Page 66 of Sweetest Sin

“You know how Frankie has a mommy and a daddy?” I say, using his friend as an example since Damien talks about them all the time.

“Yeah. He has a mommy and a daddy, and a pool, and a yard, and he can have a Giving Tree. Oh! Mr.Domick, can I have The Giving Tree now?”

Dominick glances from Damien to me with the most perplexed look on his face, and I get it because …

“Welcome to parenting,” I say with a laugh.

“We’ll talk about the tree later,” I tell Damien. “But right now, I want to talk to you about mommies and daddies.”

Damien nods, but I can tell I’m quickly losing his attention, so rather than draw this out, I simply say, “You know how I’m your mommy?”

He nods.

“Well, Dominick is your daddy.”

Damien’s brows furrow, and I can’t help but smile at how much he looks like Dominick when he does that.

“You’re my daddy?” Damien asks him. “Like Frankie’s daddy is his daddy?”

“Yeah, buddy,” Dominick says. “I’m your dad.”

“Does that mean we can get a Giving Tree now?”

I snort out a laugh, and Dominick grins, shaking his head.

“Yeah, we can get a Giving Tree.”

Damien jumps off my lap and throws himself into Dominick’s arms, enveloping him in a hug. As Dominick hugs him back, his eyes meet mine, and I note that they’re filled with so much raw emotion. Most of the time, Dominick is cold, brooding, and calculating, but I’m learning that it’s a shield to protect himself from the outside world and that he saves his softness for the people closest to him. The people who have earned the right to see him vulnerable.

“Thank you, Daddy.” He wiggles out of his hold and stands. “Let’s go get The Giving Tree now.”

Damien grabs Dominick’s hand and pulls him to get up.

“Wait, where do we get a Giving Tree?” Dominick asks.

“In the forest, Daddy,” Damien answers, making Dominick’s eyes go wide.

“Better get to chopping,” I joke. “You have a tree to bring home,Daddy.”

23

Dominick

Daddy.

I’m a fucking daddy.

I have a son.

With my gray eyes.

He has Peyton’s red hair and skin color, but his personality is all me. The kid isn’t afraid of shit—and he proved that when he flew off the float and into the water without a care in the world. And I proved I have no idea what I’m doing as a dad when I dove in after him and then proceeded to bitch at Peyton because I thought our son had almost drowned.

Of course he can swim.

Because Peyton is a damn good mother.

And she not only agreed to give us a chance, but she also told our son that I was his father.