Karen beamed. “Thanks Patty, I owe you one.”
Leaving the small diner, Karen and Dom strolled hand in hand to his pick-up truck. They’d enjoyed a delicious lunch of French onion soup and roast beef sandwiches. Dom opened the passenger side door and helped Karen into his work truck. Shutting the door, he rounded the front of the vehicle and climbed in. He immediately turned on the heat after starting the truck.
“Do you have to get right back to work?”
“No, Patty said she’d cover for me.”
“Cool. I need you to take a ride home with me.”
Karen shot him a suspicious glance. “Dom…”
He let out a frustrated sigh. He wasn’t thrilled with this waiting until they were married to make love again business. What was the big deal? They’d already consummated the relationship. But he would go along with her explanation that they had the rest of their lives to make love once they got married. Though she hadn’t said it, he believed her decision to wait was also born out of her wanting to keep Ashley and Kyle close until after the mess with Gregory’s parents blew over. And he knew making love under the same roof with her children wasn’t about to happen until they were married and officially a family. Cold showers would continue to be his nightly companion for the next few weeks.
He grinned over at her. “Calm down girl, I just want you to see something.”
“Okay,” she mumbled, looking out the window.
“How are things going with planning the wedding?”
Shifting in her seat, she took in Dom’s profile. Lucky for him he was so darn handsome and she couldn’t stay mad at him if she wanted to. And mad with him she had been. He didn’t want no parts of planning the wedding. He had handed her his black American Express card, told her to get and do whatever was needed to pull off their March wedding.
Because it was going to be a small ceremony, they were able to rent a small ballroom at the Four Seasons on the Parkway where the wedding and reception would take place. Pastor Richardson had agreed to perform the ceremony. So the only things left to do were to meet with the hotel’s caterer, find a florist and photographer, and pick out dresses. Dom volunteered to take Kyle shopping for a suit. That was his extent of helping out with things.
Using her fingers to make quotation marks, she reminded him, “I could tell you none of your business since you don’t want no parts in the planning of your wedding.”
“Ouch! Damn baby, you don’t have to be so cold.”
“I’m not cold; just telling the truth.” Although she pretended to give him a hard time, she understood his time was tied up with working fulltime and on a side project doing a remodeling job for a friend. Rattling off the short list, she told him all that had to be done.
Pulling up in front of his house, Dom killed the engine. Reaching out, he stroked her check with a knuckle. “I’m sorry I can’t be there to help you.”
“Don’t be. My mom and your mom are really helping me out a lot. Everything is under control.”
Kissing her lips, he said, “Good.”
Getting out of the car, he went to the passenger side to help Karen out. Once they were inside, they both shed their coats.
Karen rubbed her hands together. “Do you want me to make some hot chocolate?”
“Sure,” he told her as he went into his bedroom.
Going into the kitchen, Karen went into the fridge and took out the milk. Rinsing out the tea kettle on the stove, she poured the milk in, estimating how much was needed for two cups of the sweet hot beverage.
Hearing Dom come back into the room, she turned the kettle on before facing him. He was standing there with a hand behind his back and big cheesy grin on his handsome face. “What are you up to?” she asked.
“Come and see,” he taunted.
Karen sashayed the few steps it took her to reach Dom. Tilting her chin up she coaxed, “Let me see what you got.”
Slowly he brought his large hand from behind his back. Karen covered her mouth with her hands. In the center of his palm sat a navy velvet ring box. The first tear slid down her cheek when he opened the box and placed the solitaire two carat diamond on her finger.
Her voice trembled when she spoke. “Dom, it’s beautiful.”
Taking her hand, he kissed her fingertips. “So I take it you like it.”
Karen threw her arms around Dom’s neck. “I love it!” Planting kisses over his face, she chanted, “I love it, love it, loooove it.”
“I’m glad. It belonged to my dad’s mother.” The diamond ring had been one of the first extravagant gifts Luka Peretti had given his wife Rose once the construction business had started turning a profit.