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“Huh?”
“He followed me there and begged me to come home. He banned the woman from our clubhouse and told the president of the group we were hosting the parties for that she wasn’t allowed back. When I told him he shouldn’t bother, that it was too late to undo everything, he broke down and cried. He knew I was going to leave him, and he lost it. In his mind, I was the one throwing our family away, and he hadn’t done anything to warrant it.”
“Did you get him to see things differently?”
“Eventually,” she says.
“How?”
“Let’s just say I gave him a taste of his own medicine. The point is, that this time he truly didn’t mean to hurt me. He was scared. He still is. That can be hard for a man to accept. He loves me and he’s terrified he’s going to lose me. I think in some ways he’s been worried about that ever since the night I caught them kissing. It has led him to make decisions with our kids that I don’t entirely agree with—especially Dom. Let’s hope for your sake that Dom doesn’t take after his father.”
“I haven’t decided I’m going to go back, Nicole.”
“You will,” she says, like she knows positively that I am. “Just like I know that Dragon is terrified right now and the only way he will talk to King is if I’m there with him,” she sighs. “Which, I will be.”
“Wow.”
“You can say that again. I can do it, I know I can, but if King’s mother is there, it may not end well.”
“I guess if you can face that, I could go to the doctor.”
“That’s the spirit. I’ll take you. After you get a pregnancy test, we can have ice cream and you can hold my hand while I call Dragon. We can ask him to meet us at your and Dom’s house and you can tell my son the good news.”
“He might not think the fact that I’m pregnant is a good thing,” I point out.
“Nonsense. He’ll be on cloud nine. Still, I was talking about the fact that you’re coming back home.”
“I’m not sure I am,” I argue.
“You are, you’re just scared. We’ll work through that. In your heart, you know you aren’t going to give Dom up to that girl without a fight.”
“I don’t think I could take him hurting me again for her, Nicole—even if there is a child involved,” I whisper the one thing that is truly terrifying me. If Dom picked Gabby over me after all of this, it would kill me.
“Dom won’t let you down. If you think I’m wrong, look at the flowers he’s sent you. Dom’s never sent flowers a day in his life. Not to Gabby, that’s for sure.”
“He didn’t?”
“Not even once,” she confirms. “Gabby complained about it incessantly—even though she thought she was being slick and had no idea she was berating Dom in front of us all. Poor Thomas would send her flowers often after that. I swear, as a mother, it is a daily struggle not to choke your sons when they get old enough to date.” She lets out a heartfelt sigh. “Still, you need to know that Dom never put effort into a relationship before, no matter what you think. He had no problem kicking Gabby, almost violently, to the curb and sleeping with every twinkie he could find when everything blew up. With you, he’s asked me, your father, your brother and my bull-headed husband for help. If you can’t see the difference in how broken he is at losing you compared to her, you’re not as smart as I give you credit for.”
“He really asked them for help?”
“Dom loves you, Thea. I think he has for longer than you even know. You know in your heart that you’ve been in love with him from day one. You’re not going to walk away. Quit punishing you both. Stand with Dom and make a relationship that can stand against whatever storms you’ll face. If he had cheated on you, I’d be the first to tell you to let it go. He didn’t do that. He’s not even thinking about it. He wants you and only you. I know how big of a mess he is right now. I think the term is man-up, but honestly, us women do it much better. We’re the glue in any relationship.”
“That sucks,” I mutter.
“It does, but let’s face it, women keep men going. They’re complete messes without us.”
“I do love him,” I admit softly.
“I know you do, sweetheart.”
“I’m not sure meeting at mine and Dom’s is a good idea, Nic,” I mutter, knowing she’s right. I am going to go back home. I can’t give Dom up to Gabby without a fight.
“Why’s that?”
“The last time Dragon was there it didn’t work out so well. He and Dom got into a physical fight. I had to shoot a gun to break them up.”
Nicole’s mouth opens and then closes. She shakes her head and stares at me. “I guess that will just give me another reason to rake Dragon over the coals.”
