Aria's POV
It's been just over a week since my conversation with Dom by the pool. I haven't seen much of him since then. Dani said he has been extremely busy with work-related issues and when he is home we are never alone, so it was pretty casual between us. A part of me ached for him but then I remembered I wanted this. I wanted him to prove it to me, and maybe he realized it just wasn't worth it.
I stirred in my bed as I felt the sun hitting me through the curtains. As I moved in the bed, my foot hit something that made a crinkle sound. I opened my eyes and propped myself up to see a bouquet of red roses. Next to it was a cream white box with a dark blue ribbon around it. I sat up and looked around an empty room. I first grabbed the roses and smelt them. I love the smell of flowers, no matter what flower. I placed them on the bedside table and reached for the cream box. Untying the ribbon I opened it to reveal the most exquisite Pandora bracelet inside.
It was a sterling silver bracelet with a mixture of silver and dark blue charms. It was adorned with different flower charms, a heart charm, a snowflake, a sapphire stone charm, and the moon and the stars on another charm. It held a lot of my favorite things in one bracelet. I loved flowers. I loved sapphires. It was my favorite precious stone. I was never a diamond girl. One of my favorite times of the year was when it snowed. Something about the falling of the snow was just magical in all its pure form. Then there was the moon and the stars. My favorite time of the day was night time where I could sit for hours watching the stars. There was only one person who knew all this. Dominic. I couldn't help the smile that formed on my lips.
As I admired the bracelet, Dom admired me while leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed.
"Do you like it?" He broke the silence, signaling me of his presence.
"It's absolutely stunning." I gave him a soft smile. "You remembered all this."
He pushed himself off the doorframe and walked over to the bed. He stood next to the edge of the bed with his hands now in his pockets.
"I could never forget." He said simply.
He leaned over and took the bracelet out of the box. He unhooked the clasp and held it open, waiting for me. I held out my right hand and he gently placed the bracelet around my wrist. He gripped my hand and pulled it to his lips as he gave me a tender kiss on top of it.
"Happy birthday, Rhi." He spoke fondly.
"Thank you, but you didn't have to do this."
"Yes, I did. You deserve this and more." He countered. "Now it's time to get your sexy ass out of bed and get ready for a funfilled day. You better hurry up, in about 20 minutes you have a visitor arriving." He stated as he looked at his watch.
"Who?" I asked him curiously.
"Well, if you want to find out then I suggest you get a move on." He gave me a grin as he leaned down towards me and kissed me on my cheek. He proceeded to leave the room, closing the door behind him.
I quickly jumped up and hopped into the shower. Once I was done I put on a dark blue summer dress that fell just above my knees, and a pair of sandals with different color blue jewels on them. I applied some concealer, mascara and nude color lipstick and decided to let my hair hang loose today.
I came down the stairs with a few minutes to spare, being met by a very rambunctious Odette.
"Happy birthday, Ari!!" She screamed as she jumped into my arms nearly knocking us both over. I managed to crouch down to her level just in time.
"Thank you, sweetheart!" I squeezed her in the hug as she turned her head and kissed my cheek.
I stood up and there was a knock on the door. Odette ran towards the patio and I began following her only to be stopped by Dom. He grinned at me and pointed at the front door. I narrowed my eyes at him. What is this man up to? Without questioning him, I walked over to answer the door. I pulled the door open and my eyes widened. There was a high pitched exuberant screech before I was attacked by petite arms around my neck. I held on tightly as I returned the hug and relished the feeling.
Olivia pulled back and looked me up and down.
"I can't believe it's you! I have missed you so damn much bestie! These months have been good to you though." She exclaimed.
"Oli..." I trailed off as I thought about the situation.
She didn't know the truth about Dom, all she knew was of a shooting that Dom threatened us to keep quiet about. My face must have shown my worry because she quickly took my hand and began reassuring me to calm down as she squeezed it gently.
"Dom contacted me this week. Invited me over and explained you have been living here, although I thought you were with a distant relative. He told me everything would be explained to me once I got here. I was skeptical at first. I wasn't sure if I should trust him. But then he sent me a picture of you with a beautiful little girl and you looked happy. So, I took a leap of faith and here I am." She said with her arms outstretched. "Now you have quite a bit of explaining to do." She pointed her finger at me with her other hand on her hip.
I gave her a sheepish smile. I turned to look at Dom but he wasn't there. I needed to speak with him before I said anything. I noticed Ruby walk into the foyer eating a pastry as she smiled at us. I looked back at Olivia to see her face had fallen into a serious one. Oh boy.
"What is she doing here?" Olivia asked with disgust.
