Choices We Make: The Moretti Brothers Series (12 page)

“So I hope that was not too painful for you?”

“No, your mother and sisters are great.” 

“I have to say I was really surprised to see you guys getting along so well.  My sisters have always been so critical of all the women I brought home, especially Anna, they can barely stomach her.” 

“Well it’s probably because we’re not a couple, so there is no need to be as critical as they would be to your potential mate.  We are in this situation because I carelessly believed that I was unable to conceive but I don’t regret being pregnant, I think it’s a blessing and I hope that we can get through this with minimal disruption to your life with your girlfriend.” 

Dominic remained silent, he had not really thought of Anna all day.  He had to remember to call her when he got home.  Choosing not to respond to her comment about his girlfriend, he changed the subject. 

“Victoria I want to apology again for my brother and father’s behavior.” 

“Your father I understand, but your brother, working in the corporate world, I would have thought he would have had a little more tolerance then that.” 

“He’s not a big fan of all women, his wife left him with the kids, she said to pursue a fashion design career, but he found out that she was only in pursuit of another man.  He’s in the process of getting a divorce, he is bitter with the world right now.” 

“Oh,” is all Victoria said as Dominic pulled into the underground parking garage of her building.  He escorted her to her door before saying good night. 

“I’ll call you later in the week.  If you need anything, please call me, we’re in this together.”  She nodded as he kissed her on the forehead and retreated down the hall.  Victoria walked into her condominium and for the first time she truly felt lonely, something was missing in her life.  She knew what it was, but she needed to push those thoughts out of her head, he was with someone.  She had already turned his life upside down with the pregnancy; she would not complicate his life further, by trying to pursue him.  She showered and went to bed; she knew she had a long week ahead of her. 

*****

Dominic walked into his house and his phone buzzed “Hey Anna I was just about to call you; how was your day?” 

“My day was good, I’m surprised I didn’t get a call from you,” she said irritated.

“You know we have Sunday dinner at my parents, I took Victoria over today to meet everyone.” 

“Wow!  We’ve been seeing each other over a month now and I don’t get one invitation to dinner, but you find out two weeks ago that she is having your baby and she gets an invitation right away.” 

“Don’t start Anna, you know I had to let my family meet her.  She is having my children, and I don’t need to justify to you who I take to my parent’s home.”  He felt himself getting angry and needed to end the conversation before he said something he might regret. 

“I’m just wondering when I will be invited to dinner?” 

“Why Anna?  You never liked going to Sunday dinner with my family when we were together before, so why now, because I took Victoria?  Look I’m tired and I need to get up early tomorrow.” 

“Don’t do this, just because we are discussing something you are not comfortable with your immediate response it to hang up.”  Anna said clearly upset. 

“And I seem to recall your immediate response to dealing with situations you didn’t like was to leave.  I told you I have an early day tomorrow, good night Anna.”  He hung up the phone before she could respond.  He didn’t have the patience anymore to stroke her insecurities.  He headed towards the shower. 

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

Over the next couple of weeks, Dominic worked long days but managed to call Victoria every couple of days to check on her.  She had a doctor’s appointment scheduled for Friday and he knew he needed to finish everything on Thursday so that he could spend that entire afternoon with her.  He sat back in his chair, laid his head back as he pinched the bridge of his nose to relieve the tension he was feeling.  His phone buzzed.  He looked at the screen and answered the phone.

“Hi Mom.” 

“Hi baby, I haven’t heard from you all week.  I know you didn’t forget how to dial.” 

“Sorry Mom, I’ve been really busy.” 

“It’s okay, how is Victoria, and when are you going to bring her back over for dinner?” 

“She fine Mom, she has a doctor’s appointment tomorrow, and I will ask her if she is free for Sunday dinner.” 

“Tell her I’m making that pie she really liked, so I expect to see her.” 

“Yes ma’am, I have to go Mom, I love you, I’ll see you on Sunday.” 

“With Victoria,” she said adamantly. 

“I will ask; that’s all I can promise.” 

Dominic hung up the phone a little puzzled at how quickly his family had taken to Victoria.  He couldn’t remember his family liking any of the women he brought home, not that he had taken many home.  Maybe it was because Victoria was having his babies and they wanted to make her feel comfortable. 

Friday afternoon came quickly.  Dominic walked into Victoria’s office to pick her up and was taken back at how much weight she had gained in just two weeks.  She could see his eyes widen.  “Not one word.  You make one comment about how fat I am and you will live to regret it,” she admonished. 

He raised his hands in defeat as he smiled “I was just a little surprised, but you look even more beautiful, if that’s any consolation, the pregnancy is agreeing with you.” 

“Whatever, I look like a whale,” She said with unshed tears in her eyes.  The weight gain had really started to bother her. 

Dominic could see she was about to cry.  “Hey, hey I was just kidding.   Vic, you look beautiful and you have to remember that you are carry three Moretti babies, the weight gain is expected.”  He pulled her into a hug as one tear escaped. 

