Forget Me Not (9 page)
Dominic’s usually lively eyes sparkled with trepidation as he held up his cell phone. “You called.”
Dominic twisted his fingers together as he stared down at them. His stomach was in knots, rolling, rebelling. He had already been to the bathroom once to splash cold water on his face.
It did no good.
He was still so nervous that he was on the verge of puking. The crowd of people around him was growing thicker, the noise rising to deafening levels. Dominic had the insane urge to cover his ears with his hands until he couldn’t hear a thing.
Music started somewhere, and a hush fell over the crowd. Dominic lifted his head and glanced over his shoulder toward the back of the large auditorium. He was alone in a room full of people, and he didn’t want to be alone.
The lights dimmed.
Dominic’s heart started to beat a little faster. He grabbed the camera he had brought with him and pointed it toward the front of the room. As anxious as he was, he didn’t want to miss a thing.
Just as the dark curtain began to rise up into the air over the stage, Dominic heard a rustling. He turned to look and the relief that filled him was almost audible.
“What took you so long?” he whispered harshly as he took the pink wrapped bundle from Keely’s hands and cradled it to his chest. “The curtain is already going up.”
“She was fussy.”
Well, that explained a lot.
“Here, you hold the camera.” Dominic handed the camera over to Keely then lifted the bundle up higher in his arms. He pulled the edge of the pink blanket back, smiling down at the adorable sleeping face. He would never get tired of seeing that face. Luckily, as new as it was, he had years to look forward to staring at the small little cherub.
“Dom!” Keely’s voice was pure excitement. “It’s starting.”
Dominic’s head came up. He looked toward the stage, a smile spreading across his face as he saw the line of small children dance out onto the stage.
“Oh, look, Dom,” Keely whispered. “Look how precious they all are.”
First graders dressed as elves and fairies danced around, singing off tune but loud enough to be heard at the back of the room. They danced and they sang and they put their whole hearts into their routine.
Dom watched with awe, impressed beyond measure even when the children missed a step or sang too loudly. They were so cute, and they were trying so hard. Everyone was excited to see the play. It was standing room only.
When the music finally came to an end and all of the children took a bow to an applause that probably shook the rafters, a slim blonde-haired woman stepped out onto the stage, a microphone in her hand.
“I want to thank you all for coming,” the woman began. “Tonight means a lot to me.”
Dominic waved with one hand when the woman’s eyes scanned out over the crowd, her soft green eyes landing on him. He held the small bundle in his arms up with the other one.
“When I was first approached about opening an art program at the elementary school, I was in full support of it. I never dreamed that it would eventually turn into an arts and communication center.”
The woman stopped speaking for a moment when the crowd broke out into a loud applause. “With a generous grant from Murphy and Associates we were able to build this state-of-the-art facility. The money we have raised in the community over the last year will fund the programs here for years to come, benefiting any child that wants to attend our classes.”
Dominic’s heart clenched when he spotted the tears in the woman’s green eyes. He hated seeing tears in those beautiful eyes. It had the ability to knot his gut every time. He’d slay dragons to insure those green eyes always sparkled with happiness.
“My parents were taken from me before I ever got to know them, but through the love and dedication of the two men that accepted the responsibility of raising me and my brother Danny, I was gifted with a life that was filled with love and happiness. And I hope here at the Angela and Scott Baxter Arts and Communication Center, every child can find happiness.”
When the crowd went wild with applause, Dominic stood with everyone else. He stepped over and bumped shoulders with Keely as he lifted the baby in his arms and turned her toward the stage.
“Look, Angie,” he said as he bounced the newborn infant gently in his arms, “there’s Mommy and Daddy.”
Green eyes sparkled as they settled on Dominic and then Keely. Dominic couldn’t help but feel pride in the young woman that stood on the stage. She was just as beautiful on the inside as she was on the outside.
Dominic put that fully at Keely’s feet.
If Keely hadn’t taken a chance on him, none of this would have been possible. Not the beautiful woman on the stage or the proud man that stood at her side looking down at her with as much love as Dominic felt for Keely.
It wouldn’t have been possible to watch a young boy go off to marine boot camp and see the man he turned into when he came home.
It wouldn’t have been possible to have put the gold band on Keely’s finger twenty-five years ago or watch his hair turn from reddish blond to gray, his smooth face wrinkle with the passage of time and lines of laughter.
None of this would have been possible if Keely James hadn’t forgiven him for forgetting what was important. Dominic had never made that mistake again.
He knew exactly what was important in life.
THE END
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Stormy believes the only thing sexier than a man in cowboy boots is two or three men in cowboy boots. She also believes in love at first sight, soul mates, true love, and happy endings.
You can usually find her cuddled in bed with a book in her hand and a puppy in her lap, or on her laptop, creating the next sexy man for one of her stories. Stormy welcomes comments from readers. You can find her website at www.stormyglenn.com.
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