I was never a big drinker or partier to begin with. My mother always told me that I was far too mature for my age growing up and I guess not having an interest in bar hopping came with that.
Had it been anyone else to ask me out tonight, I would have easily said no and not given it a second thought. In fact saying yes had been a hard thing to do. I was truthful when I told Emma that I wanted to get to know Barrett more. I didn’t have any plans or expectations for tonight other then that.
I couldn’t. If I did that would involve finding a way to tell Barrett that I had his daughter. And even if that went well, how could I tell Aria that I had been lying to her all this time about who her father was?
My parents hadn’t been happy when I told them I was changing course from pre-law and having a baby all in the same breath. That being said, I just couldn’t bring myself to tell this little girl that her precious life was anything other than happy and planned.
I knew the day would come that I would have to spill out the truth of the matter. I had hoped to wait long enough for her to be at least in her teens. I wasn’t sure if she would be able to fully understand the delicate nature of the situation.
That and I really didn’t want her to know that her mom had lost her virginity hooking up with a random stranger at a club. That was one skeleton I planned to keep in my closet as long as possible.
Eleven
Lilly
"No that one is way too fancy,” Aria said laying on my bed with her school books spread around her.
I had spent the last hour parading around every outfit Emma had brought for their inspection.
“You look like you are a princess at a ball,” she added.
“I think it looks really nice,” Emma interjected. “It might be the keeper.”
I looked down at the sequence cocktail dress I had barely squeezed my boobs into.
“Yeah, I’m gonna have to agree with Aria on this one. It’s just drinks, this is too much.”
“Well that’s the last of what I brought. Either it didn’t fit you or you didn't like the look of it.”
Emma was noticeably frustrated that I hadn’t picked one of her carefully chosen outfits.
“Good,” I retorted. “Can’t help it if having a baby makes my boobs bigger. And not that we have all of your choices out of the way, we can move on to my own,” I said turning and heading for the closet.
I picked one of my black pant suits with a lavender blouse underneath. I walked out, proud of my choice to 'boos' from the waiting audience.
“Oh come on,” Putting my hands on my hips.
“You look like you are going to work, Mom, not on a date.”
“It’s not a date,” I reiterated for the tenth time that evening.
“At least a dress,” Emma said with a wave of her hand. Apparently I was to go back in and try again.
I came out now wearing a flowing floral skirt, teal tank top, and a cardigan sweater.
“Better,” Emma said. “But not quite.”
“Oh, this is hopeless,” I said turning back to my rack of clothes.
“Third time's a charm?” I asked coming out again.
It was a dress I hadn’t worn in years. I had actually gotten it for a friend’s park wedding. It was a rose color with lace covering. It was fairly clingy to my body and came mid-thigh. I figured with a pair of booties it would look nice.
“I like it,” Aria said.
“I think we have a winner then,” Emma concurred. “Now it’s time for hair and make-up,” she added rubbing her hands together menacingly.
“Oh no,” I said. “We both know what happened last time I let you do that. I will be taking care of my hair on my own, thank you.”