Naomi

I have all kinds of jitters right now.

I’m making breakfast for Dom, whipping up a quick omelet while the coffee is brewing. He’s sitting at the counter feeding Hannah, but I see the worry on his face.

He’s not worried about himself. He’s worried about Hannah.

I place the omelet in front of him.

“Hey,” I call, and he looks at me with round brown eyes. “It will be okay.”

“Yeah, I know.”

“Let me take over while you eat.”

He nods and moves to the stool to the right. I sit where he was and finish feeding Hannah. As soon as Dom finishes his omelet and mug of coffee, the doorbell rings.

My eyes go wide and Dom stands, looking at me and then briefly at Hannah. He kisses my forehead. “Breathe. It will be okay.” He says it, but I think he’s telling himself that more than anything.

He walks for the door and I clean Hannah up quickly, taking off her bib and picking her up out of her highchair. Dom is at the door and as soon as he pulls it open, I see Annie.

I remember exactly how she looked when she’d come by our house for dinners. I remember her most when she was pregnant and Dom ran over to our house to fill my parents in on the good news. Back then, my crush on Dom was pretty small, but it was still there, and knowing she was pregnant made me kind of envious.

But, still, I was happy for him. I was happy because he was happy. And as soon as Hannah was born, I fell in love with her and her head full of curly red hair.

She gets her hair color from her mother, though Annie’s is much redder. Her olive skin seems to have been kissed by the sun, like she lives on a beach. She’s wearing a silky lavender blouse beneath a white suit jacket, and matching pants. It’s casual, but still shows off her curves. Her hair is beautifully done, pulled back into a tight bun, not a strand of hair is astray as she waltzes right in.

Annie has always been beautiful, her makeup always flawless, but what I remember most is how snooty she was. She was very full of herself, which made it no surprise when she disappeared on Dom and Hannah. She used to complain about needing more money to shop. Money to go out with her friends. Money for a babysitter, which turned out to be me. Sometimes I think she only got pregnant because she was bored and to keep Dom from leaving.

Too bad she’s the one who left.

“Good morning, Dominic,” she greets, stepping past him, already searching for Hannah. As soon as she sees Hannah in my arms, she gasps and rushes towards me.

“Oh, hi, my baby!” She immediately sticks her hands out.

My hold on Hannah tightens and Annie gives me a slight frown. I look over at Dom who simply nods his head. Reluctantly, I let Hannah go.

“Oh, you are still so gorgeous,” she singsongs. Hannah looks at Annie with a frown as if she has no idea who this woman is.

Dom shuts the door and walks to the sofa.

“You’re Barry’s daughter, right?” Annie asks me.

“Yes.” I try not to sound too bitter about it.

“You’ve filled out,” she notes, sweeping me up and down with her eyes and then glancing over at Dom. She gives me her back and then takes a seat in the single recliner across from Dom.

“So, Dominic, have you thought about it?”

“Thought about what?”

“Will I be getting my time with her?” she asks. “I want her every weekend. I’ll drive the three hours to pick her up and take her to my place if I have to. You won’t have to worry about meeting me halfway or anything.”

Dom frowns. “No, Annie. You’re not taking her anywhere with you.”

Annie straightens her back, holding Hannah tighter. “She’s my daughter, too, Dominic. You can’t just keep her away from me.”

“Oh, I didn’t keep her away from you. You walked away, turned your back on your own daughter just so you could become . . . this. Whatever the fuck this is.”

“Watch your mouth around her,” she hisses.

“Oh, shut the hell up, Annie. Don’t tell me what to do or say around my daughter.” He walks forward, glaring down at her. “The only reason you’re here is because I was being nice. After this, you won’t be seeing her anymore.”

“Then I’ll file for custody,” she challenges. “You can’t keep me away from her.”

“Go ahead. We both know you won’t win. You walked away and shacked up with some rich motherfucker. That’s neglect. Unlike you, I’ve been here, providing for Hannah every day, even before she was born.”

Like she knows he’s right, Annie lets out a sharp breath, and then looks at me. I look away, arms folded. “I’m only asking for weekends with my daughter, Dominic. That’s it.”

“No,” he snarls.

“Dom,” I murmur when I see the tears line the rims of her eyes. It’s raw, sheer sorrow. I’ve never been a fan of Annie. Ever. And it was so fucked up of her to walk away like that, but I can tell she really cares about Hannah. What she did is unforgivable, but he has to think about Hannah too. She needs her mother, whether he agrees or not. Every girl does.

Dom’s eyes meet mine, harder than usual. “She is her mom.”

“Right. I am her mother, Dominic.” Annie stands and squeezes Hannah, smashing her cheek against hers. “And I love her. I think about her every single day.”

“So why did you walk away?”

“Because we just weren’t compatible anymore, me and you. And I needed to find myself again. I couldn’t do that with Hannah. I knew she would be better off with you than with me. I was depressed here, Dominic. Walking away was the only way I could clear my head.”

“But you’re with someone else.”

“He’s irrelevant when it comes to my daughter. He knows I have one, and that won’t disturb anything. He won’t touch her and he won’t be around her, if that’s what you want. All I’m asking is for the weekend. That’s it.”

