Sempre (Forever Series #1)(63)

She obliged, and he ran the cotton swab along the inside of her cheek. He stood when he finished, placing the swab into the container as he leaned against his desk. “You don’t look—”

His words cut off abruptly when his phone rang. Dr. DeMarco closed his eyes. “You’re excused, child.”

* * *

Haven went straight for the family room, sitting on the couch and longingly gazing at the flimsy tree. The boys arrived home from school, their animated voices ringing through the house. Her eyes fell upon Carmine, and he winked as he sat in a chair across the room. Dominic grinned and plopped down beside her, so close he practically landed in her lap. He flung his arm over her shoulder. “What’s up, Twinkle Toes? Did you miss me while I was at school?”

“Uh, yes,” she said. “I guess.”

Carmine shot him an annoyed look, and Dominic laughed, pretending to whisper. “I think my brother’s a wee bit jealous.”

Haven heard footsteps coming downstairs and went to pull away, but Dominic held on to her. Dr. DeMarco walked into the room, his brow furrowing when he looked at them. “Don’t let Tess see you. You’ll start a war, and I’d hate to have to step in.”

Dominic laughed. “Whose side would you take?”

“I didn’t say anything about taking a side. I have a policy of staying neutral.”

“Okay, but let’s say you were betting on it,” Dominic said. “Who would you put money on?”

Dr. DeMarco sighed. “Are you asking who I think would win in a fight?”

“Yeah, I guess I am.”

Carmine groaned across the room.

“Well, Tess is good at cheap shots, but the child has a knack for survival. She’s not helpless either, as Squint can attest to. Tess is used to having help, while the girl’s used to trudging through it alone. One on one, I have to say she’d take Tess easily.” Haven’s eyes widened, stunned he would say that. “But don’t tell Tess. She might try to prove me wrong.”

“I wouldn’t tell Tess that if my life depended on it,” Dominic said. “She’d kick my ass.”

“She could probably take you, too,” Dr. DeMarco said. “I know the child could.”

Haven’s cheeks reddened as they looked at her. “Uh, I don’t know about that, sir.”

“Don’t underestimate yourself. I certainly don’t.” Haven stared at him, unsure of what he meant, but he looked away without elaborating. “I have stuff to do, so I probably won’t be home until tomorrow. Have a good night.”

He walked out, an awkward silence lingering in his wake.

“That was f**king weird,” Carmine said before turning to his brother. “And get your damn arm off my girl before I break it.”

Dominic leaned in her direction again. “Told you he was jealous.”

“Whatever,” Carmine said. “And what’s wrong with you? Who would win in a fight? What kinda question is that?”

“It was a good one,” Dominic said. “But why are you mad? He picked your girl, not mine.”

* * *

They were listening to music later that night when Carmine blurted out something that caught Haven off guard: “What do you want for Christmas?”

What did she want? She had never thought about it. “I don’t expect anything.”

“Well, you’re getting something.”

“But I can’t get you a present.”

“You already gave me my present, Haven. You. Best gift ever.”

She sighed as he lay down beside her. “I still wish I could buy you something.”

“I don’t need anything,” he said, “but there will be plenty more holidays in the future for you to spoil me rotten.”

Hope swelled through her. Christmases. Presents. A future. It was all too much to fathom. “Do you guys have big celebrations?”

“We used to when I was young, but now it’s just us. My aunt Celia always comes for a few days. Other than her and her husband, we don’t have any family. My grandfather’s dead, and we don’t see my grandmother. She has dementia or something. I don’t really know.”

“What about your mama’s family?”

He was quiet. She wondered if she had asked the wrong question, but he finally spoke in a soft voice. “I don’t know of any. She immigrated here.”

“Have you thought about finding them?”

“No,” he said. “They never came looking for my mom, never wondered what happened to her, so why should I care about them? Hell, I didn’t know she was born in Ireland until I saw a stack of government papers in my father’s office a few years ago.”

“Does it make you sad that you don’t have a big family?”

He shrugged. “I don’t really think about it. I figure I have enough.”

“I used to dream about having a big family,” Haven said. “I used to pretend like I had one. Mama said I was always having conversations with imaginary people. I used to even talk to an angel.”

“Like with wings and a halo and shit?”

“That kind of angel, yes, but she didn’t have any of that,” she said. “Mama said angels watched over me and someday I’d be one, so I imagined them as people. My angel told me about life. She said I could be free like her when I grew up and have anything I wanted. I guess she didn’t want to crush me with the truth.”