Here Comes the Bride (23 page)

Through the front window screen of Sam’s apartment, Dominic saw Ken bend down on one knee and offer Sam a ring.

His breath caught in his throat. He had every intention of taking Ken by the collar and roughing him up a bit until he saw Sam smile and wrap her arms around the guy.

What the hell was going on?

Stuck between wanting to confront her and wanting to let her have a moment of happiness after all he’d put her through, he stood frozen in indecision and then turned back toward the parking lot.

“Look! Dominic’s here!”

Sam’s apartment door came open.

Emma rushed toward him with the rest of Sam’s family following close behind.

Ken broke through the crowd, his big shoulders knocking Kevin out of his way. For a long moment, some sort of weird staring war ensued between the two men until Ken said, “Good luck with that one. You’re going to need it.” And then he walked off.

More confused than ever, Dominic watched Sam exit her apartment. She stopped short. Their gazes met and held.

“Are you coming or going?” she asked.

“What do you mean?”

“When I looked out the window, you were walking away from my apartment, not toward it.”

“That’s because I saw Ken propose to you and the next thing I know you were all over him.”

“I gave him a hug,” Sam said.

“She hugs the mailman, too,” Emma informed him.

“It’s true,” one of her brothers said.

“I saw you in the
LA Times
today,” Sam said. “The paparazzi caught you dancing with another beautiful woman I didn’t recognize.”

“Photoshop,” Dominic said.

“It’s amazing what they can do with that program,” Sam’s dad said.

Sam’s mom nodded in agreement. “They can literally take someone’s head and stick it on someone else’s body.”

“Mom, Dad, everyone,” Sam said. “Could Dominic and I please have a private moment here?”

“Sure, sure.”

“You definitely know how to ruin a party,” Emma told Sam.

After they were all back in the apartment, Sam plunked her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”

“What do you think?”

“I really have no idea. I haven’t seen you in ten days. That’s a long time.”

“Yeah,” said Emma, “that’s almost as long as the gestational period of a Virginian opossum.”

Sam pointed at Emma and told her to shut the door all the way this time.

Dominic paled, figuring Emma was trying to say something. “Are you pregnant?”

“No, of course not. I might have actually tried to find out where you were staying if I was.”

“But since you’re not, you didn’t?”

Sam crossed her arms. “Why would I?”

“Because you said you loved me.”

“You asked me to leave.”

“I wish I hadn’t.”

“You could have called.”

“I should have.”

“What took you so long to come see me?”

“I’m stubborn and truthfully, I never thought the day would come when I would meet a woman I wanted to spend the rest of my life with.”

“You were set on spending the rest of your life alone?”

He nodded. She was too far away for him to reach out and draw her close. In the past, if he just pulled her into his arms and held her, she sort of melted against him and forgot about whatever it was they were arguing about. “I don’t want to live without you,” he added for good measure.

She cocked her head as if she were waiting for him to say something more.

Damn. He wasn’t prepared for a long speech. “If we come to some sort of conclusion here,” he said, struggling for every word, “and we decide to get married, I want it to be forever. For instance, let’s say that ten years from now, if I tell you to pack up and move out, don’t listen to me.”

Sam wrinkled her nose. “I’m just supposed to ignore you?”

He nodded. “Exactly.”

“Okay,” she said. “If I agree to be your wife again and five years from now or maybe even five hours, you see me hugging the clerk at the local market and I tell you you’re being a jealous fool, you just need to know that it doesn’t mean anything and that I only love you. No need to make a big deal about a hug.”

“I don’t know,” he said. “I’ll have to think about that one. But if you locate any long-lost relatives of mine or you run into my thieving uncle, I would appreciate it if you didn’t invite any of them to dinner without talking to me first.”

“Agreed.”

“Are they serious?” Emma asked.

Sam had forgotten the front window was open.

“Will you marry me?” Dominic asked.

“What do you have in mind?”

“Family only. A small wedding at our new house.”

“I like the sound of that.”

“Can I be a bridesmaid?” Emma shouted excitedly.