"Um... She lives here. Oli, I'll expl-"
"Of course she does! Why wouldn't the home wrecker live here? Nothing makes sense here, Ari. You're living with your cheating bastard of an ex along with his whore." She cut me off and crossed her arms as she finished.
My eyes widened and I cringed as the words left her mouth. I snapped my gaze to Ruby who was frozen midbite. After a few seconds, she popped the rest of the pastry into her mouth. She walked towards us, chewing and brushing her hands off of any crumbs. Shit.
"Listen here, babe..." She began. "I suggest you get your facts straight before coming in here running that big mouth of yours. You were invited here but I can very quickly kick your sexy ass back out there." She pointed outside behind Olivia.
"Don't you babe me!" Olivia had both her hands on her hips now. "You don't scare me! I would like to see you touch me, I will break your hand without a second thought."
I felt like my eyes would pop out of my head by the end of today. Olivia had her moments of being aggressive. She must be on her menstrual. Normally she is pretty relaxed and goes with the flow of things. Out the corner of my eye, I saw a figure in the kitchen doorway. I looked to see Dani standing there, her eyes also making their way out of her head. I mouthed "help" to her and she didn't hesitate to make her way towards us.
Ruby took a step closer to Olivia, but I quickly placed myself in between them facing Ruby.
"Ok! This encounter is now over! Rubes, she didn't mean it. She doesn't know the full story. Let's do this introduction again after I've spoken with Dom and Oli." I said with my hands on Ruby's shoulders.
"Like hell, I didn't mean it!" Olivia blurted out.
"God damn it, Olivia! You are not helping!" I shouted as Ruby glared at her.
"Fine." Ruby huffed. "But Ari, I will not hesitate to lay her out there if she doesn't calm the fuck down!"
Ok, so remind me to never piss off Ruby. She is scary! She turned and walked away while Dani stood in the foyer watching us.
I took a deep sigh before turning back to Olivia, only to catch her watching Ruby leave. She looked Ruby up and down. My brows furrowed as I watched her. Hang on... Is Oli checking Ruby out? Wait, what? She saw me looking at her puzzled. She faltered a bit but gained her composure and acted like nothing happened as she gave me a confident smile.
"Um... Dani?" I asked without looking away from Oli.
"Yeah?" Dani replied from behind me.
"Could you show Oli to the patio, please? I will be out there in a minute. I just need to chat with Dom." I turned to face Dani. "And for the love of God, please keep her out of trouble," I begged her. She giggled before nodding.
"Oli this is Dani, Dom's sister. She will lead you outside. Get something to drink, relax and leave Ruby alone until I speak with you, please!" I pleaded with her.
"Ugh... fine! You're no fun." She huffed before following Dani outside.
I rubbed my temples while closing the front door. I made my way to Dom's office. I thought I would take a chance and look for him there first. I was lucky as I saw him there typing away at his laptop. I knocked gently on his door causing him to look up at me. He signaled for me to come in as he finished off whatever he was typing and closed his laptop. He stood and walked around his desk and leaned against the front of it with his arms across his chest.
"What's up? I heard Ruby having a moment out there." He chuckled.
"Thanks for leaving me!" I scoffed.
"Meh, I think you handled it quite well." He grinned at me. I rolled my eyes at him.
"Dom, what is Oli doing here? She doesn't know about you. What am I supposed to tell her?" I asked him worriedly.
"Tell her whatever you want, Rhi. Tell her the truth or tell her part of it or don't tell her anything at all. Whatever you feel comfortable telling her." He said as calm as ever.
"Aren't you worried about this? You seem awfully calm."
"I did a background check on her. She is clean. If you trust her and want her to know the truth then I trust you and your judgment."
I gave him a blank look. Is he risking everything for me to have my best friend in my life? He is willing to step back and trust me with his secret along with whomever I decide to trust to tell the secret to. I didn't know what to say.
"Rhi, it's ok." He reassured me.
"Thank you, Nicky," I spoke softly, barely a whisper.
"Anything for you." He gave me a gentle smile. "Come now, go out there and enjoy yourself."
"What about you?" I asked him.
"I'll be out there in a few. I just need to finalize something urgently." He gave me a short nod.
I smiled as I held his gaze. I walked over to him causing him to uncross his arms. He wasn't sure what I was going to do. I stood in front of him then lifted myself on my toes and gave him a long kiss on his cheek, resting my hands on his chest. His hands instinctively went to hold onto my waist.
"Thank you," I whispered into his ear.
I noticed his grip tighten ever so slightly on my waist and knew I affected him. I proceeded to turn around and walk out of his office as I heard him clear his throat, trying to gain his composure.
