Las Vegas Sidewinders: Dominic (12 page)

“I don’t know, son,” he said
after a moment. “But I would have tried harder to convince her.”

“I can’t say I’m sorry more
than I already have,” Cody said. “Just tell us what you want us to do.”

“We want to meet him,” Andra
reached out her hand to Brad and he walked back to the couch.

“Are we good?” asked Cody.
“We’re not going to keep him from you, but if there are going to be ongoing
hard feelings, we need to discuss that now. I won’t have my son feeling uncomfortable
about any of this.”

For a moment everyone froze
and Cody looked at them carefully. “You know that I love that boy? You
understand that Brian was my
best
friend—my
brother
—and there is
no question that I’m raising his son as
my
son. There’s no DNA test that
changes the fact that he’s
my son
.”

“No, there’s no doubt about
that,” Brad said quietly before he reached out his hand. Cody hesitated a
moment before shaking it. “I know that you love Brian’s son like your own.”

“Can I meet him now?” Andra asked
softly, her eyes watering. “Please?”

Suze got up and walked to
the bottom of the stairs. “Molly? Will you bring CJ down?”

“Coming!” Molly called back.
Looking at CJ, she said, “How about we finish our game after lunch?”

“Okay.” He got up, grabbing
her hand as they came downstairs. Once at the bottom, he took off running and
skidded to a stop when he noticed there were visitors.

“Hey, buddy.” Cody reached
for him. “Come here. I want you to meet some very special people.”

“Who are they?” CJ looked
curious, glancing at the older people in the room.

“Well, you know how you have
Grandma and Grandpa in Minnesota and Grammy Pammy in South Carolina?”

“Yeah—Grammy Pammy makes the
bestest blueberry pancakes in the whole world!”

Suze smiled at the reference
to her mother’s pancakes; they really were the best.

“Now you have another
grandma and grandpa, Brad and Andra.”

CJ frowned. “But my grandmas
and grandpa are your parents,” he said. “How can I have more?”

“Before you were born,” Suze
pulled him onto her lap. “You had a different daddy, but he had to go to
heaven. Daddy—this Daddy—decided he wanted to be your daddy since you didn’t
have one anymore, so you really have two daddies. Brad and Andra are your first
daddy’s parents.”

CJ looked around the room
curiously. “They’re my
first
daddy’s parents?”

Suze nodded. “Yup.”

“What was my first Daddy’s
name?”

“His name was Brian.” Suze
swallowed hard, willing herself not to cry.

“That’s my middle name!” CJ
said brightly, smiling. “Did he want me to have his name?”

Suze nodded. “He sure did.”

“Why did he go to heaven?”

“Well, you know how we talk
about ‘stranger danger’?” Suze said carefully. “He ran into some strangers who
hurt him so bad he couldn’t get better.”

“Were you sad?”

“We all were,” Cody said
gently. “But now his mother and father wanted to meet you, because they don’t
have any other grandchildren.”

“I like grandparents!” CJ
looked over at them. He got off Suze’s lap and walked towards Andra first. He
extended his hand. “I’m Cody Brian Armstrong. What should I call you?”

Andra blinked back tears as
she looked at the carbon copy of the child she’d lost. “I’m Andra Barnett,” she
said, shaking his hand. “What would you like to call me? You already have
Grandma and Grammy Pammy. Would you like to call me Nana or Grandmother, or
something else?”

CJ wrinkled his nose. “I
don’t like Grandmother—that’s too long. What about just Gran?”

“That fine with me.” Andra
smiled. “Could I have a hug?”

“I like hugs!” He gave her a
big hug before turning to Brad.

“Hey, there, kiddo.” Brad
reached for him, slowly pulling him onto his lap. “What do you think you want
to call me? Gramps? Poppy? Papa?”

“Poppy!” CJ agreed with a
big smile.

“All right then. Poppy it
is!” Brad hugged him tightly and CJ seemed content to let him.

Watching from the kitchen,
Molly felt tears threatening too. She’d never yearned for a baby as badly as
she did right now. Just the thought of having Dom’s baby made her insides turn
to jelly. She’d never been able to carry a baby to term, but she clung to the
hope that it was because Tim had hit her. Maybe she still had time. It seemed
unlikely, but everything that had happened in the last few months had been
unlikely; now she felt like she could do almost anything.

Going back upstairs to give
them some privacy, she pulled out her phone and texted Dom that she was ready
to go.

