Adaline (The Wallflower Series Book 3) (6 page)

“Yes, I’m fine. I sort of expect something like that to happen when I’m with you.”

His brow furrowed at her comment and he looked slightly offended. “What do you mean by that?”

Adaline shrugged her shoulders and chose her words carefully so as not to upset him further. She didn’t mean for it to be insulting. “I just mean that you grab a lot of women’s attention. Probably even more so when they hear you sing. It just comes with the territory.”

Immediately, Dominic shook his head furiously. “That sort of behavior was still not okay. Had she approached me differently, maybe I would have taken her up on the offer. I am single now after all and she wasn’t too bad on the eyes,” he laughed to himself.

Though Adaline laughed along with him, she was disappointed by his response. If he was attracted to a woman like that, there was roughly no chance he was attracted to her. They were on two totally different spectrums in how they carried themselves.

Dominic had inadvertently leaned closer to her as he chuckled at his own joke, but when their laughter had finally settled, he realized how close they actually were. For a moment, a silence settled between them. Dominic was drawn into her wide-set eyes. Before, he had always dismissed them as merely a dark brown. But looking down into her face and only being a few inches apart, he finally noticed their complexity. There was a striking mixture of all shades there. It was beautiful. And it made him take a look at her more appreciatively. Though Adaline was more covered up, he could tell that her figure was much more exaggerated than the woman in the bar. Though her breasts were smaller than the giant orbs he had nearly fallen into a few moments earlier (which he suspected may have been implants), Adaline more than made up for it with her hips and bottom. In fact, he had gotten glimpses at the wedding and as she had exited the taxi from earlier, forcing him to make a purposeful effort at looking away.

As those thoughts crossed his mind, he startlingly let her go and took a giant step back. With a nervous chuckle, he rubbed the back of his neck self-consciously. “Yeah, well…I think we should probably call it a night.”

Adaline felt the brightness on her face dim at his words. She didn’t want the night to end. But instead of voicing her complaint, she forced a small smile on her face and nodded. “You’re probably right. I know you’ve had a pretty rough day. I hope this made it even mildly better.”

“It did, Addy. Thank you,” he said sincerely.

