Tattoos Together | An Original

17

Reese

Surprising Dominic has to have been one of my favorite moments we've had. He got so excited that he basically tackled me in a hug, and then we spent the entire evening together. It felt so good to finally be back in his arms again. I love our relationship, but I love it even more when we're able to see each other in person. It just hits different.

Because we get home late from our drive around town, I don't get to meet his parents. They were asleep already when we got back, so we just got ready to go to sleep. When we wake up in the morning, his parents have already made breakfast for everyone.

"It's so nice to finally meet you," Amy says, giving me a warm hug. "Dominic has told us so much about you."

I smile and nod as we pull away. "I've heard a lot about you guys two. I'm so thankful you're letting me stay here for the next couple of weeks."

"You're always welcome here, honey," she says.

"It's great to meet you, Reese," Chad says. "We're happy to have you here."

"We should all go do something fun tonight," Dominic says. "Go to a game, or the park, or to eat somewhere."

"Perhaps we can show her the restaurant," Chad says. "We could have a little family night after close."

Dominic nudges my elbow and raises his eyebrows at me. "Family nights after close are a lot of fun. Whatever you wanna do, Reese. You're our guest."

"Let's go to a game," I say. "It'll be fun. My family goes to a lot of baseball games."

"Perfect," Chad says. "We could go to the restaurant afterwards, if you guys are up for that."

"Sure. I'd love to see it," I say.

-

"Question," Dominic says. We're currently in his bathroom, getting ready to go to the Seattle Mariners game. "Do you want us to do touristy stuff in Seattle tomorrow, or do you wanna go down to Portland and we can go to a few of my favorite spots down there?"

"Surprise me," I say, smiling.

He smiles too. "Okay. I think I can plan out a perfect day for us."

I reach onto my tiptoes to press my lips against his. Dominic rests his hands on my hips, pulling me closer as I wrap my arms around his neck.

He gently teases my lip with his tongue, so I part them to give him better access to my mouth. In front of other people, he's extremely wholesome with me. We don't really show much PDA in front of our families unless it's holding hands, giving each other simple hugs, or short greeting kisses. Those are different than when we're alone and his tongue is down my throat. When we're by ourselves and his hands travel further down than my hips.

When we're alone, he tells me how sexy I am, and how much he wants to do certain things to me. In front of my parents, he calls me the most beautiful girl he's ever seen. He even told them that I have a heart of gold.

I like that we have this part of our relationship to ourselves. Of course I talk to my sisters about certain things that happen, because what kind of girl doesn't talk to her older sisters about sex, but Dominic and I keep some things confined to the moments we can share when we are alone. It's what makes our relationship special. It's how we feel more intimate.

Dominic kicks the bathroom door shut with his foot before lifting me onto the counter and standing between my legs. We already had sex after breakfast this morning, when his parents went to the restaurant to do some inventory. Sage went to a coffee shop, which meant we were home alone.

So, we took advantage of the empty house. It's the only way we know that no one will hear us. Obviously we kept the bedroom door locked just in case, but it was obvious we had enough time. We were home alone for three hours. We made a snack in the kitchen, we sat outside in the backyard, and then we watched a movie in the air-conditioned living room.

Dominic even helped me unpack my suitcase. His exact words were, "I have a free drawer in my dresser for you," and, "there's some closet space left over. It's yours if you want it. You can even keep some of your stuff here. This is our closet now."

I smiled and gave him a big hug before we unpacked my suitcase together, and he also gave me a drawer in his bathroom. He told me he wants me to feel as at home as I do at my own place, which I do. His family has been so welcoming already, and I've only really talked to them over breakfast today.

I'm brought back to the present moment when Dominic's lips land on my jaw. I lean my head back and close my eyes. "Aren't we getting a little distracted? We need to be ready in twenty minutes."

Dominic chuckles as he pulls away from me. He's smiling at me when he kisses my forehead. "Can't help it. You're just so damn cute."

I smile and press my lips to his again, quickly this time. "I love you."

"I love you more," he says.

"Don't argue with me," I say, furrowing my brows. "I love you the same as you love me. I know it. Because I love you so much, and you show your love to me every day. We grow together. We're on the same team."

Dominic is still smiling, but now he's shaking his head at me. "You are the most preciously loving person I've ever met. I don't understand it, but I'm so grateful for you. More than you know. I've never truly felt this way about anyone before. You capture me, Reese."

We share one more long kiss before we finish getting ready and leave the bathroom. We sit together in the backseat of his parents' car on the way to the game, and we sit next to each other at the game as well. We get a couple of family photos with all of us, since it's the first time that I've gotten to spend time with Dominic's family, along with Sage and Mark. This could be my newfound family for a very long time. I suspect it will be.

The game is a blast, but eating at his parents' restaurant afterwards is even more fun. We're sitting in the large booth, our bellies full, and laughter ringing through the otherwise empty restaurant. I can tell how close Dominic's family is, even if they don't spend most of their time together. Their dynamic reminds me of my family, which makes me happy. I can tell I've gotten myself into a family who loves and supports each other.

I tell Amy and Chad about my childhood, and they ask me about how I got into my career. We tell stories, and talk about mine and Dominic's newly formed relationship. I'm really glad I'm getting to know his parents now. They ask me questions about myself, and I fill them in. I even end up showing them pictures of my nephews. I'm a proud "auntie" to them.

We get home really late. So late that all of the fast food places around are closed. Dominic and I were hoping to go grab a milkshake from somewhere.

Instead we go to the 24-hour grocery store down the road to get the supplies to make our own milkshakes. We may be laughing a little too hard in the kitchen, especially when we take turns filling each other's mouths with whipped cream. We decorate our shakes and put some toppings on them before sitting down to watch a rerun of Saturday Night Live.

Luckily, it's from last season, so my brother-in-law Josh is in the episode. I might be biased, but I think Josh has the best jokes on the whole show. He's one of the funniest people I've ever met, and he's a great husband to my sister. He's such a great dad to Charlie and Jackson, and I'm lucky to be their aunt.

I look at Dominic, but he's zoned in on the tv. I can't help but smile, wondering what our future together will be like. Someday when we're finally able to live together. What city we'll be in. what kind of house we'll have.

I don't know much, but I know we're gonna have a marvelous time together.