Forget Me Not (3 page)

Dominic chuckled as he tried to think about what her reaction would be if she ever found out that he didn’t swing her way. She had nothing, absolutely nothing, that he was interested in. Not that he could convince her of that.

Every time he turned around she was making a pass at him, putting her hands on him, kissing on him, and just basically making him uncomfortable. He had asked her to stop several times, but she just wouldn’t take the hint.

He had even taken to not calling her at all. She just buzzed right back into his life, ignoring what he wanted and doing what she wanted. If he went to a party without her, she showed up and somehow wiggled a ride home out of him. If he had a business dinner with clients, she would surprisingly show up and join them. If he went away for a few days, she would suddenly be vacationing in the same hotel.

He wasn’t even sure how she was finding him.

Dominic knew what the tabloids and gossip magazines were saying about them. He half suspected that Sophia was telling them all the lies they were printing. He’d no more marry her than he would give up Keely. It just wasn’t going to happen.

Shaking his head, Dominic picked up the phone. “Karen, do you have Mr. Murphy on the phone yet?”

“He just came on, sir. Should I transfer him through?”

“Yes, thank you. Oh, and, Karen? I want the last two days of this week blocked off. It’s time for me to show my face at home before Keely forgets what I look like.”

“Oh…okay, sir. I’ll mark that down.”

“Thank you, Karen.”

Dominic waited for Karen to transfer Mr. Murphy to his line, twirling his pen around in his fingers. He suddenly felt energized. Going home to see Keely was just what he needed. He was so excited he could barely wait until tonight to tell him he was coming home.

Thoughts of this weekend quickly slid from his mind as business matters took over as his phone call went through. “Mr. Murphy, what can I do for you?”

“Please, please be there, Dominic,” Keely whispered as he dialed Dominic’s cell phone for the tenth time. He heard it ring several times then go to voice mail, yet again. Waiting for the beep, he left a message asking Dominic to call him—again.

For the last week, every time he tried to call Dominic the man was unavailable. Even his assistant, Karen, couldn’t seem to get a hold of him. He had left message after message both with Karen and on Dominic’s cell phone. But he had yet to hear from him.

He didn’t know why he was surprised or hurt by it. He had known that things were over between them, but he had at least hoped that Dominic would be there for him right now. It wasn’t like he was asking for Dominic to come home because he was bored.

His only sibling, his sister Angie, and her husband Scott had died in a car accident a week ago, leaving two young orphaned children behind. Danny had just turned two, and Carrie, the baby, wasn’t even a month old.

Thank God the children had been at his parents’ house so that Angie and Scott could go out for their first dinner since the baby had been born. Now, Keely suddenly found himself with two small children to care for.

His parents were too old and they didn’t have any other relatives young enough to care for two small children. Scott, Angie’s husband, had lost his parents years before and had no other relatives.

That left Keely.

Keely didn’t have a clue what he was going to do. He wanted to talk to Dominic, to ask his advice. But Dominic just wouldn’t return his phone calls. He hadn’t even called that night last week when he had promised to.

Who was he kidding? Keely had tried to hang on, but now, with the children, that wasn’t an option. He had to step up and do what his family needed and be a parent to these two small children. There no longer seemed to be an option.

It wasn’t like he could take the children home and hope for the best. While Keely had always hoped for children, Dominic wouldn’t have time for them any more than he had time for Keely. No, it was just better that he ended things now, before the children even met Dominic and started to become attached, like Keely was.

Keely turned on his mother’s computer and went to the acceptance letter he had been putting off sending. He had applied for the job a couple of days ago and received an offer almost immediately.

It was a position for a lawyer in a legal firm. It was on the other end of the state from Dominic, where his parents lived. It didn’t pay terribly well, but he would be a full partner in the small-town firm. He had done the interview over the phone, impressed with the lawyer he would be working with. It sounded like a great job.

