Helena
If Mrs. Lauer referring to today as a hot date hadn't been enough to make me reconsider it, my dreams that night certainly would have.
And if my dreams weren't enough, the way I kept catching myself throughout the day would've been. I'd been in an unusually good mood the entire time, save for those dark moments when reality sank in and I realized why I was in a good mood. Because I was excited to see Dominick, because I enjoyed being around him.
If this was a date, I needed to cancel it.
Except that it wasn't a date, not really. As much as Mrs. Lauer—and my own body, apparently—seemed to believe otherwise, the truth was that the trip to the spray pool was just a family outing. Just me and my daughter, with her father tagging along as well. There was no way I could cancel that, not without disappointing Ali and raising uncomfortable questions with Dominick.
So really, I had to do this. Besides, I was a grown adult capable of controlling my own feelings. Whatever happened at the fountain, I could handle myself.
At least that's what I'd kept telling myself. All day, all night, and all morning. It worked remarkably well, right up until the point where I saw Dominick and everything fell apart.
Or maybe fell apart was the wrong term. Shook apart from the spasms might've been more accurate, or maybe just clenched.
Whatever words I used, the fact remained that one sight of Dominick had sent me into a spiral of complex feelings that made me incredibly glad we'd chosen a public place while also thoroughly disappointed that we were in public.
He was dressed in a pair of swim trunks and little else. He'd already cast off his shirt, leaving his deliciously tanned and golden skin exposed, highlighting the rich purple of his shorts. The colors were tied together by the green and blue of his eyes, drawing even more attention to his chiseled face than usual.
"Dom!" Ali yelled, rushing over to give him a giant hug.
I wanted to do exactly the same thing.
Dominick grabbed Ali and lifted her up, spinning her in his arms while returning her gesture with enthusiasm. "Ali!" he beamed at her, smiling from ear to ear. The warm, friendly gesture was enough to diffuse some of the tension that had been building inside of me for a moment.
"Can I get some ice cream?" Ali asked after Dominick put her down. Both of us nodded to her, and with an excited yay she turned towards a nearby vendor.
"Wait a second," Dom, and Ali froze. "Get some for me, too, would you? And your mom, if she wants any."
Ali wrinkled her nose, shoving a hand into her pocket and fishing out the five dollars I'd given her for the day.
"I'll pay, silly," he said, taking out some money of his own. After getting a little nod from me, he handed Ali a twenty and she bounced away happily.
"That was nice of you," I said. "Thanks for treating us."
"Well, it's pretty hot here," Dominick said, his piercing eyes locking onto me and giving a look that made me shiver beneath the blazing sun. "You look great, by the way," he said, his tone suddenly quite different as he looked over my new swimsuit.
"Thanks," I managed to say without too much sputtering.
I'd driven myself crazy in the department store yesterday, agonizing over half a dozen different cuts and styles before finally deciding. I'd always worn single piece swimsuits before, the kind that covered everything and then some. By comparison, the two-piece bikini I'd chosen made me feel virtually naked.
In the dressing room, I'd convinced myself that the thick halter-style top and skirted bottom were relatively modest, and that was true. From where I stood near the fountain, I could see numerous women wearing much worse.
But Dominick wasn't looking at any of them.
He was staring at me.
If I was being honest with myself, it was exactly the reaction I'd been hoping for when I bought the suit. As his gaze scanned down my body greedily, it also felt like the perfect example of be careful what you wish for. Dominick paused over my exposed stomach, eyes flitting back up to mine.
Does he see it? I wondered, suddenly quite worried. Back at the store, my pregnancy had been the perfect justification for buying the suit. If it didn't cover my belly, I wouldn't risk outgrowing it before the end of summer. Now, however, it seemed incredibly stupid to put the tiny bump on display like this.
I still wasn't quite ready to tell him, and had no idea how I would even if I could. Thanks for mowing the lawn, here's some lemonade, by the way I'm pregnant with your second child, isn't that funny, hahaha? Every scenario I imagined felt like a worse idea than the last.
Of course, letting him figure it out on his own because I wanted to dress up for him? Not really a better idea.
I was just about to blurt out a tearful I'm sorry and then go hide under a rock for a few years, when Dominick spoke first.
"Helena?" he whispered, leaning in close to my ear to whisper.
"Y—yes?" I answered back, bracing myself for a disaster.
"I was wrong. You don't look great. You look absolutely fucking gorgeous," he said softly, careful not to let anyone else hear. "Promise you'll wear that after we fill up the pool at home."
I giggled, lightheaded and giddy with relief.
But not half as lightheaded and giddy as I felt when his words finally sank in.
At home.
I braced myself, unsure where this was going, or even where I wanted it to go. And then I whispered back the first thing that came to mind.
"Only if you wear those shorts."