care?” She stalked to the door and looked through the peephole. Dominic stood there, looking as if he had no plans to leave anytime soon. Squaring her shoulders, she jerked the door open and felt her body completely betray her as she stared at him. He was still wearing his too small outfit from earlier. There were dark circles under his eyes, and he was sporting some scruff on his face. Despite her best intentions, her nipples hardened, pushing against the thin material of her top. Of course, she wasn’t wearing a bra and if the widening of his eyes was any indication, he’d noticed.

When she didn’t move to let him pass, he cleared his throat nervously. “Hey, babe. I . . . um . . . just got home. Can I—can I come in?”

Dammit, she wanted to say no. To strike a blow for women everywhere who’d been hurt by a man, but she found herself moving to the side and waving him forward. Heat gathered between her thighs as she noticed the way the tight pants he was wearing outlined his butt. Her body was fast turning traitor and her mind was barely holding her libido in check. “Wh-what are you doing here?” she managed to spit out around the knot in her throat.

He sank down on her couch before dropping his head in his hands. “Baby, I think I’ve lost my mind lately. You started pulling away from me, and then Gage told me I wasn’t showing enough interest in the pregnancy possibility and was not being supportive. Then I made a fool of myself over that Jane Fonda movie, and Gage said I acted like a pus– um, girl. Then I was supposed to give you the space that you needed because I was coming on too strong and scaring you. You told me you weren’t pregnant and I typed out this whole text in reply about it not changing anything and how I felt about you, but Gage said I was being a pus– um, girl again and going too fast. I tried not to push you, but when you got home from your sister’s, I couldn’t stay away from you. Of course, I had to go to Charleston AGAIN. Next, I come home to find out about Gage and Shannon and you’re not pregnant, but now you are. Then I got drunk and passed out in some nasty bathroom before Gage carted me home and made me wear his more than likely dirty clothes. The pants are so tight they’ve crawled up my ass all day. Gage said I was complaining like a pus– girl again. Mac pointed out that I could shoot an M4 assault rifle but couldn’t tell the woman I’m crazy about that I love her and I needed to stop acting like a pus– girl.” He grimaced, shaking his head. “We say that word too much, don’t we?”

Gwen’s head was spinning as Dominic finished with his rapid-fire explanation. She was trying to process his words when it hit her. Her heart seemed to pause before taking off. “You—you love me?”

Dominic got to his feet, looking completely exhausted and pale, but his eyes were filled with emotion. He stopped just inches away from her and took both of her hands in his. “I used to think I was a cool person. Nothing ever shook me. I’m the original ‘Plan B man.’ Then you came along, and I just lost it. I prayed that Mac and Ava would finally get their head out of their asses and be together because I had wanted you from the beginning. You were dating my best friend, and I hated it. I waited too long to ask you out and fate handed you to Mac. Finally, though, you came to me and you were nothing like I’d imagined, baby—you were so much more. I thought I fell in love with you the first time I saw you with Megan and Maddy on the playground outside, but I knew I loved you the first time I held you. I’ve made a lot of mistakes trying to tell you—and show you—how I felt when all along it should have been one moment and those three words.” He released one of her hands and raised it to cup her face, stroking her cheek. “I love you, Gwen. God, I love you so much, baby.”

Gwen felt tears begin to flow from her eyes as she heard the words that she never thought she’d hear from a man other than her father. She knew at that moment that every heartache in her life had led her to this moment—to Dominic, who loved her unconditionally and who was surely meant to be the father of her child.

His eyes were now watery, as well, as she turned her head to kiss his palm. “So, you’re saying this is all Gage’s fault?”

He looked embarrassed as he said, “The only excuse I have for listening to him is that I was terrified of screwing up and losing you. I was constantly second-guessing myself and Gage always seemed to be around at those times. Hell, when a man’s desperate, everything starts to sound like a lifeline.”

“You might want to rethink that the next time.” She winced, causing them both to laugh before she sobered. “I love you, too, Dominic. I was so drawn to you after our first night together that I was running scared. I’d been hurt in the past, and I knew that those feelings would pale in comparison to loving and losing you.”

Dominic pulled back only to lower his hand and place it reverently over her stomach. “I was surprised at how disappointed I was when I got your text that you weren’t pregnant. I mean I’d never allowed myself really to believe that it would happen. But then when the possibility was gone—I had a hard time coming to terms with it. I didn’t say anything to you about it because I didn’t know how you were feeling and I was afraid of pushing you farther away.”

“I was sad as well,” Gwen admitted. “I knew I should probably be relieved because I hadn’t planned to be a mother at this point in my life, especially after only dating someone less than a month, but my heart still had a hard time accepting it. I’m a little scared and a lot nervous because I don’t know how this is going to work, but I want this baby—with you—more than I’ve ever wanted anything in my life. Oh, my God,” she suddenly gasped. “But what about you and Kandi?”

