Sweetness (26 page)

“Me and Max? No. Why do you ask?” I continue
to get re-dressed, while he is clearly working something
out in his head. I stop dressing and watch him, watching
me for some sign I am not being truthful. “You don’t
believe me?”
“It’s not that. It’s just…the day when I had
breakfast with you, Wanda, and Max, he said that it was
his
job to protect you. I see the way he looks at you. Then
when he called you, he asked if you had showered yet
and you didn’t seem fazed by his question. I just thought
that maybe you both…I don’t know, hook up
sometimes.”
“Have you been wondering this since then?”
Dominic’s only response is a nod. “Dom, I have never,
ever hooked up with Max. Max, has always looked out
for me, especially when it comes to-I have certain issues
when it comes to guys. Well,
had
certain issues. You’re
different.“ I try to explain without having to go into too
much detail.
“But you shower with him?” he asks confused.
I snort, “No, he wishes. That has always been kind
of an inside joke between us. He always seems to have a
question to ask when I am in the shower. It’s an ongoing
joke,” I cup Dominic’s face in my hands and take a seat to
his left. “I don’t want you to worry about Max. Nothing
has ever happened between us. He just knows me well
enough to be protective, so I don’t get hurt.”
“What does that mean? Do you think I am going
to hurt you?”
Shit. I don’t want to go here again. We are
treading into unsafe territory. I can’t tell him why Max is
protective. I don’t want him to think I am keeping
anything from him but this is one secret I need to keep to
myself for as long as I can. I don’t want him to leave me
when he realizes how fucked up my family is, or how
damaged I am.
“No, of course not. It’s just…look, I don’t want to
talk about why Max feels the need to protect me. It has
nothing to do with you. It has to do with me. Someday I
will explain but for right now I…I just can’t.” I drop my
hands into my lap and fiddle with the hem of my shirt. I
am very uneasy about where this conversation may lead
and I need to shut it down, now.
“Can’t or won’t?” he is obviously irritated that
Max and I have some secret he doesn’t know about. Why
can’t he just drop it?
“Both. Dominic, please. It has nothing to do with
you. It has to do with something that happened a very
long time ago and-,” my voice cracks and my eyes well
up with tears. I can’t tell him. I just can’t. I really need
him to stop pushing me on this.
He hugs me close when he sees the tears dripping
off my cheeks and into my lap. “Emma, I’m sorry. I
didn’t mean to push you,” Dominic pulls my face up and
kisses my lips. “Emma, if someone is bothering you I just
want to know. I can protect you. I am your boyfriend.
Not Max. I just want to be here for you.” He pulls my
hands up to his lips and pulls me closer to his chest.
“I know. I just don’t want to talk about it.
Someday maybe. Just not now.”
“Ok. I understand. I just want you to know you
can tell me anything. I want to be the one who you talk
to, about anything.”
I nod and thankfully he doesn’t ask me any more
questions. One day I will tell him what happened, but for
right now I just want to enjoy our time together. He has
to focus on he tour and not me and my issues. If he
knows what Glen did he will kill him. I can’t have stuff
like that happening in the middle of this tour.

After unpacking my stuff
and convincing Dominic to
leave the shrine up in the closet, I make good on my
promise and make the guys some lunch. I have to make a
mental note to invest in a crock-pot. This kitchen is
definitely small and I really can’t cook in large quantities
in the oven. For today, it is tomato soup and grilled
cheese. These guys certainly do pack it away. Rocco
alone had a huge bowl of soup and three sandwiches.
Mental note, more groceries also.

After lunch I think a nap is well deserved. This
weekend has been exhausting. Between all the sex and
the late nights my boring life in the city sounds like
heaven. I know it is only going to get worse from here,
once we hit Austin. The two shows in Miami were pretty
intense.

