Say Yes To The Fake Date (How To Win At Love #3)

20. Dominic

20

DOMINIC

After holding the baby for not even ten minutes—that’s all King would give me—I know exactly what I want. Hell, I knew before, but holding little Macy just made it even more true. More than anything, I want Lucy to be my wife and the mother of my child. Thinking back, I wish she had come to see the baby. I would have given anything to see her holding the newborn. But maybe it’s for the best. Truth be told, I’d probably take one look at her with a baby in her arms and throw her over my shoulder, take her home, and beg her to let me breed her.

“What’s up with you?”

I’m watching the passing trees out the window of Gabe’s truck. I rode to the hospital with my brother this morning, and we’re now on our way into Whiskey Run. “Nothing’s up with me.”

He taps his fingers on the steering wheel. “Bullshit.”

I turn in my seat and look at him. “What’s up with you?”

He’s not fazed by the question. “I’m not the one acting like someone kicked my puppy.”

“Have you ever loved someone so much that you know they deserve better than you, but you can’t give them up?”

He clenches the steering wheel. “Damn. Going straight to the hard questions, aren’t you?”

I turn in my seat and wait for his answer.

He finally nods his head. “Yeah. I have.”

“What’d you do?”

He shakes his head. “Well, nothing. I haven’t done anything.”

“Well, that’s fucked up, Gabe. Nothing?”

He shrugs as he drives with one hand on the steering wheel and the other arm on the door. “Well, I’m working on being the man she deserves. I think that’s all you can do, right?’

Instead of answering, I look out the window, lost in thought. I think about Lucy and everything we’ve been through. She shouldn’t forgive me, I know that. But she did. We shouldn’t be so good together, but we are. It’s like I was living a life in black and white when Lucy was away from me, and now it feels like I’ve been given a second chance. I can’t fuck it up. I won’t let myself.

Gabe interrupts my thoughts. “I’m guessing we’re talking about Lucy.”

“Yeah,” I grunt.

He laughs. “Buddy, this is all I got to say about it. She was with another man that hit her.” He points to his face. “He hit her right in the face.”

Anger bubbles up inside me just thinking about it. “Yeah.”

“If she was with you, would you ever hit her?”

I jerk my head around so fast. “What kind of question is that? Of course I wouldn’t hit her. Hell, I want to kill the bastard that did it.”

He nods, tapping his hand on the steering wheel. “Right. You would love and protect her for the rest of your life. You’re different with her, Dom. We’ve all seen it.”

I answer him simply. “She makes me happy.”

He looks at me across the console. “Right, well, it’s obvious you make her happy too. So I think that’s your answer.”

He makes it sound so easy, but I know it’s not. “ Your logic is off. You think I should be with her because we make each other happy. What if that’s not enough? What if I come between her and her mom? She’s going to resent me one day.”

He seems to think about it. “Do you want to spend the next ten years without her?”

“Hell no.”

He chuckles. “Right. So fix this, Dom. Get the girl. Have the babies and be happy. I know you don’t think you deserve to be happy, but you do. And if her mom doesn’t want her to be happy, that’s on her. You and Lucy need to live your lives.”

He stops in the street in front of the garage. I run my hands down the front of my legs and then open the door. Before I get out, I stop to ask him, “What about you? Who were you in love with that you didn’t think you deserved?”

He opens his mouth and then closes it real quick. “It doesn’t matter.”

I get out, shut the door, and then lean into the window of his truck. “Hey, what do you make of Chrissy? You think she’s going to be okay?”

His head jerks up, and his whole body is tense. “What do you mean?”

I knew it. I’ve had a hunch there was something going on with him and Chrissy, but they’ve both denied it. Judging by his reaction, they’re hiding something. “I’m not sure really. Maybe it’s the new baby and it will blow over.”

“What will blow over?”

“She wants to have a baby, and she’s worried about being a good mom. I told her she would be the best, but she seemed off, I don’t know. I told her not to do anything crazy. Has she said anything to you?”

He shakes his head. “No, nothing. Look, I need to bolt. Call Lucy and fix your shit.”

I barely get out of his window and he leaves marks in the road from pulling out so hard I mutter, “Yeah, you and Chrissy need to fix your shit too.” I know he didn’t hear me but hopefully he knows that he has to do something. We won’t let him get away with hurting Chrissy, not that he would do it on purpose, but I can totally see him getting in his own way with her. I slam my hand through my hair. Fuck, one more thing to worry about.

I watch his taillights turn the corner and notice he’s driving toward Chrissy’s house instead of his own. As I’m walking toward the garage, I’m debating what I should do. Should I call Lucy? Text her? Or go over to her mother’s house? I need to make sure she knows what I’m thinking, and the best way to do it is to talk to her mom while I’m at it. I’m not sure what I’m going to say to her, but it would be so much easier if I had her mom's blessing.

I unlock my truck and get in when my phone rings. I debate on answering it. It’s not a number I know, and I don’t want to go out and have to tow someone right now. But just the thought of leaving someone stranded has me reluctantly answering the call. “Dom’s Garage.”

“Dominic, this is Kathy Raven, Lucy’s mom.”

I sit up a little taller. “Hey, Ms. Raven, is everything okay?”

She blows out a breath. “No, everything is not okay.” She pauses, and I hear her take a deep breath. “I hope I’m doing the right thing.”

I’m tense as I wait for her to continue. “What is it? Is Lucy okay?”

I’m holding my phone in a death grip. Just the fact that Lucy’s mom is calling me tells me something is not right. I start my truck as I wait for her to tell me.

“Dominic, Ray is here.”

“Where are you? Where’s Lucy?”

“She’s here. We’re at my house, and he just showed up out of the blue. They’re just talking, but I can’t see this ending well. She wasn’t happy to see him.”

“I’m on my way.”

I hang up the phone and stomp on the gas. My first instinct is to kill the fucker, but I remind myself that I need to stay out of prison. If I want any kind of future with Lucy, I need to protect her while staying out of jail, but I’m not making any promises. If he’s touched her, all bets are off.

My blood is boiling as I drive toward Lucy’s mom’s house. I’m doing my best to calm myself, but I know it’s not going to last. I’m not sure what this Ray is doing here, but I’m not going to miss this opportunity to teach him a lesson. When I’m done with him, he’s not going to even think of Lucy again… and he sure as hell won’t reach out to her. He’s going to have to go through me.