I Don't Know Him...I Hate Him...and I Have To Get Married To Him?!

Chapter 12

Everyone is Dominic’s family, except the women, had come to love me. They said they liked my easy going manner and occasional shyness. The children especially, like me. I had always been good with kids, I used to work part time at a daycare. The teenagers and ones Dominic’s age liked me but, I didn’t really talk with them as much as I did with the kids.

I was at a near by park, playing with the kids. I hadn't expected to go out with them today so I had thrown on an outfit and grabbed my Gir backpack. I had packed it with vitamin water, my phone and a barbie and race car.

I had Owen, the youngest at only two, on my lap and Jenny, who was five and seemingly very attached to me, sitting beside me, helping me to make Owen go to sleep. Shanna and Corey came up to us, they both seemed angry. They were twins and eight.

“Savvy,” Shanna whined. “Corey pushed me off the monkey bars and then laughed.”

“I did not.” Corey retorted.

“Corey?” I reprimanded. “I saw from over here, you did. But, I could tell it was an accident. Say your sorry, OK?”

“I’m sorry Shanna.” he apologized looking down.

Shanna hugged him. “It’s OK Corey.”

I wish my relationship had been like that with Brady sooner.

“OK, guys. Tell everyone that it’s time to go home.” they groaned. “Oh, come on. Don’t make this hard again! It took like half an hour to get you all back home last time. And don’t give me that face, you know it’s true...how about, if you guys all come here in the next...three minutes, I’ll get everyone ice-cream?”

They ran off, it was so much easier to get children to co-operate with the promise of sweets.

We entered the ice-cream parlor, everyone was looking at me. I know it must have been strange, a young woman walking in with five kids and a baby, not the greatest impression.

Whatever.

“Before we order, is anyone lactose intolerant?” they all gave me questioning looks. I laughed. “Can anyone not have ice-cream because of what’s in it?”

“I can’t, mommy said that I was allergic to some of the things in ice-cream.” Jamie spoke up, I had noticed he had been reluctant to come, when Shanna and Corey had said we were getting ice-cream.

“It’s OK. They might have alternative ice-cream, and if not, you can get something else, alright?”

He nodded vigorously.

“Hello, welcome to Ivy’s Ice-cream. How can I help you today?”

“Hello, I was wondering if you had ice-cream made with soy milk or rice milk?”

“Yes, we do. And they come in all the regular flavors.”

“Jamie, they have it. What kind of ice-cream do you guys want?” they all started shouting at once. “Woah, one at a time.”

Once we got our ice-creams, I was sharing with Owen, we started to walk back home.

When we got home, people were in the living room. Shouting.

“Um, how about you guys go play outside? Casey, can you take Owen, and watch over him until I come out?” everyone nodded, and Casey came over and took Owen from me. Casey as the oldest at eleven, was in charge of everyone, for the time being.

I waited until the children had gone outside, and then walked into the living room.

Nora was shouting at Marcus and Ginger. Dominic, who was trying to get a word in, looked furious.

“Then don’t come!” Ginger shouted.

“Um, sorry to interrupt, but what is going on here?”

Everyone turned to look at me.

“As usual, it’s about you!” Nora screeched at me.

“What did I, apparently, do now?”

“Marcus and Ginger here, tell me that you were betrothed to Dominic because they hoped that you could help him to settle down. To not be so much of a...playboy. They said that they have seen a significant change in his behavior, I on the other hand, beg to differ. I see no change, he is just like this because you are here, and are to marry him. I also did not see anything wrong with how he was before.

“I admit he has changed, but not for the better. He doesn’t listen to me anymore, he has been listening to your ideas and going along with them instead of telling you how it should be and what to do. He even, for some reason, tolerates you and your tattoo’s and piercings. The Nicky I know, would have been done with you as soon as he saw you.”

...Was something wrong with her?

My mouth, Marcus and Ginger’s too, had opened.

“What are you on?” I asked her. “In what world do women still take orders from men? Whether they are their fiancé or husband, they only time that happens is when a man beats a women. Then, of course, they will listen no one likes getting beaten. And yes, Dominic was done with me as soon as he’d seen me, but then something happened. And he didn’t turn me away.

