Possibly a week since Nathaniel's arrest and we still haven't heard a single update about him or the investigation, but we have been told he's been locked behind bars. My Father instructed us not to think of it and just get on with our jobs, though fortunately, my Father timed his announcement to be near the Christmas - New Year break, where he made his final decision for the firm to be close for a week and a half for people to enjoy a "much needed break".
You should have seen all the happy faces.
I tried my best not to think of the incidents with Nathaniel, but there were just some of those nights where I wake up drenched in sweat or wallowing in my own tears, to which Dominic would instinctively comfort in his arms until I went back to sleep. It's a hard case when I know at the back of my mind that Nathaniel's not fully away from me. And when I told Dominic, it was then that he decided to get away from Los Angeles for the whole week and a half break.
He said, "It'll be fine. We need it, well you do. You need to get away from work, get away from stress and get away from your nightmares."
He was right. It made a lot more sense to get away for a while. He planned everything, he said I didn't need to stress out and it was his turn to prove his love for me - something like that, he told me all this at 4 in the morning, when he had the brilliant idea after a night out with friends. I'm happy though, because he was slowly coming out and coming back as the old Dominic. And I absolutely loved it.
Unfortunately, our plans were cancelled.
Dominic and I spent those days off in New York, and as the new names listed as the firm's top dogs, we were called in to work and finalize whatever's left to do to sort out the New York office. It wasn't the ideal place my fiancé expected to take me, although he didn't mention to me at all of what he originally planned for us to do. I felt bad, and we were both slightly annoyed that we weren't truly out of the troubles that brewed up in our minds, despite being away from Los Angeles, some things did happen in New York too. Those things influenced the outcome and caused turmoil between us - though brief, it was enough to cause heartaches.
And on a cold Christmas afternoon, we were at the newly furnished office of whoever we would name as the partner to front that branch, we had paperwork laid out all over the desk with the candidates, the floor plan of the office on the coffee table and our clothes scattered all over the place.
What do you expect?
We spent Christmas Eve in that office, working our asses off without realizing the time. I'm sure he felt as bad as me that we didn't get a chance to spend this festive season with our Families, and we never got a chance to kiss under the mistletoe or open gifts under the Christmas tree or spend one night intoxicated with our closest friends. I guess what we appreciated was the time we spent alone, and it was possibly one of the first of many future seasonal holidays that we'd enjoy as one happy couple - or as he whispered to me last night - one normal couple.
Although, it's probably not normal to be cuddling up to each other - naked - on the leather couch in that office.
"Back to the same old routine," I moaned as I pushed myself out his grasp and reaching for my underwear that dangled at the armrest. "But we really shouldn't be having sex on other people's furniture. We made the entire office smell of sex."
"It doesn't bother me," Dominic chuckled as he sat up and let his large jacket we used for warmth droop down to cover his lower half, he leaned his arms against his bent knees as I felt his gaze strongly focused on me.
"I'm sure that our newly promoted partner wouldn't appreciate the boss's naked ass on their leather couch," I added as I slipped on my bra and hooked from the front. Light giggles escaped me from the thought of blessing the new office with our bodies grinding against each other, and yes, my immaturity level certainly didn't match my age.
"How else were we going to keep warm?"
"Your hand could have helped yo- Oophm-" I yelped at the end as Dominic grabbed me by the hips and tugged me back down to his lap, his arms wrapped around me as his unshaven jawline grazed along the crook of my neck, which made me squirm and laugh at the tickling effects from his prickly skin. His exhales made it worst and I was already failing at keeping myself together.
"I'm sorry that we had to come spend our break here," He whispered with a guilty tone.
"It's fine."
"I'll make up for it," He cooed. "I promise."
"There's no need, honest," I replied as I slid my fingers up and down his forearms. "I just like this. Being here and having you back is exactly what I've wanted."
"I'm sorry I lied to you about everything, treating you so badly-" His voice faded and he sounded a little hurt. I shuffled myself around to face him, sitting with my legs at either side of his body as I wrapped my arms around his neck. His pretty hazel eyes expressed his concerns and worries, I shook my head and kissed him, but he pulled back, stroking the side of my face as he said, "Sometimes... No, all the time, whenever I see you smile, I think back to everything you've done for me and I always think that I don't deserve you."
"W-What?" He caught me off guard.
His fingers trailed down the side of my face and cupped my chin, his thumb lightly stroked my lower lip ever so gently, and his eyes never broke contact from mine. A sigh escaped him and he showed vulnerability, from the unkempt hair to the stubbles. I loved him irregardless of his features, this Dominic that I cuddled up to was the same old Dominic that I fell in love with. I smiled from the memories I shared with him and I giggled at the similarities to the man before me.
"What's so funny?"
"You need to shave."
"Don't you like the new feature on my face?"
"For a lawyer, no, but for Dominic Walsh, I could live with it," I said with a grin, trying to cheer him up, and it worked. He let out a chuckle and asked, "Why did you change the subject?"