During the shows, Dominic worked the crowd of
women with a few winks and sexy looks. I know it is all
part of the game but I am not going to lie and say it
didn’t bother me a little. Justin however, takes the game
to a whole new level. When he wasn’t eye fucking the
crowd of woman panting at his feet, he was gyrating his
hips as he played the guitar and blew air kisses. Half way
through the show, during one of Dominic’s solo’s, he
took off his shirt, wiped his chest with it, and threw it
into the audience. It damn near caused a riot, as men and
woman alike piled on top of each other to claim it. Chris
is the shy one of the group. He just takes it all in and gets
the job done before finding some willing girl to keep him
company for the evening. No one can really see Rocco
from behind the drum set but a few times during the set
he would toss a drumstick into the crowd and watch the
fans play fetch. The entire set was fun to watch.

When I saw them play in New York it was a
crowd of a few hundred at best. The larger venue in
Miami was on a whole different playing field. The back
stage area alone was a zoo. I knew there would be
women around, but I didn’t know how desperate they
would be. Some of them were trying to bribe security to
let them backstage. Some were flashing their naked
chests to the band afterward in hopes to get picked for
skank of the evening. A few girls even tried to run up on
stage during the show.

Jesus, have a little self-control. What some girls
won’t do to bang a rock star. Ok, the irony of that last
part isn’t lost on me. But me, I just sat on my black box
and watched from the sidelines like Dominic told me to.
For the Saturday show, he brought me out on stage and
we went through the routine of him singing to me. It was
just as thrilling as the first time he did it. When I looked
out into the crowd I couldn’t see people necessarily, it
was more like a moving blob of shadows. I honestly
don’t know how he does it. My mind plays the last
couple of days over and over until I am gently rocked to
sleep by the sway of the bus.

Kisses. I am dreaming of kisses. No, wait. I can
feel kisses. My eyes flutter open and I feel a warm body
next me. Dominic is kissing my cheeks and neck trying to
coax me awake. I turn into him and cuddle against his
chest while he wraps his arms around me. His embrace
feels so safe and welcoming I almost fall back asleep.

“We are going to stop and get something to eat
soon. Do you want to stay asleep or are you going to join
us?”

“What time is it?”
“Almost eight.”
“I’ll get up,” I murmur as I yawn into his chest.

When I stretch, my back arcs and the bottom of my t-shirt
rides up a little. Dominic takes this as an invitation to
run his hand over my stomach and up to my breasts. I
giggle and swat his hand away.

“What?”
“I thought you wanted to wake me up so you
could feed me, not grope me,” I challenge before sitting
up in the bed.
Dominic pulls me back down. “You’re my
girlfriend. Why can’t I grope you?”
“Yea, about that. I don’t remember ever really
agreeing to be your girlfriend. What happened to friends
with benefits?” I ask him jokingly. He narrows his eyes
on me and climbs on top of me pinning my arms to the
bed.
“The second you told me you loved me, all of that
friends with benefits bullshit was out the window,” he
firmly states as he rubs his lips against mine. “When I
was watching you at Central Park on our first date. I
knew it. You hit me like a freight train and there was no
going back. I was yours.”
There is no trace of humor in his tone. He is
completely and utterly serious. His lips touch mine and
the gentle touch of his hand caressing my cheek feels
nice. This is what it’s like to be loved. This is what it fells
like to love someone. My heart is swelling and I can feel
tears spilling out of my eyes as Dominic hugs me, placing
his cheek on mine. When he feels the moisture on his
skin he pulls back and wipes the tears away with his
thumb.
“Don’t cry, Emma. Why are you crying?”
“I am just so happy. You make me happy. No one
has ever loved me before. Not like you do.”
“Well, damn woman now you are going to make
me cry,” he says before rolling on his back and taking me
with him. “I don’t know weather to be honored or sad.”
“Don’t be sad,” I snort.
“Well then, I will considerer myself
honored…always,” he says, kissing me on top of my
head.
“I knew it too, ya’ know. I fought my feelings
because I didn’t know what was happening. I knew I
wanted you. Badly. In hindsight, it was love not lust that
hit me so hard. The second I saw you at the bar in New
York, I knew it…well, Wanda knew it,” I laugh.“ I
needed some more convincing that this wasn’t a one time
thing, but deep down I knew. There was no way I could
walk away again once I saw you. When I heard your
voice through the sound system I froze. I thought I was
hearing things. I was excited to see you, and scared to
death you would have no idea who I was.”
“Remind me to thank, Wanda, the next time I see
her.”
“You should thank, Max, too.”
“Max. Why Max?”
“He’s the one that brought me to you. We were
talking about the last night you and I saw each other.
Something I said clicked to him and he dragged me off to
the bar where you were. Wanda was working so he must
have checked with her to make sure you were there. I
knew they were up to something. He was being so quiet
and wouldn’t tell me where we were going.”
“Huh, I guess Max isn’t as bad as I thought.”
“What? Why would you say he is bad?”
“Because he wants to nail my girlfriend. And get
in her shower. And he sleeps in her apartment when I am
miles way.”
“I told you already he is harmless-“
“I know. I know that, now. But being away for a
month and him being around when I couldn’t be…it just
pissed me off.” He kisses the top of my head again and
sits up with me sitting on his lap. When we feel the bus
coming to a stop he stands me up and pushes me out the
door. “Let’s eat. I’m starving.”