I made my way onto the patio and saw Oli having a fat conversation with Odette by the flowers she was watering and a not so happy Ruby glaring daggers into the back of Oli's head. Oh goodie. Today looks like fun! Note my sarcasm.
I walked over to Olivia and Odette. I politely excused Olivia and myself and took her somewhere a bit more private in the garden. I then proceeded to tell her everything. I know Oli would freak at first but would trust me. At least I hope she does.
I told her about the staged cheating, to the life Dom was born into. I explained everything that Dom does and does not do. I recounted the gala and running into Tony. We even spoke about Odette and how special she is to me. The only thing I left out was everything that happened between Dom and me. For starters, I didn't know where that stood right now or where it was going; secondly, I thought it would be best to not drag her into this mess just yet. She can leave here today and be safe.
"Whoa..." She said in shock. I gave her a sheepish smile. "So nothing is going on between Dom and Ruby?"
"Nope."
"And there never was anything between them?"
"Nope. Ruby is gay." I stated as her eyes widened.
"Huh... Now that is quite the development." She nodded her head a couple of times before freezing. "Well, shit..." She trailed off as I gave her a look with my brows raised.
"I fucked up, didn't I? I was quite rude to her when she actually didn't know anything."
I nodded quickly with an awkward smile. She facepalmed herself letting out a deep sigh.
"Ok, I'll deal with that later. Right now I want you to tell me what is going on with you and Dom?" I looked at her sideways.
"Nothing..." I tried.
"Bullshit." She said emphatically.
"What do you mean bullshit?"
"Oh please, you expect me to believe you have been living here for months without testing the waters with that fine ass walking around the house? Girl, the man is sex on legs and a pure Adonis!" She said excitedly.
"Oli!!" I hissed at her. "Keep your voice down and keep those thoughts in check!"
"I'm just saying." She shrugged her shoulders.
"Well, stop saying!" I shook my head at her.
"May I interrupt?" I heard his husky voice behind me. Oh good God, please tell me he did not hear this conversation.
Olivia tilted her head to the side to look past me at Dom, then straightened herself out looking back at me with a smirk. I quickly mouthed "no" to her and held onto her wrist but it was futile.
"Of course you can!" She jumped up cheerily. She skipped away past Dom. "I've got someone to apologize to anyways."
After she was behind Dom she turned and walked backward winking at me with a thumbs up, then proceeded to check out his ass giving me the universal sign for perfect.
I shook my head and facepalmed myself. Where did I find her? I heard Dom's chuckle getting louder as he made his way to me. He sat down beside me holding an envelope.
"What's that?" I asked him pointing at the envelope. He looked at it for a few moments then handed it to me.
"It's the other half of your birthday present." He told me.
"I didn't know there was another half." I took the envelope from him.
"Open it."
I did as he said and opened it. I pulled out the paper inside. It was a letter from the Federation of State Medical Boards. I furrowed my brows as I read the letter. Summing it up, the letter stated that my license as a doctor was no longer suspended or in line to be terminated. It also stated that there were no open cases against me and I was clear to practice again. I looked at him, my mouth agape with incredulity.
"How did you..." I trailed off. "But Dom, couldn't this expose you?"
"It could." He said calmly as panic started to set in. "But it won't." He finished off. "Look Aria, I don't know what you plan on doing in the future but I didn't find it fair that your career should be put to rest because of one of my guy's incompetence. I did this so the option is there for you. I have my connections with the police force and one very convincing FBI agent." He smirked.
"I did try to get you reinstated at the hospital but there is a certain Dr. Adams making life very difficult with a lot of red tape. I'm still working on it, but I'll get it right." He reassured me.
"Don't," I said softly. He looked at me confused. "Don't bother with the hospital, Dom. I don't know if I want to go back. That place was a nightmare and this Dr. Adams was a pain in my ass. He couldn't handle the fact that I challenged him in surgeries and came out being right. In his mind, I undermined his authoritative position. Misogynistic prick." I scoffed.
Dom let out a hearty laugh which I hadn't heard in a while. I loved hearing it and I couldn't help the massive smile upon my lips. He looked gorgeous when he laughed freely like this.
"Oh Aria, what am I going to do with you? It sounds like you give many men a run for their money." He was still chuckling.
"Mmm..." I thought about it. "I guess I do. Not many can handle me. He certainly couldn't. The only way he knew how was to sabotage me."
"Well, how about this? I was thinking of getting more involved in the takedowns of human trafficking rings. I have been speaking with the police commissioners and for their years of protection and turning a blind eye, I have decided to repay them by using my manpower to take down the human trafficking rings by force. It's something I need to do to clear my conscience for what my father did. I'm going to need someone to look after the women and children that we rescue from the rings. Some will need urgent medical care, some minor but they will all need to be looked over and assisted medically. Would you be willing to accept that responsibility?"
