𝑻 𝑯 𝑬 𝑵 𝑨 𝑵 𝑵 𝒀 (18+)

forty-eight

AMARA

"Your final present," Dominic placed a rectangular box on my lap and smiled. I wiped my eyes and sat up in the bed, "what time is it?"

"It's ten but I've been up since six." He stretched and I could see a few drops of water on his shoulder. He always made me feel lazy with how active he was in the morning. "I can see that, did you go for a run?"

"Mm, the beach is quiet in the morning now can you open your present please," he pushed the box forward. I rolled my eyes and slid the bow off before tearing the paper. Inside, was a picture frame with photos of me and the kids but some were just pictures of their heights marked on walls and untied shoes.

"I figured they won't be this age forever, even if you leave us you'll always have these."

When Dominic mentioned a birthday gift I figured jewelry or clothes, flowers even but I never pictured this. Somehow though it was even better. Macaroni cards and pictures worth more than any necklace or earring ever could. "This is—Thank you, for making my birthday special Dominic."

He pulled me out of bed and into a hug before I could get another word out. For once, he didn't lecture me about thank you's or apologies which I was starting to understand more every time he did so.

He and I were just the same whether he realized it or not. We were both ripping ourselves apart. Both trying our best to satisfy other's needs before we thought of our own. We were fighting the same battle. Only difference was he wanted to fix mine all on his own.

"As much as I'd like to stay like this all morning we have reservations and then we're going to get out of here if we want to beat traffic." He looked at his watch and let me go. I glanced around the room at my scattered clothes and sighed, "Do we have to go back?" I was beginning to like living on the beach. Having a vineyard next door wasn't half bad either.

"We do," he laughed, "The kids miss you."

"Lucky me."

♥

Dominic and I stopped by the hospital before going home that day. I thought it would be better to see the baby when Tiff and David settled back down at home but Dominic insisted it wasn't a problem. I was still feeling a bit hesitant until David texted me a couple of pictures of the baby.

"Why is David texting you again?" He looked over at my phone and I pressed it against my chest. "He's showing me the baby, why are you jealous?" I teased him.

"No, but I told him to stop doing that." He pulled into the hospital parking lot and rested an elbow against the door. "There is something that I should tell you before we go inside." All hints of amusement were gone from his face. He turned his body to face me and cut off the radio.

There had only been a few times I'd ever seen Dom this serious, and almost all of those instances involved Stephanie. I held my breath for a moment before nodding my head. I hoped this hadn't been about her. Things were going well between the both of them. Well, as good as two divorced parents in the middle of a custody battle could be. Now that she had her own place, and no longer had to come to the house our interactions were cut short and when I did see her she kept her mouth shut. Things were good, and I wanted them to stay that way.

"Before we left, I got into an argument with my father about our relationship. It wasn't terrible, but he doesn't think that you and I should be together. I don't believe he'll say anything to you, but I figured you deserved to know in case things seemed tense inside."

I looked out the window to the third floor of the hospital and then back at Dominic. Leave it until the weekend is over. Olivia saved me yet again.