Dominick
"Ali, why is Jason in our yard?" Helena asked slowly.
"He probably heard Dom's bike when he pulled in," Ali explained, and even I could hear the entirely-too-innocent tone in her voice. I waited just past the door, watching the scene play out in front of me.
"He's heard Dominick's motorcycle before," Helena said. "Lots of times now. And he's never run to stand in our driveway before."
"Maybe he's curious?" Ali asked helpfully.
"He's leaning against our car! Is there something you want to tell me?"
"Maybe he—"
"—Wearing a Bruins cap and shirt," Helena interrupted, her arms crossed as she stared down her daughter.
"Oh. Um," Ali said, looking down at her feet. "Maybe I mentioned going to the arena today."
"Ali!" Helena chided. "I thought you knew better than to tell people about Dominick!"
"I didn't tell him," Ali said. "Not exactly."
"Then what did you say, exactly?" Helena asked.
"He lives next door!" Ali exclaimed. "And like you said, Dominick has been over lots of times now. Jason asked me if Dominick was who he thought he was."
"And what did you say?"
"I said yes. You wouldn't have wanted me to lie to him, would you, mom?" Ali asked, looking up at her mother and fluttering her eyes.
Damn, this kid is good, I thought to myself as Helena deflated, taking a step back. She was a very smart woman, but it seemed like Ali was actually winning this argument.
"No," Helena said finally, her voice already tinged with defeat. "But we need to keep this quiet. If the wrong person finds out that Dominick is your father, they'll tell everyone about it."
"Is that bad?" Ali asked, and I silently agreed with her. Could it be that Helena was still embarrassed by me?
"'Everyone' includes the press," Helena explained patiently. "And that would make our lives very difficult. A celebrity discovers his long-lost secret baby? They would practically turn our lives into a reality TV show."
"So you do want me to lie about him?" Ali asked.
"No. But we need to be very, very careful. If somebody else asks you, just dodge the question. Don't say either yes or no."
"But isn't it still lying, if you let someone believe something that isn't true? That's what you always told me before," Ali said, her voice slow and confused.
Helena sputtered, looking completely lost and panicked.
My chest instantly constricted. I hadn't realized that my presence in their life was causing so many problems.
"I think what your mom is trying to say," I began, jumping in to save Helena from the awkward question. "Is that there is no easy answer. But if we can't trust the person who is asking, then we probably shouldn't tell them any secrets either."
"I trust Jason," Ali said defensively.
I just smiled, knowing better than to argue with Ali about her crush. I glanced out the window, confirming that the boy was still making himself incredibly conspicuous by trying to act inconspicuous. No doubt his plan was to act like he just ran into us as we left, or something like that.
Teenagers were terrible at keeping secrets.
Really, really, terrible.
Especially ones worth bragging about, I added with a soft sigh. At some point, I was going to need to pull Jason aside and talk to him about this in private, maybe even offer some kind of bribe to keep him quiet. Season tickets shouldn't be too difficult for me to swing, and hopefully would be enough incentive for him to not broadcast my regular visits to Helena and Ali.
"Well, it looks like the damage is already done," I said with a soft shrug. "Might as well make the best of it."
"You mean take him on the tour?" Helena asked quietly, looking white as a ghost.
"Of-course-we-will-take-him!" Ali said in a frantic rush, cheeks pink to make up for her mother's paleness. "Won't-we-Dom?"
"We can," I agreed, realizing that this had probably been a setup all along. Ali had been the one who suggested doing something today, after all. I didn't know whether I should've been scared or impressed by the manipulation. Despite her young age, it seemed like Ali was already quite good at this.
"Have you ever considered going into politics when you grow up?" I asked, only to be met with confused looks. "Never mind," I added with a shrug. "How about you go invite Jason to come along?"
I barely had time to finish my sentence before Ali was out the door, leaving Helena and I alone. She gave me a look I wasn't used to seeing from her; she seemed lost and bewildered.
"Hey, it's okay," I said, reassuringly putting my hand on her shoulder. Below my palm I could feel tense muscle, hard and unyielding. "I think I can take care of this."
Helena nodded silently.
"But, would it really be that bad if people found out? Because I don't think we can put it off forever. Not when Ali and I have the same heterochromia. Eventually, someone is going to see us together, and notice our eyes."
"I know," Helena said softly, running her hand up her forehead and through her hair. "But not for a while, I hope. A long while. Long enough that—" she continued, stopping mid-sentence.
"That what?" I asked, again wondering if I was disrupting their lives even more than I'd realized.
"Nothing," Helena said faintly. "Let's just focus on one problem at a time."
I nodded, bending down to give Helena a reassuring kiss on the cheek. Her skin was soft and warm, and the smell of her shampoo tickled my nose with floral scents. For her part, Helena didn't waste any time before lifting her feet up and wrapping her arms around me, returning my shy peck with a full-on, intimate kiss.
It was the best thing I'd felt since the last time I'd touched her lips. The worry disappeared from my mind, my concerns about intruding quickly fading into distant memory. I could feel Helena relaxing beneath me, too, and when our eyes met I felt an electric surge run down my body.
"You look amazing," I whispered.
"You feel amazing," she returned in kind.
"About last night," I began, nibbling her ear even as I fought to control myself. This was neither the time nor the place, after all.
"Yes?"
"You're sure you don't regret it? I know you were worried it might make things awkward,"
Helena shook her head without hesitation. "It was the second best thing anyone's ever given me," she said.
"Second?" I asked. "Who's the lucky jerk who gets number one?"
"That was you, too," Helena said softly. "Twelve years ago."
I laughed, feeling so relieved it was almost embarrassing.
And then I laughed again, just because it felt so good.
It's funny how life works out. I hadn't even wanted to provide the donation, so many years ago. I'd only agreed to it for Alton's sake, a desperate attempt to save him from the dark time he was going through. After it was done and Alton slowly began to feel better, I didn't put much more thought into it.
And now, over a decade later, I suddenly had a family.
I'd never wanted a family.
And now I never wanted to be without them again.