“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.
Chapter 12
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.