I knew better than to flake on this date. This wasn’t merely a baby-free afternoon with my wife. It was a commitment to mindfulness and better communication. But when Sophia stepped out in that sleek, shiny dress, every ounce of resolve I’d built about being a better husband nearly evaporated. Where had she been hiding that thing?? It wasn’t her usual style; that’s probably why it hit me so hard. It draped delicately and clung in the right places, swaying with every step. The hem flirted with that sweet line between tasteful and tempting, and my mind leaped far away from my agenda. She knew it too. The smirk, the tilt of her head, the way her eyes lingered on me … It wasn’t just a dress; it was a message. Don’t forget who I am, it said. I didn’t need a hot dress to remember she is still my fantasy, but I sure appreciated the reminder. I’d loved her body in every season, curvy or slender, but this sudden reveal felt like a gift she had saved for herself but handed to me.
I’d told her I was taking her somewhere special. When we arrived, her face said it all. Her smile lit the entire bar—the same one where we’d met after years of nothing but Social Bunny messages. She touched my arm, looking around as if she’d stepped back into a memory.
“This place,” she said. “It looks exactly the same!”
I remembered that day: pacing, restless, hours dragging like years until noon. I couldn’t take it anymore, so I arrived early only to find she had too. Seeing her live instead of a pixelated profile picture had nearly knocked me over. I was ready to give her my entire life that day, but fear held me back.
“You want a drink?” I asked. “Or we could dance.”
She shook her head with soft eyes. “Let’s just sit somewhere private so we can be close.”
I should’ve anticipated that. It’s the same answer she’s given every time we’ve gone out. I led her to a sofa across from where we sat last time, the room dividers on two sides offering what little privacy they could. It wasn’t much, but it would do.
“This okay?”
“It’s perfect,” she said, practically purring.
The look she gave hit me deep below the belt, threatening to short-circuit my brain and revive every thought about turning around and going home. Every pixel of me wanted to give in—to forget talking and just lose myself in her. But I’d promised myself this afternoon would be different. I was here to show her I saw her, not just how bad I wanted her. So I took a breath, steadied the rush in my chest, and pushed forward.
“We came out to spend time together, I know, but if it’s alright, I’d like to steal the show for a while. There are some things I’ve been meaning to tell you.”
Her curiosity softened into something tender. “Then I want to hear them.”
I nodded and took a breath. “You were right yesterday. I used to tell you everything. I don’t know when I started keeping things close, or why, but there are thoughts I’ve had about you—good ones—that should’ve never stayed in my head.”
A flicker of surprise flashed across her eyes.
“When we were here last,” I said slowly, “I told you that you were beautiful. Back then I said it all the time. But somewhere along the way, I stopped saying it out loud.”
Her brow twitched like she wasn’t sure where this was going.
“I need you to know, just because I stopped saying the words doesn’t mean I stopped believing them. You were beautiful then, and you’re breathtaking now. I notice you every day—especially in this dress. You know it’s driving me insane, right?”
She turned away, half hiding her face with a smile that said she absolutely knew she was guilty.
“I’ve been around enough women to know how loaded compliments can get. When you started losing weight, I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t want you to think I was relieved, or that I was keeping score. The truth is, I loved your body before, and I love it now. There’s no version of you I don’t think is sexy as f—”
“Luca!!”
I laughed at her reddening cheeks. Toying with her was just as fun as it used to be.
“I mean it,” I said, brushing a loose strand of hair back in place. “I don’t know why I stopped complimenting you, but I promise never to stop.”
Her eyes watered, but she kept it together. “What else?”
Dumping years of unsaid feelings onto her in one afternoon made me feel like such a jerk, but she deserved every word.
“I’m so proud of you, Sophia.”
She cocked her head almost suspiciously. “For what?”
“Logan.” The name caught in my throat. I could already feel that familiar burn building behind my eyes. “Could we step outside for a bit?”
She nodded, and I could tell she understood. I wasn’t hiding. I just needed air. We crossed the street to the park, where the water glimmered under the mid-spring sun. The wind carried a soft haze of dust swirling faintly around our feet. That was one thing about Oasis Springs I did not miss.
I faced her with my heart pounding. “Everything about that time was chaotic. It wasn’t supposed to be that way. Not after everything we’d been through. We took the youth potion to have more time with Desi, not to start over with a kid we didn’t ask for. And when he arrived, I honestly didn’t know if I should ask you to love him.”
Her eyes softened. “Luca…”
“I remembered what it was like when Desi was born—how hard that was for you. And then you told me about being jealous, and I thought, if you came around, great. But if you didn’t…” I exhaled. “I would’ve understood.”
She said nothing, just watched me and let the wind tug at her hair. My throat burned, and the pressure behind my eyes was almost unbearable. But I was determined to hold it together and get through it.
“But you didn’t just come around. You showed all the way up. You leaned into him—into us—and it still knocks me off my feet. The way you love him is so fierce, sometimes I just sit there watching, amazed and humbled. You turned something I was afraid of into something beautiful. I see how far you’ve come, and I’m so damn proud of you.”
For a second, neither of us spoke. The waterfall hissed softly in the distance. Her eyes glistened, and everything felt lighter between us, not because the past disappeared, but because we were standing in the same place again, facing forward.
My eyes were glassy too. I exhaled and reached for her hand. “That’s all I wanted to say. I do see you, Sophia. All of you. You’re still my favorite person. And I promise to do better showing you.”
I reached into my jacket and pulled out the bouquet I’d been carrying around like a secret.
Her eyes lit up instantly. “Luca…”
“I just wanted you to have something pretty today.”
She took them, smiling in a way that reminded me of the first time I gave her flowers. “They’re beautiful,” she whispered, brushing her nose against the petals before looking back up at me.
“Not as beautiful as you,” I murmured.
A soft wind carried her perfume through the desert air. When she looked at me, that spark I’d missed for weeks came roaring back.
“I love you,” I said softly. “And I’m proud to be your husband. More than that, I’m proud you’re mine.”
Her lips curved into a knowing smile, as if I finally said the thing she’d been wanting to hear. She stepped closer and tugged gently at my jacket. “You keep saying all the right things. You plan on backing them or or just talk pretty all afternoon?”
There she was, that daring woman who drove me wild. My restraint had been dangling by a thread all afternoon, but she cut it loose with that look. Her lips met mine. The kiss started slow but grew hungrier by the second. I slid my hand around her waist and pulled her closer. Maybe too close for public consumption, heh.
She pulled back, thankfully, and threw me a teasing smile. “Home?”
“Yes, ma’am.”