They both ignored her, each taking a few steps toward the other and finally closing the gap.

Dominic held her close, breathed her in. “I love the way your hair smells. Have I ever told you that?”

“I think you have. Thank you.”

“It’s not always going to be smooth sailing,” Dominic said, loving the way she felt snuggled up close to him.

Sam pulled away just enough so she could peer into his eyes. “Some days will be like riding a rickety rollercoaster or a scary Ferris wheel.”

“We’re both going to have to work on insecurities and trust issues.”

“I want children,” she said, making him wonder if she were testing him.

“As many as you want,” he said with a smile.

“Do you mean that or are you just trying to make me happy?”

“I think three children is a good number, don’t you?”

She laughed. “Three is good. Maybe four.”

“Maybe. We don’t have to have them all next month, do we?”

“I guess if I were a Virginian opossum, it might be possible.”

“Where does that kid come up with those things?” Dominic asked. “Is she really related to you?”

“She really is. You might end up with four daughters just like Emma.”

“Got a problem with that, Uncle Dom?” Emma shouted.

They both laughed.

“She has really good hearing,” Dominic said. “We might as well go inside.”

“I’m glad you finally came,” Sam whispered.

“I love you, Sam Johnston,” he whispered back, “and I promise to spend the rest of my life showing you.”

Epilogue

One year later…

Through the screen door of the master bedroom, Sam saw family and friends take their seats. At the sight of the minister, her heart did a double beat, and she placed her hand on her chest.
This is really happening
. Dominic, Tom, Taylor, and Kevin had spent the past few days setting up potted plants and chairs, doing their best to make sure there would be enough shade for everyone. They did a wonderful job. Everything looked lovely.

Although a white picket fence framed the ten acres of land surrounding the small one-story house, Caesar, Rex, and their newest addition, Cleopatra, a three-legged beagle, liked to stay close to the house, and she could see them greeting the guests. Shakespeare preferred the indoors where she could circle Sam’s legs as she tried to get ready.

Rebecca laced the back of her summer dress, talking all the while, because that’s what she did when she was nervous.

“Don’t worry, dear. It’ll all be over in a blink of an eye.”

Sam suppressed a laugh. “I’m getting married, Mom. I’m not having my tooth pulled.”

“Of course you are, dear. He’s a good man. You’re both young, but it’s not as if either of you just graduated from high school.”

Sam inhaled.

“It’s not easy standing in front of friends and family, declaring your good intentions to be with each other for the rest of your lives. Never mind that so many marriages end up in divorce.” She paused, checked her lipstick in the mirror. “It’ll be fine, just you wait and see.”

“Mom, what’s going on? Is there something you’re not telling me? Did you see Dominic in another one of those tabloids? That’s it, isn’t it?”

Her mother wiped her eyes with a tissue.

Something was seriously wrong. Sam slipped her arm around her mother and held her close. “What’s bothering you?”

Another sob. “Your father proposed last night.”

Sam kept her cool. Through the screen door, she could see Dominic at his assigned place before the minister. A classic summer suit that fit him to a tee hugged his body, making her insides flip-flop.
God, he looked hot
.

Literally. He wiped his brow.

Indecision pulled at her. She’d like to comfort her mother, but her timing, as always, was disastrous. “Mom, I think they’re ready for us.”

Her mother waved her hand toward the door. “Sure, go ahead. Don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine.”

Setting her small bouquet of pink periwinkles on the bed, Sam gently held her mom’s shoulders. “Look at me, Mom. You and Dad have been married for thirty-eight years.”

“Thirty-nine, but who’s counting?”

Sam squelched the desire to roll her eyes. “Obviously
you
are. So, what are you so upset about?”

“Look at me,” she said, running her hands over the expensive fabric covering her hips. “I have a lot of life left. There are things I want to do. Faraway places I want to see. This past year away from Cameron has made me see how much I’ve missed out on. I’m scared. Your father changed once. Who’s to say he won’t change again.”