In a slight rush after the awkwardness that had developed between them, he hailed her a cab and saw her off. As he watched the taillights become dimmer further and further down the street, Dominic released a pent up sigh.

~~~~

Dina entered her apartment and settled her purse on the arm of the couch. She noticed the light still on in the backroom. With anxious steps, she made her way down the hallway. Just as she began to open the door, the knob was ripped out of her grasp from the other side and she came face to face with the older woman. With a guilty smile, she stepped back so the woman could enter the hallway.

“I’m sorry I’m so late.”

The older woman shook her head, chastising her. “It’s fine. Starting a business is time-consuming.” Her voice turned serious. “But you have to warn me earlier next time if you need me to stay longer.”

“Of course! This won’t happen again, Flora. I promise.”

Flora nodded her head, hearing the sincerity in the younger woman’s voice. “Good. I shall see you tomorrow morning. Make sure you get some rest now. You need to be healthy. This job is hard enough as it is without you walking around like the dead.”

Dina saw the woman out with a goodnight. After locking up, she took off her shoes and walked back down the hallway. Quietly, she opened the door and looked in. A blue nightlight lit the room so that it wasn’t completely shrouded in darkness. Looking down at the ground to make sure she didn’t accidently step on any leftover toys, Dina tiptoed to the side of the miniature bed. She looked down with a proud smile at the set of bright eyes that looked up at her. Despite Flora’s best efforts, the young one refused to go to sleep unless she was in the presence of her mother. And given her increasing absence, it warmed Dina’s heart. She didn’t want her daughter to feel abandoned.

Gently, she reached out and caressed the soft dusking of curly hair. It was as tame-less as hers despite the looser curls. But her daughter did not only mirror her in looks. Every time Dina looked into her daughter’s eyes, she saw her father. There was no denying how much of a mixture she was between the two of them. Dina leaned over the side of the bed and took the little one into her arms. There was a mumbled protest that quickly quieted as she settled herself comfortably into her mother’s familiar hold.

“You shouldn’t be up this late, Sofia. But Mommy is here now, okay?”

Dina took a seat into the rocking chair near the window. Rubbing her child’s lower back soothingly, she began to hum a lullaby from her own childhood. She waited until Sofia’s breath became even in deep sleep before setting her back down into her own bed.

“Goodnight, baby,” she said, but as the words escaped her, she felt the same stirring of guilt overcome her. She had never imagined herself as a single parent but, then again, no one ever did.

She would get it right, Dina promised herself. She had to, for her child’s sake.

When Adaline returned home from her evening with Dominic, she was greeted by a loud commotion as she opened the front door with her new key. She was still slightly recovering from her disappointment at the abrupt end to the evening, but the squeals of laughter that soon resounded through the loft caught her attention and curiosity. She made her way to the living room and spotted Sasha speaking animatedly to her new roommate Teagan. After their initial meeting at the wedding, Sasha had been quite aggressive in keeping contact with Adaline; while she had first been taken aback, Adaline soon warmed up to the idea of a new friendship. In Dover, for the majority of her life she had felt alone. Friends were few and far between, not wanting to be seen with the weird deaf kid. Dominic had been the first to truly break that barrier.  But now…

“Oh, Adaline! You made it!” Sasha scurried over and gave her a warm hug. “When did you move in?”

“Just today actually. Teagan was a great help!”

“She better be.” Sasha gave a playfully stern look in Teagan’s direction. Her friend merely shrugged, feigning innocence. “It’s a good thing you came today though. Tonight’s our girls’ night in. And…” she reached into her purse, “I brought candy and movies! Teagan get the wine.”

Adaline and Teagan stared pointedly at Sasha’s still growing tummy.

“Oh, geez! I’m not going to be drinking!” She grumbled before waddling into the living room and settling comfortably on the couch.

Adaline grinned at the humor of her tilted walking. She settled her things in her room and freshened up in the bathroom before joining them once more. She was excited to be around Sasha again having grown quite fond of her. She did follow her advice after all and used Sasha’s contacts to get a place to stay in Boston.

After several glasses of wine and enough romantic comedies to almost make her sick with love, Adaline relaxed into the cushions of the couch with Teagan and Sasha lying next to her. Sasha had her feet propped on Teagan’s lap, her hands running continually over her rotund belly. Sasha sighed in contentment as if she had just had the most satisfying meal. “Oh, I miss the romance sometimes.” At their curious glances, she rolled her eyes, “What love life? Don’t you see this big round protrusion from my body? Romance is so out of the question when gas escapes you like a faucet.” She groaned. “It’s so embarrassing.”

Teagan couldn’t help her snort of laughter at the confession. “I’m sure Dmitri doesn’t mind. He practically kisses the ground you walk on.”

She shrugged. “Yeah, but…it’s not the same. I’m pretty limited by what we can do even when we are in the mood.”

To Adaline’s surprise, Teagan’s laughter got even louder. Assuming there was something she simply didn’t know she said nothing and waited for an explanation.

“Yeah, with the way you two go at it, I’m not surprised.”

Sasha playfully looked appalled. “What is that supposed to mean?”

Teagan gave her a condescending smile. “It means, my dear, that when I stayed with you those few days while I was apartment searching, I was beyond proud of just how freaky you are, Sasha. The walls could talk. And boy did they have juicy stories for me.”

“Teagan!” Sasha buried her head in her hands in an effort to hide the blush spreading across her cheeks. “Now, Adaline is going to think I’m some sort…”

“It’s perfectly natural, Sasha. Everyone has a little kink in them, don’t they Adaline?”

At Teagan’s question, it was her turn to be embarrassed. She stumbled over her words, trying desperately to recover before they figured it out. But no intelligible words fell from her lips.

“Oh, I’m sorry!” Teagan apologized, realizing why exactly Adaline wasn’t able to answer. “I had no idea. And here we are talking about…I hope we didn’t make you uncomfortable.”

Adaline felt like she wanted the ground to open up and swallow her at the look of sympathy she received from her new roommate, while Sasha seemed oblivious. No, it had never happened and now she was nearing thirty. It was something she preferred not to think about. While she certainly had romantic prospects before, any potential for closeness was usually halted by her disability and family life. Many didn’t understand how traumatizing the assault was on her psyche and her ability to live on her own. Finally moving out was one thing but venturing into the realm of sex was just not a priority for her at the moment.

“It’s fine, Teagan. Yes, I’m still a virgin.” She paused before adding, “I dated while in college but it was usually didn’t go much further than that. When I returned to Dover, there was just not much of a market for dating.” Adaline didn’t let them know that many of her previous failed dating attempts had been a result of her disability.

At her confession, Sasha finally nodded in understanding. “
Oh
. You know, Dmitri was my first. I don’t think you need to feel like you should rush into anything. I waited and…it turned out for the best.”

Adaline returned the warm smiles they sent her way.

Their girls’ night continued, decorated by continued peals of laughter and jokes as they got to know one another better. Nearing midnight, their conversation was suddenly interrupted by the doorbell. Not knowing who would be arriving this late at night, Adaline looked at the door suspiciously. Teagan and Sasha seemed unfazed however. The short pregnant woman groaned as she lifted herself off the couch with Teagan’s help before they made their way to the front door. Adaline followed to find Dmitri standing on the other side.

He gave her and Teagan a small greeting before his eyes landed on his wife. As Adaline watched them, she noticed how much his eyes just seemed to devour her. There was no denying the strong connection between them. It was a mix of fiery passion and enduring love.

“Ready, baby?” he asked of her.

Despite the fun they had, Adaline could tell from the bright smile that spread across Sasha’s face, she was more than happy to leave with her husband. She grabbed her coat and he helped her place it on her shoulders while Teagan and Adaline waited to the side, watching the pair.

“Don’t hog her so much next time. I rarely get to see my best friend nowadays,” Teagan playfully pouted as they made their way back to the entrance of the apartment.

Dmitri merely smirked. “What can I say? I can’t get enough of her.” He pulled Sasha close to his side and nuzzled her in the neck while she let out bursts of laughter.

Brushing him off, Sasha waved goodbye before Teagan closed the door behind them to the continued sound of Dmitri impishly kissing her.

Teagan let out a groan. “Geez, they’re so sweet together it’s sickening.”

Adaline only nodded silently. But Teagan had already made her way into the living room to clean up the candy, wine, and movie cases. Deep in thought, it took a moment before Adaline followed her to do the same.

