Chapter 43

Jenna

MY THOUGHTS HAD BEEN filled with Ethan during the entire drive home, wondering how things were going. I knew I’d hurt him badly last night by skirting around his I love you, and I was feeling badly over it now. It took a lot for him to say those words to me, and I was just downright cold in return, when all I really wanted to do was say it back. Once everything had calmed down with Nolan, we’d rehash the topic, but for now, I was going to try and put it out of my mind. Between the long drive and overthinking, I was exhausted and happy to be home. I turned on the fireplace and lit my Christmas tree before settling down on the couch with a cup of tea. I had so much to do, but my exhaustion won out. I lowered my head to the pillow and passed out cold.

My eyes peeled open and my ears tuned into the teeming rain outside my window. Still sleepy, I sat up and rubbed my tired eyes. A chill shot through me, and even the blanket I was cocooned in couldn’t chase it away. My rubber band legs almost gave out when I stood up. Shaking them out a bit to get the blood circulating, I made my way into the kitchen. I hadn’t eaten all day and my stomach wouldn’t be ignored any longer. My head was stuck in the fridge when I heard a faint knock on the front door.

Ethan! My heart was happy just thinking of that possibility. I rushed to the door, flinging it open without even looking, and my stomach dropped to my knees as she stood on the porch. Her long, dark hair soaked from the rain hung straggly around her pale sunken-in face. So different from the perfectly put-together woman I’d met less than forty-eight hours ago. I gazed at the blanket she was holding, trying to get a glimpse of the child swaddled inside of it.

“What are you doing here?” I asked.

“I wanted to meet the girl who ruined my life and return the favor.”

Her bright blue eyes now gray and dull, cut through me, reflecting distraught and despair.

My hands trembled. “You need to leave.” I went to close the door, and she pushed her way in.

“Edward told me all about you, and how Ethan was so taken by you. Foolish girl, don’t you see why? It doesn’t bother you that he only fell for you because you look like his dead wife? But I guess he turned on the charm like he always does, and you were able to overlook it. He doesn’t love you. Ethan isn’t capable of love.”

“Yes, he is,” I whispered.

She let out a sarcastic laugh. “And how would you know that? Oh, let me guess…he told you he loved you, and you believed it. Well, guess what, sweetie…he told me he loved me too and turns out he didn’t. He loved his career more. He’s using you…he doesn’t love you.”

I swallowed hard. “You need to leave or I’m going to call the police.”

“Leave? I suppose you want me to hand over my child before I do, so you and Ethan can live happily ever after with him. Here you go, you can have him.”

I grabbed the sleeping bundle as she handed it off to me, letting out a loud gasp when I moved the blanket to find a teddy bear underneath.

A shrill sound disguised as a laugh escaped her. “You’re even more naïve than I thought. No wonder why Ethan is with you. Did you really think I’d hand my son over so easily?” She shook her head. “No, Jenna…is that your name?”

I didn’t respond.

“I’d rather see him dead before I’d let Ethan have him. He’s not worthy of him. I will not have my son raised by a selfish, womanizing cheater. He’s better off dead. And you can tell your precious Ethan that you’re to blame. It’s your fault, Jenna…you couldn’t leave it well enough alone. Nolan is now really dead because of you.” She raised her blood-stained hands.

“No, no, no!” I shouted, gasping for air.

“Jenna, Jenna!” My mother’s voice coaxed me from my nightmare. Tears streamed down my face as I struggled to breathe. I sat up and my mother took a seat next to me. “Honey, it’s okay. It was just a dream.” She wrapped her arms around me, and I couldn’t stop crying. It all seemed so real. “Shh—calm down.” My mother rubbed my back and rocked me back and forth.

“Jenna, everything looks—”

I raised my head from my mother’s embrace to find my father standing near me.

“What’s the matter?” he asked, his voice laced with concern.

“She was having a nightmare,” my mother answered.

My father took a seat on the other side of me, and I shifted my head to his shoulder. “Jenna, honey, you really need to keep that front door locked when you’re here alone. Your mother and I were knocking and knocking and when you didn’t answer, we just walked in. We could’ve been anyone off the street.”

“I know, Dad,” I whispered. “I was just so tired, I didn’t even think about it.”

“What were you dreaming about?” my mother asked.

“I-I don’t even know. I don’t want to talk about it.” I grabbed a tissue from the coffee table and wiped my eyes, pulling it together as best as I could. “So, this is a really nice surprise to see you guys here.”

“Yeah, well, I wanted to see what you’ve done with the place.” My mother smiled.

“It looks gorgeous. These floors…are they the originals?” my father asked.

“They are.” I smiled, remembering how proud Ethan was of his work, then frowned, remembering the sadness in his voice last night.

“I would have never thought they could be saved.” My father bent down and ran his hand over the wood.

“Ethan did an awesome job on them,” I remarked.

“Who’s Ethan?” my mother inquired.

“He’s a friend of mine.”

“Oh?” She raised an eyebrow, and it wasn’t long before I was spilling every detail to her and my dad, right from the first day we met.

“He’s just so…I can’t begin to explain it, but I care about him a lot.”

“I can tell.” My mother smiled. “So, he’s an author. I never heard of him.”

“He writes under a pen name…Jonathan Reed.”

“No way! My daughter is dating Jonathan Reed?” my dad chimed in.

“No, Dad, I’m dating Ethan Banks.” I laughed.

“I’ve read every single book he’s ever written.”

Who would’ve known, my dad was one of Ethan’s biggest fans?

“So, when do we get to meet him?”

I shrugged. “He has a lot going on right now, so we’ll have to see.”

My mother followed me into the kitchen while I put together some snacks. She cleared her throat, the same way she always would before making a big announcement. “We ran into Brad a few nights ago.”

I took a sip of water. “Oh. Where?” I picked up the knife and continued slicing the cheese a little faster than before.

“We were out to dinner with Dolores and Fred at The Emerald Inn, and he came walking in with some woman.”

I turned around to face her when I sensed some disgust in her voice. Did she finally see the other side of him?

“We went over to say hello to him, and he barely even spoke to us. Then he ran into your father in the men’s room and the two of them had some words when he made a remark about you.”

I rolled my eyes, not even caring what he had to say about me.

“You did the right thing, Jenna.”

“I know,” I whispered.

We grabbed the food and headed into the parlor. Maybe it was because we took a little break, but I was actually enjoying my mother’s company. We spent the rest of the afternoon reminiscing about the memories this very house held for all of us. They were a welcoming distraction when my worry for both Ethan’s well-being and our relationship was at an all-time high.