CHAPTER FOURTEEN
DOMINICK
Kim seemed to be in a good mood when she got home, so I could only assume things had gone well. She beamed at me when she entered my office, and I smiled back, pushing away from my keyboard to take her into my arms.
“Everything is going to be alright,” she said with a content sigh.
It was all the invitation that I needed to initiate some physical celebration. Squeals of joy turned into moans of pleasure as we fucked on the floor of my office. Part of me felt bad for being unable to control myself. Kim always ended up with rug burn on her back and knees afterward, but she never complained. She was good to me like that.
We decided that she'd move back into my bedroom after the wedding. Due to her trauma from the experience with Jeff, I hired an interior decorator to come in and redo some things to make the room have less of a haunting memory for her. I had the walls repainted an eggshell white with a gray trim, and I had the furniture removed and replaced, along with all the artwork. It probably could have waited until closer to the wedding, but I hated the idea of the room being an unpleasant reminder every time she walked into it.
Everything seemed to be going well—too well. Soon, Kim would be my wife, and I wouldn't have to worry about losing her anymore. Tammy was getting over her anger at me. The condo was getting a makeover. And my writing was surprisingly on deadline.
I was tapping away on my keyboard one day when I heard a knock on the door. Thinking it was one of the contractors, I simply yelled for them to come in. Several minutes later, I looked up to an unexpected sight. Tammy was leaning on the door frame, watching me with a plain expression.
“Tammy.” I greeted her as I swiveled my chair around to stand.
“Don't get up. I just wanted to stop by and talk to you for a little while before Kim gets home.”
“I need to get away from the computer anyway,” I told her, getting up to lead her into the living room. “Something to drink?”
“No. Thank you,” she replied, taking a seat on the loveseat opposite from me. “You know, you really shouldn't leave your front door open like that. That's just an invitation for unsavory characters.” Tammy scowled, causing a wave of guilt to roll through me.
When I was alone, I never worried about Jeff. Any retaliation he may have had, I was convinced I would be able to handle. Besides, it was easier for the contractors to come in and out as they needed to, easier for the both of us. Constantly having to get up to answer the door was distracting and frustrating for me.
“So, what do you want to talk about?” I asked, quickly getting the impression that this wasn't a friendly visit.
“I don't want you marrying my sister,” she replied bluntly.
“Wow. Wasn't expecting that. I thought things had gone well when you two talked it out.”
“Kim is stubborn. I could have talked to her for twelve hours straight, and she never would have listened to a word I said. She's blinded by love, but I don't think it's the lasting kind.”
I shifted uncomfortably. “What makes you say that?”
“She's young, Dominick. And she's never been in love with anyone before you.”
“What does that have to do with her love not being lasting?” I quirked an eyebrow.
“You know how it is. No one ever ends up with their first love in the end.”
Anger rolled through me, and I had to swallow it down. The only reason I hadn't ended up with my first love was because she didn't love me back. It didn't matter if the person was your first love or fifteenth. The placement in the line didn't determine how long you stayed with a person. This wasn't Tammy's real issue with us. She was just looked for excuses as to why we shouldn't be together, desperately grasping at straws.
“You're upset because I'm older than her, or because I loved you in the past, or because of some other thing. This crap you're saying now has nothing to do with it.” I furrowed my brows at her.
“I'm just telling you what I think.” She recoiled slightly, noticing my change of tone.
“Trust me, there's nothing you haven't thought of that I haven't thought myself. In truth, I've tried to break up with Kim before, not because I didn't love her, but because I had the same fears that you do. I'm older than her. That's obvious, but it doesn't matter. Kim doesn't want someone her own age. She likes the relationship we have, and so do I.
“You might also be thinking that I went after her because you turned me down. Let me tell you now that it's not true. When I invited Kim here, it was because I wanted to help her, to help both of you. I had no romantic interest in her, even after she arrived. It wasn't until she practically threw herself at me that I realized she wanted more, and then I started thinking about what I wanted.
“We didn't fall in love right away. At least, I didn't. I was wary about the relationship, not just because of the age difference, but because she is your sister. In the end though, I did fall in love, and that can't be helped. We love each other. There's nothing that can be done about it. And we're going to get married with or without your blessing.”