Author: Jaci Burton

She was getting dressed so he headed into the bathroom.

He walked in and leaned against the doorway, watching her look at herself in the mirror. She’d put on a dress—so uncharacteristic of Jenna. It was black and very pretty, with fancy boots and dark tights that made her look so sexy he wanted to undress her on the spot.

She was busy fussing with the long silver chain she wore around her neck.

She saw him and turned. “Do I look okay?”

He pushed off the doorway and went into the bathroom. “You look more than okay.” He kissed the side of her neck. “You’re beautiful.”

“Thank you.”

“Come here. I need to talk to you.” He took her hand and led her into the bedroom and sat her on the bed.

“Uh-oh. This doesn’t sound good.”

He took a seat in the chair across from the bed, delaying the inevitable by glancing out the window at the city below. It was a cloudy day today. It might snow.

He felt a touch on his knee and turned to Jenna.

“Ty. What’s wrong?”

“Your parents have this amazing marriage. You’re part of a really happy family.”

She didn’t say anything. He was grateful for that.

“I thought I was part of a happy family. Me, my mom, and dad. It was all great until I turned ten. Then the fighting started. They’d try to keep it down low, or wait until after I went to bed at night, but sound travels, and you can’t hide shit from kids. Kids are smart. They know when the balance is upset in their universe. Anyway, I heard them fighting. At first I thought it was just a one-time thing, but then it was the next night, and the next. And then it spilled over into the daytime. They wouldn’t fight in front of me or anything, but they stopped talking to each other. The tension in the house grew until it was choking the life out of me. I started to tiptoe around them, sure if I was on my best behavior they’d stop fighting and everything would go back to the way it was before.

“It affected every part of my life. My friends stopped coming over. My grades started to drop and I didn’t want to be around them anymore. They hated each other so much.”

He saw the tears well up in her eyes and hated that he’d put them there.

“I can’t imagine what that must have been like for you, for a child to have to go through. You realize what happened with them wasn’t your fault.”

“I do now. Back then I didn’t. I was sure that if I just spoke softer or acted better, I could influence their behavior. And after awhile I just didn’t care anymore, because they didn’t seem to care anymore. That’s when my behavior took a downward slide.”

“Did you have any aunts or uncles you could talk to or go to about this?”

“Yeah, but there was nothing they could do about it. They couldn’t stop it any more than I could. And they took sides, too, so it wasn’t any better going to them.”

“When did they finally divorce?”

“When I was fourteen.”

“That’s a lot of years of unhappiness.”

“Yeah. Anyway, we’re going to have dinner with my mom today. She still lives in the house I grew up in. My dad remarried and he lives in a condo near the lake. We’ll meet him and my stepmom later for drinks.”

“Okay.”

“The thing is, I love my parents, but my mom is still in denial over a lot of this, so you need to prepare yourself. She’s bitter about it, but she’s kind of Stepford about the whole thing, if you know what I mean.”

Jenna wondered if Tyler’s mother was the only one bitter about it. She wanted to ask what broke up his parents’ marriage, but the question was too intrusive, and maybe he didn’t even know. She still saw the pain on his face, the rigid tension in his jaw. This wasn’t easy for him.

She couldn’t imagine her parents not being together. The idea of it hurt, which made her hurt for him. But the reality of it was, a lot of parents divorced, and the impact hit the children in ways that lasted for years.

She stood and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry.”

“For what?”

“For what you had to go through. For the end of your parents’ marriage.”

He laid his head against hers. “It was a long time ago.”

“I’m sure it still hurts.”

He shrugged and ran his fingers through his hair. “The thing is, they just weren’t right for each other. My mom is very quiet and understated, likes to stay home and be with family. My dad is boisterous and loves to entertain, always liked going out. It was a personality clash from the get go. I can see it now. I’m not sure what brought them together in the first place.”

She slipped her hand in his. “Sometimes opposites attract in the beginning. It’s not until later they realize they can’t make it work, that it’s those opposite qualities they found so attractive in each other at the onset of the relationship that start to grate on each other later.”

He nodded. “I think that’s what happened to the two of them. There was no affair, nothing scandalous that ended their marriage. They just realized they weren’t right for each other anymore.”

Jenna ached for the loss of Ty’s parents’ marriage, and the end of the stability he once knew. Divorce was never easy on a kid. She’d seen several of her friends go through it, and the havoc it wreaked on their lives. “Unfortunately, there’s no test of compatibility to see how couples will survive together, despite what they say on those online dating sites. There’s always a risk you take when you agree to spend the rest of your life with someone. Sadly, sometimes the kids are the ones most affected.”

She leaned into him and he used his finger to tip her chin up, pressing his lips to hers. “I’m okay, babe. It was a long time ago. But thanks for understanding. You ready for this?”

She managed a bright smile. “Sure. I’m looking forward to meeting your parents.”

He let out a short laugh that made her wonder what she was going to be dealing with tonight.

