Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Lena
I sit on the couch with my legs curled up beneath me. The house is quiet, except for the soft hum of the ceiling fan and the occasional rustle of Jayla flipping through her book on the armchair beside me. It’s been a peaceful day, one of those rare moments when everything feels...normal.
It’s been a long time since we’ve had normal.
I glance over at Jayla, who looks so much like her dad, with her wavy dark hair and intense, thoughtful eyes. But a part of her is all me, too—the quiet way she processes things, the sensitivity she tries to hide. It’s been weeks since Gavin and I officially started seeing each other, and Jayla’s been...quiet about it. Too quiet. It’s like she’s waiting for me to say something first, and I know I can’t put it off any longer.
“Jay?” I say softly, my voice breaking the silence.
She glances up from her book, her brow furrowing a little in that way she does when she knows something serious is coming. “Yeah?”
I take a breath, my heart doing that awkward stutter-step it always does when I’m nervous. I try to keep my voice steady and calm even though my insides are a tangled mess of emotions.
“Can we talk for a minute? About your uncle and me?”
She closes her book, her lips pressing into a thin line. She’s quiet for a second, then shifts in her seat, sitting up straighter. “I figured this was coming.”
I let out a nervous laugh, trying to lighten the mood. “You know me too well.”
She doesn’t smile, though. Instead, she looks at me with those serious eyes of hers, the ones that seem to see right through me. “Are you gonna ask me if I’m still okay with it?”
I blink, surprised by her directness. “Yeah, I guess I am.”
She sighs, her shoulders slumping just a little as she leans back against the armchair. “I dunno, Mom. It’s weird, you know? Uncle G was always just...Uncle G. I never thought you’d...you know, date him.”
I nod slowly, understanding exactly where she’s coming from. “I get it. It’s weird for me, too, sometimes. But I guess I just wanted to know how you’re feeling about it. I don’t want to do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
She’s quiet again, her eyes drifting toward the window for a moment like she’s lost in thought. Then she looks back at me, and there’s a flicker of something I can’t quite read in her expression.
“I mean...it’s not like I thought you and Dad were happy or anything. I kinda knew you weren’t, even when you tried to hide it.”
Whoa. I didn’t see that coming .
She’s only sixteen, but sometimes, it feels like she’s so much older, like she’s seen more than I ever wanted her to see. I swallow hard, feeling the sting of guilt creep up on me.
“I’m sorry, Jayla. I know things between your dad and me weren’t great. We tried to keep you out of it.”
She shakes her head, brushing it off. “It’s not your fault. It’s just...I get it. You’re happier now, right? With Uncle G?”
There’s no hesitation in my answer. “Yeah. I am.”
She bites her lip, her eyes dropping to her lap. “I can tell. He treats you...he treats you way better than Dad did. And he actually listens to you. You guys laugh together. I don’t remember when you and Dad laughed about anything last.”
My heart tightens at that, but it’s the truth. Gavin does make me laugh. He makes me feel light in a way I haven’t felt in years. He’s steady and thoughtful, and even though the past between us is complicated, being with him feels right.
“I never wanted you to feel like you had to choose between us,” I say softly, knowing how much Jayla adored her dad, even when things were falling apart.
She shrugs, but a sadness in her eyes tells me she’s been carrying more than she lets on. “I’m not mad at you, Mom. I always wished you would leave Dad because you deserved better. He was never around, and when he was, it was like we were always walking on eggshells. And I mean, it’s weird, but I see how happy Uncle G makes you. And I can see he loves you.” She pauses for a moment, her voice quieter. “That’s what matters, right? If you’re happy?”
Her words bring a lump to my throat, and I can’t help but reach out, taking her hand in mine. “Yeah, it is. And it means a lot to me that you’re okay with this. I know it’s not easy.”
“I love Uncle G. He’s a good man.”
“Why didn’t you ever tell me how you felt about your father and…?”
“I overheard another parent say that you probably stayed for me, and I didn’t want to disappoint you.”
“Baby girl, you could never disappoint me for using your words and being honest with me. I…I did tell myself that I stayed for you, but in reality, I stayed because I was too scared of being alone, of being seen as a failure, of disappointing you.”
