Sempre (Forever Series #1)(54)

“Wow,” Carmine said. “I’d like to meet that motherf*cker.”

Haven smiled as he pulled her toward him again, and she rested her head on his shoulder. Carmine took her hand, running his fingers along it much like she’d done his, being careful to avoid the fresh wound.

17

Haven headed out of her bedroom at a quarter after eight in the morning and collided with Dominic outside her door. She recoiled, but he just stood in front of her, holding a DVD and a bowl of popcorn. “About time you wake up, Twinkle Toes. Now turn around and head back into the room.”

Dominic took a step forward, and Haven instinctively took one back. He found it amusing and did it again, continuing until they were both inside the bedroom. He shut the door and put the bowl on the table before turning on the DVD.

Grabbing the remote, he flopped down on the couch and kicked his feet up on the table. He started the movie, chewing noisily as he munched on the popcorn. “You just gonna stand there? Your feet might get tired.”

Haven tentatively sat beside him, her brow furrowing when she realized he’d put on a cartoon. She was about to ask him what they were watching when he thrust the bowl of popcorn into her face.

She cowered from the sudden movement, and he froze. “Scared of popcorn?”

“No,” she said as he pushed the bowl closer to her. She took a small handful and turned to the television. “What are we watching?”

“Shrek!” He threw a handful of popcorn into his mouth. “I love this shit.”

She watched for a bit. After getting to know Dominic, she wasn’t surprised he enjoyed such a movie. “It makes sense we’re watching cartoons. Isn’t that what people do when they babysit?”

He laughed, startling Haven when he playfully tossed a piece of popcorn at her. “Look at you making a joke! You’re funny. No wonder Carmine fell in love with you.”

She stared at him. “Uh, I don’t know if I’d say he was . . . in love.” She whispered the last part, having a hard time getting the words to leave her lips.

“Please, girl. He’s given up all of his puttani and that’s something I never thought I’d see. His favorite pastime was always busting a nut.”

“A nut?”

Dominic ruffled her hair. “Oh so innocent. Ask Carmine what a nut is when he gets home. I wanna see him try to explain it to you.”

* * *

After the movie finished, Haven followed Dominic out into the backyard. She sighed as the warm sunshine hit her face. Dampness lingered in the air, a cool breeze wafting across her bare arms and flushed cheeks.

She paused a few feet from the door. “Are you sure I’m allowed out here?”

“I’m positive,” he said. “I asked.”

The two of them strolled toward the thinning trees, the brittle, fallen leaves crunching under her shoes. She was apprehensive when they headed into the forest, the same ones she’d tried to escape through months before, but she wanted to believe he wouldn’t lead her astray.

The sound of rushing water met her ears as they walked, the two of them coming upon a small creek. She knelt down, dipping her hand into the frigid water. “It’s beautiful out here.”

“I guess,” Dominic said. “I’m not fond of nature. Carmine’s the one who plays in the woods.”

“Carmine comes out here?”

“He hasn’t since he got back from the boarding school, but he used to when he wanted to be alone. He got into funks, so he’d come down by the water or run along the trail.”

Dominic sat down and leaned against a barren tree as he gazed at the water. Haven mulled it over before pulling off her shoes and wiggling her toes in the thick grass. Rolling up her pant legs to her knees, she stepped into the freezing water.

“There are all kinds of creatures in there,” Dominic warned. “Fish. Bugs. Snakes.”

She smiled as the mud squished between her toes. “I’m not afraid of what’s in this water.”

“I thought all chicks were afraid of snakes.”

“Not me.” She laughed. “I grew up with scorpions.”

“Are you afraid of anything?”

“Of course. Everyone’s afraid of something.”

“So what are you afraid of?”

She paused, considering how to answer. “Hope.”

His brow furrowed. “Hope scares you?”

“I try not to hope for anything,” she said. “If you expect nothing, you aren’t disappointed when you get nothing.”

“That’s . . . sad,” he said. “You don’t have any hope?”

“I guess I do a little bit now.” She kicked around in the mud, not wanting to dwell on the fact that she now had the one thing she told herself she’d never succumb to. “What are you afraid of?”

“Losing my dad,” he said. “I already lost my mom to this life. I don’t want to lose him, too.”

An ache strangled her chest as she thought through his words. Her mama was still alive, but she felt as though she’d lost her forever.

“You should always have hope, you know,” Dominic said.

“My mama used to say that all the time.”

“Smart woman,” he said. “You knew her?”