Page 29 of Love You Too

I offer him a half-hearted smile because I haven’t got much else. No plan, no big reveal that will make sense of why we’re here. His easygoing nature is so polar opposite of mine, but he reminds me of how I was once. Sometimes, I regret that I can’t find my way back there.

Dash walks over to the abandoned tire swings, which do look like they’re left over from another era. They hang from rusty chain links on a fat wooden beam. I kind of like the old-school feel. Dash gives the swing a tug to make sure the bolts overheadwill hold and drops onto the round tire. I do the same on the tire next to him.

We glide back and forth like a couple of kids. Dash indulges the activity for a minute before dragging his feet to stop his motion and twisting the swing so he can look at me. “What’s up, Trix?”

“Can I ask you something?” I kick at the sand beneath my feet and marvel at this place, completely empty in the middle of the day. Completely unknown to me, who never takes breaks to find the unexpected. In his dark jeans, work boots, and a plaid shirt, Dash looks more at home here than I probably do, still wearing the cashmere sweater I had on for a meeting with the contractor earlier.

Dash nods. “‘Course. Anything.”

“When was the last time you were on a tire swing?”

He laughs. “You brought me here to ask that?”

“No, but I’m warming up to the real stuff. Let’s talk about this first.” I feel at ease with Dash, even though he doesn’t have kids, and we’ve never talked about our plans for being parents. But I know he’ll follow me through the conversational tunnel and won’t judge when I get to my destination.

“Is this about Dad?” The vein in his temple starts thumping, and I realize I’m freaking him out.

“No. It’s about me.”

His brow creases. “Talk more about that. What’s wrong?”

“I’ll get to it, I promise. Small talk first, please.”

“Okay, fine. The last time I was on a tire swing had to be when I was a kid. I think the preschool had one. Why?”

I shrug, feeling contemplative. My hair, pulled into its usual tidy bun feels too tight, so I loosen the rubber band. It takes me back to the day Ren did the same. All roads seem to lead to that day. And now, maybe, all roads forward will spring from that day. I’d find some calm in the symmetry of that if I wasn’t still freakedout. “I was just thinking it’s been ages for me too, and it’s too bad because this feels nice, sitting here, doing nothing.”

“It does. I don’t do a lot of nothing these days. Always so many recipes I want to try, stacks of paperwork, places to go. Not a lot of time for sitting idly on a swing.”

Putting my head in my hands, I picture my life changing. Many more days like this, only it will be me pushing a baby on the swing. “Dash, I’m pregnant.” My heart lurches into my throat as I await his reaction.

He starts to laugh, pushing his tire swing into motion again. “Yeah. Good one.”

Okay, I wasn’t expecting that.

“No, Dash. I’m serious.”

“Sure. Okay, yeah.” He keeps swinging, still chuckling to himself.

“Dash.” I get up from my swing and stand in front of him, forcing him to stop swinging so he won’t hit me. The smile drops from his face, but only for a second. When it returns, it’s accompanied by his open arms. I fall into them, and we give each other that awkward brother-sister hug where we don’t touch much of our bodies together. Just ringing each other’s shoulders.

“You’re serious,” he says, disbelief flooding his face. His eyes look like round blue pools. I nod. “Hot damn. That’s awesome! Who’s the dad?”

“I don’t know if I should tell you before I tell him.”

“You should definitely tell me.” He flashes me a cheeky smile.

“Dash…”

“It’s why you called me. Tell me.”

“The truth is he’s an old boyfriend from years ago, and we hooked up, so here I am.”

If I thought his smile was impish a second ago, he’s the Cheshire Cat now. “Wait, Dominick Renaldi? Mal and I ran into him on a hiking trail a couple months back. I told her you twoused to date.” It figures he and his fiancée Mallory knew Ren was here before I did.

“Ugh. This is what’s wrong with living in a small town. Everyone knows everything. Yes, it’s him.”

“O-kay…well, I need to ask the obvious question. Are you going to keep it?”

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