Chapter 74: Wipe It Away

EILEEN POV:

I barely held onto my emotions on the way back home. When I was finally behind closed doors, with Harry and Bethany sleeping in their respective cribs, I broke down.

I took Bethany from her crib and pressed her close to my chest, afraid I didn’t have much time left with her. I sobbed silently as she slept soundly.

Dominic was already at the office while Lucy was probably downstairs, probably attending an online class, so I was left alone to process my own emotions. So, I was shocked when I heard a knock on my door. I put Bethany back into the crib and wiped my tears away before opening the door.

I found Lucy on the other side.

“Did I disturb you?” I asked softly, knowing she must have heard the baby monitor go off and came to investigate.

Lucy shook her head. She entered the room and glanced at the two babies, sleeping soundly.

“I take it things didn’t go well?” she inquired softly.

I sniffed. “When has Arthur made things easy for me?”

Lucy frowned as she led me to the window and pushed me down so that we were sitting side by side. “What does he want?”

“Half a million dollars.”

Lucy’s eyes widened. “He’s crazy. Why doesn’t he go rob a bank instead?” she hissed. “You’re not going to agree, right?” she asked after a moment.

“I don’t have that kind of money to begin with,” I confessed.

“But Dominic–”

“That’s the problem,” I interrupted. I squeezed my eyes shut, trying to rid my mind of the dark thoughts that had already taken root.

“I don’t understand what that means. What are you worried about?” Lucy pressed. She curled her fingers around my arm, turning my body to her so that she could scrutinize my expression.

“Arthur asked if Dominic would really go to great lengths to help me with Bethany… If I was more… palatable without ‘baggage.’”

Lucy gasped. “Surely you don’t think that is true.”

I shook my head. “If anyone thinks of Bethany like that…” I didn’t know what I would do. “But for a second, I really wondered if Dominic would give up on Bethany if the opportunity arose.”

Lucy gulped. Her face was filled with disbelief. “Eileen, you’re doing Dominic a disservice by even entertaining such an idea. That man loves Bethany like his own!”

“I know!” I squeezed out. “I feel so guilty for even entertaining the idea. But the moment Arthur was in front of me, all smug and condescending, I felt like I was still the lonely pregnant woman who had nothing to look forward to in life but the weight of the world on my shoulder.”

Lucy’s shoulder sagged in defeat. She knew she couldn’t help me overcome this emotion. No matter how much she said I had never been alone all those months (and she was right), I felt like I had dragged her into my messy life and ruined her chances as well.

“I wish I could be of some help,” she voiced.

“You’ve already helped me.”

She stroked my back for some time before she sighed. “I’ll leave you with the babies. Will you be fine?”

I nodded slowly. There was nowhere else I would rather be.

I stared out of the window, until I heard Harry stir in his crib. As if in tandem, Bethany wriggled in her crib. I moved forward, tending to Harry first. I changed his diapers and picked him up from the crib when I heard the door creek open.

I looked over my shoulder and found Dominic standing on the other side, a cautious look in his eyes.

“Why are you home so early?” I whispered.

“Dan said you didn’t look alright when you returned,” he answered simply.

“So you left everything and came back?”

He smiled easily. He walked over to me and after greeting the kids, he pressed his lips against mine. I was wrapped in his warmth, secure in the knowledge that he wouldn’t let anything happen to me.

But guilt gnawed at me.

He pulled away, his brows knitted in confusion. “You’re distracted…” He didn’t ask directly, but I knew he was curious.

“It was a difficult… conversation,” I said at last. I was ashamed to even voice what my thoughts had been.

He blinked in surprise. “What did he say?”

I pressed my lips together. “Did you not talk to Mr. Gardener yet?”

“No, you are his client and if you want to keep details private, I won’t force it.”

I gulped. The guilt grew.

“Well, Arthur spoke to me alone and made some outlandish demands…” I reached into the bag which I had discarded on the floor and retrieved the recorder. “I recorded it.”

He glanced at it and then at my face. “You want me to listen to it?”

I nodded. “Get changed and come down. I’ll prepare something for us to eat.”

“After I help you downstairs,” he agreed.

I busied myself in the kitchen, handing a snack to Bethany before feeding Harry. Good thing Lucy had kept everything prepared.

I was in the middle of feeding Harry when Dominic walked in. I stared at his face, looking for something, but didn’t find anything amiss. He stroked Harry’s head which was covered by a towel.

He pressed a kiss on my forehead before moving around the kitchen and fixing us two plates. He placed Bethany on his lap and watched her eat messily. A small smile played on his lips but I sensed sadness hidden under it.

“I’m sorry,” I said quietly.

His head jerked up and he hesitated to answer for a moment. “I don’t blame you for believing him, Eileen.”

My eyes widened. “I don’t believe him! I really don’t!” I wished I could carve that into his head as much as in mine.

“If even a doubt flashed in your heart, it is my duty to wipe it away,” he replied. “Eileen, I will do everything in my power to prove myself to you,” he promised.

I bit my lip. “You really don’t need to,” I groaned. “He caught me in a moment of weakness and even though the thought crossed my mind, I know that you love me more because of her.” I glanced at Bethany.

How could I misunderstand the tenderness with which he treated Bethany? I had been envious of women with partners who cared for the kids and protected them, and I could see that Dominic was the kind of man that dedicated his life to his family.

Right now, Bethany and I were a part of it.

“So, what do you want to do?” he questioned.