“Kandi?” Dominic asked, looking dumbfounded.

“I saw the text she sent you, about Charleston,” Gwen blurted out. “She said she had something for you and Gage and were you going to be back in Charleston.”

“Baby, I have no idea what you’re talking about. I haven’t spoken with Kandi since I ended it. Plus, why would I see her in Charleston? I never saw a text from her. Hell, she’s not even in my contact list anymore.”

Gwen dropped her head against his chest and confessed to seeing the message from K and deleting it. “Then who is K?” she asked hesitantly.

“K? Just the letter, right?” When she nodded, he began laughing. “Babe, that’s the owner of the department store in Charleston that we’ve been setting up security for. She has some long name, but everyone calls her K. She is a seventy-plus-year-old sweetheart who cooked for Gage and me when we were there. That’s probably what she was talking about. She wanted me to let her know when we would be back so she could cook us another meal.”

“Oh,” Gwen whispered, completely embarrassed. “Can we please forget everything I just said and pick up where we left off?”

Giving her a soft smile, Dominic hugged her to him tightly and dropped a kiss on the top of her head. “You got it. As for your being scared, we’ll take it slow, baby. I have no idea what I’m doing, either, but I don’t think we have to have all of the answers right now. We’ll move in together, get married, and make a life and a family together.”

“Whoa,” Gwen stuttered in surprise as she pulled back. “This isn’t the nineteen fifties, and I’m not looking for a shotgun wedding simply because I’m pregnant. A lot of people have children together without being married.”

Dominic grinned down at her, and Gwen felt her body turning to mush. God, how could he do that with just one look? “I didn’t say today, babe. Give me some credit. When I propose, it’ll be so romantic that the word no won’t even be a possibility. You’ll be screaming yes at the top of your lungs.” With a wicked wink, he added, “Both before and after the proposal.”

Gwen could feel the heat steal over her cheeks as he reinforced his statement with a grind of his hard length against her core. His cocky statement might not be so far-fetched because she was biting her tongue to keep from moaning “Oh, yes,” right then. She couldn’t imagine ever being able to say no to him.

Maybe they were starting their life together completely backward—putting the cart before the horse, as some would say. However, as Dominic kissed a line down her neck, whispering words of love and desire, Gwen had to believe that some of the best-laid plans were the ones that were—well, not planned at all.

Epilogue

It had taken Dominic exactly a month to wear her down and convince her to move in with him. Then it took him another couple of months after that to propose to her.

Even though she’d been expecting it, Gwen could still remember how surprised she’d been when he asked her to marry him. They had invited both of their families up to Myrtle Beach for Thanksgiving. She had wanted to wait until she was through her first trimester before telling everyone about the pregnancy. Of course, that had proved to be impossible. Dominic had practically been bursting at the seams to tell his family and there was no way that she could keep the news from Wendy. And most of Dominic’s friends already knew, so in the end, they’d gone ahead and shared the news, trusting that all would be well.

Wendy had been thrilled, and her mom and dad, although more than a little surprised, seemed happy for her as well. Dominic’s family had been over the moon. His sister, Meredith, had been back to visit several times. She was desperately hoping for a girl in the family since she had two boys. She claimed all the testosterone was giving her hives and the women needed to level the playing field in the Brady family.

Their apartment had been beyond full with both families. They had just sat down to Thanksgiving dinner when Dominic stood. Gwen was surprised that he’d decided to give the holiday thanks and prayer, when suddenly he was on his knee and pulling her chair away from the table. Truthfully, she’d heard nothing but white noise for the first few seconds until he popped open a jewelry box and a breathtaking, princess-cut emerald and diamond ring winked at her. Finally, his words started penetrating the shocked bubble that had surrounded her. “Our love has been unique, unexpected, and amazingly beautiful—just as you are. Baby, almost any ring would pale in comparison to you, so I tried to find the one that I thought would be a perfect fit, just as you are for me.” Smiling to herself at the memory, Gwen admitted that he’d been right that night four months ago when he’d confidently told her that she’d scream yes, because she had—and then she had again later . . . when they were alone. A fact he had pointed out to her with much smug glee.

They had also had their first ultrasound the previous day. The doctor had wanted to do it earlier than usual due to the spotting she’d had before her pregnancy had been confirmed. They were relieved to find out that everything was fine and she was measuring exactly where she should be. It had been emotional for them both. And whoever said that tough, military men didn’t cry, was wrong. Tears had trickled down Dominic’s face as they’d seen their little bean’s heartbeat flicking on the screen and his or her little hands and feet kicking and moving. It was still too early to know the sex, but Dominic was sure it was a boy. He swore he saw a penis on the screen although the doctor had assured him it was actually an arm. So, the jury was still out on that. Gwen secretly thought it was a boy, as well. It was just hard to imagine a macho man like her fiancé not having the dominant Y chromosome in his child. She knew that secretly, though, a little girl would own him; he’d never stand a chance.

