Laying a Foundation: Bonus volume: Includes series prequel, The Groundbreaking (The Love Under Construction Series) (64 page)

“Another kid, I hope?”

“Wouldn’t say – we’ll see. And thanks for being there with me last week at the conferences. I appreciated it.”

“Nowhere on earth I’d rather be. You know I always have your back, bro.” Vic nibbled on a carrot stick from the crudités Nikki had put out with a spicy dip.

Annabeth and Katie came in with Raffaella, and within a few minutes, Clayton and Brittany drove up. The front door burst open and a little voice yelled, “Tony! Tony! Whaw aw you?”

“I’m in here, buddy! The kitchen!” When Stringer ran into the room, Tony dropped to his knees and scooped the little boy up. Stringer planted a big wet kiss on Tony’s cheek, and Nikki nearly cried when she saw the expression on the big guy’s face – he looked like he was in heaven.

Clayton walked into the kitchen and announced, “Everybody, we’d like you to meet someone. This is Ella Jane.” Brittany stepped into the kitchen, holding the hand of a small, pale child of maybe seven or eight. She had a large bruise on one side of her face, her hair was thin and brittle-looking, and she was wearing mismatched clothes and run-down tennis shoes. What struck Nikki and Tony both was the sad expression on her face. She looked like nothing had gone right for her in her entire life.

“Hi, Ella Jane. I’m Nikki. I’m so glad you’re here. Welcome to our house. Can I get you anything?” Nikki asked, bending down to her level.

The little girl looked around, then timidly said, “This is a really pretty house. Do you have a bathroom?”

“Of course, sweetie. Come with me.” Nikki led her down the hall.

Tony chuckled under his breath. “Everybody wants to know where the bathroom is. Story?” Tony asked when Nikki and the child were out of earshot.

“They brought her last night a little after nine. Mom’s boyfriend assaulted her and beat her, and it wasn’t the first time it had happened. Mom’s a junkie. Boyfriend’s a pimp. Dad’s not in the picture, grandparents have written the whole bunch off. She’s got problems, to say the least,” Clayton said.

“She’s afraid to go to sleep,” Brittany told him. “If she does, she has terrible nightmares. It’s awful.”

“And she wets the bed,” Clayton added. “It’s all emotional – there’s nothing physically wrong with her.”

“You guys can handle it. I have faith in you.” Tony hugged Brittany. “You both know we’ll do anything we can to help you.”

“Yeah, us too,” Katie said as Annabeth nodded agreement; Vic and Raffaella were nodding too.

After she’d shown the little girl around, Nikki took her back to the kitchen and Annabeth and Katie set about to entertain her and Stringer, who had clung to Tony ever since he’d walked into the house. Tony had to promise to play ball with him later to get him to go with his Zia Annabeth and Zia Katie. Brittany and Clayton both looked like they needed a rest, and Nikki sent them with Vic and Raffaella into the den to wait until dinner was ready.

Tony was impressed; the turkey looked beautiful, and so did his girlfriend. She worked around the kitchen with confidence and grace. He was struck by how different she seemed from the timid, devastated woman he’d met just months earlier. He didn’t want to take credit for the way she’d bloomed, but he wanted to think that having someone to love her made at least some of the difference.

Nikki got the food on the table – it was lovely, including the flowers she’d picked up from The Passionate Pansy – and they called everyone to eat. Food flew and drinks spilled and everyone laughed and talked. The girls sent Tony and Nikki to the den afterward to sit down and rest while they cleaned up the kitchen. Ella Jane and Stringer played with the building blocks and some die-cast cars. Nikki beamed at Tony as he played with the little ones, and she thought she’d never seen him look so happy and relaxed.

When the cleanup was done, they all moved to the den and Annabeth and Katie served everyone pumpkin pie with whipped cream, courtesy of Nikki’s special recipe. Clayton told Nikki repeatedly how good the pie was. Brittany looked like she was in her element, helping Ella Jane put her headband back on when it came off and retying Stringer’s shoes for the fifth or sixth time.

