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
Through the Fire
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
Through the Fire
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