CHAPTER THIRTEEN
There was no avoiding it now. I had to tell Tammy about my relationship with Dominick. It was a hurdle that should have been crossed a long time ago, but now that we were both fully committed, we would jump over it together.
My fingers trembled slightly as I dialed Tammy's number while I sat on Dominick's lap in the living room. His arms were draped loosely around my waist, a content smile on his face. For as much as he had continually told me he didn't care if she knew about us or not, he seemed happy that I was finally going to tell her.
“I'm scared,” I mumbled as the phone began to ring on the other end of the line.
“Don't be. I'm here with you,” Dominick whispered in my ear. It was easy for him to sound confident. He wasn't the one about to get a lecture.
“Hello,” Tammy answered.
“Hey, sis,” I said, unable to hide the nervousness from my voice.
“Kim. How's it going?”
“It's going good. Really good.” I nodded, glancing down at the one karat princess cut diamond engagement ring that Dominick had bought me the day after he proposed.
“Glad to hear it. I'm alright too. Work was a bit stressful, but it's over now,” she sighed.
“Um . . . I have something I need to tell you.” A hard lump formed in my throat as I approached the moment of truth.
“Oh?”
“Dominick proposed to me.”
“What?” her voice went flat.
“He proposed. Now, before you freak out, you should know that we've been dating for a long time. We just didn't tell you because we didn't think you'd approve.”
“Well, that explains a lot,” Tammy huffed, obviously displeased. “How long is a long time?”
“For over a year.” I sank back against Dominick, preparing for her wrath, and he gave me a gentle reassuring hug.
“Wow,” she sounded genuinely surprised.
“Are you angry?”
“Well, I'm not pleased that you kept something like this from me.”
“I know, and I'm sorry. Things have gotten serious though, and I want you to be a part of the wedding. I knew I was going to have to tell you eventually.”
“I think this is something that would be better discussed in person.”
“Alright. Dominick and I can come over whenever you want, or you can come over here.”
“I'd rather it just be you and I.”
“Why?” I quirked an eyebrow.
“Because you're my sister, and I'd like to talk to you alone.”
“Fine,” I sighed, already figuring that she was going to try to talk me out of it. “I can be over in a little while.”
“It's been a long day, Kim. Why don't you come over tomorrow afternoon? I really need some time to process this first too.”
“Alright, sis. Whatever's better for you.”
“Tomorrow would definitely be better. I'll talk to you then, okay.”
“Okay. Hope you feel better.”
“Thanks.”
I leaned back against Dominick when I hung up the phone, analyzing the things that Tammy had said and the sound of her voice. She had handled the news surprisingly well, probably because she was tired. Tomorrow would be a different story, I was sure.
“That went better than expected,” Dominick commented.
“Don't count on it. She wants me to come over tomorrow so that we can talk.”
“Do you want me to come with you?”
“She wants me to come alone.” I frowned.
“Oh. Well, I will pray for you then.”
“Easy for you to say, jerk.” I gave him a playful jab in the ribs, and my misery melted away as he wrestled me down on the loveseat, restraining my wrists while he kissed me. A soft purr left my throat as his mouth moved on top of mine, and I knew that everything would be alright.
Unfortunately, that feeling didn't carry over into the next day. As I drove to Tammy's place after school, the knots in my stomach fought for space, preparing me for the unpleasantness of the battle to come. Tammy had a night to think about what I told her, and I was certain she'd have a whole arsenal of reasons as to why Dominick and I shouldn't be together. She'd play the age card, the money card, the taking advantage card, and I'd be ready to throw her hand right back at her.
I pulled up in front of her ridiculously large house and sighed. This was not going to be fun. All I could hope for was that she wouldn't be pissed at me when I left. I had to make her understand that this was my life, and if I wanted Dominick to be my husband, then that was just something she was going to have to deal with.
The knots in my stomach seemed to grow ten fold as I walked up to the front door and rang the doorbell. When Tammy opened it, she didn't seem happy to see me, and that only made things worse. And when I say she didn't seem happy to see me, it's not that she wasn't smiling. I could just see right through that smile to the core of things, that she was just as nervous about this visit as I was.
“Come in,” she said, stepping away from the door to let me inside.
