Revengeful Deceptions (29 page)

“Molly! Congratulations, I am so,
so happy for you! And congratulations to you too Neal!” Dominique hugged her
two friends, “Oh my god you guys,
this
is wonderful.
This is going to be a celebration for all of us!” She exclaimed to her friends.

Adam felt lost; he had gotten quite
used to spending his time with Dominique. He had wanted to go back with her but
Molly and Neal assured him that they would take good care of her. He had no
doubt that they would, but he missed her none the less. He also hoped that she
would enjoy the gifts he had sent to the house a day earlier to ensure they
would be there before she arrived.

As the small group arrived at the
cottage, Molly and Neal stood in awe as they gazed upon what looked to them to
be far more than a cottage.

“I thought the same exact thing!”
Said Dominique as she led them into the house where Muriel was anxiously
waiting for them.

“Welcome, welcome. Molly, Neal,
it’s so good to see you,” she said hugging them. “Now Dominique get over here,
our Adam has sent you some lovely gifts and I am dying to see what they are.”
She squealed with delight.

“I feel like a child on Christmas
morning,” Dominique said as she tore into the packages.

Inside one of the beautifully
wrapped boxes was a sterling silver locket with an inscription on the back
which read,
Love Always, Adam
. Dominique tried holding back the tears
but she knew it was useless, these days she cried at the drop of a hat.

The next box was larger and inside
was filled with seven pair of her favorite style of pajamas,
bedhead pajamas
.
The card enclosed read
, these are for after the baby's born, not before
.
Dominique blushed as she read the card.  The last box was small and
contained a Pandora bracelet with several kinds of bridal inspired wedding
charms.

 
“Your gifts are wonderful Dominique, so
thoughtful. I hope your taking notes.”

Molly nudged Neal. “She's right
Dominique, your gifts are wonderful!” chimed in Pam. Squeals of excitement
escaped their mouths as Dominique hugged her friends, Pam and Rob. After
Dominique introduced her friends to one another, she quietly excused herself so
that she could call Adam. It was almost two hours later when Dominique hung up
from talking with him. They had talked about everything and anything; it was as
if they'd been apart for days instead of hours.

While Dominique and her friends
went about preparing for the big day in Nantucket and Adam prepared in Boston,
Brandon prepared too, he threw a couple of necessities in a back pack and had
decided to head out a day early, he'd reach the island by nightfall which
worked in his favor. Not only would he avoid being seen, but he'd be able to
get a closer look at things just to make sure that everything was where he
remembered it being. It had been several years since he'd been on the island
and although he despised sand and water he was willing to make an exception.
One
has to overcome these kinds of obstacles if they want to rise to the top,
he told himself as he headed for Hyannis.

While she lay in bed, Dominique
found herself talking to Stephen and Teddy. She hoped that they were happy. She
told Stephen that she would love him forever but that she was going to love
Adam now too and the baby growing inside of her.  Dominique told Stephen
that she hoped that he would always watch over them and keep her love for him
deep in his heart, and then she drifted off into a deep sleep.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Brandon slowed his rental car down
to twenty miles per hour and shut off the headlights as he neared the cottage.
Stopping and parking the car far enough away so that he wouldn’t be noticed, he
set off on foot. He would spend the night in his mother's beloved garden shed,
he remembered how he and Adam used to spend hours in the big shed building blanket
forts and collecting all kinds of bugs, the one who caught the biggest was the
winner.

Brandon was always the winner. “And
I will be again,” he said out loud. He would use his time in the shed to
organize things and get himself ready. He'd left the two full cans of gasoline
in the trunk of the rental and when the time was right, he'd go get them. But
for now he took a couple hits and settled in for the night.

Dominique awoke to quiet chatter
outside her bedroom door.

“I'm awake!” She shouted as Pam and
Molly burst inside and playfully tumbled onto the bed.