"The whole reason we got involved in this mess and managing to get from point A to B was because all I ever wanted was you to be happy and free."
Dominic's lips parted as he looked amazed at what I managed to say.
"I mean, I still loved you when you changed and after everything, I still love you now, and when I see you smiling, it makes me happy." My words were coming direct from my brain, and I tried to make it sound less childish than it did in my head. "If that makes any sense."
"Fuck, Annie. How am I gonna top that?"
I raised my shoulders up and down to shrug, having no idea what he meant by that at all.
"I'm so fucking lucky," He beamed as he grasped the back of my head and pulled me close to him, locking our lips one more time.
We spent a good amount of time alone in that office, enjoying the luxury of each other's company, but by the time our stomachs rumbled, Dominic dragged me out of there before I could even say that I was hungry. The man used to always say to me - back when we first started dating - that as soon as we became official, I was suddenly predictable to him, and even though our relationship was new, he already knew he didn't want us to be separated. Ever.
I could go on and on about our past, but what's important now is the future.
The future with the man sitting opposite me in that corner diner with only three or four other customers, we sat there in silence, waiting for our food. He wouldn't stop grinning from ear to ear as he stared at me, which made me self conscious about my appearance.
"What are you staring at?" I bluntly asked.
Dominic shook his head, still with his grin as he answered, "Nothing. This reminds me of our first date, that's all."
"You mean the one you planned out from start to finish but never happened?"
"It did happen, thank you very much."
"Yeah, like three dates later."
"Don't say it like that," He snorted as he grabbed my hand and playfully nipped the side. "We are definitely getting married next year. No more delays."
"Oh? You finally have a date?"
"No, not yet, but I should tie you down as soon as I can before something else comes along and ruin everything."
I slipped my hand from his and clasped it with the other, readying myself to give my view on finally getting married, but of course, I was interrupted by the arrival of our breakfast for dinner options. His order of a four stack blueberry pancakes and my three Belgian waffles were a topic changer, so I couldn't tell him what I've been curious about these past few weeks. My cravings for the waffles were in my system the moment my stomach rumbled, it was very fortunate for the diner to be opened, despite the day being Christmas. I didn't hesitate to take a good whiff of that freshly made delight and cut a small piece of one with my fork, letting my taste buds coo as they made contact with the delicious goodness. I let out a moan to let my fiancé know of my satisfied craving.
"It's like you haven't been fed the whole day," Dominic teased.
"Leftovers from last night didn't fill me up enough," I mumbled in response with my mouth full. "And I don't think I'd have to remind you that we skipped on the meals in between."
"And whose fault is that?"
"Um-" I waved my empty fork lazily towards him. "Yours."
"What? How could it be mine?"
I laughed, but my overpowering urge to eat those waffles wasn't going to cut it with the distractions. So instead, I lowered my head and said, "Stop distracting me and let me eat, Dom!"
He, of course, laughed. It'd been a while since his hearty cackle made its way to my ears. I peeked up from my meal and he still stared at me, and despite his attempts to get my attention, the cravings and the waffles took over me. No matter how much I tried to talk to him, I had this strong urge that wouldn't go away. I'm a bit creeped out from the sudden signs, and even though I want to tell him my suspicion, the waffles and the banana split dessert afterwards blew the whole topic away. If new Dominic had been with me through this sudden urges, he'd scold me for it - plus, we wouldn't even be found at that diner - but the old one, the one in front of me, was just right.
No.
Perfect.
Our Christmas day wandered over to our hotel, hah, romantic right?
Not really.
I was tired and well fed, so I wasn't particularly in the mood for a stroll around the city with a lot of couples spending their night together in the cold outdoors. Dominic was okay with the decision to stay indoors and keep me warm, but he kept quiet throughout our way back to the hotel. Even through the lobby, the quiet elevator ride and on the way to the suite. I watched him closely, even if he stood just a feet to my left, his hand gripped onto mine as he seemed so lost in thought. He had his brows furrowed, lips pursed tight where his prominent right dimple became a lot more obvious. Dominic looked so attractive when he looked that way, and the first time I saw him that way in a meeting with a client all those years ago, my heart and legs couldn't handle how insanely charismatic he was.
And I remember all that like it was yesterday.
Although that trait seemed to have been picked up from his Uncle Nathaniel, and my stomach twisted and my heart sank at the sudden flash of his own Uncle once I blinked. I didn't want him to be like Nathaniel, and it's the exact reason why I pushed through with sabotaging his Uncle in the first place. I tried not to go back to thinking about that, I even shook my head from thinking about it, but it wouldn't go away. My eyes began to water as everything else flashed before my eyes again.
This wasn't how I wanted it.
