Allie made her way out of her hotel room, she pulled her boxes along, one with her stuff and the other, the teddies and bunnies Dom earned for her.
she hurried down the to the elevator, the hotel tour bus was waiting to take them to the airport.
She smiled at the receptionist at the lobby as she turned in her key card.
"thank you, have a safe flight."
the beautiful blonde receptionist said and gave a small wave, Allie waved back, smiling.
She walked away, happy to be leaving at last.
she'd never be able to come back to this hotel and say in the same room.
she kept her face expressionless as she entered the bus.
there were very few people on the bus, Kath, Liam and Dominic were not there.
"we've been waiting for you."
Ryan said, smiling at her.
she smiled back and took the seat beside his.
"sorry."
she breathed out.
she waved back at Evie and turned back to Ryan.
"Good morning."
Ryan smiled and took her hand.
"you look like you had a long night. if you were worried about our discussion last night, then forget it."
He said gently, Allie shook her head, "I couldn't sleep last night, it had nothing to do with you."
She said, slumped her shoulders and released her breath.
"She's here now, let's move."
Ryan shouted to the driver.
When the bus started, Allie closed her eyes and willed the sleepiness to go away.
Only managing to get a few minutes of sleep, stayed up for long last night and when she finally slept off, her alarm went off thirty minutes later, she woke up to find Dom gone with his clothes.
she found his wristwatch on her night stand while dressing up, but for shame, she'd would've taken it to him.
She braced herself up for this when she let him have sex with her, she had no feelings for him any more.
The intensity with which he made love to her _ touched her was still the same but it hurt afterwards.
instead of feeling sated and happy, she felt used by the man she once loved.
she kept her eyes tightly shut in attempt to shut out thoughts that would kill the joy of seeing her little boy.
she groaned aloud, she was exhausted and her mind was a jumbled mess,she could still feel the tingles that came with Dom's loving, like he was still there with her.
"Hey, we're here."
Ryan nudged her gently, she pushed herself up and hurried off the bus.
"Allie wait for me."
Evie called and placed her hand on Allie's shoulder.
"am sure you're excited."
she said as they walked into the airport.
Allie sighed and then nod her head.
Evie stopped walking and turned to face her.
"Allie, are you alright, did something happen?"
she asked, frowning deeply.
Allie exhaled loudly and gave a weak smile.
"am fine, I had a very long night."
she threw her arm over Evie's shoulder and continued walking.
She needed to cheer up, maybe she looked like a ghost.
Ryan brought their now scanned bags and had them sent to 'Dom's jet'.
He waited patiently for them to be scanned before leading them towards the door that read 'commercial'.
Allie turned off her phone and strapped herself in, she closed her eyes, trying to relax.
Her breath caught when she caught a whiff of a familiar sent, she kept her eyes shut until she could no longer feel his presence.
she opened her eyes and turned her eyes to look out the window. she barely noticed Ryan sink in the seat beside hers until he took her hand.
"I think there's something you're not telling me."
he said and released her hand to strap himself to the seat.
"it's not relevant, don't worry."
she said without turning to look at him.
"if you insist."
he said softly and squeezed her hand gently.
Allie sighed and buried her face deeper into the soft warmth, she felt a pulse and went rigid.
"relax, it's just me."
Ryan's voice woke her up. She pulled back and straightened up.
"sorry."
she drawled, he just smiled and shrugged.
"I need to use the restroom."
she said, undid her seatbelt and got up.
"Allie am in trouble."
Ryan caught her hand as she walked past him.
"what happened?"
she raised her brows.
Ryan hesitated a bit, "Dom saw you snuggling, and I think he read another meaning into everything."
He said and winked. Only then did she notice the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.
She laughed and smacked his arm playfully.
"You're never serious."
She muttered and walked away.
After she eased herself, she washed her hands and combed her fingers through her hair.
she sighed, dried her hands and turned to leave.
as she opened the door, she walked right into someone's chest. Dom's chest.
He caught her arm and started pulling her in the opposite direction of the regular.
"where do you think you're taking me?"
She asked, suddenly more furious than before.
instead of answering, he kept pulling her.
Allie knew better than to try to break free, as gentle as the grip may be, it was impossible to pull free.
she tried to stop walking but his grip tightened and he kept pulling her.
When he finally stopped, they were in what looked like a sitting room, he released her hand and turned to look at her.
this time, Allie didn't flinch when he gave her a hard look, although she was scared on the inside, she didn't let him know.
"what were you thinking, snuggling with Ryan and acting all cozy?"
he asked, through his teeth.
"I don't see how that's any of your business."
she retorted, frowning back at him.
he started towards her and caught that same hand he was pulling a few seconds ago.
she looked at her hand and whimpered, flinching when she noticed that his eyes were now darker than before.
he released her hand immediately then turned around, he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
when he turned back to her, she shot him a cold glare and turned to leave.
He caught her arm and pulled her against him.
"baby did I scare you?"
when she didn't answer, he continued.