“Is something else wrong?” 

“No, let’s just go, I don’t want to be late for my appointment.”  She noticed that she was becoming more emotional as the pregnancy progressed.

After the appointment, they decided against going to a restaurant and did takeout instead.  Dominic drove to his house; he wanted Victoria to see where he lived.  They pulled into the driveway of Dominic’s house.  

“Wow, this is a lot of house for a single man living alone.” 

Dominic smiled.  “Let's get order some food and I'll explain how I came to buy such a huge house.”  Victoria walked into his home and was pleasantly surprised. The house had a contemporary feel and was extremely clean for a bachelor. They walked through the foyer, which opened into a large living room.  The rooms were painted in a soft warm brown; the leather furniture in the living room complemented the dining room set. His house had four bedrooms, all very spacious, but the master bedroom was huge along with the master bathroom.

After the tour, the food was delivered and Dominic took Victoria to the family room where they ate and began to talk.

“So I brought this house three years ago when I was in a serious relationship with Anna.  I thought we were going to get married so when the opportunity came along to purchase this house, for an amazing price, I jumped at the opportunity.”  He paused because it still angered him that he allowed his emotions to outweigh the practicality of such a major purchase at that time. 

“Wait, you guys weren’t together, when we went away, were you?” 

“No, I would have never agreed to your arrangement if I was in a committed relationship.  You don’t know me very well yet, but if you did, you would know that when I commit myself to a woman I’m committed to only her, there is never any vacillating or deviation, I’m all in, one hundred percent.” 

“So what happened, if you don’t mind me asking?”  She wanted to know how someone could walk away from such a loving and caring man.

Dominic made himself another drink and sat beside Victoria. “Where do I start, I met Anna at a software convention, before I started my own company we went out a few times and really hit it off, shortly after that we were exclusive. We had a really good relationship and she was very encouraging when I decided to start my own business. Then one day she tells me she's moving to another state to start a new job, just like that, no warning just up and moved. I bought this house because I thought we would marry and have children, but I guess it just wasn't in the cards at that time.” Dominic took a gulp of his drink finishing it in one swallow as he walked over to the bar and made himself another drink.

“So you two are back together now that she moved back?”

“I wouldn't say we are back together, we started dating again.  So what about you Victoria? Why is it that some man hasn’t sweep you off your feet and taken you down the aisle?” 

Victoria looked at him, “I thought I was in love once, I thought I had found the man of my dreams, but as it turns out he wasn’t a one woman man.  I was in denial for a while but the final straw was when I found out he was sleeping with my best friend.”  She had never shared that confession with anyone not even her mother, so she wasn’t sure why she trusted him so much with this secret. 

“What, and you and Jackie are still friends?” 

“It wasn’t Jackie, it was my friend Monica, you haven’t met her yet but you will, and yes we are still friends.”

“Please explain to me how that’s possible.” 

“It’s a long story I’m sure you don’t want to hear it.”  He put his arm around her shoulder and pulled her closer to him. 

“I have the time if it’s not too painful for you to tell.” 

She inhaled deeply, thinking where to start, when his cologne cloaked her like a warm blanket the she just wanted to be under.  She cleared her throat.  “Well, I had been going out with John for over a year and was head over heels in love.  My mother did not care for him, but I thought that was my mom being over protective.  Anyway, the signs of his infidelity were all over the place, but I was too blinded by love to pay attention.  When I finally started to suspect that he may be cheating on me and confronted him, he quickly proposed and I gladly accepted thinking he was totally committed to me now.”

Dominic looked at her but said nothing, so she continued. “Anyway, this was about the same time that Monica had moved back to Philly after being away for over a year.  She never met my fiancée but I talked about him all the time.  Shorty after she returned, she told me she met a guy and she thought he might be the one, but didn’t want to jinx their relationship by introducing him to everyone, because it was still new.  I was happy for her, even joked with her and I possibly having a double wedding.  Jackie never liked or trusted John.  She even tried to convince me to have him checked out but I refused.  I thought she was being paranoid because of her ex-husband’s infidelity.  Unbeknownst to me, Jackie had a private investigator follow him anyway.”  She took a sip of water, trying to get rid on the distasteful feeling she got very time she thought about that situation.  

“The investigator’s report was very extensive.  The report was supposed to go to Jackie only but I received a copy as well.  Normally, that would not be unusual, we use the same investigator to do background checks on potential clients and he knew to make two copies of every report, one for Jackie and one for me.  I guess Jackie forgot to tell him the report was for her eyes only.”  She took another sip of water. “Apparently, when he had proposed to me, he had women all over the city and one of those women was my best friend Monica.  I was devastated.  I thought how could she betray me like that, then I thought about it, she had never met my John and he told her his name was Luke so he played both of us.   I called Monica and told her we needed to talk.  We had made plans to meet at my condo for dinner and I was going to tell her everything.  My next call was to my lying cheating ex-fiancée.  He cried and pleaded and initially denied the affairs, but when I called his cheating ass on it, telling him I had pictures to prove it, he tried to tell me that they meant nothing to him, that I was the one he loved.  Can you believe that lying piece of shit, he only loved the financial windfall he thought he was going to come into by marrying me. The report also documented that he was up to his neck in debt.  I guess wining and dining so many women gets expensive.”  She looked at Dominic and could see the tension in his face.  She rubbed his leg, and saw the stress leave his face, she smiled slightly, loving that she had that affect on him. 