After twenty-four hours
I am ready to get off this damn
bus. It’s not really all that bad but one could definitely
get cabin fever in here. Dominic is in the back, getting
our things together while Chris and I are in the kitchen
talking about interview dates. Suddenly, the bus doors
open and the largest human being I have ever seen up
close enters, wearing an orange t-shirt, jeans, and black
heavy boots that thud with each step. The bus is not the
roomiest, but with this giant of a man standing in the
middle of it, it feels much smaller. Chris notices my eyes
get wide with fear and he grins as the man approaches. I
hide behind Chris like he is going to protect me from this
monster of a man

“Ryan, ‘sup man.”
“Nuttin’ dude. Who’s the skirt?”
“This is Dominic’s girl, Emma. Emma, this is,

As he approaches I have to crane my neck to look
up at him. Ryan has to be almost six and a half feet tall.
He is build like Rocco with thick arms and a broad chest
but Ryan is much bigger. His head is completely bald
and his eyes are almost black in color. He has a short
goatee and two piercings in his eyebrow that only add to
his scariness. He looks like a killer or an escaped inmate;
sure glad he is in our corner. Ryan extends his hand to
shake mine and I am surprised that his touch is gentle.
My entire hand fits in his palm and when he smiles at me
his eyes are soft and full of expression.

“Nice to meet you, Emma,” he says to me before
looking over my shoulder down the hall. “You ready to
go. The car is outside.”

I turn around to see Dominic walking out of our
room with our bags. Ryan grabs the bags form Dominic’s
hands and leaves the bus without another word.