Tony finished his pie before everyone else, and then said, “Well, I guess it’s time.”

“Time for what?” Annabeth asked. Everyone turned to look at him.

Without ceremony, he stood, looked down at Nikki as she sat on the sofa, then knelt in front of her on one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket. It was red velvet embossed with the same “C” as the box her bracelet had come in; Cavender’s, the jewelry store he had taken her to when they shopped for her ring. Nikki smiled and sat up on the edge of the sofa, and Tony looked at her and simply said, “Nicolette Renee Wilkes, I wanted to do this with everyone closest to us here with us. I love you with all my heart – I always will. Will you do me the honor of being my wife?” There was a collective gasp in the room, and all four of the other women whispered, “Awwww!”

Nikki leaned forward and, resting her forearms on his shoulders, replied, “Antonio Luigi Walters, I love you more than life itself, and I would be honored to have you as my husband.” He opened the box and, nestled inside, a ring like nothing Nikki had seen before came to life in front of her eyes, the yellow gold gleaming and the big stone twinkling in the afternoon light. Taking the ring from its box, he slipped it onto her left ring finger – a perfect fit. She thought it was the most beautiful thing in the world, second only to the man who’d given it to her.

“Oh, one condition.” Tony grinned. “I want to get married on Christmas day.”

“Why would that be a problem?” Nikki smiled back. “Sounds like Santa will be giving us a very special gift this year!”

Nikki leaned into him and kissed him. When their lips touched, she thought of the distance she’d gone to get to that moment, all the pain, all the loneliness, all of the things this man had helped to take away, and all the things he’d brought in their place. A home – three, in fact. A family, a huge family, including some things she thought she’d never have; a woman she could call mother, kids to call her Mom, and even grandchildren, or so they all hoped. A job she loved. Security she never thought she’d have. And love, so much love, sweet and hot and never-ending.

All Tony could think of was how miserable he’d been before he’d met her, and how he’d never have to be that miserable again. It was over, all of it. He had the one thing he’d always thought he’d never have – an honest, trustworthy, loving, caring, sweet, sexy, smart woman to share the rest of his life with. It was all he’d ever wanted; she was all he’d ever wanted. His life was complete.

Then it happened. For that one moment, their lips pressed together and their hearts joined, they both felt it – the earth ceased to turn and time stopped for them, and there was nothing, nothing in the world, that meant more than that kiss.

Clayton and Brittany took the kids home to calm down before bedtime, but not before they’d both had an extra piece of pie, which Tony insisted they have. Annabeth and Katie said their goodbyes right after Clayton and Brittany left, and took Raffaella with them. Tony, Nikki, and Vic went to the den to relax and chat. Nikki loved any opportunity to spend time with Vic. He was such a joy to be around, and she appreciated the calming effect his presence always had on Tony. Sunset was on its way, and the three of them got a drink and tried to relax.

It had been a lovely day, and then the door blew open and evil came in on the wind. When it slammed shut, they heard a voice yell, “Hello! Where is everybody?”

Tony and Vic’s eyes locked, and Tony whispered, “Dottie.”

She stood in the doorway to the den, her presence filling the room with an uncomfortable, nasty energy. “Well, well, well, what’s going on in here?”

“Dottie,” Tony hissed through clenched teeth. Vic stood beside him. “What the hell are you doing here?”

“I want to talk to you. Now.” She twirled her hair and leaned against the door frame. “Can’t you get rid of the big ape here?” She glared at Vic. He audibly growled.

“Yeah, well, I want to talk to your ass too.” He turned to Nikki. “Sweetheart, go to the bedroom.”

“But, Tony, I . . .”

“Now. Go. Stay there until I come and get you. Please?” It wasn’t really a question, and he never looked at her, just stared at Dottie.

“Go on, Nikki,” Vic told her. “It’s okay.”

