It was Ashley who asked, “Can we call you Daddy, Mr. Dom?”
The lump in Dom’s throat was making it so difficult to breathe. Kyle looked up at him, his face contorted with anxiety, ready to crumble into a heap of tears if he was told no. Untangling himself, Dom kneeled down so he’d be at eye level with the children. Looking up at Karen, he waited for her nod of approval. Rubbing the top of Kyle’s hair and gently tugging on one of Ashley’s braids, he flashed a smile so wide, you would have thought that he was named Father of the Year. “Daddy it is.”
All Dom could do was laugh when he went tumbling over from the force of Kyle and Ashley lunging into his arms and grabbing him around the neck. This felt so good, so right, to him.
Karen laughed at Dom and the children. Ashley and Kyle were just as excited as she was that he had asked her to marry him. The source of their excitement was the prospect of having a father they could call their own. In her heart she knew she was a great mom, had even tried to be a father to them, a role for which she really hadn’t been equipped. What did she know about being a father? The man who had helped create her wasn’t capable of fathering a fish. She had no example growing up. Even though she and her sister turned out just fine, they would have definitely benefited from the influence of a strong male presence in their lives. Perhaps she would have seen all the little red flags before she married Gregory had there been a man around.
All of these thoughts floating around in her head were all moot points. She didn’t have to stress herself with the task of being both mother and father. She had a man who loved her children so much he had stepped up to the plate, accepting the task, way before she’d even given him the time of day. He had been a big influence on Kyle’s change in behavior by spending time with the boy, doing things a father would do with him. And with Ashley, he showed her what it meant to be a daddy’s girl.
Clapping her hands, Karen brought the rowdiness to an end. From the looks of it, the three of them would have been down there for the next hour. “Come on and get up so Daddy and I can finish breakfast.” The kids giggled at the way she said daddy while playfully rolling her eyes.
Dom stood, taking each of them by the hand and pulling them up on their feet. “Ok Mommy” they said in unison before hugging Dom one last time and running off into the bedroom.
Karen went to Dom and without saying a word, wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her cheek against his broad chest. Without hesitation, Dom hugged her back. She didn’t know if she was imagining things or not, but it felt as if she could feel every ounce of love he had for her permeating through every pore in her body. Closing her eyes, she melted into his large frame. She willed every ounce of love she had for him to be infused into every part of his being.
Tilting Karen’s chin up, Dom leaned down and kissed her. Karen moaned. The kiss was so sweet, so tender.
“I love you, Karen.”
“I love you back, Dom.”
Eavesdropping in the hallway, Ashley and Kyle covered their mouths, giggling. They were finally getting the daddy they wanted.
Chapter 26
Two Weeks Later
“Six ball, corner pocket,” Nick said, leaning over the pool table and striking the ball with his cue stick. Standing up, he grinned at his partner, Langston. “Too bad we’re not playing these chumps for money.”
Kevin laughed, barking out an expletive. It was true, he and his partner were getting the pants beat off of them. Slapping Dom on the back, he defended their losing streak. “My man got other things on his mind.” A devilish smirk on his face, he said, “I married an Avery girl, so I know what’s on his mind.”
Dom gave Kevin a fist bump. “Word. Those Avery girls are B.A.D.”
Dom wasn’t even about to front. Karen had his nose so wide open a Septa bus could drive in one nostril and out the other.
Langston nearly choked on the swig of beer he’d just swallowed. Clearing his throat he looked at his brother-in-law. “Six months ago you said you were never getting married…ever,” he reminded him.
Yeah, he had remembered saying it. He had even believed it himself. After the heartache Gina had put him through, he’d sworn off marriage. He didn’t believe there was a woman out there who could change his mind or his heart. Shrugging broad shoulders, Dom simply said, “I was wrong.” And man was he wrong. Every breath he breathed was for Karen.
Sitting the cue stick down on the pool table, Nick went over to the mini-fridge in the corner and pulled out two beers. Going over to Dom, he handed him a beer and then twisted the cap off his before taking a long sip. He understood Dom perfectly well. He’d thought the same thing before meeting Summer. But then she came along, turning his world upside down. And he hadn’t regretted one minute of it.