I followed her into the dining room, pulling out one of the side chairs while she took a seat at the head of the table. This is what we usually did when I came over to talk with her. Instead of the living room being the focal point for socialization, somehow the dining room had become it instead. Maybe because it was close to the kitchen and easier to serve drinks and be a good host that way. I wasn't really sure. I only knew that we pretty much only went into the living room to watch television.
“So, show me your ring,” Tammy requested, at least trying to make an attempt at being excited for me. When I held my hand out, she gave the ring a weak smile. “Wow. That's definitely something Dominick would pick out.”
“I like yours better,” I confessed, “but I couldn't bare to tell him that.”
The diamond in Tammy's engagement ring had been cut round while mine was square. I thought the boxiness of my ring made it look a little old fashioned. Dominick had picked it out though, so it was special to me.
“It's a pretty ring,” she told me.
“I like it.”
“So, when did the two of you get engaged?”
“He proposed to me a few nights ago.”
“I must admit, I'm a bit curious about how all of this started.”
“Well.” I scratched the back of my head. “I've always liked Dominick, ever since we were kids, you know. When he said I could move in with him to go to college, I was kind of hoping something like this would happen. And, it did.”
Tammy nodded slowly. “So, it just happened?”
“Yeah. It just happened.”
“And you didn't tell me because?”
“Because I thought you would freak out.”
“I am kind of freaked out.”
“I can tell,” I laughed nervously.
“Dominick is a lot older than you.”
“I'm well aware of that.”
“That doesn't bother you at all?”
“Not in the least. Age doesn't matter. He's good to me. He takes care of me. He goes above and beyond to make sure I'm happy. And I love him.”
She sighed, “I'm going to be blunt, Kim. I think it's a bad idea for you to marry him.”
“I figured you would.”
“I know you don't care about the age difference now. It really doesn't matter right now. You're both still young. But eventually, it's going to matter.”
“I already know what you're going to say. He's going to get old, and I'm going to have to take care of him. I get that, and I'm fine with it. It's the least I can do after everything he's done for me. And besides, I love him. Isn't that what you do for someone you love, regardless of age? I could get cancer tomorrow, and he'd have to take care of me. Or he could die before he even has the chance to get old. What's the point of worrying about the future when the future is unpredictable?”
“Because realistically, he's going to die before you.”
“You don't know that.”
“I do, but I can see that you don't care, so let's go over some other reasons why I think it's a bad idea.”
“Like what?”
“Like the fact that you can't have a normal relationship because of who he is and your age difference.”
“I thought we weren't going to talk about age anymore?”
“Well, this kind of ties into that.”
“If you're wondering if Dominick and I have the same relationship that I would have with someone who is my own age, the answer is obviously no, and I'm fine with that too. I'm not losing out on life by being with him. I still go out with my friends and do normal college stuff, and Dominick and I do our own thing. It's kind of like having two separate lives, and I like it that way.”
“What about his profession though? Dominick is on his way to being very famous. Once the movie comes out . . . It just might be hard to be with him. The fame could get to his head. It could change him.”
“Pfft,” I laughed incredulously. “Do you know how hard it is for me to get him to even go to the parties that have been thrown for his books and the movie? His publicist literally approached me to talk him into going. If there's one person I'm not worried about fame changing, it's Dominick. Besides, he's already famous, and it doesn't put any strain on our relationship.”
“You don't worry about him cheating when he goes on business trips without you?”
“I did at first, but not anymore. Dominick is like a puppy. He loves unconditionally. Does he look at other women? Sure. He's a guy. But I know he doesn't go there, and that's all that matters to me.
“Trust me, him and I have already been through the typical relationship pit falls, trust issues and what not. We're both jealous people. We both love each other to a stupid level. Neither one of us would screw that up by cheating.
“Come on, Tammy, you know Dominick. He's a great man. Almost perfect. Can't you just be happy for us.”
“If he was perfect, that thing with his little cousin wouldn't have happened,” she grumbled.
“It's not his fault. He was just trying to help someone out, the same as he has with you and I in the past. I'm sure he didn't expect it to backfire.”
“Well, it did.”
“Yes, it did, and we can't change that. All we can do is move on from it.”
“I'm always going to be angry at him for that.” Tammy wrapped her arms around herself, looking away from me.
“Why? It didn't happen to you. I've gotten over it already.”
She sighed, “I don't like this.”
“You don't have to like it. You just have to accept it.”