Sam felt a magnetic pull toward Dominic. She wanted to go to him. Needed to be by his side, but she couldn’t abandon her mother at a time like this. She took a steadying breath and said, “Mom, I know you. You won’t let him.” Sam wanted to shake some sense into her. “You and I have grown a lot in these past months. We know what we want. We know what’s acceptable and what’s not. Hell, I won’t ever let Dad treat you badly, so you have nothing to worry about.”

“So you think I should accept his proposal?”

It took everything she had to stay calm. Her wedding day and here she was giving a daughter-mother talk—go figure. “Yes, Mom, I think you should.”

“Okay,” she said, eyes suddenly dry. “I’m ready. I’m glad we had this talk.”

“Me, too, Mom. Let’s do this before Dominic melts and the—”

Damn
. She heard the unmistakable roar of the helicopter’s rotors in the distance. The paparazzi had found them.

***

Sweat dripped off his forehead, which Dominic figured was a godsend because now at least nobody would notice how red his eyes were. Not that he’d been crying or anything.

He wasn’t a crier.

He was a man’s man.

Hell, he’d just wrapped up filming a movie where he shot men just for looking at him wrong. He had enough testosterone to take care of the World Wrestling Federation.

And yet, five minutes ago, he’d been thinking about his wife and all the memories they had already made in such a short time. He’d also been going over his vows. Every time he thought about what Sam meant to him, it opened up a floodgate of emotions.

It was pissing him off.

He could do this.

Sam was his moon, his sun, the oxygen he breathed.

There. Easy enough. Fate, that fickle yet powerful force with the ability to predetermine a person’s life, had found him and presented him with Sam.

His eyes stung. Damn.

Forget it. He’d just have to think about other things.

He glanced at the guests patiently waiting. Tom’s wife was pregnant again. Their three-legged beagle went from chair to chair, making sure everyone scratched her back at least once. Rex tried to follow, but he kept getting turned around, bumping into Caesar and then heading off in the wrong direction.

On another note, Dominic had gone to see his father. Figured he’d check up on him. Lo and behold, Uncle Frank showed up two minutes before Dominic was getting ready to leave. Anger simmered within as he recalled the look of surprise on his uncle’s face. As it turned out, his father and uncle had been working together to steal his money. They figured Dominic could just make another movie and another million and everybody would be fine.

Dominic took a deep breath and sadness replaced the bitterness that threatened to ruin his special day. No. He was done. He had Sam, and he had his mother.

Needless to say, they were both in jail. The money they had embezzled was gone—spent on booze and gambling. A little time spent behind bars would force his father to stop drinking. At least for a while.

Glad to have his emotions in check, Dominic put a hand to his chest the moment he spotted Sam. “
Wonderful Tonight
” played as she strolled up the grassy aisle. With her hair down and wearing a beautiful but simple dress, she took his breath away. The pink of her bouquet matched the soft color of her lips. Striking. Mesmerizing. Simply beautiful.

And when she smiled at him, he felt a rumble deep down at the bottom of his chest.

Her soft hand slid into his, reminding him of their first wedding at the church when she’d startled him with her beauty. Life had not been the same since.

“Are you crying again?” she asked softly.

“No. What gave you that idea? This is sweat. For a moment there I thought you’d gotten cold feet and run off.”

She squeezed his hand. “I’ll never run off. You’re stuck with me, DeMarco. I love you.”

The helicopters arrived. Dust and bits of grass flew around them, which he figured was a good thing because now he had another excuse as to why his eyes were watering. “I love you, too,” he said loud enough to be heard over the deafening noise.

***

Emma patted Winston’s head as she watched Grandpa walk Sam halfway up the grassy aisle before he took a seat next to Grandma. Dominic was crying again. Her friends all thought Dominic was ultra-cool because he played a tough guy on the big screen, but Uncle Dom was a big softie at heart.

Tom was the best man and Emma was the maid of honor—a great decision on the bride’s part, if she did say so herself.

So cool that filming had ended for Dominic’s first Western and reviews were looking good. Twice she’d gotten to visit him on set. His fans had forgiven him and World Studios was still trying to get Dominic to sign on the dotted line.