“What I don’t get, is why you hate me so much. Everyone else in this family, other than you and the rest of the women, likes me. Especially the kids. So, I’ll say this one more time: if you don’t like it, don’t come. Really, I don’t even know why anyone likes or puts up with you.”

I was done with her, I went into the backyard to play with the kids. When I got out there Casey was with a sleeping Owen on a big blanket. As I walked over to Casey and Owen, everyone stopped what they were doing and came over to me.

I picked up Owen and cradled him as Jenny came and sat in my lap. I knew that they wanted me to tell them what happened.

“Savvy?” Casey asked after a few seconds. “Why were they yelling?”

I sighed. “Nora...doesn’t agree with Dominic and my marriage.” I was putting it lightly. “She doesn’t want us to get married, she thinks I am...unfit, to be his wife.”

“But, your still gunna marry him right?” Casey asked.

“Only if Dominic wants it. If not, then I’ll probably stay in Los Angeles, or move in with my friend like I had originally planned to last year.”

“But we don’t want you to leave. Ever since you came, Dominic’s been much nicer to us. Before, if we asked him to do anything, he’d tell us to bug off. When we had family dinners he would always invite over his friends or girlfriend and ignore or tease us. He made Shanna cry once. We need you here, you make this family bearable. We all love you.” Dhilon, although only ten, he had a very insightful mind. He was usually very quiet, only talking when necessary or when asked a question.

I smiled at him, and everyone else. “Look guys, I don’t want to leave. I love you guys too and I love Dominic. I wouldn’t know how bad Dominic used to be, but I do know what he was like when I had arrived. He was arrogant, rude, and very self-absorbed. He was more or less like Nora, he didn’t like me at all, then certain things happened and we started to get along.

“If he still wants to marry me, no matter what Nora says, then we will. But if not, then I don’t think we’ll ever see each other again. Which would make me sad.”

“Now!” I said clapping my hands together. “Let’s play in the pool ok? I want all of you to get your swimsuits and whatever you need if you can’t swim.”

“I think that they may have to do without you for a while.” no one talked, I turned around. It was Dominic, and he didn’t look happy.

“What’s up Dominic? Is there something you need?” I hugged Owen closer to me, and Jenny wrapped her arms around my waist.

“You can’t have hwer Nicky.” Jenny pouted. She was so cute, she usually put ‘w’s in her word “She’s owers. We want hwer to stay with us.”

Dominic smiled at her. “You can have her back, but we have a date.” I looked at him questioningly. “So, you guys can’t go swimming right now.”

Going along with it, I turned to everyone. “Yeah, urm...we’ve been planning it for a while. How about, we go and put in a movie for you guys OK? We can get Louise to make you popcorn and get you snacks.”

They were sad that we couldn’t hang, but I told them that we would tomorrow. They all fit into the home theatre, I put in ‘Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban’, and asked Louise to get them snacks and drinks.

I went upstairs and found Dominic sitting on the bed, in a suit.

“Get changed, we’re going out.” and then he left.

What’s his problem?

I went into the bathroom and quickly showered, I did my make-up and went into my closet to find a dress. I was looking around and found one that I knew I hadn’t bought. It was elegant but short, in a creme color. I put on shoes to match the gold in the dress and went out of the closet.

When I got out Dominic was there. His face wasn’t how it usually was, it was totally and completely emotionless.

As we walked out of the room I told Dominic that I would meet him in the car. He left me in the hallway as I started toward the theater.

Everyone but Dhilon was asleep.

“Hey Dhil. Did Casey give Owen to your aunt?” I asked him. “Should you really be watching this?” he was watching some scary movie.

“It’s not that bad Savvy. And yeah, Cas gave Owen to aunt Bridget hours ago.”

“OK, well I think your parents will be going soon. So you may want to wake everyone up, soon.”

“Do I have to?” he whined. “Can’t we just sleep here tonight?”

“Ask your parents alright? I have to go out with Dominic.”

“Bye, then Savvy.”

Dominic took me to an opening of this new fancy restaurant.

