Chapter Fifteen

 

Faith

 

“I can’t believe you’re seriously making me wear a blindfold,” I said, laughing. We boarded the jet a couple hours ago, but Dominic didn’t believe that I wouldn’t peek out the window.

Dominic chuckled. “We’re about to land. Keep that blindfold on.”

I loved surprises. I could feel the plane descend, and then a couple minutes later there was a bump from the landing. Wherever we were at, we only had one day before we had to be back in New York for the fights. I kept hoping my time with Dominic would make him see that life could be so much better than what he’d been living. Granted, he had all the money he could ever want, but looking over your shoulder everywhere you went wasn’t a way to live. In New York, he constantly had to fight to be on top. What kind of life was that?

Once the plane came to a complete stop, Dominic took off my blindfold. I’d gotten used to him wearing T-shirts and shorts and his hair a wind-blown mess. I had one more day to enjoy it with his bright green T-shirt and khaki shorts. He’d even gotten a sexy tan the past couple of days. Don’t get me wrong, I loved him in his suits, but when he was in them it was all business. I didn’t want our vacation to end.

“We’re here,” he said, giving me a kiss. He motioned to the window and I looked out.

Excitement bubbled in my veins. I’d recognize the small county airport near my house any day. “Did you seriously just fly me home?”

Dominic’s smile made everything inside of me tighten. “I did. Your parents are expecting us. I called them the other day and said I was bringing you.” He took my hands and helped me up.

Mouth gaping, I stared at him in awe. “You called my parents?”

He nodded. “Figured it was time for them to get to know me. Plus, I can only imagine how much they miss you. I don’t know what it’s like to have normal parents.”

His were far from normal. After his father committed suicide to escape jail time, his mother moved to Wyoming to be with Layla. His mother was part of a mafia family as well. To this day, only a select few knew that it was Dominic’s mother who killed Cadoc Cartwright’s son. With Cadoc trying to get close to me, that was a bit of information I wish I didn’t know.

I kissed Dominic and smiled. “Thank you. I can’t wait to see them.”

The pilot stepped out of the cockpit and opened the plane door. Dominic shook his hand and they exchanged kind words while I bounced with joy. The second I stepped off the plane, I breathed in the familiar scent of home. Dominic grabbed our bags and pointed over a black limo that waited by the gate.

“I rented a beach house near your parents. We can stop by there first to drop off our stuff and then walk down.”

The limo driver stood by the door and opened it as we approached. He was an older gentleman with white hair, wearing a black chauffeur hat and suit. I didn’t even know we had limo service in Belle Haven. I didn’t want to know how much Dominic paid so we could have a private driver.

The driver nodded his head and smiled as he opened the door. I slid into the limo while Dominic shook the driver’s hand and gave him the address to the beach house which was only about five minutes away from the airport. I felt like a kid at Christmas. There were so many times I wanted to visit home but Philip never wanted to leave the city, not unless it was for business. Thinking about it now, it made me hate him even more. I’d put my life on hold for him. I didn’t feel that way with Dominic.

Dominic got in beside me and kissed my hand. “I’m glad you’re happy.”

I sighed. “More than happy. I still can’t believe you called my parents. What all did you tell them?” He cleared his throat and looked away. “Uh-oh, that can’t be good,” I said.

He shrugged. “I didn’t go into great detail, but I gave them the run down on Philip and what he did to you. They were pretty angry, but also thankful that I was able to help you. They’re really excited about seeing you.”

I laughed. “And you, I bet. My mother always thought you were hot.” That made him laugh. It was a sound I knew I wouldn’t hear often once we got back to New York.

It didn’t take long to get to the rental house. It was literally two houses down from my parents. I knew the owners back when I was a kid. Their daughter, Amy Murray, used to babysit me when my parents wanted to go on their date nights. Now that her parents were gone, she used their house as a beach rental instead of selling it. If anything were to happen to my parents, I’d want to keep their house too. There were so many memories there.

The driver pulled into the driveway and Dominic took my hand, helping me out of the car. I looked up at the house and over at my parents’ house. It felt good to be back. Dominic grabbed our bags out of the trunk, and the driver drove away.

“I’m going to take these inside,” Dominic offered. “Then we can head over to your parents.”

I nodded and took a deep breath. “Okay. I’m going to the water.”

Dominic carried our bags into the house while I walked around the side of the Murray house to the sandy beach. I slipped off my sandals and smiled as my feet sunk in the sand. We’d just gotten back from Aruba, but nothing could beat the feeling of home and the sound of the waves as they crashed against the shore. I made my way down to the water and stood at the edge. There were gray clouds on the horizon, heading straight toward us. A storm was brewing and in a strange, ominous way I felt it was a sign; I didn’t like it.

“What are you thinking about?” Dominic asked from behind.

I jumped and sucked in a breath. I hadn’t heard him approach. “Nothing, really,” I lied, turning to face him.

He nodded toward my parents’ house. “Ready?” Taking his hand, we slowly walked down the beach. Brows furrowed, he looked over at me. “Something wrong?”

I squeezed his hand. “You don’t think we’re moving too fast, do you?”

Stopping mid-step, he stepped in front of me, his eyes serious. “What brought that on?”

“I don’t know,” I said, shrugging. “Everything seems too good to be true. I keep waiting for something bad to happen.”

Dominic’s expression softened. “I agree things between us have moved pretty quickly, but I’ve never cared about someone the way I do you. It feels right.”

That it did which scared me even more. “You don’t miss your freedom? I know you’re not used to just one woman.” I’d already been through one cheating husband. I got over Philip’s betrayal easily, but that was because I wasn’t truly in love with him. Being with Dominic was a whole new ball game. I’d be devastated if he ever hurt me like that.

Dominic cupped my cheeks in his strong hands. “I don’t miss a single second of it, Faith. The way I see it, you’re stuck with me.”

I leaned into his touch. “I can live with that.”

He kissed me gently and then nipped my bottom lip. “Good. I don’t ever want you to doubt me. I’m not like Philip. I’m smart enough to realize a good thing when I have it.”

“Happy to hear it.”

“Faith!” a voice shouted. I looked over Dominic’s shoulder toward my house where my mother stood on the deck, waving her hands wildly in the air. “You’re finally home!” She had on her pink and white flowered apron that used to belong to my grandmother. My father opened the door and stepped out with a big smile on his face.

Taking Dominic’s hand, I pulled him toward the house and laughed. “Here we go. Hope you’re ready for this.”