Dominic asks Chris and Justin.
“I am going with you. I need to go into town,”
Justin responds.
“Me and Rocco are going to meet up with the guys
from, Live Wire, we’ll catch you later,” Chris says as he
walks off the bus.
The three of us hop into the Black SUV and head
to the hotel with Ryan in tow. When we drive through
the parking lot I see a few more buses like ours. It is all
very exciting. There are people everywhere and some
fans have even camped out in the parking lot. Dominic
explains that this show is a pretty big deal. Lost, is one of
six bands playing. The shows start on Thursday and ends
Saturday, so we will be here until Sunday morning,
before heading to California.
I should know that, shouldn’t I? I really have to
look over the stuff Gabe sent me.
Dominic is sitting between Justin and me with his
hand on my knee, “I have to get back after we check in. I
have to meet with our manager to go over the set list, so
you will be on your own this afternoon.”
“No problem. I have to find a mall anyway. I
didn’t plan on being gone this long so I have to pick up a
few things.”
“As long as Ryan goes with you that’s fine,” he
comments giving me a sideward glance.
“Dom, I don’t need a babysitter. I live in freaken
New York City for God sakes. I think I can handle
myself.”
“I know where you live, smartass, but you have
gotten some attention lately and you need to be with
security. You have no idea how crazy some people get. I
don’t want you getting kidnapped or something.”
“Why would anyone want to kidnap me? No one
knows who the hell I am,” I scrunch my face and throw
my hands in the air. He has got to be absolutely kidding
me. I know he is worried about me being alone but if I
can walk around New York without managing to get
myself killed, then I think I am safe in a town like,
Austin, full of good ol’ boys.
“No? You don’t think people know who you are?
Have you Google’d yourself lately? You are traveling
with an up and coming band that is gaining notoriety by
the day.” He ticks off on his finger each reason why I
need protection, “It is known from our performance on
stage that you are my girlfriend. And your family is
wealthy. You are every crazed fans trifecta. You are not
going out alone. End of story.”
Shit he’s right, as usual. That’s going to get really
old soon. I have to be careful. I didn’t realize how much
me being Dominic’s girlfriend would affect my privacy. I
don’t like being the center of attention. I have made it
this far in my life without paparazzi getting too much
dirt on my family but now I am free game. This is what
Gabe was warning me about since day one.
“Fine,” I sigh and turn to look out the window.
“I’ll go with her,” Justin says as he wags his
brows. “I have to get a new barbell.”
Dominic scrunches his face in like he is in pain, “I
don’t know how you change that damn thing. Doesn’t it
hurt?”
“Na. Best thing I ever did. You don’t know what
your missing, bro,” Justin says and looks past Dominic
over to me. “Maybe you should reconsider, I am sure,
Emma, would love it.”
I look back between the two of them perplexed by
what the hell they are talking about. Dominic puts his
arm around my shoulder and pulls me tight to him then
places a kiss on my forehead.
“No, thank you. We are just fine,” he says to Justin
then looks back to me. “You stay with Justin. Ryan, will
be right behind you. What he says goes, got it?”
“Yes, dad, I got it,” I tease.
“I’m sorry, Emma. I know it sucks, but it goes
with the territory, babe.”
I know he is just trying to protect me. He loves me
and he wants what’s best for me. I can’t fault him for it. It
sucks that I won’t have any free time to myself for a
while. The alternative being me sitting alone in my
apartment waiting for Dominic to call, sounds like even
less fun, so I give in. As long as I find a drugstore and a
clothing store I will follow Justin where he needs to go.

After we check in
, Dominic gives me my, stay with
Justin and listen to Ryan, speech again before we head off
to town. We stop at a strip mall and Justin leads the way
towards a tattoo parlor. I stop on the sidewalk outside
and look up at the sign then back at Justin.