"am sorry love, am just not comfortable with other men around you."
he used his index finger to raise her chin.
"am sorry."
he whispered, angry tears welled up in her eyes, she couldn't even stay angry at him for long.
"I hate you."
He sighed and pulled her into his arms.
"I know love."
he tightened his arms when he felt his shirt dampening.
after a few seconds, she drew in a breath.
she tried to pull back but he held her in place, she frowned up at him, she'd already made a big idiot out of herself by allowing herself to cry.
Her frown deepened and she struggled against him. In response, he moaned and brought his lips down to hers, he kissed her sweetly, gently coaxing her to kiss back.
when she didn't, he stopped and nozzled her hair.
"am sorry I wasn't there when you woke up, I had to finalise our flight schedule, I know how badly you want to see James."
He said into her hair.
her eyes held surprise.
"you...you didn't have to be there, it wouldn't have made any difference."
she said coldly.
Dom didn't flinch, he braced himself up for this, he knew it when he saw her tear stained face before leaving for the airport this morning.
as much as he wanted to, he wouldn't touch her again, until he had her back to himself.
until he had her heart, until she asked him to.
"Al, there's something I need to tell you."
he breathed into her hair, his grip loosening.
she looked up at him again.
"what makes you think I want to hear it?"
she asked, her voice coming out softer than she intended.
"Baby please, just pretend to be listening, I need to tell you."
he released her slowly and kissed her nose.
"please."
he took her hand, giving her a pleading look.
Allie sighed and sank into a nearby couch.
"make it snappy"
she snapped, eyeing him.
Dom released his breath and run a hand through his hair, he walked to his suite case and pulled out a white paper...card... something.
He handed it to her.
she looked at it, it was a picture, a picture of the woman he was dancing with last night. she'd never forget this face.
"That's Drake's mom."
he said, watching her face for any expression.
blank.
"obviously, am Drake's Father."
she had no expression on her face, he hesitated a bit, would she want to hear?
he blew out a breath when she looked up at him with a questioning arch of her brow.
"About four months before the worst day of my life, I went on a business trip to Alaska, that's where I meet Rita."
He wanted to read the expression on her face but she went back to assessing Rita's picture.
"then, I thought she was nice, I thought we could be friends."
Allie knew that Dom loved making friends she couldn't understand why a man with such a high social profile would care to shop in a low class mall like the one they met in or go to a local park to relax. socially, he was accommodating but business wise, he could be intimidating.
"as usual, I didn't let her know who I was initially, but when she found out, she changed. I didn't notice it on time, when I did, I was too late she drugged my drink."
when Allie's head shot up to look at him, he was relieved that she'd been listening.
he cast his eyes to the ground and continued.
"I have just flashes of what happened that night."
he stopped and went to pour himself a drink, the same one he had been nursing and waiting for a time alone with her.
he placed his glass on the table and pulled out a bottle of water and handed it to her.
"thanks."
she said and downed about half of the water.
"after about seven weeks, Dominic called me and asked that I go to Brazil immediately."
he sat on the arm of her couch.
"I had the shock of my life when I got there, Rita was sitting in Dominic's office, smirking at me. I didn't believe her when she said she was pregnant for me. I made her go through series of tests and all, to make sure she was telling the truth I couldn't wait until after Drake was born. when the DNA test proved my paternity to Drake, I felt guilty, I felt unworthy of you and in the act of punishing myself, I made myself break up with you."
He took down his drink in one big gulp.
"I made Rita an irresistible offer after everything, I paid her off and out of our lives, she got what she wanted."
Allie looked at him wide eyed, obviously surprised.
"wait, she chose money over that adorable little boy?"
he nod slightly and rose to his feet.
"some people are like that, just self centered and bitchy."
he came to squat at her feet.
"that day, I walked away without looking back because I wasn't sure I'd be able to leave if I saw your face, for months, I thought of going back to you and telling with everything."
He sighed deeply.
"when Drake turned three, we moved out of Brazil. I wanted to take him away from Dominic's controlling reach."
he raised a hand and brushed his knuckles on her cheek.
"I should've told you, I know you would've figured out a way to sort things out. I thought I was punishing myself but it wasn't just me, I was hurting the both of us."
he grazed his thumb over her baby pink lips.
"Am sorry so Al."
He whished he could put it in better words for her to get it properly.
he shoved himself to his knees.
"if i could, I'd turn back the hands of time so I'd be able to tell you what happened, immediately it happened so that we'd try to work it out. then we would still be together."
he hid his face in her lap
Allie sat there, confused, what would she do now?
her mouth fell open when she felt her skirt dampen.
No, he wasn't, Dom would never cry.
his breathing was ragged she felt his erratic heartbeat against her knees.
#
Allie pushed away her damp hair from her eyes, she had to hurry, it was getting late and she had to finish cleaning the house before she fetched James from Lex's place. James was allergic to dust, it was a 0.5 degree asthma, to prevent him from having breathing issues, she made sure to clean up the house properly, and use mild air fresheners.