I looked at him with a vacant expression. This man was something else and at this moment I felt my heart burst. He had taken over the guilt for what his bastard father did and wants to clean out those sins. I didn't say anything, I launched myself at him, wrapping my arms around his neck and holding onto him. I surprised him with the impact nearly causing him to fall over. He regained his balance and returned the hug as he pulled me closer to his chest.
The warmth from this hug overtook me. I pulled back and looked into his eyes, those gorgeous ocean eyes. We were mere inches apart.
"I would be honored to take that on," I said to him.
He gave me a wide smile and held my gaze. His hand pushed a strand of hair back and behind my ear. He then caressed the side of my face with the back of his fingers and proceeded to run his thumb over my bottom lip as he followed his finger's movements with his eyes. I felt myself burning up and that sensation beginning in my core. I shifted a bit and looked down at his lips. He leaned into me as I bit my bottom lip.
"Where is the birthday girl? Her cake is awaiting her!" We heard Dani yell from the patio.
Dom and I pulled back and I shifted over on the bench. He cleared his throat and stood up, holding out his hand. I looked up at him through my lashes and smiled, taking it. We made our way back to the patio and just before we left the garden he let go of my hand. I immediately felt that absence making me realize I didn't want to live without it. Without him. He just risked a heck of a lot for me today in many different aspects. That was when I understood exactly what Dom did to me.
We walked over to the table where they had the cake ready with lit candles. I noticed Ruby and Olivia sitting close and laughing away while enjoying a beer. Well, that apology clearly went well. Odette was standing on a chair in front of the cake watching the candles with awe. I walked over to her and held her by the waist to balance her as I leaned into her ear.
"Do you want to blow them out for me? I'm feeling a little too tired to do it." I said to her.
She gasped and looked at me with wide eyes. She nodded vigorously with the widest grin I have seen to date. I looked up to see Dom standing across the table from us, with a tumbler of whiskey in his hand, watching me. Our eyes met and I gave him a gentle smile. I then looked to his right only to see Olivia and Ruby both watching me. Olivia then began wiggling her brows at me with a grin and Ruby winked at me. Oh God, she has corrupted Ruby.
Everyone sang happy birthday to me and once it was over I helped Odette lean in as she blew out my candles. She then clapped and giggled as everyone followed suit. I helped her down and took the knife to cut the cake into slices. I took the first piece and placed it on Odette's Moana plate. She ran off with it and sat on the edge of the pool with her feet hanging in the water. Once everyone had a slice of cake we all made our way to the pool area. The girls all sat with their legs in the water while Dom and Marcel leaned against the railing. I sat next to Odette and playfully put some icing on the tip of her nose.
"Hey! That is only for Zio (Uncle)!" She exclaimed causing Dom and me to burst out laughing while everyone looked at us.
"You are so good with her Aria," Dani said as Odette continued eating her cake. "You will make such an amazing mom one day."
I froze as the words left her lips. I looked at Olivia, who had paused her conversation leaving Ruby looking confused, as she gave me a sympathetic look. I swallowed and placed my plate down. I stood up, looked at Dani and forced a smile with a slight nod.
"Excuse me," I whispered as my voice cracked. I then turned and walked down the steps onto the patio and began running when I got to the garden. I weaved my way through the hedges trying to disappear as far away as I could before I completely broke down. I could feel my chest tightening and my breathing getting harder to release.
"What just happened?" Dani asked as everyone watched me leave.
They all looked at Olivia who had a crestfallen expression. She sighed and set her plate beside her.
"Oli?" Ruby questioned from beside her.
Olivia forced a small smile while standing up.
"I need to go after her." She said softly. Before she could go, Dom stopped her.
"Olivia, what is going on?" He asked her concerned.
Olivia looked at him then at all the others.
"Look, it is not my place to tell this secret. All I can tell you is that it's really bad and although you didn't know, or mean to, you brought back a nasty memory for her. Now, I really need to get to her." She said with urgency trying to get past Dom.
Again Dom stopped her.
"Let me, please." He pleaded with her.
She looked at him and noticed the pain in his eyes, causing her to nod her head. Dom handed his plate to Marcel as he sprinted after me. I guess it was time to tell my final secret and leave myself completely bare for Dom to see.
Shew... The next chapter is going to be a bit emotional for me. Hope you're ready.
If you would like to, I would love to hear your thoughts on Instagram. Tag me in your posts/stories.
Much love,
Angie
xxx