Dom picked her up twenty
minutes later, and Molly slipped out of the house with a quick good-bye. She
was glad Suze’s ordeal was over. Of course, she and Cody still had their
marriage to work on, but Molly figured they would tackle one issue at a time.
In the meantime, she was thinking ahead to the rest of the day.

“We have no food in the
house,” she told Dom. “Want to get groceries?”

 “Sure. Where do you
want to go?”

“I don’t know. Tim and I
always shopped in Henderson, never in Las Vegas, so we shouldn’t run into
anyone I know, but anything is possible.”

“Look,” he reached over and
took her hand. “You can’t live in hiding. You’ve filed for divorce and he’s
obviously been served since those guys promptly showed up at Toli’s. Now we
just have to wait for the court date, and then it’ll all be over.”

“I hope so.”

“Baby, I’m not going to let
anything happen to you.”

“In a few months, you’re
going to be on the road, sometimes for a week or more at a time. He’ll wait
until you’re gone. Don’t underestimate him.”

Dom was quiet for a while,
thinking about what she said. The truth was, the only way to really protect her
was to leave Las Vegas. He could probably make Coach understand why he needed
to go, but he was contractually bound to the Sidewinders for two years, and he
knew the chances of anyone else taking him right now were slim to none.

“What are you thinking?” she
asked.

“I’d feel better if you
weren’t in Las Vegas,” He said. “But I just don’t think I can make that happen
this year.”

“Dom!” She squeezed his
hand. “I don’t expect you to leave your job! This is where you have to be.”

He nodded. “Yeah but if
something happens to you, I don’t know if I’ll be able to play.”

“Let’s not think about it,
okay? We have contingencies in place, and Toli, Cody and Suze all being extra
careful.  Dwelling on things won’t change anything.”

Dom nodded but he was still
worried because he knew, despite what she’d just said, she was scared.

Molly’s fortieth birthday
fell on a Tuesday in late July and she woke to the smell of something
wonderful. Dom was standing at the foot of the bed with a tray in his hand.

“Wake up, birthday girl,” he
grinned. “Happy birthday!”

She blinked awake and
smiled. “Morning!”

He moved towards her with
the tray and she stopped him with a grin. “Wait, let me go to the bathroom
first!” She hurriedly did her business, washed her face and pulled her hair
back in a ponytail. She’d had it trimmed and colored again yesterday—every six
weeks, Suze had told her firmly, so she’d done it. She looked tired, but that
was because they’d spent most of the night making love—it seemed as though
neither of them could get enough.

Getting back into bed, she
laughed as he put a cloth napkin on her lap and then put the tray on her knees.

“This smells amazing!” she
said, taking a bite of stuffed French toast.

“I’ve got skills!”

She raised an eyebrow. “At
what? Placing an order online and having it delivered?”

“You wound me!” He burst out
laughing. “But you got me!”

She laughed too. “You didn’t
have to order anything! I like to cook. And where’s yours?”

“In the kitchen.”

“We can eat in there,” she
said. “Breakfast with you, even in the kitchen, is still pretty romantic.”

He reached for the tray. “Okay,
let’s go then, because I’m hungry.”

She laughed and followed him
to the kitchen. They sat on the stools at the bar, feeding each other and
talking about the day. He wouldn’t tell her where they were going or what they
were doing, but apparently she needed to eat relatively quickly, shower and get
dressed.

“How will I know what to
wear?” she demanded as he pushed her into the bathroom to get ready.

“Casual and cool,” he
winked. “We’ll be doing a lot of walking.”

She frowned as he shut the
door behind her. Shaking her head, she got ready as quickly as she could,
wearing a pair of white shorts and a light blue sleeveless top. She stuck her
head out the door.

“Do I need sunscreen?”

“I’m bringing some, but if
you want something special for your face, you might need that.”

“Okay.” Still confused, she
put on sunscreen and then a little makeup on her eyes and lips, deciding to
forego foundation or blush. Apparently they were doing something outdoors even
though it was probably over a hundred degrees. She pulled on the silver
bracelet she’d bought with the money she’d gotten from pawning her wedding
ring. It looked good on her tan skin and it was the only jewelry she had right
now, but it represented her new life.

“Are you ready?” Dom was
impatient, his dark eyes sparkling with excitement.

“Is this my birthday present
or yours?” she teased.

“If it was
my
birthday we’d spend the whole day in bed!” he ducked as she playfully took a
swing at him.