Before he could change his mind, Keely hit the send button, accepting the job. As he watched the e-mail upload from the computer, he felt tears fall down his face. Well, that was it. All that he needed to do now was find a place to live, pack up what meager belongings he had, and move him and the kids.

It shouldn’t take too long. He didn’t have much, not even furniture. He had given up most of that when he had moved in with Dominic. He just had his clothes and some personal items. Everything else either belonged to Dominic or Keely didn’t want it. The fewer memories he took with him, the quicker he would be able to forget.

At least, that was the plan.

“Keely? What are you doing, honey?” Keely’s mom asked as she walked in.

“Hey, Mom.” Keely sent his mother what he knew was a weak smile. He just couldn’t muster up anything more. “I was just accepting that position with that law firm here in town. I’m going to need a job if I’m going to support two children.”

“Honey, are we asking too much of you? I’m sure we can work something out if you…”

“No, Mom,” Keely replied, patting his mother on the arm. “These kids need to be with family. I’m the only one who can do this. Besides, you know I’ve always wanted kids.”

Keely tried to smile again but knew he was failing miserably when tears came to his mother’s eyes.

“Oh, Keely, what about you? What about what you need? How is this going to affect things between you and Dominic?”

“Dominic and I have been over for awhile. I was just too stubborn to see it. Besides, he may be getting married soon. I would just be in the way. What new wife wants to share her home with her husband’s former lover?”

“Married?” Mom gasped. “Dominic is getting married? How could he do that to you? I thought he loved you.”

Keely couldn’t do anything but shrug his shoulders. “I don’t know. I don’t even know if he is getting married. He won’t return my phone calls, so how can I ask him? But I guess, in a way, that kind of tells me right there where I stand with him.”

“Oh, honey, I’m so sorry. I know how much you loved him. Is there anything I can do?”

Keely inhaled deeply several times to try and keep his tears at bay. “Not when it comes to Dominic. I have to deal with that in my own way. But it would help if you and Dad could watch the kids for just a couple of days so I can go and get my stuff packed up and moved down here.”

“Of course, Keely. Take all the time you need.”

“I shouldn’t be more than a couple of days. There really isn’t much to pack. I got rid of most of my stuff when I moved in with Dominic. All that’s left is just a few personal items. Everything else is Dominic’s, and he can keep it. I don’t want any of it.”

“Are you sure, honey?”

“Yeah, Mom. I’m sure.” And for the first time in days, maybe even weeks, he was sure. He knew what he needed to do. It was just unfortunate that none of those things involved Dominic. Keely would be doing this all on his own.

* * * *

Keely dropped the last of the boxes of kids’ stuff on the floor of his new house. It was perfect—four bedrooms, a large country kitchen with a breakfast nook, living room, formal dining room, study, basement recreation room, and three bathrooms.

He couldn’t believe his luck when he had found it. It was an old 1910 farmhouse with a large wraparound front porch. It even had a porch swing. The fenced-in backyard would be perfect for the kids.

The place needed a little work but nothing he couldn’t handle. Some paint, some sanding, a little hammering here and there, and it would be beautiful. Keely especially couldn’t wait to get to all of the beautiful woodwork. It looked original.

The place really just needed a little tender loving care. It would be beautiful when he was done with it. The bank had given him a great deal on the foreclosed home. Apparently the previous owners had gone to a retirement home and had no children. When they hadn’t been able to make the payments on the house, the bank had taken it.

Keely almost felt bad about what a great deal he had gotten on the place. Not enough to give it back, but still. It was his now, lock, stock, and porch swing. To top it all off, it was less than six blocks from his new office. He could come home for lunch and to see the kids.

His new office… It had only been three weeks since he had taken the job and already he had two new clients. His new partner Jared Thomas seemed like a nice guy, and Keely liked working with him at
Thomas & James, Attorneys-at-Law.
He had been thrilled when Jared offered to change the name of the small law firm to include his name.

Keely had been a little surprised at how fast things had gone after he had accepted the job. It had taken just a couple of days to pack his belongings and sign everything back over to Dominic.

