by Rachel Hanna
"Kyle, I still married him. I forgave him at the time, but looking back on it makes me sick every time I think about it. I felt guilty for making you wait... "
"You didn't make me wait, Jenna. I chose to wait."
"The point I'm getting at is that the reason I asked you earlier tonight if you had been okay after we broke up is that I've often wondered if another woman... "
"Fulfilled my needs, you mean?"
"Well, in a manner of speaking, yes."
"What do you hope the answer is, Jenna?"
"I'm not sure. On the one hand, I kind of wish that you never wanted another woman and pined for me, but I know that's not realistic. On the other hand, I've prayed all these years that you would be happy. And I know a person, a man especially, needs that physical part of a relationship. I guess I was just asking whether you've been fulfilled all these years because I would never want you to be lonely... " she trailed off. Kyle smiled at her.
"I don't think you really want to know the answer to this question, Jenna. You're treading on dangerous waters here."
"I definitely don't want details," she said shaking her head. "I just want to know you've been okay."
"I've been okay."
"Good."
"Just okay, though, and that will never be good enough."
"What do you mean?"
"Like I told you before, there was no one good enough before you and there hasn't been anyone good enough after you. No one could ever measure up to the Jenna standard," he said waving his hand in front of her.
"Then why won't you consider..."
"Getting back together? No way. Can't do it. As much as all of my male testosterone might want that, I just can't put myself through it all again," he said standing up and leaning against the railing facing the ocean. She stood to meet him.
"How long are you going to do this?"
"Do what?"
"Put this wall up?"
"I have to."
"No, you don't," she said touching his arm. "It's me."
"That's why the wall is up, because it's you."
"I know, but give me a chance, Kyle."
He turned and looked at her with a heat in his eyes that couldn't be tamed. It sent shivers up her spine, but before she could think much more, his mouth was covering hers. The warmth of his full lips brought back memories of a time long ago when she felt enveloped in his love every moment of every day. It was real, it was young and it was a lasting love that many people never get to feel.
As his tongue parted her lips and explored her mouth, her legs almost gave way. She'd kissed him hundreds of times, but this was like the first time on that rock just a few feet away. She pulled his mouth closer to hers, interlacing her fingers behind his head. Suddenly, he pulled back and stepped a few feet away trying to catch his breath.
"What's wrong?" she said taking a step closer. He held up his hand.
"I said I couldn't do that.” He looked up at the dark sky.
"But you did. Didn't you enjoy it?"
"More than you will ever understand, but it can't happen again. I'll never get that image out of my mind of you leaving me for another man, Jenna. I know it was a long time ago, but to me it was yesterday. When I used to look into your eyes, I saw this never-ending love but now I see someone who abandoned me and didn't want me as much as she thought she did."
"That's not true!" she argued. Again, he held up his hand.
"It's okay, Jenna. I'm not trying to start an argument or make you feel bad. I just want you to understand. That was a momentary mistake on my part, and it won't happen again." With that, he picked up the empty wine glasses and walked back into the kitchen.
She walked in behind him and finally spoke before going upstairs to bed. "Kyle, I need to correct one thing," she said softly. "I've always wanted you, and I always will. I think if you really studied these eyes of mine, you might just see that."
Chapter 10
Jenna opened the door to her bedroom and closed it quietly behind her. That moment with Kyle had told her one thing for sure — he still loved her and she still loved him. That was all she needed to know.
Locking her door, she ran across the room and grabbed her cell phone. She quickly dialed Becca's number only to realize how late it was.
"Hello?" she said groggily.
"Oh, crap, sorry it's so late.”
"Who is this?"
"Jenna, silly. Listen, I need some help."
"What's wrong?" Becca said, suddenly very alert and worried.
"I'm okay, it's nothing like that." Jenna recapped the evening's events for Becca, feeling like she was back in high school gushing about a crush.
"You're right. You need help."
Jenna chuckled to herself. She wasn't the most conniving person in the world, so it was hard for her to think about using a plan to get Kyle back. But one kiss was enough to tell her just how important it was for her to make things work between them again.
"Then help me," Jenna pleaded to her friend. Over the next few minutes, they came up with a plan that would be set into motion the next morning. Jenna crossed her fingers that it would work.
As the sun rose the next morning, Jenna opened her eyes and felt the warmth of a new day streaming through her window. If there was one thing she loved about the beach, it was the fact that every wave brought new life to her doorstep. She slipped on her robe and opened the doors to her deck as she took a seat outside. It was Saturday morning, which meant that Kaitlyn should still be fast asleep in her bed.
Instead, she saw something that took her breath away. Kyle was running down the beach holding Kaitlyn in his arms and swinging her around. She was cackling and laughing like Jenna had never heard before. The overwhelming sense of happiness that was bursting forth from her child caused tears to fill her eyes and anguish to crush her soul. How could Nick have abandoned her like he did? What kind of father did that?
Of course, she knew that getting a woman pregnant didn't make him a daddy. Kyle was daddy material. He was made to be a father, and she'd taken away the chance for him to be a father to her kids when she'd made such a silly, young mistake. She grieved over the thought that he might never forgive her, come back to her.