They made their way down to
the parking garage and he pulled onto the street, heading out of town. She
didn’t recognize any of the signs and she glanced at him in surprise. She
didn’t do much traveling but she knew all the local roads and attractions.

“Where are we going?”

“It’s a surprise!”

“What about therapy?”

“I’m making it up tomorrow.”

She pursed her lips. “Okay,
then.”

Three and a half hours later
they pulled into Grand Canyon National Park and she gaped at him as he parked.
“Oh, my God! I’m so excited!”

“I kinda thought you might
be. Plus, I’ve never been here before either, so I thought it would be fun for
both of us.”

“Yay!” she let out a little
squeal of happiness and then clapped her hand over her mouth. “Wow, I didn’t
know I was capable of making that sound.”

Laughing, he looped an arm
around her shoulders. “I’ve heard you make all kinds of sounds!”

She giggled. “Don’t say that
out loud!”

“Why not?” He frowned.

“We’re in public!” she felt
her face getting red.

“I’m not sure why that
bothers you, but let’s go!” He pulled her towards the entrance.

An hour later, as they took
in the breathtaking view, his phone rang and he saw it was Toli. It was odd
because Toli knew where they were and that they were celebrating, so he
wouldn’t be calling unless it was important. Pausing from their hike and
sinking onto a bench, he answered hesitantly. “Hello?”

“It’s me.” Toli always spoke
better English when something was wrong and Dom recognized the lack of accent
immediately.

“What’s going on?”

“Apparently, I’m a suspect
in Molly’s ‘disappearance.’” Toli sounded annoyed.

“I’m assuming someone is
there listening?”

“Of course.”

“They think she’s missing?”

“Because she’s never here
when they come. I’ve called my lawyer, but they are threatening to arrest me.”

“So, what, someone wants to
talk to her? How will they know it’s really Molly?” He paused when Toli
remained silent and then hissed under his breath.

“What’s wrong?” Molly was
whispering at his side.

Dom covered the phone. “If
you don’t talk to Tim, they’re going to arrest Toli as a suspect in your
‘disappearance.’” He grimaced.

Her eyes widened.

“Listen, he can’t hurt you,”
Dom said. “As soon as we hang up, I’ll turn off my phone so they can’t track
it. You just need to be brave and talk to him so they don’t make more trouble
for Toli.”

She nodded. “Yes, of
course.” With trembling fingers, she reached for his phone. “Hello?”

“Wait,” Toli said abruptly.

A moment later, another
voice came on the line. Molly winced as she listened to Tim’s voice, sounding
more soft and gentle than she’d ever heard it. “Molly? Honey, is that really
you?”

“Tim, what are you doing? I
filed for divorce—I didn’t disappear!” She had to take deep breaths to keep her
voice from trembling.

“Sweetheart, if you’ll just
come home, I’ll make everything right.”

“No, Tim, we’re done. You
need to leave Toli alone, or I’ll get a restraining order.”

“Listen, you can’t treat me
this way!” His voice turned hard. “We’ve been married for twenty-two years
and—”

“And our divorce will be
final soon. Do I need to call my lawyer?”

“I don’t know where you got
the money for your fancy lawyer, but—” He stopped talking abruptly and she
heard a kind of gargled sound before Toli got back on the line. “We are
finished,” he said to her. “Enjoy your day. I’ll see you when you get back to
town.” He disconnected and she handed the phone back to Dom. He immediately
turned it off and looked around. He found a trash can and tossed it in.

“I’ll get a new one,” he
shrugged. “I’ll say it was stolen so they’ll transfer my contacts and give me a
new number.”

“I’ve got both of my
phones,” she said, still shaking.

“Give me your regular phone,
in case we get separated. Make sure the disposable phone is in your pocket, not
your purse.”

“Okay.” She handed him her
phone and then moved into his arms. “Dom, what are we going to do? He’s going
to go after you…”

“He can fuck right off,” Dom
muttered, holding her close and stroking her hair. “I’m going to talk to Coach
about this and see if he or the owners know anyone in Henderson—the Police
Chief or the mayor or something. He can’t get away with this crap.

 “Come on.” He held her
face in his hands because she looked like she was going to cry. “It’s your
birthday. I’m sure Toli didn’t tell them where we are, and with my phone off,
even if they got my number, they can’t trace us here. I’m surprised we even
have service!”

“Why does he ruin
everything?” She sank onto a rock and buried her face in her hands.

