My Mr. Manny (15 page)

Lucia, on the other hand, was beaming. She jumped up on his lap, wrapped her little arms around his neck, and squeezed with all her might. And as he wrapped his arms around her, too, I could see his face turning red from her tight grip. It was sweet, honest, and just what they needed.

“Yes, please. Be my daddy.”

I mouthed thank you to him, and he just nodded. His beautiful green eyes shimmered with tears like droplets on a wet spring leaf, and I knew in that moment that without a doubt he did want to be with us forever.

Chapter 20

Marbles

This year for Thanksgiving, I had invited all of my relatives, as I had done every year. Dominic had also invited his, but none of them could make it. Instead, it was just going to be my Los Angeles clan: my dad, Susan, and maybe Danielle, her husband, and son if they didn’t have plans already.

Cooking big meals for holidays always gave me joy. Italians’ need to express love through food was supposedly ingrained; this rang true for me because, along with the desire to have a huge family, I always wanted to bring everyone together with big meals. I’d learned how to cook the typical Italian foods from my aunts and uncles growing up. They’d also taught me to have food in the fridge at all times just in case someone stopped by. The first thing one of them would do when anyone would visit was to heat up food the old-fashioned way on the stove and plop it down in front of their guest, whether or not he had asked for it. My mother had never cooked big meals since it was just the two of us and it was much more difficult to cook for two than ten. So, now that it was my turn to cook the big meals, it made me feel like I had my own big family. Everyone was so busy all the time, nowadays they only seemed to get together on holidays.

~*~*~

Soon enough, it was time for Lucia’s first ballet dance recital. She was quite nervous because she was afraid of letting us down. Dominic and I had reassured her many times that she couldn’t do anything that would disappoint us. I was in crazy mother mode and called all of our friends to invite them. Lucia may have grown up without a father, but she wasn’t lacking in love or loved ones. Susan and my dad were coming with us, and I had invited Danielle and her family. What surprised me was that Danielle’s son, Gabe, was excited to go. In all honesty, I had expected him to skip out on watching a bunch of little girls dance, but he really wanted to support Lucia.

So, with my camera charged, we went to the Kirk Douglas Theatre in downtown Culver City. The newly-refurbished, rectangular building had a long marquee and a tower on the side that was all lit up with bright lights. Culver City used to be a big part of the filming industry, and this building was part of that history. For this recital, the dance company had gone all out. They laid out a red carpet for the performers and had photographers taking candid shots when the dancers walked in. Inside, a corner was set up with a single, professional photographer and a few different backdrops. The dance teachers posed with their classes as groups, and each child got a professional picture of him- or herself. All of the kids were beaming from ear to ear while they strutted around like little movie stars.

Susan and I went to our seats, as instructed by Mrs. Caprisi, while she took the dancers backstage. Dominic and my father stayed in the lobby to wait for Danielle, Gary, and Gabe. There were plenty of places to sit because everyone was still loitering in the lobby, so I nabbed seven seats in the first row. I was nervous for Lucia, and Susan tried to distract me by filling me in about her and Vitto. He had accepted the incredible job opportunity that was offered to him, and he had moved here a few weeks ago. He was busy moving and settling into his new home and said it was taking time to adjust to his new job. It was wonderful knowing he was so close, even though I hadn’t seen much of him since he’d gotten here because he had been spending all of his free time with Susan.

The lights started flashing, and I felt Dominic touch my shoulder so everyone could squeeze by and take their seats. Dominic sat next to me and wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Then he leaned in and whispered, “I can’t wait to see her dance. She’s been practicing so much and is so intent on making you proud.”

The warmth of his breath so close to my ear sent chills down my spine, and I shivered. God, this man could excite me anywhere, but I needed to concentrate on what he’d said. “She thinks I’m not proud of her?” I whispered with a frown. That was upsetting.

“Calm down, she just wants to do well for you, that’s all. Don’t get all worked up.”

I looked at him straight on and searched his eyes to try and interpret his mood. He didn’t seem angry, but his tone did.