As she watched them crouched on her balcony, she steeled herself for the plan that Becca had come up with. Would it work? Or would it make things worse?
A part of her said to leave it all alone, be glad that he was back in her life as a friend and leave it at that. Another part of her knew that friendship with Kyle Parker would never be enough for her. He had carved away a piece of her heart all those years ago that she couldn't give to anyone else. Her failed marriage had been evidence of that fact.
She stood up for a moment to fix her robe and noticed Kyle staring at her from the beach. Kaitlyn was running around picking up shells again, but Kyle was motionless staring at her. What was he thinking? Slowly, a smile crept across his face and he held up a hand to wave at her. Then, he called Kaitlyn to walk back to the house. Jenna met them both downstairs.
"Mommy!"
"Good morning, sunshine! You're sure up early today."
"Kyle took me to the beach to see the sun come up. It was so cool!"
"That was a very sweet thing to do," Jenna said to Kaitlyn while looking at Kyle. He shrugged as he poured a cup of coffee. "Kaitlyn, why don't you run upstairs and take a shower? Miss Becca is coming to pick you up to spend the night with Lila."
"Yay!" Kaitlyn squealed as she ran up the stairs.
"Oh," Kyle said.
"What?"
"Nothing. It's just that I didn't know she was going to be gone this weekend. I bought a kite. I thought we agreed I'd keep her today."
She steeled herself for the conversation she was about to have. Hoping her experience in the high school drama production of Macbeth would somehow help her now, she began.
"Well, Kyle, I really appreciate that but we're not a family or anything. You're really just our landlord now, and I can't expect you t
o take up time with my daughter." He looked stunned.
"Are you saying you don't want me spending time with Kaitlyn anymore?"
"Of course not. That's up to you. I'm just saying I don't expect it. I mean, you aren't her father." At that point, she was worried she'd gone too far.
Kyle contorted his face into something that resembled an angry smile mixed with definite smirking, and turned to refresh his coffee. He said nothing. After a moment, he turned around.
"Point made, Jenna," he said and walked out of the kitchen. What had she done?
As she walked back upstairs to get ready for the second part of her plan, she wondered if she was making the right decision.
Kyle paced around his bedroom wishing for something to punch. How could she talk to him that way? He knew Kaitlyn wasn't his real daughter, but he was already growing closer to her. He'd thought he was doing a good thing by spending time with her since her sack of crap father sure wasn't.
It was official. He'd never understand women.
Just as he walked out of his room, he heard Jenna's cell phone ring. She was talking to her date, who was on his way to pick her up soon. Kyle thought maybe he should leave until they were gone, but his curiosity was far too strong for that.
Acting as though nothing had happened, he walked back downstairs to find Kaitlyn sitting on the sofa with her bags packed.
"Whatcha doin', kiddo?"
"Waiting for Miss Becca."
"You like her?"
"Yeah. She's nice. And Lila is my BFF."
"BFF?"
"Best Friend Forever. Duh," Kaitlyn said rolling her eyes like she was ten years older than she was.
"Sorry, I'm not familiar with your groovy lingo," he said, tousling her hair.
"What does groovy mean?" she asked furrowing her eyebrows in a way that reminded him of Jenna when she was younger.
"Never mind. Well, when you get back, I bought you the coolest kite ever. We'll fly it out on the beach one day soon."
"Okay!" she yelped throwing her arms around his neck. The sudden display of affection took him off guard as he hugged her tightly. Even though she wasn't his child, he was already falling in love with her a little each day.
Just then, Jenna appeared on the stairs. Kyle quickly pulled away from the little girl. "Have a good time, sweetheart. See ya when you get back," he said as he walked into the kitchen.
A few minutes later, Becca came by and picked Kaitlyn up. It was 11:45, and Kyle knew that Jenna's date would be there very soon.
"I'm going to be leaving in a few minutes," Jenna said resting her elbows on the breakfast bar.
"Okay. Have fun," he said, as if he could care less. In reality, it was eating him up inside. He'd already watched her leave with another man once in his life, and he certainly didn't want to do it again. But this guy was a stranger to her, and he wasn't going to leave her alone in the house with a stranger picking her up.
"Kyle..." she started to say, but the doorbell rang and interrupted her thought.
"I'll get that," she said as she trotted to the front door. In her pink sundress and silver strappy sandals, she looked beautiful as usual. "Hi, Frank! Oh, roses, they're lovely. Thank you! Let me just put them in water." He could hear a man's voice and then footsteps coming toward the kitchen. A GQ-looking blond haired guy appeared behind her, smiling brightly.
"Hi. Frank Gibson," he said holding out his hand to Kyle.
Kyle stared at him for a moment, smiled and then held out his hand. "Nice to meet you, Frank."
"Well, I guess we'd better get going," Jenna said after putting the flowers into water. "See ya later, Kyle." She took Frank's arm and out the door they went, leaving Kyle standing in his kitchen shaking his head.