Nikki left the room and walked down the hall, closing the bedroom door behind her. She could hear their voices, Tony’s low drone and Dottie’s occasional outburst. Where was Vic? Maybe he just wasn’t saying anything. She walked to the window and pulled the draperies back; Vic’s truck was still there, so she felt a little better. In what was left of the late afternoon light, Nikki watched the street lights twinkle on. Two little girls rode bicycles, one pink, the other purple, down the sidewalk, and across the street, a man sat in a crumpled-up car, waiting for someone in one of the houses. A dog barked; she thought of Bill and Hillary, months gone, and she still missed them so much. Finally, the voices got quiet and, within a few minutes, Tony came through the bedroom door.

“I’m only going to tell you this once: Don’t. Come. Here. Ever. Again. I don’t want to see your face, hear your voice, hear your name, think of you. I’m done with you, understand?”

“Oh, yeah, you’ve got that whore now. You don’t need old Dottie,” she said, smirking.

Tony gritted his teeth and snarled, “You’ll speak of my future wife with respect. And you’ll stay away from her, from us, from now on. If you come back here, or to any of my properties, I’ll have you arrested for trespassing, I swear. Do you understand me?” Vic squeezed his shoulder to try to calm him, but Tony shrugged him off.

“Oh, come on, asshole. You’re not going to have me arrested.” She stopped. “Wait – did you say future wife?” Dottie’s face reddened so much that it looked like it was going to explode. “What the hell? You’re not marrying her!” She flew at Tony before either he or Vic could get away, and went straight for Tony’s eyes, but he reacted quickly and deflected her hands, then pushed her – hard. She fell backward and her ass landed on the floor. “You son of a bitch!”

She stood again, and this time, Vic grabbed her and threatened, “Dottie, don’t. I don’t want to hurt you, but I will. Leave him alone.”

“Oh, I’ll leave him alone all right! He’ll be all alone when I get finished with her,” she screamed, wresting out of Vic’s grip. She snatched a vase from the bookcase and stormed down the hallway. Tony sprinted, grabbed her by her hair, and hauled backward. He dragged her back up the hallway and to the front door that way, with her yelling and swearing the whole time. Vic tried to stop him, but Tony was determined to put her out, and it was as though he was being driven by some unseen force. Vic had never seen him that way before.

When he got to the door with her, he spun her around and got in her face. “You ever touch her, even look at her, and I swear to god, I’ll kill you, you understand?” Tony’s voice took on a menacing tone, low and hard, his eyes cold. “You hurt Nikki, and there’s no one on earth, no one, who can help you. I’ll bury you, you mean, evil bitch.”

“Oh, right, you worthless bastard! You don’t scare me! She says she loves you, but she’ll figure it out pretty soon, how worthless and stupid you are, and she’ll leave you just like I did! And you’ll have nothing, just like me! Just like me!” She gave him a weird grin, and he lost it.

“Get out. Like I said, I’m done with you. I don’t care what happens to you, but if you come back, I’ll have you arrested.” He opened the door and shoved her, then closed it before he could see her tumble down the steps and land on the driveway. She rolled twice, then sat up, brushed herself off, and staggered to her car. Tony and Vic could hear the tires squeal as she left.

An odd sort of quiet settled on the house. “Bud, you okay?” Vic asked Tony.

At first, Tony didn’t say anything. He looked around, then wiped his hands repeatedly down the front of his jeans. Finally, he mumbled, “Yeah, yeah. I’m fine. Go on home. She won’t be back.”

“Okay, if you’re sure.” Tony nodded at Vic. “I’ll call and check on you guys tomorrow, okay?” Vic asked. Tony nodded again.

Vic walked down the steps and went to his car. He hoped Tony would calm down. He’d never seen his cousin like that before, so angry and so, what? Dangerous? Violent? He shuddered slightly, then started the car and headed to Lexington. As he pulled out onto the street, he almost turned around and went back, then decided against it. They’d be fine. They had each other.