“What are we doing here? Are you getting a
tattoo?” I ask.
“No. I told you I have to get a new barbell.”
I shrug my shoulders and shake my head,
obediently following the men in charge. “They sell
barbells at a tattoo parlor?”
Justin and Ryan laugh at me. Justin points to the
piercing sign. “I have to get a new barbell for my dydoe.
Do you know what that is?”
“No.”
“Oh god,” he laughs and puts his arm over my
shoulder like he is talking to a small child. “Honey, a
dydoe is a genital piercing. Come on. I am sure they have
a picture book somewhere I can show you.”
“Oh.” My face is burning red. I really hope they
don’t do that kind of stuff out in the open. I have never
been to a tattoo parlor. This should be an interesting
experience.
When we walk in, the place is impeccably clean
and smells like disinfectant. The floor is shiny white and
the walls are blood red. There are four stations, two on
each wall. Toward the back and I can see a small hallway
that leads to the back of the shop. There is a long black
leather couch in front of the big glass window. There are
flat screen TV’s on the front and back walls and pictures
of tattoos in frames everywhere. At one of the stations
there is a guy getting a tattoo on his back from a petite
little redhead with dark eye makeup and blood red lips.
She looks up and smiles at me before returning her focus
on the guy in her chair. I follow Justin to the glass
counter that has different earrings and piercing
merchandise. I am not even sure where half of this stuff
goes. Justin makes his selection and the guy behind the
counter leads the way to a private area for him to change
his, whatever the hell that thing is.
“How about you hot stuff? What can I do for
you?” says a girl with short pink hair.
“Oh, nothing. I am waiting for my friend.”
“Ok. That’s cool. Do you have any ink or
piercings?”
“Just my ears.”
“Really? Oh, I like virgins,” she winks at me. “So
you from around here. I have never seen you guys
before.”
The perky girl with the pink hair leans against the
wall to face me as I look over the brightly colored tattoo
designs. I am not against tattoos; it is just that there is
nothing that I ever wanted bad enough to have it
permanently etched on my body.
“No. I am from New York. My boyfriends band is
playing at a show in Austin this weekend,” I remark as I
look over the artwork on the wall. There is one frame
with brightly colored musical notes that is absolutely
beautiful.
“No shit. That’s cool. So you like that,” she says
pointing to the wall. “Those are mine.”
“They’re beautiful.”
“Thanks, doll. If you like it, I can have it done in
no time. You said your boyfriend is a musician right?”
“Yea he is, but I don’t think I can get a tattoo. It’ll
hurt.”
“Nah. It’s not so bad. You don’t have to get the
whole piece. I’ll be around if you change your mind.
Name’s Trix,” she says and hands me her card.

I look at the picture hanging on the wall then back
at her card. Maybe if I get a small one somewhere where
no one will see it, it won’t be so bad. When I look
through Trix’s art, one piece inspires me. Don’t know if it
is an incredibly stupid idea or not but I guess we’ll find
out.

I call Trix back over and tell her what I want and
where I want it. She goes off to draw it up and she’s back
before Justin is even finished. Ryan shakes his head at me
and reminds me for the fifth time that he wants no part
of my plan. I assure him I will take full responsibility for
getting a tattoo on my own body. After Trix preps me
and starts the gun, Justin walks into the front.

Justin yells, but Trix doesn’t even flinch.
“This the boyfriend?” she asks without looking
up.
“No,” I reply to Trix, and she chuckles. “I am
getting a tattoo, Justin. What does it look like I am
doing?”
“It looks like you are going to get my ass kicked. If
I bring you back inked up, Dominic is going to kill me.”
“I tried to tell her,” Ryan reassures him while
holding up his hands in defense.
“What are you getting anyway?” Justin stands
above Trix to see what I am getting done. “Well…maybe
he won’t be so pissed after all. I mean, that’s kinda’ cool.
Very permanent. But cool.”
“Thank you. I think so too.”

After an hour
of sitting in that chair my tattoo is done,
and it is beautiful. Trix did a great job; it’s exactly what I
wanted. She convinced me to also get my bellybutton
pierced but before she could prep the gun, Justin and
Ryan threw me out of the shop forbidding me to do it.
Justin said he was already going to get shit for the ink.
He didn’t want to give Dominic a heart attack when he
brought me back.

Justin, Ryan, and I hit a bigger mall down the
road. I shop at a few clothing stores before hitting a
pharmacy to pick up some girly items. Justin and Ryan
scrunch up their faces in disgust when I pay for my stuff.
Being on a bus with four boys is going to be challenging
enough without having to explain mood swings and
tampons. I am also going to have to tell Dominic when
my cycle starts; a conversation I am not looking forward
to having. Since I’ve never had a boyfriend before, I
never had to have
that
conversation. Girl problems might
not be something he is familiar with. Justin has a sister
and although he doesn’t seem squeamish he asked that I
hint to him when “d-day”, as he likes to refer to it, comes
so he can run for cover. I told him I don’t get moody but
he told me that I was lying. He also said, and I quote,
“My father told me never to believe anything that bleeds
for seven days and doesn’t die.”