“He was a fucking asshole and you were lucky to dodge that bullet,” was all he said as he kissed her on the forehead.  “So what happened between you and Monica?” 

“Well by the time she got to my condo she was a wreck.  I surmised that Jackie had gotten to her before we could talk.  She was totally distraught.  She was almost incoherent as she told me that Luke wasn’t who he said he was and he was a lying bastard, she said she couldn’t believe she fell for his bullshit, that she should have known he was too good to be true.”  We both drank and cried all night.  I didn’t mention that night that I knew her Luke and my John was the same person.   As time went on it didn’t seem that important anymore.” 

He looked at her, “she should have mentioned it to you.”  Was the only comment he had on that subject as he stood, “do you want something more to eat, there's plenty of food over here?” Dominic said as he walked over to the table.

“No I’m stuffed, I couldn't eat another thing, but I will take some more water.” Dominic handed her a bottle of water as he sat down beside her.

“So how are you really feeling Vic?” He said changing the subject.  It angered him that some scumbag treated her that way. 

“I feel good, I think that the weight gain is wreaking havoc with me emotionally and sometimes my feet ache, like now.”  Victoria said as she started taking off her shoes, Dominic stopped her, removed her shoes and pulled her feet onto his lap. He began to gently massage her feet.

“Is there anything I can do for you to make you more comfortable?” he asked in a smooth sexy voice.  She cut her eye at him, wondering if he was thinking the same thing she was, because the pregnancy was not only messing with her emotions it was also sending her hormones into overdrive and she was horny as hell. 
Down girl, he has someone.  
She cleared her throat and responded.

“You're actually doing it right now, uhhh… thank you; that feels so good,” she said as she laid her head back on the sofa, closed her eyes and enjoyed the massage. They sat there in silence as he massaged her feet until he heard a soft snore. He looked at a sleeping Victoria, wished she was his woman; he continued to have an overwhelming feeling to protect this woman that was carrying his babies. He massaged her feet for a few more minutes before placing them on the sofa and covering her with a blanket.  He went to his office to get some work done while Victoria slept. 

Dominic was so involved in his work; he didn’t realize that he had been working for two hours.  He went to check on Victoria and she was still asleep.  He decided to carry her upstairs and put her in his bedroom.  He scooped Victoria up and carried her towards the stairs, as he ascended the stairs she woke up startled, wrapping her arms around his neck so she wouldn’t fall. “Nick what are you doing?” 

“You’ve been sleep for the last few hours; it doesn’t make sense to go home tonight when I have so much room.”  He walked into his master bedroom with her still in his arms and laid her on the bed.  She looked around the massive room and realized it must be the master suite.  The king size bed had a high leather back that matched beautifully with the hardwood floors.  The entire room was painted in a soft grey with white crown molding that trimmed the walls and chair rail.  The bay window was dressed with dark drapes.   The room had a highboy dresser and two nightstands with a leather bench at the foot of the bed.  “The room is beautiful.”  Victoria said as she looked around and start to get off of the bed “This is obviously the master suite which I assume is your bedroom and I can’t take your room.  I can….” 

“Stop Victoria, yes this is my room but I want you to be comfortable, my guest rooms aren’t finished and I can sleep in one of them.” 

“No I can’t let…” 

“The discussion is over, you are sleeping in here.”  She was learning that when he used a certain tone that it was the end of that discussion. “Now there are towels in the cabinet in the bathroom right through that door,” he said pointed to the master bathroom.  “I have t-shirts and sweatpants you can sleep in if you would like.” 

“I feel like I’m imposing.” 

“Victoria you will have to get comfortable in this house, we are having children together which means that they will be spending a lot of time here.  I need you to feel relaxed.” 

Victoria nodded “Okay, thank you.” 

“No problem, I have to get some more work done if you need anything just give a holler, I will be in my office downstairs.”  Dominic rubbed her stomach and kissed her on the forehead before exiting the room.  That had become his form of sentiment towards her.  Victoria realized she was really tired.  She grabbed a pair of sweatpants and t-shirt and headed towards the bathroom.  Victoria slid the pocket door to the side and was surprised to see that the bathroom was just as stunning as the bedroom.  The earth tones gave her an immediate calming feeling.  There was mosaic tile from the floor to the ceiling in the shower and sidewall; the rest of the room was painted in a darker grey.  The shower was totally incased in glass and large enough for two people with three showerheads.  The cabinetry was a rich dark mahogany that surrounded a double basin sink.