She didn't know she could clean up in such record time.
After kissing her in public, Dom reluctantly let her into a cab, he'd wanted to drop her off at her place but she refused bluntly.
She'd gotten home about thirty minutes ago and she was almost done cleaning the house, unpacking was the last thing on her mind.
She sighed and wiped her forehead with the hem of her shirt, peeling the shirt off, she threw on a clean shirt and picked up her car keys from her nightstand and rushed out of her room and out of the house.
She rushed towards the garage.
She stopped and turned around as she heard two loud honks.
Dom's blue Audi stopped and the doors opened, James jumped out and raced towards her.
She dropped to her knees and took him in her arms.
"my baby..."
she sighed and hugged him closer.
after one minute she pulled out and accessed him.
"Jimmy I missed you."
she whispered, smoothing his hair.
"I missed you too mommy."
he smiled softly. she kissed his nose and forehead.
"hi miss Parker."
she looked from James to Drake, James stepped aside.
"here."
she opened her arms for Drake to step in.
he hugged her tightly, she hugged back as much.
she felt sorry for this boy, whose mother chose money over him.
she pulled back and smiled at him.
"Mommy why didn't you come for me on time?"
Jimmy asked, pouting.
Allie smiled and roughed his hair.
"baby have you forgotten that you are allergic to dust?"
He shook his head and looked away shyly.
"guys guess what!?"
she said, faking excitement.
"we're going ice skating again?"
Drake asked, wide eyed.
Allie shook her head no.
"chocolates! Yay!!"
she announced, cheering together with them.
"come on, let's go inside."
she brushed dirt off her knees as she rose to her feet then she remembered that Dom was leaning on his car and watching them.
"JP, why don't you show Drake your room, I'll bring your bag in."
they raced to the door, James tried it but it didn't yield.
door, James tried it but it didn't yield
"Mommy it's locked."
James complained.
"I remember showing you how it's done."
he raised his brows in a questioning gesture, then he smiled and turned around to retry the door.
"thanks."
she said, turning to Dom.
he smiled and shrugged, his throat suddenly dry.
"can I have a glass of water please?"
she nod her head.
"sure. come on."
she led him into the house.
Dom exhaled loudly as he flopped down into a seat.
how does she do it?
he was sure she didn't know how seeing the three of them together had affected him.
"thanks."
he said, taking the bottle of water from her.
she went back to the kitchen, she was beyond famished, there has to be something inside her kitchen that wouldn't take long to get done.
she searched the cupboards and the fridge.
Pancakes came across her mind as she saw the eggs left in her fridge but she was in no mood for pancakes.
she pulled out a kilo of raw beef from the freezing compartment and set it on the counter.
meatballs it is.
Dom watched her swing around the kitchen, he'd crept in behind her, he wasn't sure she was aware of his presence.
she kept pulling things out, washing and slicing, every few seconds, she checked whatever she had boiling in that pot.
throwing some things into the pot, she stirred slowly and turned off the gas.
a loud scream tore through the house.
she went still for a second then hurried out of the kitchen.
he wanted to follow her but held himself back. He knew that scream, it was James.
He was about standing up to go and check when Allie walked back in, carrying Drake with James closely behind with a first aid box.
"let's see that finger."
she placed Drake on the table.
he pointed his index finger at her.
"not a deep cut, you'll be fine okay?"
he nod his head meekly.
Dom watched as she cleaned his cut and dressed it, swiftly.
"there, that's all done."
she said, releasing his hand.
to everyone's surprise, Drake threw his arms around her neck.
"thank you Miss Parker."
Allie chuckled, rubbing his back gently.
"call me Allie."
she pulled back and placed him on his feet.
"baby please take the box inside and come back for dinner."
James picked it up and left.
"daddy look, my finger got caught in Jimmy's doorframe."
Drake rushed to his father's side.
Dom roughed his hair and smiled.
when James returned, he took his usual seat beside Allie's chair.
Allie stole a glance at Dom's plate and then at Drake, who was eating quietly beside him.
"Baby, why aren't you eating?"
she asked James, dropping her fork noisily to get his attention. He'd barely touched his meat, not to talk of his sauce!
James looked up from his food.
"nothing."
he said too quietly for her to believe him.
she sighed and took his hand, "come on."
she waited for him to hop off his seat then led him to her room.
"you can tell me now, we're alone."
she closed the door behind her and knelt in front of him.
"don't lie to me, I can tell you want to lie."
He looked down at his shoes.
What happened to him at Lexi's?
"Mommy do you think Drake is better than me?"
Wait, seriously??
He looked shyly at her.
"No. Why do you ask?"
She said, taking his hand.
James cleared his throat.
"Well... I just thought you found him cooler than me."
Allie smiled and pulled him to her.
My baby is jealous!
"Nobody can take me away from you okay?"
She played with his hair for a second.
He nodded on her shoulder.
"Come on, the food is getting cold."
She said and pulled out.
"Okay."
James hopped around her and out of her room.