Frank was a nice guy, and Jenna didn't mind hanging out with him, but she would much rather have been at home with Kyle. Even sitting on the beach with him or watching him drink his morning coffee was enough to keep Jenna entertained. After so many years without him in her life, she was happy to have him around again. His spirit lit up every room and made her days worth living again. As a mother, Kaitlyn did that for her too, but as a woman she'd been pretty dead inside for many years.
"Jenna?" Frank said waving his hand in front of her face.
"Oh, sorry," she said. "I was somewhere else." She took the last bite of her sandwich and looked out at the ocean. Frank had brought her to a small beachfront restaurant for their lunch date.
"I bet I know where," he said laughing as he took one of her French fries.
"I bet you do. Why do men have to be so difficult?"
"Girl, who knows? I've been trying to figure that out for years," he said waving his hand in the air. Frank was most-decidedly gay, but he was more than willing to help Jenna with her plan. Becca had been friends with him for many years, and they'd acted in many drama productions around the Southeast together. As a part-time actor, he relished the opportunity to play Jenna's new suitor.
"He didn't even look like he cared when you came to pick me up. I was hoping for a much stronger reaction..."
"Then maybe we need to crank it up a notch," Frank said with a glint in his eyes.
"How so?"
"Well, I have a few ideas," he said rubbing his hands together. For the next few minutes, he went over his ideas with Jenna, and her eyes bugged out of her head.
"Seriously? You think that will work?"
"Well, if it doesn't then I would say he's a lost cause, girl."
“True. Alright, let's do it. Let's go for broke tonight," she said, shaking his hand across the table.
Kyle walked around the craft store trying to figure out what Jenna would need. She had loved painting since he’d known her, and her talent was amazing. He never understood why her parents didn't see it.
No matter what, she was his friend and he wanted to do something nice for her. He thought at the very least, Kaitlyn deserved to see her mother doing something she loved. It occurred to him that the little girl had probably never seen her mother paint.
He gathered up the paint, brushes, easel and other supplies he'd bought and drove home. When he pulled into the driveway, there was a car there that he didn't recognize. A man stepped out of it dressed in what he referred to as "city clothes." It was obvious this man wasn't living in their more laid-back beach area.
"Can I help you?" Kyle asked as he got out of the car carrying a bag of paints.
"I'm looking for Jenna Watson," he said gruffly.
"Who are you?" Kyle asked equally as gruffly.
"That's really none of your business."
"Well, as I own the property you're currently standing on, I'd say it is my business."
The man huffed under his breath. "My name is Nick Watson, and I've come to see my daughter."
Kyle balled his fists down by his side and struggled to keep his emotions under control. The last thing he needed to do was attack this idiot and end up in jail over it.
"What in the hell are you doing here?"
"I see you know my name," he said with a smirk. "And I already told you I'm here to see my daughter, so where is she?"
"She's not here."
"Where is she?" he asked angrily.
"None of your business," Kyle said as he passed Nick and unlocked the front door.
Nick pushed past him and started yelling throughout the house. "Kaitlyn! Kaitlyn!"
"I told you she's not here," Kyle said putting down the bag. Nick glanced at it and saw the paints.
"Where is Jenna?"
"She's out."
"Out where?"
"Look, I have nothing to say to you, man. You need to leave before I call the police."
"She can't keep my child from me," Nick said through gritted teeth.
"Are you kidding me? You're the one who disappeared from that little girl's life and then let the only home she's ever known get foreclosed."
"Foreclosed?"
"Yes, foreclosed. Your child was going to be on the streets if I didn't step in."
"This is all Jenna's fault!"
"How is that? Aren't you the one who wrecked your marriage by sleeping with a nurse at the hospital where you work?" Nick's eyes got big.
"She told you that?" he asked indignantly.
"Yes, among other things."
"Who are you anyway? Her new fling?" Something about the way he said it enraged Kyle. He knew better than anyone just how pure Jenna had been when he married her. How could he act like she was some kind of tramp?
"Watch your mouth. I'm warning you," Kyle said. Nick's eyes suddenly shifted to a plaque hanging on the wall by the fireplace. It was one of Kyle's "Million Dollar Producer" plaques from when he sold real estate under his mother's company.
"Oh, my God. Kyle Parker? You're the infamous Kyle Parker? Boy, she didn't waste any time..." he said with a snide grin.
"Not that it is any of your business, but we’re just friends."
"Right. You're telling me that she spent our marriage pining for you and being in love with you, but now you're only her friend? I'm sure you've already been in her pants a few times by now... "
Before Kyle could think, his fist was connecting with Nick's right eye. Nick fell backward and landed in a chair in the living room. As blood trickled down his face, he jumped up and charged at Kyle. Kyle pushed him again sending him cascading to the floor. One thing was certain — this guy was a wuss.
"Your ass is going to jail," Nick yelled from the floor.
"Really? Good. Call the police. While we're at it, I'll remind them that you haven't paid your child support in months so they can take you to prison right away." Nick glared at him as he stood up slowly.
Before the men could continue, the front door opened. Jenna was wrapped in Frank's arms kissing him passionately. He carried her inside and shut the door with his foot.
"Oh, Frank... " she purred in a seductive voice. "Stay with me tonight... "
"Of course, baby... " he said back.
