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sister.”
    “I’m not messing around with their
    sister,” Brandon growled into the receiver.
    “Listen, like I said, it’s complicated. I promise
    to tell you as much as I can as soon as I can.
    And please don’t let on to Dominique that you
    know she was with me. I need this time with
    her, Sinjin.”
    “This is getting more interesting by the
    minute. She won’t see or hear a thing from me,
    brother, but I want a full report soon. And I
    suggest if you don’t want anyone else to know
    about your little secret, you stay away from her
    tomorrow and keep yourself occupied with
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    55
    something else. Don’t follow her around
    looking like a lovesick puppy.”
    “A lovesick…? What the hell is that
    supposed to mean? Sinjin!” but his brother had
    already disconnected the call.
    Damn. He was never going to get quality
    time with his wife. Dominique would surely try
    to avoid him at the dinner tomorrow. That
    gave him less then twenty-four hours with her.
    He didn’t care if he missed the whole dang
    thing but Dominique not showing up would
    raise more than one eyebrow as Sinjin so gently
    put it. Lovesick puppy, indeed!
    Brandon quickly returned to the bed
    where he’d left Dominique. She must have been
    really tired because she hadn’t stirred once. He
    gently got in beside her and pulled her back
    into his arms; her back to his front.
    “Brandon,”
    Dominique
    whispered
    sleepily, wiggling over to face him and
    snuggling closer to his body.
    Brandon smiled, smoothed her hair away
    from her face and placed a kiss on her brow.
    “I’m here, love.”
    “Love you, too,” she murmured so soft he
    barely heard her.
    56
    SERENITY KING
    Brandon’s heart raced, his breathing
    accelerated, and tears welled up in his eyes.
    He’d waited what seemed like forever to hear
    her say those three simple words. She loved
    him.
    Ever since she’d lost the baby, he’d
    wondered. When she listlessly suggested she go
    home for a while, Brandon had readily agreed.
    He hadn’t known how to help her or what to do.
    Dominique had been inconsolable. However,
    she had still insisted that they not tell anyone of
    the marriage or the baby. Dominique had been
    twenty-five weeks pregnant—just a few days
    shy of twenty-six weeks— six months—when
    she’d given birth to an almost still-born girl.
    The baby lived for an hour, too tiny to survive
    the rigors of the outside world. That was over a
    year and a half ago. Felt like a lifetime ago. Felt
    like yesterday.
    Brandon and Dominique had traveled
    each summer for three years, having fun and
    enjoying each other’s company. If the truth be
    told she’d held a piece of his heart from the
    moment they’d run into each other at the Bar
    Association banquet they’d both attended. After
    the banquet, they’d gone back to his place for
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    57
    drinks. It was great. They’d laughed and talked
    into the wee hours of the morning.
    Dominique had stayed over. Not wanting
    their time to be over, he’d offered to drive her
    to her condo to change clothes, then to
    breakfast later that morning. That was the first
    time in his life that a woman who wasn’t a
    family member had stayed at his place without
    having sex with him.
    Chad had called him a week later to thank
    him for looking out for his sister at the banquet.
    He wanted to know if Brandon would continue
    to keep an eye on Dominique. The family had
    been concerned about her being in New York
    alone. That was one of the best days of his life.
    Not only had it provided him the chance to be
    with Dominique again, it was the beginning of
    his and Dominique’s relationship. At the time
    they’d called it friendship.
    As it grew and changed…well he’d been
    cocky enough to believe that sneaking around
    to be with one another would be fun, almost
    like Romeo and Juliet. It had been kind of fun
    in the beginning. That had gotten old real fast.
    Somewhere along the line, he’d remembered
    that