“You could never disappoint me either, Mom. I was here in the trenches with you, I guess you could say. I saw what you had to endure. I loved Dad and always will, but I wasn’t blind not to see the truth of your marriage.”
“You’re so wise for your years.”
“You made me that way. Sometimes I…I feel guilty because I forget that Dad’s dead and that I should be sad. He wasn’t around so much that…it just feels like he’s at work still. I cried harder when Henry died.”
My heart shatters at that comment, but mostly because I felt the same way and had no clue my daughter was dealing with the same emotions.
How did I never know these things?
“Me too,” I say.
For a moment, we just sit there, holding each other’s gaze, the weight of everything unsaid hanging in the air. Then Jayla shifts, pulling her hand back and crossing her arms over her chest, her expression turning more serious.
“I just want you to be happy, Mom. I love that I get my uncle back in the process.”
I pull her into a tight hug, feeling a surge of gratitude for this incredible, thoughtful, and resilient girl I get to call my daughter. “Thank you, Jay. I love you.”
“I love you too,” she murmurs against my shoulder, her arms wrapped around me just as tightly.
When we finally pull apart, I feel lighter, like a weight has been lifted.
There’s a knock on the door, and I look at Jayla quickly.
“Are you expecting someone?” I ask her.
“It’s probably Uncle G. He can’t seem to stay away from you for too long.”
I stand and walk over to the front door. When I open it, I’m surprised to see Hank standing on the other side.
“Lena,” he says gruffly.
His thick Southern accent is no longer there and replaced with one I don’t recognize. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and my stomach tightens. Something about the look in his eyes and the change in his accent scares me.
“Hank? What are you doing here?”
He’s never been to my house before. It’s rare for anyone in town that I don’t spend time with personally to just show up at my house unannounced. Something is off.
“We need to talk.”
“I’m off, spending time with my family, Hank. If you have an issue, it needs to go to the sheriff’s department, and they’ll deem if it’s necessary for me to be notified.”
“I can’t take this to the sheriff’s department.”
He steps forward, and I half close the door as I stand in the way so that he can’t get inside.
Is he here to ask for more money? Is he here to blackmail me since Henry is gone?
“Can I come inside?”
“No, you may not. Hank, this isn’t okay. You shouldn’t be at my house after hours.”
“Lena, I’m not the enemy here.”
“Where’s your accent?” Jayla asks from behind me.
His eyes flash angrily as his gaze flits to her.
“Jayla, go back into the living room.”
She glances back at me when she hears my tone. She doesn’t ask questions, just does as asked.
Thank goodness.
“Lena, please.”
“No, Hank. This isn’t appropriate. If you have something that needs to be addressed, you can come to the office on Monday or call dispatch. This is my time with my daughter, and I won’t have that disturbed.”
“It’s not about town business. It’s about your safety.”
“The only issue I see with that right now is a man who I don’t know all that well asking to come inside my house.”
He reaches inside his coat pocket, and I immediately hold my breath and step back. He pulls out a card where he wrote his name and phone number. He pushes it forward.
“I don’t need that,” I say. “I don’t want to date a man who doesn’t listen when I draw boundaries.”
He cracks a small smile and chuffs before he shakes his head. “I could see why you would think that, but that’s not what this is. I’m going to drop it in your mailbox here and you can get it when you want to. I’m not the enemy, Lena. I’m trying to help.”
“It doesn’t seem that way.”
“I never meant to make you feel unsafe. There are…things you need to know.”
“I already know how you bribed Henry, and that’s all I need to know.”
I shut the door in his face and immediately lock it. I stand against it for a second before I slide down it, my entire body trembling.
“Are you okay, Mom?” Jayla asks quietly.
I can hear Hank opening and closing my mailbox outside. I close my eyes and try to focus on my breathing.
“I’m fine, baby.”
“What were you talking about when you said Hank bribed Grandpa?”
“It’s not important.”
“Uncle G is on his way over.”
“What? Why?”
“I told him that Hank was here and that something was different about him and that you seemed scared.”
“Jay…”
“It’s okay to ask for help sometimes, Mom.”
I’m not a woman who needs to be rescued.
I also don’t want to discuss anything about Aaron or why Hank might have shown up here today in front of my daughter. I’m not ready for her to learn this truth yet.