Chapter 13 - THE FIRST DATE OF A FEARED MAN
Dominic Falcone was terrible at dating.
Not because he lacked confidence.
Because he had never learned how to be ordinary.
He reserved an entire restaurant.
I made him cancel.
He offered to send a car.
I took a taxi.
He arrived wearing a suit that probably cost more than my monthly rent.
I wore a blue dress I'd bought on sale.
When I sat down, he looked nervous.
I smiled.
“Relax.”
He frowned.
“I'm relaxed.”
“You've checked the entrance six times.”
“Habit.”
I laughed.
He smiled.
Then we talked.
Really talked.
About childhood.
Family.
Regrets.
Dreams.
He told me about his mother, who had loved gardening.
I told him about Owen and the years I'd spent trying to keep our small family together.
At the end of the evening, Dominic walked me outside.
Rain had begun falling.
He looked up.
“Of course.”
I laughed.
“What?”
“It always rains when something important happens between us.”
I smiled.
“Maybe Chicago is sentimental.”
He looked at me.
Then asked quietly:
“May I kiss you?”
My heart raced.
I nodded.
“Yes.”
His kiss was gentle.
Careful.
Nothing like the man people feared.
May you like
And for the first time, I understood that love wasn't about changing someone into a different person.
It was about seeing who they chose to become.