“Ready, baby?” Dominic pulled her from her musings as he rubbed her stomach tenderly before dropping a kiss on her upturned lips. She was just beginning to get a very tiny baby bump, and he couldn’t keep his hands off it.

She had been resting as he’d insisted. Maddy was in her first school play, and they were meeting Gage, Shannon, and Megan at school to see it. Yawning as she stood from the chair she’d been curled up in, she answered, “I’m ready, babe.” He put a protective arm around her shoulders and led her out of the apartment. He had been pushing her to look at houses, but for now, she wanted to stay where she was comfortable. Frankly, she was just too tired at this point to tackle the big task of moving.

“Thank God they didn’t give Maddy a speaking part in this play, right?” he joked as they found a parking space at the school. “I can only imagine how epic that would be.”

Gwen laughed, agreeing. “I know. Poor Shannon would be terrified. I think the girls are even worse with Gage practically living there. You know, it seems that we were all wrong about him,” she admitted. “He is crazy about Shannon and a natural with the girls. I’ve never seen her happier than she is now.”

“Yeah.” Dominic nodded as they walked through the entrance to the auditorium. “I’m still surprised by that. The guy talks about her nonstop. He’s the last person I would have ever imagined in a serious relationship, much less with kids involved. He’s still a goof, but Shannon has grounded him. I don’t know, despite all his joking around, he always seemed like he was kind of lost. I thought it was because he never had much of a relationship with his family.”

“Maybe he was just waiting for her,” Gwen suggested softly as she curled her arm around Dominic’s waist.

“Maybe he was, baby,” Dominic agreed, looking at her with so much love in his eyes that she knew they were no longer talking about Gage.

Before she could reply, Shannon came rushing up. “Hey guys! We saved you a couple of seats beside us. Oh, my God, you aren’t going to believe it, but my brother Mason brought his boyfriend, Cash! I thought my father was going to swallow his tongue! My mother gave him a few digs in the side, and he actually stood up and shook Cash’s hand and was passably friendly. I left Megan to keep them distracted.”

“Good times,” Gage smirked as he clapped Dominic on the shoulder before hugging Gwen. “Hey, little mama, looking good.” Gwen laughed while Dominic removed his arms from around her.

Rolling his eyes, Dominic said, “Hands off, bro. I think we’ve discussed this.” Both Gwen and Shannon giggled because this conversation happened every time they were together. It was perfectly innocent, but Dominic was the ultimate alpha male where she was concerned and Gage loved to get under his skin.

Shannon took Gage’s hand, pulling him down the aisle, while Dominic and Gwen followed. “Come on, Romeo; let me get you in your seat before Dom takes you out.” Soon they were all settled in the four end seats with a few minutes to spare until curtain time.

Megan was already restless and fidgeting when a little girl about her age walked down the aisle. Megan burst out of her seat and ran to hug her. “Caroline!”

As the girls talked, Shannon leaned over telling Gwen, “Caroline has a sister in Maddy’s class. I think she has one of the speaking parts.”

Beside her, Dominic was saying to himself, “Caroline?” as if trying to figure something out. Gwen gave him a questioning look before a little boy walked up and pulled Megan’s hair, causing her to scream.

As Gage made to grab for Megan, who now looked completely pissed off, Shannon stiffened, saying, “Oh no,” under her breath. It hit Gwen at the same time that Dominic started chuckling under his breath.

It was as if everything suddenly went into slow motion. Megan, bent on revenge, grabbed the little boy’s arm and yelled loud enough to be heard in the next state, “I’m going to get you, Bastard!”

Shannon gasped in horror and every mouth around them dropped open in shock. Gage leaned around the women to give Dominic a high five. “That’s my girl.” He grinned proudly.

“Our kid cannot be friends with anyone named Baxter—are we in agreement?” Dominic smirked.

Gwen started giggling as she snuggled into his arms. “I agree,” she whispered against his neck, “but you’d better prepare yourself. With Megan and Maddy as honorary aunts, I’m scared to think of what our child will pick up along the way.”

She continued to laugh as her words turned him to stone. “Holy—” he began before she elbowed him in the side. He finally relaxed, dropping a kiss onto her head. “I’ve got this, babe. I’ll just run interference whenever they’re visiting. No problem.”

Gwen choked back a reply, not wanting to burst his bubble yet. The poor guy would find out soon enough that, in life, you had to pick your battles and she was sure that Megan and Maddy could get the best of him anytime they chose. But God, you had to love the man for trying.