I let out a long breath. “I’m not getting worked up. I’m fine. Why are you so . . . so snappy?”

“I just want you to enjoy the show and not sit here and stew.”

I understood he didn’t want me to ruin the night by worrying, but he didn’t have to scold me. Maybe it was because he’d spent so much time helping her prepare for this night that he felt just as much responsibility for wanting us to have a good time.

~*~*~

The performances started with the smaller children first. Little three- to five-year-olds were on stage with their adorable costumes, trying to remember their moves. One girl kept going off and doing her own thing, and she had the whole audience cracking up. We watched all of the different age groups do their dances, and I thought they all did very well. My nerves were just starting to get the best of me when Lucia’s group came out on stage and danced to “Boyfriend” by Justin Beiber. I thought they were a bit young to be dancing to that song, but they were amazing. They were more refined, and it looked as if they hit every beat and actually stayed in sync throughout the number. The seven of us hooted and hollered when they finished, and my hands burned from clapping so hard.

Tears began to fall down my face, and my heart constricted a little. My baby was growing up and accomplishing things on her own. Although I was proud of her, it hurt to know she would need me less and less as she got older. Dominic must have seen my face or sensed my mood, because he pulled me closer to him. He peppered my temple and hair with kisses, whispering sweet words to me. When the whole production was over, the head of the dance academy called out each group for their applause and standing ovation. All the men with us had brought flowers for Lucia, so when it was her turn to step forward and bow with her group, they all ran up and presented the flowers to her. The girls ran off stage with grand smiles and full arms.

Filing out of the theatre, we waited for Lucia in the lobby. We were taking her for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Paco’s. When she saw us, she came running into my arms.

“Did you like it, Momma?”

I squeezed her to me and held on tight. “I loved it, baby. You did so well—fantastic! I think your group was the best of them all,” I told her with pride.

She beamed from the praise and ran off to hug all of her guests, thanking the men for her flowers.

~*~*~

We had a wonderful evening with our family and friends, but I couldn’t wait to get into bed with Dominic that night. When I crawled into his arms, we kissed and touched. His soft fingers were roughening up a bit, and they felt so good running from my ankle to my knee and up to the apex of my thigh. He made sensual circuits like that, alternating from leg to leg.

“Stop teasing me,” I said while trying to pull him up toward my face. He wouldn’t budge and chuckled at me.

Dominic covered my abdomen and hip bones with kisses before he licked from one all the way to the other. Then he blew on the whole area, sending goose bumps over my body. I crossed my legs at my feet and began rubbing them together, trying to distract myself. Dominic flattened his large palm and dragged it up my body, touching every bit of skin he could along the way until he reached my neck. His hand went behind my head, and he lifted it so he could crash his mouth to mine. When we connected, I felt a spark flash go through me. My skin lit up in flames, as it did every time we melded. Moving slowly and savoring every moment, we allowed our bodies to speak. He kissed my lips raw with passion, and when our eyes connected, we fell apart.

We had gotten pretty good at the whole lovemaking thing. Our first time had been intimidating for me, but now I felt like we’d found our rhythm. Some nights, we’d take it slow and let our emotions control us. Others, our animalistic side would come out, and we’d tear and claw at each other. But the best nights were when we’d laugh and talk and have fun. I’d crack a joke, and he’d pretend he was upset at me for “ruining the moment.” At first, he was surprised that I could actually laugh and speak while he was seducing me, but something would set me off—it may have been the way he kissed my skin or tickled me when he touched me—and once I’d get going, there was no returning. I’d have the giggles so bad I couldn’t stop. The first time this happened, Dominic didn’t want to continue until I had stopped laughing, but I couldn’t. I’d been mad at him for leaving me hot and bothered, but then I rolled him over and rode him, all the while teasing him until we were both laughing. Together we discovered that sex had many facets and all of them were just as important, and this knowledge and experience brought us closer together. We learned so much about each other. I knew every inch of his skin, where his moles were, and where he was ticklish. He learned I liked to bite when I became overzealous and almost took off his nipple.

