"Quick! Go down to the basement!" Jenna whispered desperately.
"Jenna...I don't think so. He probably saw my car, and he's gonna ask questions, and what are you gonna tell him? Just act cool, and pretend I lost a ring here at Emily's party," Brian said rationally, standing up. He pretended to be looking around. Jenna cleared her throat.
"In here, Nick!" Jenna croaked out. A few seconds later, Nick appeared in the doorway.
"Hey, sweetie, I forgot my-" Nick stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Brian. Emily jumped off her chair and flung herself into Nick's arms.
"Daddy!" she squealed. Nick forced a smile.
"Hey, sweetie," he answered, planting a kiss on Emily's cheek. She ran back to the table, and sat back down again to finish her breakfast. "What's he doing here?" he demanded.
"Uh...he said he lost his ring here yesterday at Emily's party, and he was just looking for it," Jenna lied. Nick looked pointedly at the extra glass of juice on the table. "I offered him a glass of juice," Jenna added quickly. Nick looked torn on whether to believe her or not. He wanted to trust her. He really did. It was just so hard after all that had happened to them in the past.
"Hey, Nick. Sorry to impose, but I really love that ring, and I know I had it when I came, but when I got home, it wasn't on my finger, so I assumed it was here," Brian added. Nick sighed.
"Okay," Nick answered. Anyway, they wouldn't do anything indecent in front of Emily, would they? Doubts crept back into Nick's mind. He immediately suppressed them. There was an uncomfortable silence in the room. Nick cleared his throat.
"Well, I hope you find it," Nick said.
"Thanks," Brian said softly, pretending to go back to his search.
"Uh...I left something. I'll, uh, get it, and then I'll leave," Nick said. He cleared his throat again, then turned around and left. Jenna heaved a sigh of relief.
"Brian? When Nick leaves, I think you should leave, too, okay? I'll call you tomorrow," Jenna whispered. Brian nodded, understandingly.
"Sure, Jen." He grabbed the glass, and drank the rest of the juice.
A few minutes later, the door slammed, and Nick's jeep roared to life, and in a few seconds, he was out of the driveway.
"See you later," Brian said, leaning down to kiss Jenna. Jenna let him kiss her, but she didn't kiss him back. Brian pulled back, and headed out.
"Bye, Brian," Jenna responded.
"Don't forget to call me," Brian called out.
"I won't," Jenna replied. Emily finished her breakfast a few minutes after that.
"Mommy? Can I go play with my dolly for a while?" Emily asked.
"First, let's take you a bath, and then you can play, okay, honey?" Jenna said, standing up.
"Okay."
That night, a few minutes before Nick was due back, Jenna slipped between their bedcovers, and got comfortable. She grabbed the book that was on her bedside table, and began to read.
A few minutes later, she heard the front door open and close, and Nick's footsteps as he walked up the steps.
For some reason, her heart started to beat. She felt as if Nick knew everything about her relationship with Brian.
"Calm down, Jenna, or he'll really suspect something," Jenna whispered to herself. Nick entered the bedroom. Jenna lowered her book.
"Hi," she greeted with a smile. She carefully read Nick's face.
"Hi," he whispered. Just then, he looked so vulnerable and so adorable that Jenna just wanted to hug him really hard and tell him that everything was okay.
"I missed you," Jenna said, sitting up.
"I missed you, too," he responded. He closed their bedroom door. Jenna opened her arms wide.
"Come here, aren't you gonna give me a hug?" she asked, smiling. Nick walked up to her, and sat next to her on the bed. He pulled her into his arms, and held her for a long time before he let her go. Jenna brushed back the hair that had fallen into his eyes. That's when she noticed that his eyes were red rimmed. Her smile turned into a frown.
"Nick? What's wrong?" she asked softly.
"Nothing...why?" Nick replied.
"Nick, I know something's wrong, and you're gonna tell me right now. What's the matter? Why were you crying?" Jenna asked.
"It's okay, Jenna..." Nick said, looking down.
"No, it isn't. Nick, please, sweetie, tell me what's wrong," Jenna pleaded. She grabbed his face between her hands and pulled his face up so that he looked into her eyes. She leaned in and kissed him softly on the lips.
"Nick, you have to tell me. I love you, and if you're hurting over something, you have to tell me," she whispered.
"It's just that...I was thinking, and-" He stopped.
"And what?" she urged.
"I'm just afraid, Jen. I'm afraid that I'm going to lose you to Brian. I wouldn't be able to stand it if you left me-"
"Nick! Where are you coming from? Why are you thinking this way? Of course I would never leave you for Brian or for anybody! I love you, and I'm gonna stay with you forever," she assured him, but feeling like an absolute ass for cheating on him. "Why would you think something like that?"
"I'm not sure if I bought that ring story, Jenna. I'm so sorry for having doubts, but just seeing Brian there when I wasn't there got thoughts running through my head and-"
"So you're saying you don't trust me, is that it?" she said, angrily, taking her hands away from his face and crossing her arms. She could just die. She had to put up an act and feel insulted. Otherwise he would see the guilty look on her face. She felt as if there was a tattoo on her forehead that screamed 'hypocrite'.
"I'm sorry, baby. I do trust you. I just don't trust him. I don't trust him at all. And I felt as if he were trying to take you away from me for some reason," Nick said. Jenna sighed heavily.
"Okay, Nick. I understand you. If you want, I'll never let him inside the house unless you're here, okay?" Jenna said.
"I know that sounds silly and childish but I would feel more comfortable knowing you guys aren't together when I'm not there," Nick replied.
"Nick, I'm so sorry this has tortured you so much," she said, pulling him into her arms. He held her tightly. She planted a kiss on his neck. She felt a shiver go through his body. She pulled back and smiled. Then she leaned in and placed her lips over Nick's soft ones and kissed him deeply. She knew exactly what she was going to do about Brian, and this time, there was no going back. She never wanted to see the look Nick had come in with again in her life.
Chapter 21
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