Second Chance at Love(9)

Dom had been promising him for weeks that he would take him to one of the construction sites so he could see what he did for a living. When he had tried explaining what a structural engineer did, Kyle couldn’t quite grasp the concept. So Dom decided it would be better to show him.



Kyle had thought he was in some sort of trouble when his teacher told him to go to the principal’s office. Walking slowly to the office, the small child fought back tears. I didn’t do anything. Johnnie pulled Lauren’s hair. Not me!



To Kyle’s surprise he was called to the office to get a message from his mother. Dom would be picking him up from school because his mom had to take his sister to her doctor’s appointment at three o’clock. Kyle’s day got even better when Dom told him he was taking him to a construction site where he was working.



Double checking to make sure the protective gear was properly in place on Kyle’s head, Dom began to give him a lecture. “I’m going to walk you around the site so you can see the men working. Stay close to me and don’t touch anything.” Placing his hand on Kyle’s shoulder he gave him a gentle squeeze. “You ready?”



“I’m ready Mr. Dom.” Dom smiled down at Kyle when he slid his tiny hand into his large hand.



“Alright. Let’s go.”



For the next thirty minutes Kyle toured the construction site with Dom. The young boy’s ears eagerly listened as Dom explained what each man’s job was and how important each job was when it came to building a structure. He also took this opportunity to point out how the men worked as a team and watched out for each other to make sure they stayed safe on the site. He also stressed how each man depended on the other to bring a building to completion.



The young boy nodded his head in understanding. “My mommy said me and Ashley need to watch out for each other, too.”



Dom’s mouth curved into a soft smile at the mention of Karen. It had been three days since he’d heard from Karen. He’d given her his number after dropping her off Saturday night. But she hadn’t called until earlier today in a panic about not having anyone to pick up Kyle from school. Ashley’s doctor’s appointment had totally slipped her mind. Dom hadn’t minded at all helping her out of a jam.



“Your mommy is right. You and your sister should watch out for each other.” As Dom was speaking he wondered if Karen would let him be the one to watch out for her. Of course, her family looked out for her, took care of her when needed. But he wanted to be the man who looked after her in ways a mother, stepfather, sister, or friend couldn’t. He wanted her to call on him when she was in need of anything, like she had done today. Crazy as it may have seemed, he wanted to take care of Karen and her children. He wanted to be their rock, their shelter.



“Mr. Dom, what are those men doing?”



Coming out of his reverie, Dom’s eyes followed Kyle’s pointing finger. “Ah, the welders.”



Looking up at Dom, Kyle pleaded, “Can we go over?” The flying sparks looked like miniature fireworks.



Dom saw the glimmer in Kyle’s eye. Walking the young boy within a safe distance, Dom began to explain that the welders were using the blow torches to melt metal to connect plumbing pipes. Dom further stressed that fire was dangerous and should only be handled by a professional like welders.



Seeing the welders in action with their blow torches in hand was pretty cool and the best part of the tour. Kyle felt like a big boy when Dom handed him a pair of protective goggles to put on just like the ones the welders were wearing. He couldn’t wait to get home to show them to his mom and Ashley.





“Mommy, Mommy!” Kyle yelled as he swung open the vehicle door.



Before Dom could stop the boy from getting out the vehicle, he was off and running toward his mother and sister.



Karen and Ashley turned around at the same time as they were about to enter their home. Karen’s face lit up as she watched her son charging toward her. Opening up her arms she caught the running ball of energy. “Hey! I see somebody missed me.” Karen teased.



Sheepishly smiling, Kyle admitted, “Just a little bit.” No way would he admit that although he had had fun with Dom, he had missed his mother. Especially in front of Ashley, she would make fun of him and call him a baby.



“Just a little bit!” Both Karen and Ashley laughed in unison.



Ashley shook her head at her younger brother. Grinning at him, she poked him in the side. “You know you missed Mommy a whole bunch.”



Ticklish as ever, Kyle squirmed. “Did not!”