Interesting advice, I guess.
When we get back to the hotel, Ryan walks me to
my room and drops all of my purchases near the door.
When I enter the room, Dominic is fresh from a shower,
wearing nothing but a smile and white towel. As he
riffles through his bag he eyes me suspiciously. I try to
act casual but something tells me my expression is giving
me away. He narrows his eyes and saunters over to me
as I study the water droplets rolling down his chest. His
strong arms wrap me in a bear hug and straight off my
feet. My denim shorts rub against my new tattoo causing
me to wince, he notices.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothings wrong. Why do you think something is
wrong?”
“Because you looked like you were in pain for a
second.” I’ll have to show him eventually. I am actually
pretty excited for him to see it, and nervous that he will
hate it. It is not like I can keep it hidden for long.
I pop the top button on my shorts and shimmy
them down my legs just enough to reveal the white
bandage covering my tattoo. Dominic’s eyes shoot up to
mine before he kneels down in front of me.
“What the hell happened? Are you okay? I knew I
shouldn’t have let you go out without me. Shit.”
“Dominic, I’m fine. Nothing happened. I
just…gotatattoo.”
He looks at my bandage then back at me with
angry eyes. “I knew I shouldn’t have let you go with
Justin. I knew he would do some stupid shit like this.”
“Will you relax? He had nothing to do with it. In
fact, him and Ryan were dead set against it. This was all
me.” I wrap my arms around his neck and pull him
down for a kiss.
“Why? Why would you do this?” He frowns.
“Because I wanted to. Do you want to see it?”
“No. I would rather you didn’t mark your body,”
he sighs and pouts like a child. I frown and drop my
arms to my side. “But I guess I will have to see it
eventually,” he groans.
I grab his hand and lead him to the bed. I kick off
my shorts and lay on the bed taking him down with me
so he is kneeling on the floor alongside me. Dominic
gently removes the tape that is securing the bandage on
my hip. When he pulls back the white gauze I hear a
sharp intake of breath. He traces his finger around the
outside of the image, never touching the freshly marked
skin.
When I saw Trix’s artwork on the wall, a treble
clef with musical notes of different colors all around, it
popped out at me. I asked her to scroll out “Sweetness”
using the treble clef as the “S”. She also drew some
quarter and eighth notes in different colors around it. It is
not a very large piece and it can only be scene if I am
wearing my bathing suit or just my underwear.
Dominic hasn’t yet looked at me. He just keeps
tracing a circle around my freshly marked skin with his
finger. I don’t know if he is still mad or if he actually
likes it. The silence is killing me. I try and sit up but he
holds me in place with his arm before kissing my hip and
trailing soft kisses up my stomach. Before he reaches my
breasts he slides up to my lips and kisses me very softly.
If his kisses tell me anything, he is pleased.
The look in his eyes, when we break our
connection, makes me smile. “Emma, you are amazing. I
love you so much.”
“You like it?”
“Like it. I fucking love it. You will be forever be
marked as my Sweetness. This means more to me
than…than anything.”
Dominic kisses me again and pulls me into a hug;
I wrap my arms around his neck and pet the back of his
head. When he hugs me with everything he has I know
this is his way. He may be a great songwriter but he
prefers to show his love through touch and tenderness.
He has shown me more love in the short time we have
been together, then anyone has…ever. If doing
something like this makes him happy, then I am more
than happy to do it. He means so much to me. I can’t
imagine my world without him in it.
“I was scared you were going to be mad at me,” I
admit.
“Oh, I was mad,” he sits up, taking me with him.
“but once I saw it, how could I be mad. In fact, I am
considering getting the same one.”
I inhale and shake my head in the negative. “You
can’t do that. We have only been dating for what, a
month. You can’t get my name on you. What happens if
we break up? You will have to look at it all the time.”
“Break up? That’s not going to happen. You don’t
have to worry about that because now that you are
branded, I have to keep you.”
I laugh at him. “Really? You seem awfully
confident. How can you be so sure we won’t break up?
