34

Chapter 34
Dominic
She is not in my bed when I return home.
Nor the day after that, nor the day after that.
Guilt weighs heavily on my chest as I mull our argument over, absolutely hating the look on her face when I said she was being dramatic. They were words spoken out of turn, without thought. I didn’t mean them, but my brain didn’t kick in in time to keep my mouth from running.
I need to apologize. I know I should. Not just for the way I spoke to her, but for my absence as of late. Arin’s right. I’ve been so consumed with work that I’ve unintentionally neglected my wife and daughter.
Wait? Did I say wife? Man, I really am tired.
But now that the word is in my head, I can’t stop thinking about it. Wife, wife, wife.
On the sixth night that I return home to find my bed empty, I dare to venture into the other half of the apartment. Nerves and anxiety don’t suit me, yet my palms get clammy and my heart thuds loudly in my chest as I wander down the hall into what can only be described as Arin and Felicia’s side of our home.
Shit. Maybe Arin’s right.
I’ve been so adamant about keeping business and personal separate that I’ve accidentally drawn an invisible line straight through the center of the apartment. Hers and mine. Cut off from one another, even though that was never my intention. Time just… got away from me a little.
I pop in to check on my daughter first.
She’s fast asleep, already tucked in and sleeping soundly. Her night light glows softly from one corner of the room, a beacon of safety in the darkness. The toys and books I purchased for her lie about the space, clearly well-loved and adored. It fills me with pride knowing I can afford to give her a life free
of want.
And you really think that’s enough?
“Daddy?” Felicia stirs, slowly propping herself up on her elbows as she rubs the sleep from her eyes. “Daddy?”
“I’m sorry, principessa,” I whisper, stepping quickly to her bedside. “I didn’t mean to wake you.”
“Had a bad dream.” She holds her arms out and grabs onto me, hugging me with such strength that I marvel.
“It’s okay, little one,” I murmur, gently rubbing her back while pressing a kiss to her forehead. “I’ve got you, you’re safe. Why don’t you lie back down and—”
“Don’t go!” she whines, clinging to my shirt with her tiny fists. “Stay here.”
I’m not the kind of man who knows what it’s like to have their heart melt, but Felicia’s plea makes me fold like a shaky house of cards on a windy day. How could I possibly deny her something so simple?
I have her carefully balanced on my lap with her cheek resting against my shoulder as I carefully wrap her in her blanket. Once safe in her little cocoon, Felicia quickly starts to nod off, her eyes fluttering closed as she yawns deep and wide. I take a moment to admire just how much she looks like her mother. From her cute button nose to the shape of her little ears and the curl of her long lashes. There’s no doubt in my mind that Felicia’s going to grow up to be just as gorgeous as Arin.
Once I’m sure she’s sound asleep and no longer plagued by remnants of her nightmare, I lay Felicia down and tuck her in. I kiss her on the top of her head before leaving her room, the door shutting with the softest of clicks.
When I turn, I find myself staring at Arin’s room just on the other side of the hall. I don’t hear her sewing machine, but I can detect the faintest light seeping out from beneath the crack in the door frame.
We haven’t spoken in almost a week. Knowing she’s upset with me makes my chest uncomfortably tight. My gut tells me to go in there and apologize, but…
Shit. I’ve never had to do this before. I don’t apologize for anything. I’m a negotiator through and through. If there’s a deal I can’t strike, that’s when I brute force my way into getting what I want. That’s just the world I live in. Take what you can and leave your feelings and morality at the door.
That won’t fly with Arin.
I need to make changes. I know I do. But that will take time, trial, and error. I wish I could claim I was a perfect man, but I’m not. All I can do is take a deep breath and try to make things right.
Knocking on her door rewards me with no answer. “Arin?” I call.
No response.
Curious, I peak inside. Her bed is empty. The sheets are smooth and undisturbed, which tells me she likely hasn’t gone to bed yet. There’s really only one place she could be, so I move through her walk-in and enter her studio—her own private little world.
A smile spreads across my lips when I see her. She’s at her workstation, slumped over and snoring, a piece of cotton trapped between her cheek and the table’s surface. There’s no telling how long she’s been here, but I can’t imagine it’s a particularly comfortable way to fall asleep.
It’s chaotic in here. More so than usual. All sorts of sketches and pictures of models wearing her designs and seating plans and laminated press passes are strewn about. And I remember. Her show is tomorrow. Arin’s probably stressed out of her mind, working herself to the point of exhaustion.
I place my hand on her shoulder, giving her a gentle shake. “Arin? This is no place to fall asleep, mi amore.”
“Mmphf,” she grumbles in protest, her eyelids sealed shut.
I chuckle. “Dolcezza, you’re going to wake up with a sore neck if you—” When I take a step closer, I realize what she’s working on. It’s not some scrap of fabric, but an entire suit jacket. It’s obscured by her body, the majority of it trapped beneath her chest. It looks like she was in the middle of
stitching on the label.
Marina’s.
Pressing a kiss to her cheek, I whisper in her ear, “Wake up, my love. The show’s about to begin.”
She shoots upright, making a little snorting sound as she wipes her mouth dry. She groans when she realizes where she is, glancing at me with wide, alert eyes. “W-what are you doing here?”
“I wanted to see you.”
Arin shrugs. “After a week away? Figured you’d forgotten all about me.” I cup her face and sigh. “You’re looking for a fight.”
“No, I’m not.”
I smile gently. “Yes you are, spitfire.”
She sighs, too tired and defeated to continue. “Yeah, alright. I guess I am.”
I hold her gaze and take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Arin. I should not have spoken to you that way. You’re right. I’ve been neglecting you and Felicia, and that simply isn’t acceptable. Adjusting to my new role has been… challenging, but I will make more of an effort going forward to spend more time with you and our daughter. You are, and always will be, my top priority.”
Arin’s body language shifts, the tension in her shoulders melting away as she leans against my chest. “I’m sorry, too,” she mumbles sheepishly. “For causing a scene. And being so needy.”
“You’re allowed to need me, dolcezza. In fact, I’d prefer it.”
I let my hands slide down, lifting her face with a finger just below her chin. I kiss her softly on the lips, loving the way she feels against me. I’ve missed her more than I care to admit, and I really only have myself to blame for this distance I’ve wedged between us. Arin’s the one who deepens the kiss, the tip of her tongue dancing lightly over mine, but before I can make a move, she pulls away an inch.
“I should probably get some sleep,” she admits. “Tomorrow’s the big day.”
“Right, of course. I want you well rested.”
She sucks in a breath through her teeth. “Will you… Are you going to be there?”
“I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I promise.”
Her sweet smile makes my heart sing. She turns and picks up the suit jacket she was working on. “I made this for you. To wear to the show.”
I inspect the label with a grin, admiring the addition of the apostrophe and
S. “A special edition Marina, huh?”
“This way, when you put it on, you’ll know you’re mine.” “Say it again.”
“You’re mine,” she whispers. “Just as I’m yours.”
I kiss her again, smiling as I do. “Go to bed, cuore mio. You need your sleep.”
“Will you stay with me tonight?” “Try and stop me.”
We curl up together in her bed, the sheets nowhere near as soft as her bare skin against mine. As we drift off together, the same thought that’s been
rattling around inside my head resurface.
Arin may not be my wife. But I want her to be.
For now, we’ll take it one day at a time.