Everything was going great, and being away from Los Angeles was supposed to be a way for me to forget my troubles, but there I was, crying at the front door of our suite. My mind blanked out and I stood there in tears. I couldn't find the right words to muster up when Dominic asked me what was wrong, I couldn't move when he told me to follow him inside, and I couldn't breathe when he looked me straight in the eyes and tried to calm me down. I was practically hyperventilating. My chest heavily huffed and puffed as it felt like something twisted itself inside of me, I gasped for air, and the room felt a lot hotter. Dominic's worried expression made everything worse and I wouldn't stop crying.
"Baby, tell me what's wrong?" He pleaded.
When my lips parted to speak, my head felt lightheaded. The last I saw was Dominic gasping before I fainted.
I don't know or understand what got into me that night, my panic episode certainly was unexpected. It must've been a sign. I guess we weren't allowed to run away from our problems after all. Fortunately, no dreams or nightmares visited me as I slept through the rest of the night, but waking up at five in the morning was a different story. I vomited whatever I ate into the toilet. I worried it'd happen again throughout the day at the office, so when I felt better, I decided to sneak out to the nearest store to buy a tablet or something to keep whatever I'd eat down.
Then again, I also bought something else that caught my eye - and my curiosity - as I walked passed the aisle. It didn't hurt to try one.
I managed to get back to the suite before Dominic woke up. When I peeked into the bedroom, the man still had his face smothered into the pillows. He's probably as exhausted, all the work we did for the New York office and lacking hours of sleep took its toll on my poor fiancé. It was probably the first proper sleep since we were bumped up the chain of command. I felt a smile curve at his calm demeanour, although I couldn't see his face, my heart just knew he was in his own state of happiness.
"Hmm..." I hummed as I peeked down to the plastic bag in my grasp, if my suspicions were correct, I'd need to think of a way to surprise him, which would lighten up both our moods.
I smirked and rushed to the spare bathroom, tossing everything but a box onto the nearest chair and dashed to follow the instructions. My nerves were playing up, my hands were shaky and my thoughts ran about six different ideas all at once, but the slight curve at the corners of my lips were hard to get rid off. I stayed in that bathroom for another fifteen minutes with a violently racing heart, my emptied stomach growling to be filled, and my guts were uncomfortably twisting by itself.
"Annie?" I heard a call and yelped when it was followed by a knock. "Baby? Are you in there? Are you okay?"
"I-I-" I peered down at the bathroom bench then to the door. "Yeah, I'm fine, baby."
"What's going on?" Dominic croaked, he still sounded sleepy. "What are you doing?"
I waited for that extra second before I lifted the stick and the box it came from, I tried to match the results from the diagrams on the side of the box. My eyes beamed and my mood spiked up over the charts. In my excitement, I opened the door and practically tackled my sleepy fiancé to his back and straddled him as he stared at me with confusion - keeping the proof of my suspicion behind my back.
"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asked as he slowly sat up, causing me to slip down to his lap.
"Guess," I grinned. It wouldn't go away.
"Give me a clue."
"Come on, Dom, you're a lawyer, you don't need a clue to psych out your fiancée."
"Okay," He sighed. "So you have something behind you that'll surprise me."
I nodded. "I told you that you didn't need a clue," I teased.
"But it varies on the level of surprise I'm going to get," He whined.
"If you say yes to it."
Dominic cringed, his nose wrinkled and he didn't seem so interested. I giggled at his reaction and told him to take just one guess and I'll reveal my surprise.
And well, he took five.
"A stuffed animal."
I shook my head.
"New keys to an apartment in New York."
"What? No."
"A plane ticket out of here, to somewhere nice and warm."
I laughed. "Dom, no."
"Uh, a condom," He joked.
I slapped his arm for that one.
"A new pair of superhero boxers?" He shrugged as we both looked down to see him in them, and I laughed once more.
"Those are lucky," I said in between my giggles. "They're always there when something good happens, and you happen to be wearing them each time. Like now."
"What do you mean?"
I leaned forward to peck him on the lips, distracting him as I positioned my hand on the gap between us, and as I parted, I raised the stick up a bit higher and announce, "I don't know how accurate these things are, but it says I'm pregnant."
Dominic's eyes narrowed and his jaws dropped, he looked stunned. His pretty hazel eyes began to build a layer of water as his lips curved to a bright smile, a loose teardrop slip down his cheek as he gently grab me from the sides of my face and showered me with kisses. His delighted expression proved how truly happy he was to hear the news, and he even ignored me when I said I needed a proper check up to make sure the stick test was as accurate as it's labeled itself to be. Dominic was on a another level of happiness.
"Are you really happy?"
"I'm ecstatic," He whispered as he leaned his forehead against mine, the intense stare down between he and I made my heart flutter in its own bliss. I mimicked his wide grin as he added, "I'm going to fucking marry you."
"Really? Are you for real this time?"
"Yes!" He nearly shouted. "You've made me the happiest man in the world. Thank you."
I sobbed a bit, but my tears weren't sad anymore. They were happy one. Even Dominic's eyes dropped tears of joy as he leaned close and kissed me one more time.
"How am I gonna top that?"