~~~~

Dominic felt like an idiot. He was standing outside the gallery once again. It was pathetic honestly. Why did he keep crawling back to this woman? Taking in a deep breath, he opened the door and looked around. In the weeks since his last visit, he could tell Dina had accomplished a lot. She already had several pieces up for viewing in preparation for the first major showing.

He was eyeing a particular piece when he heard a slight patter of feet. He looked around but didn’t see anyone. But then he felt a bump on his leg as something slammed into him. In shock, Dominic looked to find a little girl with wild curly hair in pigtails hiding behind his legs. There was a piece of candy she held tightly in her small closed fists. And she seemed blissfully unaware of his presence. Instead, looking out in anticipation for what Dominic assumed was her mother.

The person that rounded the corner however was Dina. There was a look of frustration on her face as she looked around the open gallery, calling out the name ‘Sofia’ with slight trepidation and thinly laced anger.

“I’m assuming you mean this little person behind me,” Dominic provided.

Dina’s eyes widened at the sound of his voice. She looked toward him and her eyes strayed down his body until they made contact with the little girl peeking from behind his knee.

“Sofia! What did I tell you?”

“I hiding! Look!” She disappeared once more behind Dominic’s legs.

Dina raced over and scooted her up until she was settled comfortably on her hip. She ripped the wrapped lollipop from the little girl’s hands and shushed her immediate whining.

“I told you no more candy until after dinner.”

