Dirty Little Secret

As I finished cleaning up the last of the plates in the sink, a loud clank drew my attention back to my daughter. She had a wide smile on her face and seemed unbothered by the large amount of baby food that she spilled on herself.

I laughed. “Done, baby?”

Capri giggled in reply and waved the empty bowl on top of her head. I looked at her and realized how lucky I was to have her. Imagine that. Two years ago, I would have laughed at anyone who said I would have a daughter someday. But now here I am with a beautiful daughter. She looked exactly like Jack, but I tried not to think about that too much.

I looked up at the sound of her shout. Her big doe eyes were the biggest reminder. All of a sudden, I heard a familiar laugh. I looked next to her and saw him. His hair was messy as ever and he still sported the same skinny jeans & band tee. He reached out to hold Capri—

“No!” I yelled.

I looked around the quiet room and he had disappeared. My eyes fixated themselves on Capri and realized that I had startled her. I picked her up and said, “Let’s go to the park today, okay?”

She cuddled into me in reply. After I cleaned her up, I put her in her favorite yellow sundress. It was ridiculous how much she enjoyed wearing it. I pulled her hair into pigtails and tied them with matching ribbons.

“Mommy!”

“Hm?” I hummed. I looked up when she didn’t reply.

Capri just smiled for a second before she jumped into my arms.

---

The weather was nice, and the happy atmosphere between us two matched it. The sky was blue, free of any clouds, and I could actually hear the birds chirping. My right hand held a small picnic basket while my left hand tightly clasped Capri’s. We were walking to the park for a change and it felt nice. Even though it took us twice as long to get us there due to Capri’s small and clumsy steps.

Once we came into sight of the playground, Capri tried to make a run for it, but I grabbed hold of her.

“Not yet, pumpkin,” I said, “We have to eat first.”

After setting up the blanket over a small patch of grass, I began taking out Capri’s snacks. My mom was kind enough to pack us the food the night before. I pulled out a package of apples and peanut butter. I smiled to myself and gave a slice to Capri. My favorite.

A vibration in my pocket signaled an incoming call. I looked at the screen: Tom.

“What’s up?” I answered.

“Me and Becca were just wondering where you and Capri were. Mom said you guys were at the park?”

“Yeah, we are,” I said, “Come visit? I’m sure Capri wants to see her uncle.”

“Don’t call me that. It makes me sound old,” he laughed.

By the time Tom and Becca arrived, we had finished eating and were heading towards the playground.

“Hey sis! Stop taking my niece away from me,” Tom said.

I stuck my tongue out at him, “She’s my daughter. I can do anything I want with her!”

“You guys are so immature,” Becca laughed. “Let me have some time with my soon-to-be niece.”

I handed Capri over to Becca and sat down on a nearby swing. I was soon joined by Tom.
“How was mom?”

“The usual,” he replied, “Just a hundred times more excited to plan my wedding. It’s crazy how much she can talk in an hour. I think she went through the whole wedding ceremony and reception.”

I laughed. “That’s mom for you. And I’m glad you’re getting married. You need someone normal in your life.”

“I’m not that crazy,” he said. I looked at him. “Okay, maybe I am. But Becca is far from normal. She’s amazing. We’ve been dating for the longest time, and she knows me better than anyone. I just can’t imagine a life without her. Now I wish you would find someone like her, Holly. Capri needs a dad, too.”

I sighed. Oh no, here it goes again. First Caitlyn, now Tom?

“Hold on,” he said, “I’m not forcing you to find anyone soon. I just want you to be happy down the line. Whether it’s Jack or some other guy, I want him to protect both you and Capri. I can’t always be there for you, you know.”

I nodded silently as I absorbed his words.

“I’m gonna go see what Becca and Capri are up to. You gonna be okay?”

I scoffed. “What am I—2 years old? Of course I’m fine by myself.”

I watched as my brother walked over to the sandbox where Capri was currently trying to stuff sand into her mouth.

I began pushing myself on the swing, missing my childhood years. Life was so much easier when I didn’t have to worry about anything. True, the path I was walking wasn’t the ideal life my mom had pictured for me, but at least I was enjoying myself. Not that I didn’t enjoy life with Capri now. She was the best thing to happen to me.

I was just disappointed with how everything turned out. If Jack wasn’t such a jerk and stayed, he would have been in Capri’s life and everything would have been—

I felt a hard shove on my back, and I was knocked off of the swing. I was about to stand up and cuss out the person that pushed me, but then I saw who it was.

Jack fucking Barakat.