“Come on, come on, it’s your
wedding day get out of bed, we made you a nice big breakfast!” they shouted
gleefully. While Dominique ate what the girls called, her bridal breakfast, she
watched as her bridesmaids began bringing in curling irons, hair straighteners,
and all kinds of makeup. She had wanted them to all get ready together. “Makes
me not feel so alone,” she told them last night before they all went to bed.
“Oh Dominique you are not alone, we're all the family that you'll ever need,
well besides Adam and his family of course,” Molly said with her signature
giggle.

 
“I cannot believe that I’m getting married
today girls, things turned out so different than I expected. But I’m glad that
they turned out this way,” she smiled as she finished eating and got out of
bed. As she gazed out the window overlooking the back yard, she smiled at how
beautiful everything looked. The cloudless day was bright and the sun bounced
off the all-white tent that had been set up the day before.

Gorgeous chandeliers hung from the
center of the tent and off- white organza draped romantically around every
corner and pole. “Muriel really outdid herself,” she told her friends. “And
hopefully this little one will be up for the challenges that I’m sure today
will bring,” she said rubbing her belly.

“I'm sure the baby will agree, it
is mommy's big day after all,” Pam said. “Now let’s get you into the shower, so
you can start getting ready.”

Adam barely slept last night and
even though he stayed at the penthouse with his dad, he missed Dominique and
couldn’t wait for her to become his wife.  While he showered and dressed
he couldn’t believe that within a matter of hours he would be married and
holding his lovely bride in his arms. Adam knew that he was marrying an amazing
woman and he was going to make sure that he told her so every single day for
the rest of their lives.

“Dominique you are simply
breathtaking!”  Muriel and the girls cried when Dominique stepped out from
behind the dressing screen.

“You think so? Do I look too big in
this gown? Do you think Adam will like it? Maybe I should change, what do you
guys think? Honestly? I don’t think I can do this, I'm not ready,” she said,
her voice quivering as her breathing became shallow.

Muriel was immediately by her side.

“Dominique honey look at me, I need
you to calm down, we're going to find your inhaler and after you take a few
puffs you'll start to feel better Okay? But I need you to slow down your
breathing first, that's it that a girl, see take a deep
breath
and let it out slowly Okay, that’s it. Now do you remember where you put it
honey?”

“I think it’s in my purse,” she
said voice shaking.

“I found it!” Molly shouted
nervously.

“Thank you so much,” cried
Dominique as she recovered from the asthma attack.

“No worries Dominique, I’m glad I
could help. Now let’s finish getting you ready, it's almost
time
.
You look amazing Dominique and you’re so ready to do this, you just had a bit
of wedding day jitters that’s all. It’s over and you’re fine now. And I have it
on good authority that Adam is here,” Pam said with a grin, as she added some
last minute touches to the bride's hair and makeup.

When the moment arrived, Dominique
felt better; she was ready when Rob came to escort her down the aisle.

“You look stunning Dominique, are
you sure you’re ready for this?” Rob asked as he kissed her on the cheek and
offered her his arm.

“Ready as I’ll ever be,” she
whispered for fear that the tears would flow freely.

As the music began she held onto
Rob tight as he led her down the aisle. All of her fears disappeared the moment
she saw Adam, dressed in a tailor made tan summer suit standing underneath the
beautifully decorated archway.

Chapter Twenty Eight

She took his breath away when he
saw her. It felt like he was seeing her for the first time and it was the most
surreal moment he had encountered so far.

By the time the ceremony was over,
Dominique was exhausted; she wished that she and Adam could start their
honeymoon upstairs with a nap.

But once the reception started and
she got some food in her belly, the second wind caught her. She had even
managed to spend most of the time on the dance floor with Adam and the rest of
their guests.

“I want you to take it easy Mrs.
Caruso,” Adam whispered in her ear as he held her on the dance floor. “Mom told
me that you had an asthma attack this morning, she's still worried about you
and so am I.”

“Nothing to worry about Adam I
assure you, just a case of the jitters that was all, we're fine, really.”

“Dominique, I want you to know that
you and the baby are my life now and I will love you both forever.”