They got into the car Ty had rented and he drove to this amazing neighborhood filled with tiny row houses tucked close together. He parked in front of a narrow-frame, two-story pale blue house with white shutters on each window. Jenna instantly fell in love with it.

She wanted to take pictures of it. She wanted to live in it. The atmosphere was warm and homey and she could already imagine children running up and down this street. No wonder Ty’s mother had stayed in this house, in this neighborhood.

“What are you doing?” he asked as they stood on the sidewalk in front of the house.

She tilted her head back and looked at him. “Seeing you here as a kid.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. It fits.”

Tyler slid his hand in hers. A small bay window sat off to the right side of the porch. She wondered what room that was. If it was the living room, she could imagine the Christmas tree lit up, twinkling in greeting as people walked down the street. All the homes sat close, so it must be a tight community.

Then again this could be nothing more than fantasy she’d conjured up in her own mind.

They walked up the painted blue steps to the small front porch.

“I love this house,” she whispered to him, and he squeezed her hand.

She could see him jumping off that porch onto the narrow side yard or into the bushes. Boys did that.

He opened the door and walked inside. The rooms were cozy and warm, the ceilings high. There was a vintage feel to the home even though an oversize, flat-screen television sat in the living room. And yes, the bay window belonged to the living room.

A diminutive woman came rushing in, wiping her hands on the apron she wore.

“Ty,” she said in a quiet yet excited voice.

Jenna stood back and watched as Ty swept his mother up in an embrace, kissed her cheek, then set her back on the floor.

His mother was nothing short of stunning. China doll features, she had dark hair that she wore pulled back in a ponytail. She wore a beige dress that had to be expensive, and pumps. Jenna was happy she’d dressed up.

“I’m so glad you’re here.” His mother beamed up at him, and the pride Jenna saw on his mother’s face was evident. “Now introduce me to your friend.”

Jenna also noted the word “friend.” Not girlfriend, but friend. His mother wanted distance between Ty and Jenna. Duly noted.

“Mom, this is Jenna Riley. Jenna, this is my mother, Louise Davis.”

Not Anderson? Tyler hadn’t mentioned his mother had remarried, but okay.

“Nice to meet you, Mrs.—”

“You can call me Louise. So nice to meet you, Jenna.”

“Nice to meet you, too, Louise. Your home is beautiful.”

“Thank you. Please come in. Take off your coat and get comfortable. Would you like a cocktail?”

“No, thanks. I’d love to see the house.”

“Of course. Tyler, take her on a tour. I’ll check on dinner. I hope you like beef Wellington, Jenna.”

Wow. “I love it. Thank you.”

Tyler took her hand. “A tour it is. Let’s start upstairs.”

She followed him up the staircase.

He stopped at the top. “There’s really nothing up here.”

She pushed at his chest. “Shut up. I want to see your house.”

He rolled his eyes and led her down the hall. “This is my mom’s room.”

It was perfect. Cozy and feminine, with a mauve bedspread, muted, earth-toned pillows, an antique dresser, and a bath off to the side. The room was painted a light beige, with eggshell wainscoting.

“I could so live in that room. Did your mom decorate it?”

“That’s her thing. Seems to me like it’s a different color every time I come home.”

She laughed. “You know what they say about a woman’s prerogative to change her mind.”

“Yeah, well, Mom likes to do that plenty.”

They moved down the hall to another room. “Sewing room. This is where she does that fabric and sewing machine stuff.”

The room was filled with fabric. Lush jeweled colors and muted beiges. There was a sitting area and a work area, books on design and fabric. Even though it wasn’t Jenna’s area of expertise, the female in her squealed with delight.

“Oh, it’s lovely.”

“Girl stuff.”

She rolled her eyes at Ty and they walked on down the hall. “This is my room. Prepare yourself.”

He opened the door and it was as if time had stood still. It was precious. A twin bed sat under the double window and the room was painted a bright blue. Trophies of all kinds filled the shelves on the walls. A small desk cornered one end of the room. Photos of Ty at different ages filled several shelves on the walls. She stepped in the room and scanned the photographs of Tyler missing a front tooth, one of him with his hair falling over his eyes like it still did today, and one of him as a baby.

She put her hand over her heart and looked up at him. “This is so sweet.”

“I’ve tried to get her to let me pack up all this stuff and put it in the attic, but she won’t let me. It’s creepy.”

“It is not. She obviously loves you.”

“She could turn this into a guest room.”

Jenna sat on his bed. “Why would she?”

“Because people need to move on. I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Maybe she loves these memories of you. Look at all these trophies and certificates.” She stood and scanned the framed certificates listing Ty’s accomplishments on the Honor roll, dean’s list, even his academic scholarship letters.

She turned to him. “Weren’t you a smarty?”

He crossed his arms. “Not just a dumb jock, ya know.”

She was learning more about him every day, and she liked what she saw.