stood and pulled up his sweats, never taking his attention off of her. “I’ll pick you up at six.”
“I can do that.” Her hands met at her waist, fingers tangling. Finally, she dropped them and crossed to the door. “I’ll see you then.”
“Wait.” Dominic stayed her hand on the knob and waited until she met his eyes. “Thank you for all of this. The truck, dinner . . .”
“You’re welcome.” She glanced back at the kitchen. “It felt like going back in time.” Her voice dropped to a whisper as she lifted onto her toes and laid a soft kiss on his mouth. “I missed you. I missed how we were. Just . . . stay with me, okay?”
He cradled the back of her head and kissed her hard. “I’m not going anywhere.”
Dominic stood at the door long after she’d gone, wishing he’d been honest about the house. Wishing she would have stayed. He had to be honest with himself first, though. And he knew those impulses to keep his feelings and insecurities to himself, those beliefs that providing for their small family should be done in silence . . . they had to be dealt with. Maintaining his stiff upper lip hadn’t worked. It was time to show Rosie that every single day of his life had been about giving her a dream he’d thought was most important to her. To them.
Right or wrong about that, tomorrow night he would bring her to the house.
Tomorrow he would lay it all on the line.
Chapter Fifteen
Rosie was nervous. For a date with her own husband.
There wasn’t a woman alive who could blame her, right? She’d known for a while that her husband was majorly hot. Some time and distance had really brought that fact home to roost, though. When she’d taken off his shirt in their kitchen, that feast of muscles and tattoos had almost made her cry happy tears.
I’ve got a motherfucking ten at home. You think I’m stupid enough to let myself go soft?
Standing in front of the guest bathroom mirror, Rosie fanned her flaming cheeks. She’d never seen Dominic as desperate as that moment he threw her on the floor. He was always rough, but he’d been an animal. One who’d managed to restrain himself for the good of their marriage . . . and that might have been the sexiest part of all.
Rosie picked up the new bottle of curl treatment she’d bought during the week, spritzing it on her tresses to keep them tamed before squeezing the strands in her palms, the practiced action making her feel sensual. Tight in some places, loose in others. God, it had taken all her willpower to leave Dominic last night. Not because of his touch, although that alone was a powerful enough aphrodisiac. No, it was the effort. He was trying.
She closed her eyes and swayed, a smile curling her lips as she replayed their dance in the kitchen. That was the man she’d fallen in love with. It would have been so easy to stay the night. Move back in. Trust that everything would get better.
Rosie opened her eyes and watched her smile vanish.
But she knew. She’d been down a winding road with Dominic and she knew there was so much more to work through. The man still had secrets behind his every glance, every word. As much as his walls came down when they were kissing and giving each other pleasure, she could almost sense that dam inside him, holding back a whole host of important things. Lord, he was getting so much better at saying what was on his mind, but she was fighting for the future they’d envisioned. She would stay true, she would wage a war for their survival, but she owed it to them—and the young people they’d once been—to see this through.
After one final glance in the mirror, Rosie padded into the bedroom and regarded the deep magenta dress. She’d bought it that afternoon at the store before clocking in, and the tags were still on, dangling from the armpit. With a low neckline and satin material, it wasn’t practical at all. When was the last time she’d purchased something frivolous like this?
The day Dominic had come home from overseas. Her mother was still alive then and they’d gone outlet shopping and she’d found a summer dress covered in little stars that cupped her breasts just right, but allowed her to maintain enough modesty for the airport in the middle of the