Chapter 9 - The Birthday Dominic Almost Canceled
Eleven months after Lily shattered Ethan’s cake, Dominic tried to cancel Ethan’s ninth birthday party.
Ethan disagreed.
“No.”
Dominic stared across the breakfast table.
“What?”
“I said no.”
“You're nine.”
“Tomorrow.”
“You are currently eight and therefore still subject to executive authority.”
Ethan looked at me.
“Claire, tell Dad he’s being weird.”
“I am not entering this.”
Lily climbed onto the chair beside Dominic.
“Birthday needs cake.”
Dominic visibly flinched.
I almost laughed.
The most feared man I had ever met was now afraid of frosting.
The previous year changed everyone.
Victor and Bellini had both been sentenced.
Paolo, after cooperating fully, received probation on lesser financial charges and moved to Arizona near his daughter.
Daniel remained part of Ethan’s life, though Dominic made him endure months of suspicion before completely trusting him again.
My estate-management company had sixteen employees and four clients.
Dominic had insisted he would not interfere.
He interfered constantly.
“Your invoice is too low.”
“My rates are competitive.”
“You need to charge more.”
“Stay in your lane.”
“I own several lanes.”
“Not mine.”
He secretly loved losing arguments to me.
At least I thought he did.
Dominic’s legitimate companies were healthier than anyone expected.
Once the shadow businesses disappeared, so did many of the people bleeding them dry.
He still had enemies.
Money always created those.
But he no longer lived expecting violence at every doorway.
Most importantly, Ethan changed.
He smiled more.
He invited school friends over without security screening their parents like foreign diplomats.
Dominic was learning that protecting a child did not mean trapping him inside a fortress.
And Lily?
Lily continued believing she owned the Moretti family.
Nobody had corrected her.
That evening, Dominic found me in the ballroom where everything started.
Preparations for Ethan’s party filled the space.
Smaller guest list.
Children from school.
Family.
No politicians.
No business partners.
“Claire.”
“Yes?”
“I was thinking.”
“That sounds dangerous.”
“I deserve that.”
He leaned against the table.
“What if we do cupcakes?”
I laughed.
“No.”
“Individual portions. Less opportunity for contamination.”
“Dominic.”
“Or sealed desserts.”
“Stop.”
He looked embarrassed.
“I almost watched him die.”
I softened.
“I know.”
“I can still see the fork.”
“So can I.”
“And I keep thinking if Lily had been looking somewhere else…”
“But she wasn’t.”
“That doesn't make the fear disappear.”
“No.”
I walked closer.
“But fear doesn't get to plan every birthday Ethan has for the rest of his life.”
He looked toward the decorated room.
“I hate when you're right.”
“You say that often.”
“You are right excessively.”
I touched his face.
“Have the cake.”
He sighed.
“Fine.”
Then he kissed my palm.
Nearly a year together and small gestures still surprised me.
“There's something else,” he said.
“What?”
He became suspiciously serious.
Before he could continue, Lily ran into the ballroom.
“Mommy!”
“What happened?”
“Ethan says dinosaurs are better than unicorns.”
“That sounds like an Ethan problem.”
“He is wrong.”
Dominic whispered, “Saved by a unicorn dispute.”
I narrowed my eyes.
“Saved from what?”
“Nothing.”
The next afternoon, the birthday party began.
The cake was enormous.
Chocolate.
Blue frosting.
Dinosaurs.
Dominic watched it like a bomb technician.
Dr. Harris rolled his eyes.
“I personally verified every ingredient.”
“Again?”
“Three times.”
“Only three?”
“Dominic.”
“All right.”
Ethan stood behind the cake.
Lily stood beside him.
Someone handed him a fork.
The entire Moretti family unconsciously held its breath.
Ethan looked at Lily.
“Are you going to slap this one?”
She examined it.
“No.”
“Sure?”
“Yes.”
“Promise?”
She nodded.
“Safe cake.”
Ethan took the first bite.
Nothing happened.
Everyone exhaled.
Then Lily grabbed frosting with her finger and smeared it across Ethan’s nose.
He gasped.
“LILY!”
She ran.
He chased her around the ballroom.
Guests laughed.
Dominic laughed.
I stood beside him.
“You okay?”
He watched his son running.
“Yes.”
And I believed him.
Later, after guests left, Dominic asked me to walk outside.
The garden lights glowed beneath autumn trees.
“You never finished what you wanted to ask yesterday.”
“I know.”
“So?”
He stopped beside the fountain.
Then reached into his coat.
My heart jumped.
“Dominic.”
“I had a speech.”
“Oh no.”
“It was excellent.”
“I'm sure.”
“I forgot most of it.”
That made me smile.
He opened a ring box.
Simple diamond.
Elegant.
Not the sort of giant stone I expected from him.
“Claire Sullivan.”
I covered my mouth.
“You came into my house as an employee.”
He looked toward the ballroom windows where Lily and Ethan were laughing.
“Then your daughter saved my son. You saved me from becoming exactly what my father wanted.”
“You did that yourself.”
“You made me believe I could.”
My eyes burned.
“I love you.”
It was not the first time he had said it.
But this time felt different.
“I love Lily. Ethan loves both of you. And I don't want to build another empire.”
He took my hand.
“I want to build a family.”
Then he lowered himself onto one knee.
Just as he had for Lily the night the cake shattered.
“Will you marry me?”
Before I answered, two small faces appeared at the ballroom window.
Lily pressed her nose against the glass.
Ethan gave Dominic an enthusiastic thumbs-up.
I laughed through tears.
“Yes.”
Dominic stood.
I kissed him.
Behind the glass, Lily began jumping.
Ethan opened the window.
“DID SHE SAY YES?”
“Yes!” Dominic shouted.
Lily screamed.
“We need another cake!”
Dominic immediately shouted back.
May you like
“ABSOLUTELY NOT!”
And for once, the thing everyone feared inside the Moretti house was only another birthday cake.
