Promise Me

“She needs help Dominick.”

“I know that,” he snapped at me. Then he apologized immediately. “I can’t force her to get help.”

He backed out of the spot where we were parked and headed towards the front of the school. He was quiet. “On Sunday, we have dinner at the farm at three pm sharp. You and your family need to come.” His head snapped around to look at me. “Keep your eyes on the road,” I told him.

“Why?”

“I want to help you however we can. Maybe making your mom realize she isn’t alone, is a step in the right direction.”

Dom shook his head. “God, I hope so. I don’t know how much longer I can do this.”

We arrived at the farm to find Maddie swinging on the playset with Skylar sitting on the picnic table watching her. Dominick and I sat beside her. Maddie jumped down as the swing went high. She tucked and rolled across the ground. Skylar gasped. “Girl, are you all right?”

She got up giggling. Dominick rolled his eyes at his sister.

“I’ve changed my mind Ronan. I don’t want a kid if this is what it’s like. I remember you Moore boys growing up. Lord, our child will be jumping off the loft with a rope tied off its ankles thinking they can bungee jump. Damn fools almost broke your necks.” Dominick laughed at her.

“I think it’s too late Skylar,” I reminded her.

Dom laughed at us. “Where’s Nickolas?”

“He and Gramps went for a walk. They’ve been gone a while.” She covered her eyes and stared into the distance. “They are over there. See,” she pointed.

Dominick glanced at Skylar. “He really likes Gramps. We don’t really have that relationship with our grandparents. They live too far away. My Dad’s grandparents don’t really have anything to do with us.”

“Well Dominick, there are lots of grandparents in this family who would love on you three.” I smiled at Skylar. She turned to me. “Did you invite them to Sunday dinner?”

“I did.”

“Good. Maybe it will be easier for you to go with them here.”

Dom leaned over on his knees. “Why are you concerned about going to Sunday dinner?”

“I haven’t been in months because of my Dad and I arguing.” One thing I knew I would always be honest with this kid.

“What happened between you and your Dad?”

“He wasn’t happy that I OD on drugs. He took it personally. Then he was really not happy when he found out that Skylar was pregnant.”

“Why not?”

She looked at me waiting to see what I would tell him. Okay, so I might need to hedge the truth a little. “Sky is the daughter of one of my dad’s closest friends. I’m older than her. We grew up together and we weren’t dating so he really wasn’t happy when Sky turned up pregnant. He felt that I had taken advantage of her.”

“So you hooked up,” Dom said with this teenage, snarky tone to his voice.

Skylar was grinning at me. I had dug myself into a hole. “You know I love this woman. I have made her my wife and she’s expecting our child in a few months. That’s rude to refer to our child’s conception as a hook up.”

Dominick laughed. Skylar did too. Dom looked at Skylar. “Isn’t that what he just said?” She nodded with smile on her face.

“All right now.”

Maddie was turning cartwheels or was trying to in the yard. “Maddie if I wasn’t pregnant I would show you how,” Skylar offered. “But I’m afraid that my belly would throw me off and I’d fall flat on my

face.”

“I got this.”

“This should be good,” Dominick said to Skylar.