Ten
Dominic looked out at the ocean, thinking about the roller coaster the night had been. First Kylie dressed to the nines, racing, making love, their crazy misunderstanding, Mia yelling at him, then talking to Ky for him, and finally her coming back into his arms. But it hadn't really ended there. Knowing that Mia was right, that he had to tell Kylie how he felt about her, he'd decided to skip the after the race party and drove to the beach. When they'd arrived Kylie's eyes had grown wide taking in the beauty.
"I've never seen a beach before. It's so beautiful," she said, her voice soft.
"Do you want to get out?" Dom asked. "It'll be a little chilly."
"Can we?" He heard the wistfulness in her voice.
"Sure. Take your shoes and stockings off," Dom told her, already removing his own shoes and socks. He rolled up the legs of his pants, then climbed out and walked to the back of the car, removed two blankets from the trunk, and went around to Kylie. Taking her hand he led her to the sand and watched the look on her face when her feet sank into the tiny grains. It was obvious to him that she'd never walked on the beach before. He wondered what else she hadn't done.
"Come on," he said tugging her towards the water, stopping to drop the blankets on the way. Kylie stopped on the way, amazed at how the surface of the sand changed the closer they got to the water. Suddenly her feet no longer sank, as the moist sand supported her weight. At the water's edge though, they again began to sink.
Kylie was wrapped up in the ocean and the sand. She could smell the salty water, feel the sand sliding through her toes, and hear the waves as they lapped at the shore. She took a step into the water and felt a chill from it seep through her body. She looked at Dom smiling. "It's beautiful," she told him, shivering slightly.
"So are you."
Kylie blushed and dropped her head as the wind slid through her hair. She knew what Dom was saying wasn't true, but it felt so good to hear him say it. He moved behind her and wrapped his arms around her as they stared out at the water.
"Tonight didn't go the way I wanted it to," he said softly. "I acted like an idiot and I'm sorry. I never meant for you to get hurt. I was angry with myself for not protecting you. It's my responsibility and I blew it."
Kylie turned in his arms and looked up at him.
"It wasn't all your responsibility, Dom. I just didn't realize how important it was to you. I thought..., I thought you were afraid you'd get stuck with me."
Dom smiled as the irony of the situation hit him. He shook his head.
"I didn't want you to get stuck with me." He took Kylie's hand and led her back to the blankets. He spread one out,sat down and held a hand out to her. Once she settled between his legs, her back against his chest, he covered her with the second blanket and wrapped his arms around her again.
Then he began to talk. He told her about his dad, how he died and about Kenny Linder. Then he told her about the heists, Vince getting hurt, Jesse getting shot, and Bryan being a cop. He told her everything, 'cause he wanted her forever, but she had to know what he'd done, how he'd screwed up.
"That's why I didn't want you to get pregnant. I didn't want you to wake up one day and find yourself tied to an ex-con."
Kylie turned in his arms and looked up at him.
"Dom, I would never hold that against you," she said softly. "What you did, was done out of grief over your dad's death."
"And the rest?"
Kylie dropped her eyes. She knew that Dom had told her his secrets and now it was time for her to share hers.
"You ah, you made a mistake and I would never hold that against you. My whole life has been one big mistake. I screw up regularly. That's what he, ...ah...," She stopped and took a moment to figure out how to explain it all. "My dad died when I was four, and my mom was remarried before I turned five. At first it wasn't that bad, but by the time I started school I was always in trouble. I made too much noise, I ran in the house, I made messes, I couldn't do anything right. I was always nervous and I got real clumsy, which only made things worse. I dropped stuff, spilled stuff, bumping into things was almost a daily event. The punishments started out going to bed without supper, no TV, stuff like that. I was never allowed to go on school field trips, even educational ones. When I was six he started hitting me. First it was just a spanking, but then there were slaps and kicks. By the time I was seven I'd had my hand stitched, my head stapled, a broken wrist and a dislocated shoulder. The summer before third grade I started to sleep in the laundry room in the cellar, and most days I didn't get breakfast or dinner. Lunch was always the same, a peanut butter sandwich, sometimes a few carrots or an apple. He said that was all I needed. If he was angry I didn't eat at all."
Dom listened to her talk noting the flatness of her voice. She could have been talking about the weather. She wouldn't look at him, just stared at a spot on his chest. He bit the inside of his mouth to keep from letting loose a string of curses. His hands clenched into fists. If he ever got his hands on this man he'd kill him.