The Conspiracy of Baby-Switching novel Chapter 61

“Do you mind standing back a little?” I ask him.

He takes an overexaggerated two steps back.

“You know, you’re getting a little too comfortable with me,” I warn him.

“You said we could be friends.”

“Yes but…”

“But what, Vee? This is me being friendly.”

Am I being overdramatic? “Okay, but…just so you know.”

“Trust me, I know.” He rolls his eyes as he stuffs his hands in his pockets.

“You’re like Mother fucking Teresa now.” “No shit.”

You have no idea.

I open the door and we walk inside and I look around our home, it seems so tiny and insignificant now that I’ve seen his new place.

“Home sweet home,” Gabriel sighs sarcastically.

“He feels comfortable here.”

Dominic walks in the back door with a basket of kindling and goes to the fireplace, he bends down and begins to scrunch up the paper. Gabriel watches him. “Do you light the fire all by yourself?” Dominic nods as he keeps loading the kindling in.

“Dominic is the fire man of our house,” I say proudly.

“Impressive.” Gabriel nods. “I’m not sure I could light a fire all by myself, you’ll have to teach me one day.”

Dominic doesn’t acknowledge him and keeps doing what he’s doing.

“Dominic…” Gabriel says. “I know that you’re angry that I haven’t been around for you and your sister…but I want you to know that…I’m angry too.”

Dominic glances up at him and then catches himself and acts uninterested, he goes back to his task.

“I feel cheated that I’ve missed out on so much of your life so far,” Gabriel continues.

Guilt runs through me like a freight train.

“But I want you to know that I’m here now and I’m not going anywhere.”

Dominic gets the lighter and lights the paper up, the orange flames flicker.

“And just because we got off to a bad start, it doesn’t mean we won’t have a wonderful relationship going forward.”

Dominic pauses as he stokes the fire and I know he’s listening.

“I’m going to make this up to you and Lucia…and your mom.”

All those nights I lay in bed and cried myself to sleep because I wanted my children to have a father, and now, hearing this, it’s… I get a lump in my throat as I watch on.

“Dom,” Lucia calls from the back deck. “The brown duck is back. Quick.”

“Put me out of my misery.” He bends and his lips softly brush against mine. “Tell me there’s a chance for us.”

His tongue slowly swipes through my open lips and my knees nearly give way beneath me. My eyes flutter closed as the moment takes me over.

Oh…

We kiss again, and this time his tongue slowly slides into my mouth, awakening every female instinct that I’ve suppressed for years.

This man…the physical reaction I have to him…it’s carnal, primal, and damn well addictive.

Wait…what the hell am I doing?

I pull out of the kiss and step back. “Gabriel, you need to stop.”

“What’s wrong?” He reaches for me again and pulls my body against his.

“Get back here.”

“No.” I take a further step back. “This isn’t about you and me, this is about the children and your relationship with them.”

“What the children need is for us to be together.”

“That’s not true at all, and besides…” I troll my mind for a get-out-of-jail card. “I’m already seeing someone.”

His eyes narrow and he steps toward me, forcing me to step back. “Who is he?” he growls. The dominance of his action sends a wildfire through my body. I feel my pulse between my legs.