 He sat beside her.
“We’re going to find a way to make him leave you alone. If we can’t, we’ll
leave Las Vegas and I’ll find a Canadian team to take me. His badge won’t mean
shit in Canada. If necessary, I’ll send you away somewhere until this season
ends. It’s going to be okay.”

“I hate him!” she whispered
against his shoulder.

They sat for a while, baking
in the sun, until he finally tugged at her hands. “We can’t sit here all day.
It’s going to be okay. Look how beautiful it is—don’t let him ruin this day for
us, okay?”

She smiled faintly. “You’re
right.” Taking his hand, she forced herself to wander the trail with him,
stopping to take pictures and talk quietly together. Though she was having a
good time, she couldn’t shake the feeling that something bad was going to
happen. She didn’t know what she would do if something happened to him or one
of their friends.

Suze had decorated the house
for a birthday party, and Molly laughed when she walked in the door. A big
banner hung in the hallway leading to the family room that said “Happy
Birthday.” There were streamers and balloons all over the room and Suze opened
a bottle of champagne as soon as they walked in.

“You look like you need
this,” Suze put a glass in Molly’s hand.

“I do, thanks.” Molly took a
sip gratefully.

Dom got a glass too, and
after a quick kiss, followed Cody and Brad out to the deck where they were
grilling.

Suze and Andra led Molly to
the kitchen where they were nibbling on appetizers. Suze hugged her friend
tightly, sensing how tense she was.

“I don’t know what to do,”
Molly said.

“The lawyers are going to
make this go away.”

“The only way I can protect
Dom is if I break things off,” Molly whispered.

“Molly, no!” Suze looked
horrified. “He’s crazy about you—you’re going to break his heart and he could
totally spiral out of control again!”

“I’d rather have him out of
control than dead!” Molly said firmly. “Don’t you understand? What they’re
doing to Toli is just the beginning. The only reason he hasn’t really escalated
things is because he hasn’t actually caught me with someone. If he sees me with
Dom, and realizes we’re a couple, he’ll kill both of us!”

Andra looked horrified. “Brad
said the owner of the team, Lonnie Finch, is friendly with the mayor of
Henderson. We’re going to talk to him.”

“But in the meantime, Dom
isn’t safe.” Molly swallowed hard. “At the very least, I have to move out
before Tim figures out where I’m living!”

“Move in with us,” Andra
said automatically. “There is nothing they can use to hurt us—right now, no one
knows CJ is our grandson. And Brad is far too powerful within the world of
hockey for some two-bit policeman in Henderson, Nevada to touch him. The entire
NHL would come down on that little man.”

“I don’t know,” Molly looked
worried. “You barely know me and—”

“Nonsense. Dom put his life
on the line the night Brian died—now it’s our turn to help someone
he
loves.”

Molly flushed. “I don’t know
that he
loves
me…”

“Of course he loves you!”
Andra laughed and shook her head. “Love is truly wasted on the young.”

“Who wants a steak?” Cody
called, coming into the house.

“I’ve got potato salad in
the fridge,” Suze yelled back. “And corn on the cob!”

Everyone moved to the
kitchen for plates and Molly tried to eat, but nothing tasted good. All she
could think about was how she was going to protect Dom.

“I have a present for you.”
Dom said a little while later, glancing at Suze, who disappeared for a moment
and came back with a small, beautifully wrapped package.

“What is it?” Molly’s eyes
widened in delight she couldn’t quite hide.

“Open it.” Dom’s dark eyes
were bright as he watched her.

Quickly ripping off the
paper, she found a jeweler’s box inside. She glanced at him questioningly.

“Open it,” he repeated.

She did as she was told and
gasped. Inside was a pair of the most beautiful emerald earrings she’d ever
seen. At least two carats each, in a gold setting surrounded by diamonds, she’d
never seen anything so beautiful. “Dom!” She threw her arms around him, bursting
into tears. “They’re stunning!”

“Happy birthday, baby.” He
kissed her gently. “I got them because they remind me of your beautiful eyes. I
think I fell in love with you and your eyes the first moment I saw you.”

Her mouth opened in a small
“O” as she tried to comprehend what he’d said. “Thank you,” she finally
whispered.

“You’re welcome.” He watched
with pleasure as she put them on, and turned to smile at him. God, she was
beautiful. He couldn’t wait to take her home and make love to her wearing nothing
but those earrings. As if she could read his thoughts, she gave him a shy wink.