Dominic
The instant Shane and I walk in through the front door, my ears are hit with the sounds of a house filled with all the people I love most in this world, mixed with whatever episode Sherry is watching in the living room.
When I walk up the stairs, I see all my favorite faces. My mom and dad; my sister, Dakota; my grandfather; and my uncle Patrick all sitting at the big dining room table in the center of the house.
Lovie and Sherry are in the living room.
And my beautiful wife, looking insanely sexy in a white sundress with our smiley daughter, Tali, on her hip.
“Dada!” Louie exclaims and rushes toward me like a little linebacker. He barrels into my legs, and I don’t hesitate to pick him up and hug him tightly.
“Hey, little man,” I say and press a few kisses to his cheeks as I hug him to my chest.
He giggles wildly when I sneak a few tickles against his belly.
“Uncie Shane!” he cheers when he spots my partner and best friend standing beside me.
Shane doesn’t hesitate to take Louie into his arms and swing him around.
“Weeee!” Louie exclaims. “Fasta! Fasta!”
I make a beeline for the kitchen, where Hannah is currently trying to set some fresh bread on a plate with Tali’s little fingers grabbing for anything and everything in her vicinity.
“My two favorite girls,” I greet them before pressing a soft kiss to my wife’s lips.
Tali reaches up and touches her hand to my face, and I take her out of Hannah’s arms to kiss her sweet little face. My daughter looks so much like her beautiful mother it’s not even funny. Same pretty hair, same gorgeous eyes—Tali is Hannah’s mini-me.
And our Louie certainly took the majority of his genes from my handsome end of the gene pool.
“Here, let me get that,” my mom says as she stands up to take the plate of bread from Hannah’s hands. Dakota and Lovie join in, carrying the rest of the meal Hannah put together for today’s family dinner onto the table.
But when Hannah starts to head toward the table, I reach out and grab her hip, pulling her back toward me. “Any word?” I ask, and the most breathtaking smile takes shape on her lips.
“I passed,” she answers.
“You passed, or you kicked serious ass and kept that 4.0 you’ve been striving for?”
She waggles her brows. “What do you think, cowboy?”
“I think my woman is smart as a whip and aced her exams.”
She stands on her tippy-toes to press a kiss to my lips. “And you’d be right.”
“Damn, baby, way to go. I’m so proud of you.”
“And you know what?” she responds with a little wink. “I’m proud of me too.”
I adjust Tali onto my other hip, and Hannah leans forward to press a kiss to her smiling face.
“Just think, Han: In six months’ time, you’ll have that degree.”
“I don’t know about that ...” She scrunches up her nose and digs her teeth into her bottom lip.
“What?” I question, confused over her expression. “What’s that look mean?”
“Well ...” She pauses and glances around the room as if she’s afraid to tell me something.
“Hannah?”