Things happen. People break up.”
Dominic’s face turns serious. “Not us. My heart
belongs to you. You own me. Mind, body, and soul. This
is it for me.
You
are it for me. Til’ death do us part, baby.”
He can’t be serious. I love him but those are some
pretty serious words. I own him mind, body, and soul?
Til’ death do us part? He sounds pretty sure of himself.
Of us. Does this mean he wants to marry me? Surely not
this quick. We haven’t been dating long enough to get
married.
“That’s, uh-okay not going lie, that freaks me out a
little.”
Dominic chuckles, “What does?”
“The ‘til’ death do us part’. I love you but we are
not there yet.”
I don’t want to hurt him. He is so passionate and
excited about his love for me. I share his enthusiasm but
this is too fast. I want to be able to enjoy us being us,
before we think about being together forever. We have to
get to know each other first; he doesn’t know anything
about me. Not really. He doesn’t know about my past or
my family or how completely damaged I am. I feel closer
to him then I have anyone before, ever, but marriage?
The word marriage scares me more then any other in the
English language.
“Relax, Emma. I am not proposing,” he snorts and
pops off the bed. As he searches through his bag he adds,
“not yet at least.” He shoots me a wink and saunters off
to the bathroom.
I walk in behind him and watch through the
mirror while he brushes his teeth. Our eyes lock and the
intense glare he is giving me cause me to panic. I know I
should give him some sort of indication why marriage
freaks me out so much, before he starts thinking it’s him.
“Dom, its not you. I just want you to know that.
It’s marriage in general that scares the shit out of me. My
family isn’t exactly the Brady Bunch you know. My
parents got divorced and as a result a lot of lives were,” I
look down at my feet. “destroyed. I just don’t want that
for us. I just want to take it slow. I don’t want to rush into
anything and make mistakes that will effect us for the
rest of our lives.” I wrap my arms around him from
behind as he rinses out his mouth with water. After he
spits and wipes his mouth clean, he turns around and
kisses my forehead.
“Baby, I am not trying to freak you out. I know
your family shit isn’t exactly easy. But that’s not us.
They’re not us, Emma,” he puts his finger under my chin
to tilt my it up. “You and me, we’re different. We are not
your parents. You can’t think everyone is like that.”
I know not all people are as screwed up as my
parents. I know there are couples that make it. Dominic
was raised with parents who are still married and from
what he tells me, very much in love. I don’t want to
doom us before we start, but I can’t help be anything less
then cynical. If this is going to work we have to ease into
it. I mean, a lot can go wrong. Dominic’s band will be
touring after the holidays and I will be in New York.
After this month is over we will be apart more than we’ll
be together. He may feel different after his band really
starts getting the fan base they deserve. If I have any say
in it, and it just so happens I do, they will be huge. They
will blow up, then where does that leave me. I have to do
this cautiously.
“I know you feel that way now. I just want to
enjoy the time we have together and focus on us right
now. After the month is over we will be separate again. I
just don’t want to get ahead of ourselves. Let’s take this
one step at a time, see where life takes us. Okay?”
With a smirk on his dazzling face, he nods in
agreement. “You got it. I will need to try harder to
convince you. Message received.”
“Dommmm,” I groan, slumping against the wall
behind me.
“I’m kidding. I hear you. I know what you’re
saying. I just want you to know where I stand. I mean it
when I say you are it for me. If you need time to figure
out what that means to you, that’s fine by me.”
Dominic kisses my forehead and walks back into
the bedroom to finish getting ready. He has to meet the
guys for rehearsal and I have to work on prepping for
their interview tomorrow. They have an early interview
with a local radio show to promote the show and their
upcoming album. This one is fairly short; they won’t
need to do any live performances to coincide with their
interviews until they hit California. God help me if he is
just as charming on camera as he is in real life. The
women of the world won’t know what hit them.