We also had our most personal conversations in the dark after we’d make love and were feeling vulnerable. Dominic worried I would hold back because I was afraid of getting hurt, and I worried the same about him. One night, I asked him if he missed his old life: the fast pace, his family, his ex-fiancée, or anything from before us.

“No,” he said. “I don’t miss any of it. Well, I miss my parents a bit, but not in the way you may think. We would have dinner, all of us, on Saturday nights, but otherwise we didn’t see each other much. We were all too busy. I don’t miss the hustle and bustle of the city or that fast-paced life at all.
This
right
here
is where I want to be. I want what I have now, you and Lucia. I want ballet practice and recitals and trick-or-treating and movie nights and holding you in my arms every night. And I know I want more with you two as well — more of this.”

Dominic took a deep breath and continued. “You know, I believe in fate, the ultimate plan that is designed for all of us. So, I believe that I had to follow every path I’ve been on to get to you. If I had found you years ago, maybe I wouldn’t have appreciated you the way I do now. And I think the same goes for you. Your life’s path led you to me, and we were always meant to be together. It’s our destiny.”

He spoke with such conviction that I knew he meant every word of it. And the more I thought about it, the more I believed he was right. We were meant for each other.

Chapter 21

Knucklebones

As much as I hated it, the thrill of shopping for our Thanksgiving meal was vibrating through me. Pushing my big metal cart through the grocery store and focusing on what I needed kept me from freaking out about the crowd. This was the best time to shop because stores had everything one would need to cook Thanksgiving dinner in the middle aisles. The procrastinator in me waited until the day before the holiday, so I was happy for the ease of it.

While I was loading the grocery bags into the car, my cell phone rang. I popped the Bose earbud hanging around my neck into my ear, and pushed the button on the mic, and answered without even looking to see who was calling.

“Hello,” I said, out of breath from lifting all the bags.

“Yo, cuz, what’s up?” Vitto asked.

I laughed. “Nothing. Whatcha doing?”

“Chillin’. But, seriously, I wanted to know if you needed help cooking?” Vitto was an excellent cook. He had learned from his father, who had taught me also.

“Um, how’s this? Come over anytime you want tomorrow, and whatever needs to be done at that point, you can help with. Sound good?” I didn’t want to bother anyone with helping me. Plus, cooking was cathartic, and I enjoyed it.

“Sounds good. Susan and I will be there early, so what can we bring?”

“I guess you can bring some beer. Whatever kind you like. Okay?”

~*~*~

On Thanksgiving Day, we had a full table, and my resulting smile was huge. Dominic sat at the head of the table, with Lucia and me sitting on either side of him. My dad sat at the other end of the table, Susan was next to me, and Vitto was next to Lucia. We were all holding hands, heads bowed, getting ready to say grace. Lucia cleared her throat, and Dominic told us that she would be saying the prayer.

When he announced that, I lifted my head so I could spy on the two of them. Lucia squirmed in her seat for a moment but settled down soon after.

“Well, I want to thank God for the food, my mom for cooking, and our family for coming to spend this day with us. I want to thank God for my momma and my dad.”

A few gasps were heard around the table.

“I thank God for sending him to us and for him loving us. Thank you, God. Amen,” she finished, her voice strong and confident.

“Amen,” we all said in chorus.

Susan was sitting next to me, and I gave her hand and Dominic’s a tight squeeze when I said my “amen.” I looked up at Lucia and reached both of my hands across the table to her. She placed her hands in mine, and I squeezed them, too. “I love you. That was a great prayer,” I told her with all the love in my heart. Then I snuck a look at Dominic, and he was beaming. He looked so happy to be here with us. His eyes sparkled with pride when he told Lucia how great her prayer had been.

We stuffed ourselves silly, and the turkey made us all very tired. After dinner, we lounged around having a few drinks and talking. It was nice to catch up with everyone.

I decided it was time to get the dessert ready and brew a pot of coffee. While I was in the kitchen getting things together, my dad strolled to the counter. I looked over my shoulder while I pulled the apple pie from the oven.