Even though his name was on the deed, the house wasn’t his. It was Dominic’s. Keely wanted no part of it. After having a lawyer friend draw up the papers for Keely, he had signed them and left them on the kitchen counter along with a short good-bye letter.

Walking back to shut his car door, he chuckled. He never would have thought that he would be standing in the driveway of his own home, have a business of his own, be a parent of two children, and move all the way across the state, and in so little time.

He felt…free. He wasn’t happy exactly, but he was content. He was finally taking charge of his own life and living the way he wanted. No more sitting at home waiting for someone to come home and love him when they had the time. Now, he had someone waiting for him when he came home all the time.

Becoming an instant parent was not like he thought it would be. He had walked more floors, changed more diapers, and had more spit-up on his clothes than he had thought possible. Now he knew why people waited until they were married before having children. It took more energy than building a skyscraper to care for two small children.

Danny was a very curious child, getting into anything and everything. He was just learning how to talk, so Keely had that added bonus to deal with. He also had to deal with all the late-night crying episodes when Danny wanted his parents. It was hard to explain to a two-year-old that his parents were never coming back. It made Keely cry every time he had to do it.

Carrie didn’t really remember her parents. Or at least she wouldn’t as she got older. Apparently Angie had been breast-feeding, and Keely was not equipped for that. Teaching Carrie to drink from a bottle hadn’t been easy. But she was starting to get the hang of it—finally.

And all the baby and toddler stuff that kids needed. It was insane. It had taken two trips in a moving truck to get it all here. Keely’s stuff had all fit in the back of his Jeep. His Jeep…he missed his Jeep. He now drove a very dependable minivan, complete with car seats and stroller in the back. Now all he needed was a puppy.

Wasn’t he just the suburbanite?

Dominic dropped his keys on the small entry table sitting by the front door. “Keely? Baby? I’m home,” he called out as he pulled his long coat from his shoulders and hung it up in the hallway closet.

“Keely?” he called out again when he didn’t see his lover. Where was Keely? Dominic began going from room to room trying to find him, but finally he concluded that Keely wasn’t home.

Well, shit!

He had really been hoping for one of his wonderful homecomings. Maybe he should have called. True, he had lost his cell phone somewhere, but that didn’t mean he hadn’t had access to a telephone. It would have been simple to find one and call home. Even after Karen had gotten him a new one, he should have called home, but didn’t. Things had gotten busy. Dominic knew that wasn’t an excuse but maybe Keely being gone when he got home was his punishment.

He had a lot to make up for, that was for sure.

He knew he had been gone for quite awhile. Hell, even the house looked different. He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but something was different. He hadn’t realized that he had been gone that long.

One meeting had turned into twenty, which had turned into a trip abroad to talk with board members and stockholders. Before he had known it, four weeks had gone by.

And he hadn’t talked to Keely once during that entire time.

He knew Keely was going to be pissed. He couldn’t blame him. He had kept putting off calling Keely because he knew the man would be angry with him, and rightly so. He just wanted get home so he could start making up with him. It had been a long four weeks, and he had missed Keely a lot. He couldn’t wait to see him, to hold him, to make love to him. And that was all something that needed to be done in person, not over the phone.

Picking his briefcase up off the floor, Dominic made his way to his office. Maybe he could get a little more work done before Keely got home from wherever it was that he had gone. Then they had three glorious days to spend together before Dominic had to be back in New York.

Setting his briefcase on his desk, he picked up his pile of mail and started going through it. There seemed to be a lot of mail, more so than usual. And most of it was junk mail. He wondered why Keely hadn’t gone through it and gotten rid of the crap. He usually did.

Shaking his head, he opened his briefcase and pulled out some files. Hopefully, this would take his mind off Keely not being home until he was. Work always seemed to take his mind off whatever personal troubles he was having. And something deep down inside was telling him that his troubles were just beginning.