Chapter 16 - A Choice No Don Could Command
By Norah’s seventh month, the Russo mansion had a FOR SALE sign outside its gates.
The real-estate agent had nearly fainted when Dominic insisted.
“It’s a historically significant property.”
“It’s also impossible to heat,” Dominic replied.
The agent stared.
Dominic stared back.
The mansion went on the market.
Norah toured potential homes with him.
His definition of “normal” required adjustment.
The first property had twelve bedrooms.
“No.”
“Why?”
“No family needs twelve bedrooms.”
“What if people visit?”
“They can leave.”
The second contained a private theater.
“No.”
“Lily likes movies.”
“She also likes cardboard boxes.”
The third had an underground garage for eighteen cars.
Norah simply looked at him.
Dominic crossed it off the list.
Eventually they found a house outside the city.
Five bedrooms.
Large yard.
Kitchen facing the garden.
A small office.
A treehouse.
Dominic stared at the treehouse.
“Security nightmare.”
Norah stared at him.
“Fine.”
Lily fell in love immediately.
Norah did too.
But she did not say so.
Dominic noticed anyway.
“This one?”
“Maybe.”
“That means yes.”
“It means maybe.”
He purchased it the following day.
Norah was furious.
“You didn’t wait.”
“You said maybe.”
“Maybe does not mean buy a house.”
“In negotiations, it frequently does.”
“This was not a negotiation.”
He looked genuinely confused.
Norah laughed despite herself.
“I can’t believe you.”
“Do you hate it?”
“No.”
“Then the problem?”
“You have no concept of normal courtship.”
Dominic became still.
“Courtship?”
Norah realized what she had said.
“That wasn’t—”
“Are we courting?”
“Please stop saying courting.”
“I like it.”
“You sound ninety.”
He smiled.
“What should I call it?”
Norah folded her arms.
“Dating.”
“Are we dating?”
She stared.
He waited.
“Yes.”
Dominic smiled like he had won something enormous.
“Good.”
“Don’t make it weird.”
“Too late.”
The new house slowly filled with ordinary things.
Children’s books.
Kitchen towels.
Lily’s drawings.
A crib.
Dominic assembled the crib himself.
Poorly.
Norah found him surrounded by screws at midnight.
“You own construction companies.”
“I wanted to do it.”
“You built the side backward.”
“I noticed.”
“After how long?”
Dominic glared.
Norah laughed.
They rebuilt it together.
The criminal case against Vittorio continued.
Dominic testified through attorneys and provided financial records.
His legitimate businesses survived.
The rest collapsed.
Some former associates called him weak.
Dominic discovered weakness was surprisingly peaceful.
Thomas visited often.
His relationship with Norah remained fragile.
Healing came in inches.
One evening they sat on the porch.
“I missed your graduation,” Thomas said.
“Yes.”
“Your first apartment.”
“Yes.”
“Your whole twenties.”
“Most of them.”
“I don’t know how to make up for that.”
“You can’t.”
Thomas looked down.
Norah continued.
“But you can show up now.”
He nodded.
“I can do that.”
And he did.
At thirty-two weeks, Norah officially stopped working as Lily’s nanny.
She hated the word officially.
Lily hated it more.
“You’re still my Nora.”
“Always.”
“But you’re not my nanny?”
“No.”
“What are you?”
Norah hesitated.
Dominic entered the room.
Lily pointed.
“What is Nora now?”
Dominic looked at Norah.
“That’s up to her.”
Norah smiled.
“I’m family.”
Lily accepted that immediately.
“Okay.”
Children made complicated things simple.
Adults made simple things terrifying.
That night, Dominic took Norah into the backyard.
String lights hung above the patio.
She narrowed her eyes.
“What did you do?”
“Nothing.”
“That’s suspicious.”
“I made dinner.”
“You don’t cook.”
“I ordered dinner.”
“More believable.”
They ate beneath the lights.
After dessert, Dominic became unusually quiet.
Norah recognized the expression.
“You’re nervous.”
“No.”
“You are.”
“I told you—”
“You don’t get nervous. Yes, yes.”
He stood.
Norah’s eyes widened.
“Dominic.”
He reached into his pocket.
She immediately covered her face.
“Oh my God.”
“What?”
“You bought a ring.”
“Yes.”
“Of course you did.”
“Is that bad?”
“No. I just—”
Dominic crouched in front of her.
Norah began crying before he spoke.
“This is inconvenient,” he said.
She laughed.
“Shut up.”
He smiled.
“Norah Hayes.”
“Yes?”
“I am not asking because of the baby.”
She nodded.
“I’m not asking because Lily wants it.”
“Good.”
“She does. Aggressively.”
Norah laughed again.
“I’m asking because every life I imagined before you feels smaller than the life I want now.”
Her tears fell harder.
Dominic held the ring but did not offer it yet.
“And because I learned something.”
“What?”
“I can’t command you to stay.”
“You definitely cannot.”
“I can only give you reasons to choose me.”
Norah covered her mouth.
“So I’m asking.”
He looked directly into her eyes.
“Will you marry me?”
Norah waited.
Not because she doubted the answer.
Because five months earlier she had been terrified Dominic would take every choice from her.
Now he was kneeling before her offering one.
“Yes.”
Dominic exhaled.
“Yes?”
“Yes.”
He slid the ring onto her finger.
Then Norah pointed at him.
“But long engagement.”
“How long?”
“After the baby.”
“A month?”
“Dominic.”
“Six?”
“We’ll negotiate.”
He smiled.
“That sounds promising.”
From an upstairs window came a scream.
“DID SHE SAY YES?”
Norah looked up.
Lily pressed her face against the glass.
Dominic sighed.
“She was supposed to be asleep.”
Norah laughed until her stomach hurt.
For the first time in years, Dominic did not care that a carefully planned moment had gone completely wrong.
Because the life forming around him was no longer controlled.
It was messy.
Loud.
Unpredictable.
May you like
And entirely his choice.
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