Page 6 of Reclaimed Dreams
Chapter3
29 years ago
Dom danced Gabe into the kitchen and pulled a beer from the fridge. He was on cloud nine. He’d busted his ass to learn the business and save for his own startup. To have that hard work and sacrifice recognized and rewarded felt damn good. And after so many financial setbacks, he and Tony were finally catching a break.
He respected the hell out of John as a boss and a friend. He’d learned a lot from him in the years working on his crews. To have John approach him about taking over the business took away a lot of his worries that he wasn’t ready. If John thought he was, he was. The money part would work itself out. Maybe they’d even pay him out over a few years. The opportunity was too good to pass up.
Gabe patted his cheek, grinning, and Dom leaned in to blow a raspberry against his cheek, teasing giggles from his son.
“Someday I’ll hand this business down to you, Gabriel.”
“Slow down there, Daddy. One retirement at a time,” Jo teased.
Dom sat Gabe down in front of his hammer and pegs, set his beer on the coffee table, and pulled Jo in for a kiss. The kind of kiss that said, Damn, you’re sexy when you bust my chops, and I’m so glad you’re mine.
The kind of kiss that often led to Let me show you what I do with what’s mine kind of kisses.
The kind of kissing they didn’t have a lot of time for these days.
Just as Dom felt Jo sinking into the moment, Sofia started crying, and Jo pulled back. She picked up the baby who immediately stretched her arms out for him and tugged on his beard when he swooped her over. Who could resent the interruption when it came in the form of his golden-haired little princess? Snuggling her into his chest, he pressed a kiss into her milky sweet curls and grinned at his good fortune.
Beautiful children, a wonderful wife, and a dream opportunity landing in his lap wrapped up with a fucking bow. It didn’t get better than this. He was a lucky man.
“Just think, Jo. Stepping into an established business gets us past the lean startup years. You could stay home with the kids instead of having to go back to work in the fall.” Dom bounced Sofia on his hip and only caught a flash of Jo’s back as she ran from the room crying.
“What did I say?” he asked Sofia, as if she held the answers behind her bright blue eyes.
She spit up on his chest in reply.
2 years ago
Dom climbed into bed next to his wife, who hadn’t spoken a word since dinner. He punched up his pillows and huffed as he settled in, but Jo didn’t turn over. He let out another aggravated sigh. He didn’t know why she was being so difficult. They had talked about him retiring and how he still felt shaky.
When Jo fell into her depression, responsibility had fallen heavy on his shoulders. He had thought he understood just how much she did to keep their family running, but he’d had no idea until he tried to step into her shoes. Keeping everything under control had kicked him into overdrive, and now he couldn’t turn it off.
He felt compelled to make sure that the kids and the business were in a good enough position that they wouldn’t ever fail. When he thought about retiring, a cold sweat broke out on his forehead and his arms trembled.
Dom thought back to John’s retirement so many years ago, and wondered how the hell he’d known Dom was ready. He truly couldn’t see the path forward yet.
So he’d found another solution. One that would make their company and the kids strong enough to survive. He didn’t understand why Jo was so upset. He was working toward their goal.
He rolled to his side to face her, but her back rose and fell slowly as he stared at it, willing her to turn toward him, even if it was just so they could have the fight he knew was brewing, clear the air, and get some sleep.
But she didn’t.
She must have already fallen asleep. It would have to wait for morning, but he’d explain and she’d see that he’d done it for them.
But morning came and went, and with it went Dom’s confidence that he’d be able to bring Jo around. He explained over coffee. He cajoled over scrambled eggs. He ranted over lunchmeat sandwiches, and Jo still hadn’t uttered a word. How was he supposed to argue with her if she wouldn’t say anything?
After lunch, she’d just calmly picked up her purse and walked out the door. That click as it closed behind her reverberated through his chest, and Dom couldn’t help but feel a door had been closed permanently between them.
As days turned to weeks of silence, Dom’s anger grew. Why couldn’t she see what he was trying to do? Losing Gabe had dropped a bomb into their lives, explosive, painful, and completely unexpected. Dom’s life—past, present, and future—lay in broken shards on the ground, and he was desperately trying to fit them back together, despite knowing that crucial pieces were missing or mangled. He was terrified of what failure would mean.
He had to be sure the future was as secure as possible before he could even think about relaxing. A Valenti builds to last.
Tony had retired, Gabe was gone, and the rest of the kids simply weren’t strong enough to tackle running the business on their own. This show would toughen them up and make them the faces of the company. They’d stand on their own reputation, and he could rest easy knowing his legacy was secure.
Every decision, every hour of overtime, every yes when he wanted to say no, all of it had been for her and the family they’d built. How could she not see that?