“Hi, my name is June, and I’ll be your server for tonight.” our waitress was beautiful. She had layered blond hair and blue eyes. She was just Dominic’s type, and she knew this. She kept flirting. “What can I get you to drink?”

I didn’t miss the fact that she was only talking to Dominic.

“We’ll have champagne, please.”

She nodded and walked away. I picked up my menu and looked over it. There really wasn’t anything I would want...but I knew Dominic wouldn’t let me not eat.

“Here you are.” June said as she came back and set the champagne and two glasses infront of us. “Are you ready to order?” she asked Dominic.

“I’ll have the lobster.” he said.

June reluctantly turned to me. “And you?”

“I’ll have the pasta.” I said picking the first thing I saw.

She said it would be a few minutes and left us alone again.

I was still wondering what was up with Dominic, normally if when we went out, he would talk non-stop. We would laugh together or just sit in companionable silence.

“...Dominic, What’s up? You don’t seem very happy today.”

“That’s because I’m not.”

I tilted my head to the side. “Why not? What’s wrong? Is it because of today, when I got home with the kids, and came into the living room?”

“No, I’m over that.”

“Then what is it?” I didn’t get it, what else could he be mad at?

“You should know.”

Now I was just getting angry. “Fine, if you don’t want to tell me, I don’t care. Sulk for all I care, if you don’t want to talk about it I’m fine with that.”

I got up and went to the ladies room.

Urg, what was his problem? I didn’t do anything, so why is he so mad at me.

I put my hair into a messy bun, fixed my make-up, and went back outside to our table.

When I sat down, I could feel Dominic’s gaze on me. I ignored it and started playing with my nails, when Dominic took my hands and covered them with his own.

“I’m mad because of what you said today.” I gave him a confusing look. “You know, when you were outside with my cousins? You said that if I decided not to marry you, you would just go back to what you had originally planned before you moved here. As if I would ever not want to marry you. How could you even think that I would listen to my grandmother?

“Her opinions are so...old fashioned. I don’t want some girl with blond hair, same colored eyes, and no piercings or tattoos. I want you. You’re the one I fell in love with, not any of those other girls I dated. How could you even think, that I would let you go?”

“Because, I don’t belong with you. I mean, look at me Dominic.” which wasn’t necessary to say, since he already was. “I look nothing like the girls you should have ended up with. I don’t have blond hair, or blue or green eyes. I’m not tan, and I have no interest in pleasing the rest of your relatives other than your cousins, you, and your parents.”

“Exactly, that’s why I got so mad today in the living room. My grandmother kept comparing you to Cassandra and all the other girls I have dated. Saying she would have preferred one of the little bimbo’s I used to go out with.”

I was about to respond when June came and gave us our food.

We finished our conversation over our food.

Dominic paid and we left the restaurant, got into the car and drove home.

Marcus and Ginger greeted us as we entered the house.

“Hey Nick, everybody went back to their hotels. But the kids stayed behind, they kept begging and begging, saying: ‘Savvy said we could’ so they are all in the theater room.” I smiled at this news.

“Well, goodnight Nick, Savanna.” Marcus bid us goodbye and Ginger followed him out.

I ran to the theater to find all five children asleep, Owen had gone with his parents as he was only two. Dominic, who had been behind me, helped me get blankets for all of them. I had laid out a big, soft blanket for them to lie on. I couldn’t bear to leave them, so I told Dominic that I would sleep in here so they could wake me up when the woke up.

Dominic stayed with me, we stayed up talking about the wedding, which was in a few days. At first I hadn’t had a flower girl and only two bridesmaids, but last minute I had decided that I wanted the kids in my wedding. Casey and Shanna was going to be another one of my bridesmaids and Corey and Dhilon would be groomsmen. Jenny, would be the flower girl.

Since my dad, Colin, and his family were going to be there, I had asked if Harley, my half brother, would like to be the ring bearer. Colin had called me and told me that Harley would be delighted.

We had gone down the people who were making the finishing touches on our clothes for the wedding, and asked them to make a gold flower girl dress for Jenny and two smaller versions of my bridesmaid dresses. Thankfully, they hadn’t gotten mad at me. They said that making children’s clothes took less time then an adults, and they would be ready either before or on the wedding day.