Dom sighs, looking from Annie to Hannah. Hannah is staring at Annie, mesmerized for some reason, as if she recognizes her but doesn’t know her. My heart aches for him, for her.

“Fine,” he grumbles. “But you aren’t getting an entire weekend. One day of the week, Saturdays only, and you won’t be taking her anywhere until I see fit. You’ll come by here and spend time with her under my roof.”

Annie’s ruby red bottom lip trembles, but she nods slowly, then drops her gaze to Hannah. “As long as I get to see her.”

Dom steps away, walking in my direction. “You get an hour with her right now and then you go. Next Saturday, you’d better show up, or you’ll never see her again.”

Annie sits with Hannah on her lap, smiling at her daughter. Dom presses a hand to the small of my back and leads the way to the kitchen. When we’re out of sight, he shakes his head with a sigh.

“You okay?” I ask softly.

His eyes study my face. “I need you to come with me.”

Grabbing my hand, he leads the way to the laundry room. He pulls the door open and as soon as we’re inside, he closes it, and focuses on me again. He reaches beneath my dress to pull my panties down. I work with him, tugging down on his gray sweatpants and then his boxers. We’re both without bottoms and he picks me up.

His thick cock aims for my entrance, and before I know it, he’s inside me, bouncing me up and down on his cock, looking me in the eyes.

The sunlight streams through the small window behind me, highlighting the darker flecks in his eyes. He doesn’t say a word as he fucks me.

All there is are quiet moans and grunts. He’s holding onto me tightly, but I kiss him, hoping it will relieve some of his tension and it does. He palms my ass, lifting me up and down, swelling up inside me.

“I only want you,” he growls on my lips, and I squeeze my arms tighter around his neck, feeling a groan ride through his body. “Shit,” he whispers, and I know he’s about to come by the way his eyes squeeze tight and he holds onto me.

He presses my back to the wall and I slide up and down, from his tip to his shaft, and when he drops me, making sure he’s completely buried, he unleashes what’s pent up inside him. He’s so beautiful when he comes.

“Shit, I needed that,” he murmurs, placing his mouth on my neck.

“I know.” I stroke the back of his neck. “It’s okay. Everything will work out.”

“I’m glad you understand.”

We get dressed quickly, and Dom walks back out to the living room where Annie and Hannah are, while I clean myself up in the bathroom.

An hour passes by quickly and Dom lets it be known, loud and clear. Annie is reluctant to hand Hannah over to him, but she does, and when he takes her, he holds Hannah firmly against him.

Annie looks over at Dom and then at me. “All this time I’ve been trying to figure out why she is here. I knew you had a crush on him, but I didn’t think Dom would actually risk doing anything with you. Not with him being your father’s best friend and all.”

My heart sinks to my stomach, and Dom’s eyes stretch wider than I’ve ever seen them.

She shrugs, like she doesn’t even care. “So next Saturday?” she asks him.

“Yeah, Saturday,” he responds, far from enthusiastic.

She gives Hannah a small kiss on the cheek and then she’s on her way. As soon as she’s out the door, Dom locks it behind him. It’s a good thing he got the locks changed a few weeks after she left.

“How does she know?” I whisper.

“I don’t know, but she won’t say anything. She can’t. Barry has never liked her and she knows it.”

I try and think things through. Dad doesn’t like Annie. I’ve known that for a while, and Mom just pretended to like her for Dom’s sake. They both put up with her for Dom and Hannah’s benefit, and the chances of her ever running into them again are slim . . . unless Dom starts letting her come around more often. And if he does, what if it leads to other things between them? What if he decides to take her back?

“Promise me she’ll only come on Saturdays,” I plead.

“I didn’t want her coming to see Hannah at all. You’re the one who made me suggest at least once a week,” he chuckles, placing Hannah in her playpen.

“I know but . . .” I rub my arm like I’m cold, but really I’m just concerned.

He comes to me, tipping my chin. “You’re thinking we’ll get back together.” He gives his head a simple shake. “Trust me, Naomi. That won’t happen. I can never trust her again. And what she said was true. We were no longer compatible. I realized that not too long after she walked away.” He cups my face and I blink up at him. “It’s you and me, babe. Okay?”

“For how long?” I ask.

“For however long you’ll have me.” He kisses me softly on the lips. His are always so soft and warm, never too damp.

“I want you forever,” I tease, sinking my teeth into my bottom lip.

And he laughs, pulling me down on his lap when he sits on the sofa. “You sure about that? I come with a whole lot of fucking baggage, baby.”

I laugh. “I swear it.” I face him, throwing my arms around his neck. I tilt my head and kiss him, wanting to feel his smooth lips again.

“Naomi, don’t make me fuck you in front of the baby,” he warns.

“Hmm,” I moan. “We wouldn’t want that now, would we?”

He grips my ass in hand. “No, babe. We don’t. But if you tease me enough, it just may end up happening.”

I comb my fingers through his beard. “Maybe during naptime.”

When I say that he laughs, and I do too. I love the way he laughs. I love that he doesn’t take things too seriously. I love Dom, period, but I’m not sure I should ever confess that truth.

He may get scared of the truth. He might run off, if he knows how I really feel. I don’t want this to end, so for now, I’ll keep that little secret to myself.