Second Chance at Love (Love Conquers All) (8 page)

Nestling against Dominic’s warmth, Janet smiled. Even if her husband had an inkling of doubt about their son, she didn’t. Their son came from good stock. He was a Peretti. “Trust me honey, Dom will do the right thing. Have a little faith in him.”

Dominic squeezed his wife tight. “From your lips to God’s ear.”

“Are you ready?” Ashley whispered to her brother, her hand poised to knock on their mother’s bedroom door.

Kyle nodded his head. “Uh-huh. I remember everything.”

“Are you sure?” Ashley asked again, a little worried. She and Kyle had been planning this for the last couple of days. She was a little nervous because she didn’t know if her mother was going to go along with what she and her brother would be suggesting. If she didn’t they would have to try something else. No matter what it took, she and Kyle were determined to have Dom as their father, preferably by March if at all possible. The sixth grade Father-Daughter Spring Dance was coming up in April and she would need a father to take her. No way did she want to miss out on the dance when all her friends from school would be there with their fathers.

Annoyed, Kyle scrunched his face up and his hands balled into tiny fists. “Stop treating me like a baby! I said I remember everything!”

Slapping her hand across his mouth, Ashley hissed, “Shhh! You’re gonna make Mommy come out here.” Giving him an evil glare, she warned, “You better not mess this up, you little brat.”

Kyle snatched Ashley’s hand away from his mouth. “I’m not a brat! Knock on the door before I leave. ” He threatened, crossing his toothpick arms across his chest.

Rolling her eyes, Ashley huffed, “Big baby,” as she knocked on the door. Kyle was such a pain in the butt. As far as she was concerned her parents should have left him at the hospital.

“Come in.” They heard their mother’s soft voice call out.

Turning the knob, Ashley entered first and then Kyle. They didn’t wait to be invited onto the bed as they both climbed up. Each of them settled next to their mother as if that’s where they belonged.

Karen put the daily planner down she had been glancing through reviewing tomorrow’s schedule. Although she had the day off from work, she had a list of other things she had to do. Pick up dry cleaning after dropping the kids off at school. Drop off Ashley’s and Kyle’s gently used clothes to the Salvation Army. Be at the nursing home by eleven thirty to volunteer to help feed the residents. The one highlight of her day was her lunch date with Dom at one forty-five. After that she had to run to the supermarket to pick up a few things for dinner. And last, she had to be at school by three fifteen to pick the kids up. She was tired just looking at all she had to do.

Wrapping an arm around each of her children, she kissed them tenderly on the forehead. She knew they were up to something. They only came into her bedroom and got in bed with her when they wanted something or had a bad dream. And since it was their bedtime, it wasn’t a bad dream bringing them to her bed. “I thought I told you two to go to bed. You have school in the morning.”

It was Kyle who said, “We are Mommy. Me and Ashley—”

“Ashley and I,” Karen corrected. She couldn’t help but to hide her chuckle as Kyle let out a sigh and slumped his shoulders. She knew her son didn’t like being reprimanded, but he would carry himself like a little gentleman and he would speak correct English.

Trying again, Kyle let out a deep breath and started to talk all over again making sure he spoke correctly. “Ashley and I were wondering if we could have our own special Christmas at home.”

Perplexed, Karen asked, “Your own special Christmas?”

This is when Ashley jumped in to help her brother out. “Yeah, like how Aunt Starr and Aunt Summer always have stuff at their houses. Can we have our own special Christmas here?”

“I thought you guys liked going over your aunts’ houses for the holidays.”

“Mommy, we do like it. But we want to have a Christmas with our own family.” Ashley pressed.

“And we want Mr. Dom to come too,” Kyle blurted out, his dark eyes imploring their mother to agree with them.

Speechless, Karen opened her mouth to say something, then closed it. Her children were trying to create their own little family with a mother and a father. What was she going to do? How was she going to tell them that this wasn’t a good idea? That asking Dom to spend the holiday with them and not his family would be imposing on his time? Letting out a deep breath, Karen said, “Babies, I don’t know if that’s a good idea. Mr. Dom may already have plans.”

The dejected looks on their faces broke her heart. Again she asked herself what was she going to do?

Ashley timidly suggested, “Maybe Mr. Dom could come over for a little bit.” Anything was better than nothing. She and Kyle’s main objective was to get her mother and Dom to spend more time together so they could fall in love and get married.

“Yeah, Mommy, could you ask him?” Kyle pleaded, his large eyes filling with tears.

Oh God, these kids were killing her softly. Kissing Kyle’s forehead and then gently stroking Ashley’s cheek, Karen conceded. “Okay, I’ll talk to Mr. Dom.”

“Yay!” Ashley and Kyle screamed as they started jumping up and down on the bed.

Karen laughed. “Stop jumping on my bed!”

Both kids flopped down at the same time and kissed their mom on the cheek. “Thanks, Mommy! You’re the best!” Ashley sang, happy at the prospect that things were going right along with her and Kyle’s plan.

“Don’t thank me yet. We don’t know what Mr. Dom is going to say.”

“He’s going to say yes,” Kyle said incredulously. He had to say yes. He had to spend the holiday with them so they could be like a real family, if only for one day.

“Like I said, we don’t know what Mr. Dom is going to say. So please don’t go getting your hopes up. Okay?”

Both children nodded and agreed in unison even though they didn’t want to. “Okay.”

“Now get out of my bed so we all can get some rest.”

“Mommy, can we sleep with you tonight?” Kyle asked looking at his mother with hopeful eyes.

Shaking her head, Karen gently tugged on Kyle’s ear. “You know you really can be adorable when you want to?”

