Page 33 of Reclaimed Dreams

“Now wait just a damn second!” Dom protested, but Enzo didn’t turn. His son ignored him in favor of Natalie, enraging him even further.

“Why are you trying to sell out?” she asked quietly.

“Because someone I know is dead set on going back to LA. I’ve been dreaming of going out on my own for years, but now I’ve got a reason to put my solid plan into action. Relocating might even make it easier to pull off.”

Dom was not done with this discussion even though Enzo had turned his back on it. This had gone from harebrained scheme to terrifyingly viable option in seconds. He had to pull out the big guns. “Why are you moving to LA? You’ll break your mother’s heart.”

“More like your pocketbook,” Enzo shot back without turning away from Natalie.

“I can’t give you the cash right now. Just stay here and we’ll work something out. Then next year we can talk about this.”

Dom laid it out rationally and prayed that his son would see the reason behind it, but Enzo never looked away from Natalie.

“I can’t do that, Dad. I’m needed in LA now. Like you said, you started from scratch and so can I. I’ve only got eight months to get myself established. I can’t wait on a maybe. If my company doesn’t do well right away, that’s okay. I know how to work hard. You,” Enzo said directly to Natalie, making sure he had her full attention. “This dream we are building is more important to me than anything or anyone. Love won’t wait.”

Enzo pulled a crying Natalie in for a kiss, while Dom watched his carefully laid plans crumble around him. His son was leaving. His plan to retire and leave them solvent relied on the steady income from Enzo’s landscaping and maintenance. It covered payroll between big jobs getting approved. Not to mention the fact that he simply didn’t want his son to move away. It would break his heart not to see him every day, and he’d had enough heartbreak for a lifetime.

“Enzo, you don’t have to…” Natalie spoke as she wrapped her arms around Enzo to return his hug.

“No, we are in this together. I’m not letting you run away. Wherever you and our kids need to be is where I need to be. What’s it going to take for you to believe me?”

A chorus of gasps rose at the announcement. Jo quietly hustled everyone into the kitchen. Dom assumed she just meant to herd the neighbors away from family business. When she came back and shoved his shoulder, he stumbled from his spot propping up the wall. Taking advantage of his loss of balance, she aimed him at the kitchen doorway as well.

“Me?” he whispered. “We’re not done discussing this.”

“That was not a discussion. That was you bullying our son to get your way. And yes, you’re done with that now,” Jo hissed back.

“But—”

Jo clamped her hand over his mouth. “Look at them.”

Dom looked again, the lens of temper clicking off, and he saw his son wrapped up in the woman he loved.

“Do you remember that, Dom? Do you remember when you looked at me that way? Did you want your parents watching? Now let’s go. Get in the kitchen.”

Dom let her push him toward the door and reluctantly followed. What did she mean, did he remember when he looked at her like that? He looked at her like that every morning. Didn’t he? When had she stopped looking back to see?

Once in the kitchen, he leaned back against the counter and crossed his arms. As the impromptu party erupted into excited chatter around him, he stayed quiet. Jo stood near the door, shamelessly eavesdropping.

Did she really think he didn’t love her anymore?

And that dig from Enzo about not respecting his work! Of course he respected what Enzo did. Would he like Enzo to move more into the building side of things? Sure, but that was just for the stability of the business model, and all right, a little selfish pride. What father didn’t want his son to follow in his footsteps? Did Enzo really believe he didn’t respect his contributions? Or worse, that he was trying to turn him into Gabe?

He simply didn’t understand why Enzo needed to go out on his own to have success. Dom couldn’t afford to buy him out, not with so much tied up in existing projects, and he didn’t want to take over running that part of the business himself. Maybe Rico…

Dom was still ruminating on the ways he’d screwed up when Jo burst through the door to the hallway, pulling Enzo and Natalie into a big hug. He followed her to the doorway.

“Mind? You’re already part of this family! Get in here and give me a hug! Oh, another baby! It’s just so exciting! I hope you got all of that straightened out, because I stayed in that kitchen as long as I could. I want credit for my restraint.”

“Noted.” Enzo grinned at his mother.

“Can I have hugs too?” Daisy’s voice piped up from the top of the stairs where she had snuck silently and clearly listened in.

And Natalie was pregnant? He was going to have another grandchild, but this one was going to grow up in LA? That was too far away! Family should grow up together!

Damn it! He had to fix this.

“Looks like we have more than one eavesdropper in the family,” Natalie teased as Enzo held out his arms toward her little girl.

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