Helena
My watch's alarm went off, letting me know that the interview would be over soon. The gnawing fear that had been threatening to consume me intensified, a feeling of butterflies in my stomach like nothing else I'd experienced.
Soon, I would have my answer.
Soon, it was all going to come down to this.
I'd tried my best to distract myself, admiring the scenery and watching the leaves as they fell in gorgeous autumn colors. It'd worked for a while, but the alarm had brought me back to reality.
Alton had assured me that we were doing the right thing. That Dominick felt guilty, that he needed something to snap him out of the funk and bring him back to life. I desperately hoped he was right, because the alternative was too terrible to consider.
Particularly now that I'd stomped on all of Dominick's boundaries, going behind his back to talk to the media…yikes. That kind of stunt was far beyond anything I'd normally consider, but what choice did I have?
But it didn't really matter, I knew, as I watched the seconds tick down on my watch. The entire experience had been harrowing, but deep down I'd been proud the whole time. Proud as I explained that Dominick was my man, the father of my children, and prouder still when I pushed back against the interviewer's judgmental comments. I usually avoided conflict, but defending Dominick's name had come naturally. The fire of our love was still burning deep inside of me, reminding me of everything Dominick and I had been building. Our life together, the happiness we'd had. I wanted that back, and I knew that deep down Dominick did too.
And so I'd fought.
And I would keep fighting, if need be.
The door sprung open unexpectedly, still minutes before the end of the interview. Suddenly, I got my first real view of Dominick since the accident, and immediately the breath was missing from my lungs. I'd spent hours by his side while he was sleeping in the hospital, but this was the first time he could actually look back at me.
It felt marvelous.
And very, very intimidating.
I stood motionless at the threshold of the house, unable to take another step.
"Helena," he whispered, his voice so hoarse that I barely recognized it. It sounded so raw that it took me by surprise, wiping my mind blank of all the grand speeches I'd mentally rehearsed as I stood outside waiting for the interview to end.
"Hi," was all I could manage.
Dominick's smile was like warmth being massaged back into my limbs on a cold day. "It's so good to see you awake," I continued, noting the way that he seemed just a bit thinner and more gaunt. My heart ached at the sight, and I hoped that I'd get the opportunity to nurse him back to health.
"Not half as good as it is to see you again. I could bet the Stanley Cup on that," Dominick answered, his eyes trailing between my face and my belly. I blushed, placing a hand over my stomach and waited.
"Come on in, Helena," Alton's voice called even as the man himself discretely bowed out of the room.
I took a step forward, closer to Dominick, my heart pounding like crazy.
"Dominick, I—" I began, but I had no idea what to say. Tears threatened to spill from my eyes as I fought the urge to do what I really wanted, to foolishly rush straight into Dominick's arms without saying another word. "I've—I've been so afraid. When I heard how bad the accident was, I was so scared you'd leave us, and—"
I didn't need to rush over to Dominick, because he came to me. He wrapped his arms around me, and I found strength there. Suddenly, all the words that had been trapped inside of me came rushing out at once, everything I really wanted to say.
"I always thought I was happy, but I wasn't. Not really. I was just surviving, and that's all I ever did for my entire life. But then I met you, and you rang my doorbell that day and changed everything. I finally understood what happiness was, and you gave that to me. You're the light of my life, Dominick. Alton says you think I want you gone, I don't—I want you back. More than anything else in this world, I want you back. I love you like I never thought I could love a man," I babbled into his chest, tears streaming down my face and onto Dominick's shirt.
I looked up at his handsome face, and saw the relief in his eyes. But it was tinged with uncertainty, a mix of wanting and needing and doubt. I stroked his cheeks with my fingers, hoping to reassure him as he'd silently reassured me, and ventured to place a chaste kiss on his lips.
"Hey," he whispered as our lips parted and he gently took my chin in his hand. "Thank you. But I don't deserve you, not really."
"What are you even talking about?" I asked. "Of course you do. You make me happy, and Ali too. That's not even a question."
"Maybe I make you happy, but you said it yourself. You were surviving without me. You deserve both, to be happy and to survive. You've known me a few months and I've already destroyed your old life. And because of me, Ali almost—she almost—she—"
"Ali is fine, Dominick, and that is thanks to you. I don't know what kind of bar you've set for yourself, but you threw yourself in front of a car to save her life. No one could ask for a better father. She's fine, and she misses you."
Dominick's beautiful mismatched eyes were wide and shimmering as my words sunk in, and I knew he was very close to accepting the truth. When his next argument came, I was ready.
"But—" he began, but that's as far as he got.
"Oh, shut up," I interrupted, letting my mouth crash into his as I silenced both of us. My arms wrapped around his back and I felt him shudder as he finally let the last of his self-doubt go. Our mutual fears evaporated as Dominick kissed me back, and I knew deep down that everything was going to be all right.
Our relationship had survived and we were happy.
Again.
Now.
And forever.