Taking that to mean yes, Kyle pulled down the sheet and comforter. Looking at his sister he said, “Ashley, come on and get under the covers so we can go to sleep.”

Ashley followed her younger brother’s lead and nestled herself in her mom’s comfy bed. “Thanks Mom for letting us sleep with you.”

“Baby, you’re welcome.” Gesturing for Ashley to take her planner and set it on the nightstand, she told Kyle to turn off the lamp on the nightstand closest to him.

Nestling under the covers, it felt good to have her babies so close to her. These moments in time were so special to Karen. Ashley and Kyle were growing up so fast. Before long they would be too big to snuggle up with her when they were feeling a need to be close to her. Smiling to herself, Karen closed her eyes and inhaled the fresh scent of recently bathed children. Yes, she would enjoy this tender moment that will all too soon be no more.

Pulling into a parking space in front of Cosi’s, Karen surveyed the lot. A smile touched her lips as she spotted Dom’s truck in the lot. Turning off the ignition, she reached for her purse on the passenger’s seat. Before stepping out the car Karen pulled out her compact to check her lipstick. A groan escaped her lips when she glanced at her tired eyes. She hadn’t gotten a bit of sleep with Kyle and Ashley in bed with her.

Sleeping with those two was like trying to sleep while riding a bicycle. It was impossible. Between having an arm slung over her neck, an elbow to the rib cage, and a knee in her butt, sleep was hard to come by. By three in the morning Karen had given up on getting any sleep. Easing out of bed she decided to go downstairs and prepare the kids’ lunch. After doing that she went down into the basement to put a load of laundry in the wash. Somewhere around four-thirty her eyes became so heavy it felt like they were being manually forced shut. It seemed like the second her head hit the pillow on her sofa Ashley was shaking her shoulder telling her to get up and get dressed before they were late for school.

Flipping the compact shut, Karen got out of the car. A part of her had wanted to cancel so bad so she could go home and take a much needed nap. She even went so far as to dial Dom’s number to cancel their lunch date. But before she could hit send, she realized how much she really wanted to see him. So what if she looked and felt like the walking dead. Something told her as soon as she saw Dom with his fine self, she would perk right up.

Aaaattt! Wrong answer! What little bit of spark she had fizzled when she saw some big haired, big fake boobied chick all up in Dom’s face the second she walked in the door. This was so not happening. Hidden emotions that Karen had thought were buried years ago began to bubble to the surface. She could feel a sharp, knife- like prick in the center of her chest. For a split second, Karen almost bolted out the door and back to her car. He wouldn’t even have known she had been there. His back was toward her. Besides it wasn’t like he was
her
man, anyway. Why was she getting all bent out of shape?
Well because…because he is my man! And that big boobed chick can’t have him!

Shoulders back and chest out, Karen walked right up to Dom. He had better not act like he didn’t know who she was either. She wasn’t playing no games with Dom. If he gave the slightest hint he was trying to play her, she was kicking him to the curb. For now she was going to play it cool. She wasn’t going to come out swinging. Flashing the prettiest smiled, she said, “Hey Dom.”

Dom had pivoted so fast that Karen had to take a quick step back or she would have ended up on the floor. What he did next melted every ugly doubt away.

Hearing his name being called in that familiar, soft sexy voice was just what he needed at that moment. Running into Gina Tucci had taken him by surprise. It had been years since he’d seen or heard from her. She was going on and on about all the good times they had like they had parted on amicable terms. So when he heard Karen’s voice it was a pleasant disruption from Gina’s trip down memory lane.

Spinning around he looked down at Karen, his dark eyes twinkling with excitement at seeing her. And before he knew it he was picking her up in her bulking light gray down coat and giving her a tight squeeze. He was not disappointed when she wrapped her arms around his neck as he held her up against his body. Giving her a quick kiss on the lips, he just had to let her know, “Baby, I missed you like crazy. What took you so long getting to me?”

Karen giggled. Leaning back, she kissed his nose. “Aw, baby I missed you more.” Hugging him again Karen rested her chin against his shoulder, giving her an up close and personal view of Miss Thang. Sure enough, just as she’d thought, big hair, big boobie girl was giving her the evil eye.
Interesting.
Karen stared right back. Lifting an amused brow, she said, “I’m sorry love, but traffic was a mess. I got here as fast as I could.”

Sliding down the front of his leather-covered chest, she took his hand in hers as she faced the other woman. “Dom, who’s this?”

Was that a hint of jealousy I heard in my baby’s voice? How cute.
“Karen, this is Gina Tucci. We used to date back in the day. We were even going to get married. Gina, this is my lady, Karen Johnston.”

The gleam of satisfaction glittering in Gina’s eyes was doused. She hadn’t expected for Dom to be so upfront and honest with his
lady
. She had wanted to be the one to throw up in Karen’s face that she and Dom had had a serious past. One not to be bested, Gina just had to brag, “Yes, Dommie and I were engaged. I was his
first
love.” The evil smirk she wore was meant to get under Karen’s skin. And it did.

Oh no this stank heifer didn’t!
She just couldn’t say, ‘it’s nice to meet you.’ No the ignorant hussy had to throw up in my face that she was Dom’s first love. I see I’m gonna have to shut this chick down.
Karen’s smile was saccharine sweet. “Girl, that was some teenage, puppy love stuff. Dom’s all grown up now and getting some grown up loving. Umm…you may have been his first love…but I’m his last and only love.” Karen cocked her head to the side and gave Gina a wink. “Lucky me, huh?” She couldn’t help the tiny smirk curling her lips.
I crack me up. I sure ‘nuff can talk some trash.