“We will love you too, my
incredibly handsome husband,” she said as she held his face in her hands.

As the couple posed for more
pictures and danced into the evening, Brandon sat and watched. He thought it
incredible that no one had even recognized him. There was one point where he
was sure he'd been spotted by Adam himself but realized that he was only
looking in his general direction.
They really think I just up and
disappeared,
he thought to himself as he made his way back to the shed.
Well
in a few more hours, you'll both realize that you were wrong, dead wrong.

As the evening came to a close,
Dominique and Adam very graciously thanked their guests as they boarded the
rented shuttle buses that would be transporting them back to the inn where they
would be staying the night, courtesy of their hosts, Jonathan and Muriel Caruso.
Even though Adam had objected, his parents booked themselves into a suite at
the inn. They told the newlyweds that given Dominique's condition, they were
sure that she would rather spend their honeymoon night in the comfort of the
cottage, and they were right. Dominique did not have the energy, or the desire
to pack a bag and head off to a hotel for the night and Adam agreed.

After they said goodbye to Jonathan
and Muriel, Adam and Dominique breathed a sigh of relief. Although the day was
wonderful, it was exhausting, and as the newly married couple headed upstairs
to bed, Adam held her close.

“You are so beautiful Mrs. Caruso.”

“So are you Mr. Caruso,” she smiled
wearily as she wrapped her arms around him and kissed her new husband.  Knowing
that Dominique was tired, Adam lead his wife into the bedroom where he removed
her gown and gently tucked her into bed. Dominique welcomed the warmth of his
body next to her as they kissed each other goodnight and fell asleep in each
other’s arms.

Brandon waited impatiently for the
last guest to leave, and finally around 10 pm he noticed that Jonathan and
Muriel were the last ones heading out.
Well don’t they just look like the
happy couple.
Brandon fumed. There was his own mother, and the old man,
both had denounced him and thrown him away like a piece of garbage.

  
That old man never looked happier when that bitch told him to sever
all ties.
Brandon thought to himself,
and why wouldn’t he be? Now he
could give it all to his golden boy Adam. Enjoy it while you can pretty boy,
because in a few hours, it'll all be gone.

Adam smelled the smoke before he
heard the alarms going off. Even as he dialed 911, Dominique lay still, next to
him deep in sleep. As the smoke began to seep underneath the door, he gently
shook her awake.

“Dominique, baby get up there's a
fire, come on baby wake up,” he urged.

Dominique thought she was dreaming
but once the smell of smoke hit her already sensitive nostrils, she sat up in
bed. Panic set in as she tried to control her breathing as smoke filled the
room. She didn’t know where her inhaler was and she didn’t have the time to
waste trying to find it.

“Dominique we've got to get out of
here come on.” Adam took hold of her hand after they quickly threw on whatever
clothes they could find and headed towards the sliding glass doors that lead to
the private deck.

“FUCK!” Adam cursed when he found
the doors bolted shut from the outside.
Someone's trying to kill us,
he
thought to himself. Dominique's anxiety began to rise as she and Adam both
began searching for something to break through the windows. By the time Adam
had managed to cause a crack in the thick doors, Dominique was in the middle of
a full blown asthma attack. Everything in the room was turning either red or
black each time she open and shut her eyes, it was as if she was in a dream.
Adam knew that if she was in distress, the baby would be too. He could hear the
sirens in the distance but he knew that he had to get Dominique to safety.

Dominique was in total discord but
managed to shove a wet towel under the door to try and keep the smoke out.

“Adam, Adam, hurry baby please,”
she wheezed and coughed before closing her eyes and losing consciousness.

Adam was so involved with trying to
break through the glass that he hadn’t noticed Dominique had passed out. In a
panicked frenzy he kicked at the cracked glass until it finally gave way.
 
As a burst of fresh air bellowed into the
room, he turned and found Dominique lying on the bed.

Fear set in as he scooped her up
and made his way outside. The island fire department was pulling into the long
private driveway to shouts from Adam to help his wife.