The little girl’s mouth quivered but there was no further protest that rung from her lips. At her silence, Dina turned to the man that had entered the gallery.

“What are you doing here Dominic?” She braced herself for whatever he might say. She hadn’t told anyone about Sofia, not even Sasha and Teagan. And then the next to last person she would ever want to find out enters and comes face to face with her biggest secret. Fate was definitely cruel. She just hoped he didn’t put two and two together.

“I came to see you…to apologize for my outburst the other day.” He pointed at the little girl now looking at him, eyes wide with curiosity. “Babysitting for someone?”

Dina gulped. It was harder to lie than she had previously thought. “Um…I can’t talk right now. Busy.”

Her evasion of his question raised his curiosity. “Dina…whose child is this?”

Sofia turned to her mother. Their eyes connected and Dina knew she could never deny their relationship, even if it was for her daughter’s protection. “She’s mine, okay? Sofia is my daughter.”

The color quite literally drained from his face at the news. “W-what?” He finally managed to get out after several moments of tense silence. “Since when did-” He paused, trying to determine the age of the little girl just by looking at her. She couldn’t be more than two years old. “Wait! Is she mine?” His mind coursed with every single time they had ever been intimate. But he came up short. He
always
used protection.

Dina sighed at his question. “No, she isn’t yours.”

Dominic was growing to hate the gallery. It seemed every time he came back, he was met with dramatic news that tore him into pieces. If he didn’t know before, now he knew for certain. The evidence was quite clearly staring him in the face. She had cheated on him.

But he couldn’t say he was surprised by the information. She
had
said she had fallen in love with someone else. He had just held out hope that it had only been an emotional betrayal of their relationship. Not that that was any better but…it was something. Dominic sighed deeply.

He brought his hands up and ran it down his face with emotional exhaustion. Without an ounce of humor, he laughed, “You know…I just can’t be in this place anymore. Every single godda-” he stopped, noting the underage presence in the room. “
Every
time I come here, there’s something else I have to find out from you that is just…it’s cruel, Dina! What did I do to you to deserve this? Huh?” Before she could respond, he continued. “Oh, and let me guess…you’re not going to tell me who fathered your child. No, that would just be too kind, right?”

Dina set her daughter down and told her to return to the office in the back of the gallery. Reluctantly, the little girl followed her mother’s directive, looking back once in a while at the strange man who was so angry.

“I came here to apologize…thinking that maybe we could still at least be fucking friends but…no, you have to throw this bomb down on me too!”

Dina glared at him. “Would you stop and listen to yourself? You think I planned this? I didn’t intend to get pregnant.”

“No, but you sure did plan on spreading your legs for someone else while in a relationship with me! You aren’t a victim here so don’t pretend to be.” He turned to the door to leave but came to an abrupt halt at the feel of her hands grasping his forearm.

“Dominic, wait! Please!”

He looked back and saw her face scrunched in desperation. Despite his better judgment, he turned around to hear her out.

“I left for a reason, Dominic. You were right…it wasn’t merely because of the job offer I got in Italy. It was so much more but…I can’t tell you.” At his scoff, she hurriedly continued, “Its not because I don’t want to. Do you not realize how lonely I was after leaving? I was pregnant and alone without any friends or family. I didn’t move willingly. But I had to.”

His interest and concern piqued at her confession. “What do you mean? Are you in some sort of danger, Dina? If you are, I can help you.”

Dina shook her head at his concern. “No, I was never in any danger. I promise. There were just…I can’t explain just yet but know that I
had
to leave. Moving out of the country wasn’t my first option at all. I was merely going to leave Boston but then the opportunity in Italy popped up and I grabbed it.”

“Then why did you come back?” He found himself asking.

She paused at his question. “I was tired of running,” she told him honestly. “My daughter deserved better and…
I
was better than that. I couldn’t run from my problems. It just took a while for me to realize that. But, I haven’t told
him
yet.”

Dominic frowned at this. “Dina, you can’t keep this a secret forever. You are denying a man the right to know his child. Do you know how fucked up that is?”