"So wait, no awkward morning, no long talk about where this is going?" Nicholas asked as he grabbed Jenna's arm before she walked out of the bedroom.
"Nope, not unless you want that." Jenna smiled again. She looked at the confusion in Nicholas's eyes and decided to explain. "There's no awkwardness because both of us wanted what happened last night, right? We both just agreed that there were no regrets, so why should we feel weird? As for a long talk about where this is going…I'm just tired of worrying about it. It seems like that's all I've been thinking about lately, and it's done nothing but stress me out. Maybe we should just stop questioning everything and let whatever we have lead us wherever it goes for now."
Nicholas smiled. Jenna never ceased to amaze him. "I guess you're right. You really are a remarkable woman, you know that?"
Jenna grinned. "Yes, I know. But it's about time you realized it!" She said playfully. "Now get dressed and meet me in the kitchen. And hurry!" She disappeared out the door, closing it behind her.
Nicholas stood there laughing and shaking his head.
*****
Jenna and Nicholas were in the kitchen making breakfast when Emma and Colby finally woke up. Emma was surprised to see her father there so early in the morning. "Daddy! What are you doing here? You never have breakfast with us!"
"Hi pumpkin. I just got up early and wandered over here when I smelled Jenna's wonderful cooking. You know, I think people come from miles around for her special apple pancakes!" He teased as he picked her up in a big hug. "Actually, we're all going to the zoo today, and I wanted to get a head start. So after your breakfast, you and Colby need to hurry up and get ready to go, ok?"
"The zoo! Cool!" Emma and Colby both shouted.
Nicholas looked over at Jenna and shrugged his shoulders. Emma and Colby both shoveled their food in their mouths as fast as they could, then ran off to get dressed.
Nicholas and Jenna were alone in the kitchen again. "I hate lying to her." Nicholas said solemnly. "I hope you don't mind going to the zoo today."
"The zoo sounds great." Jenna said as she put her arms around Nicholas's neck. "I hate lying to the kids too, but what happens if we tell them about us, and then something happens and we aren't together anymore. Don't you think that will hurt them worse than anything?"
"I know, I know. I just feel bad sneaking around though." He laid his forehead on hers. "I'm going to go get ready. Send Emma over to change her clothes when she comes back down, ok?" Nicholas gave Jenna a quick kiss and was out of her arms and at the back door before she knew it.
Everyone had fun at the zoo. Emma and Colby had a blast imitating all the animals, especially the monkeys. Nicholas and Jenna even had their share of fun, stealing kisses and holding hands when the kids weren't looking. It was the perfect way to end the weekend before Nicholas and Jenna had to go back to work, and Emma and Colby had to go to the babysitters. Summer would be ending soon, with the kids going back to school, so warm day like this were numbered.
When they got home, Jenna and Colby bid Nicholas and Emma goodnight, as they retreated to their own houses, neither kid noticing the longing look between their parents.
*****
The week dragged on and on for Jenna and Nicholas. Neither could wait for the weekend, to be able to spend some time together again. Even though they saw each other a few times throughout the week, it just wasn't the same as the quality time they were able to spend on the weekends.
Nicholas had spoken with his mother early in the week and she agreed to take Emma and Colby to her house for a sleepover on Friday night, as they were going to be having the party at Nicholas's. When Friday afternoon rolled around, Nicholas couldn't wait to get home from work. As soon as he got home, he ran upstairs to shower and change before Jenna got there to help cook for the dinner they were having.
Shortly after Nicholas got out of the shower, he heard his doorbell. He ran downstairs to open it, finding Jenna standing there, hands full of groceries. After a quick kiss, Nicholas took the bags from Jenna and brought them to the kitchen. He had expected Jenna to follow him, but when he turned around, he noticed that she wasn't there.
Jenna stood at the doorway, hesitant to enter. She remembered the last time she was there, and how she had a mini-breakdown over the pictures of Leslie. Jenna didn't think she could go through that again, especially not when things were going so well between her and Nicholas finally. She couldn't handle seeing all the pictures again, pictures from a happier time in his life, wondering if she could ever make him feel like that. 'Maybe this was a bad idea, and I should leave. Nicholas is in a really good mood right now, and I don't want to ruin that. I don't want to bring his party down either.' Jenna thought. She turned to leave, and just as she was walking down the steps of the porch, she felt a hand reach out and grab her arm.
"Where are you going? I thought you were going to help me cook." Nicholas said, his eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"I'm sorry. I just…I…" Jenna tried to talk to him to tell him why she couldn't go in his house.
A light bulb went off in Nicholas's head. 'The pictures!' He thought. "Come in here, there's something I want to show you." He pulled on her hand and Jenna stood still. He pleaded with her using his eyes, and she slowly made her way into his house. "I've done a little redecorating, mostly for myself, but I think it's something you might like too." He told her.
Jenna looked to the mantle that they were now standing in front of. There was only one picture of Leslie left. She ran her hand over the mostly empty shelf and looked curiously at Nicholas.
"Jenna, that night after the hot tub, I realized that I needed to do something to be able to move on with my life. These pictures were holding me back, in a way. Leslie will never be completely gone from my memory, but she will never be in my future either. I want you to feel comfortable here Jenna. I don't want you to be afraid to step foot in my house, and I don't want you to feel anxious either, constantly worrying about my past. It would really mean a lot to have you here with me, leaving the ghosts behind." He told her.
Jenna threw her arms around his neck. "Oh Nicholas! I can't believe you did that! I don't know whether to say 'thank you' or 'good for you', because I want to say both. Does that make me selfish because I'm happy you did this?" Jenna asked.
"No, it doesn't make you selfish. It just shows that you care and want to be with me. That makes me happy." He replied and kissed her. He has meant for it to be a quick kiss, but Jenna took the initiative to deepen it, as she ran her hands through his dark hair. "Wow!" He said after their kiss. "Think we can call everyone and cancel so that we can keep doing this all night?" He teased.
"Not likely. Now get your butt in the kitchen. We have some cooking to do." Jenna said as she slapped Nicholas's ass.
"Yeah baby! I like it like that!" Nicholas joked as he jumped and ran to the kitchen.
"Oh, you! Dirty, dirty…!" Jenna laughed.
The two set out to cook some food for the party. They were going to have a nice dinner including Mike Mussina, Nathan, Vanessa, and three other friends of Nicholas. Then after dinner, they had invited a bunch of other friends over.
As soon as dinner was in the oven, Jenna told Nicholas that she had to go home and get ready. He was sad to see her go, and pleaded with her to stay and get ready at his house. Jenna didn't back down though and left to go to her house to shower and change. A dreadfully long hour later, there was a knock at Nicholas's back door.
He thought it was odd that any of his friends would use his back door, but went to answer it anyways. As soon as the door opened, Nicholas felt his jaw drop to the floor. There stood Jenna in a pair of black leather pants and a strapless silver tube top.
"What's wrong, don't like my outfit?" She asked coyly.
Nicholas just stared at her as she walked closer to him. "Are you trying to kill me?" He asked her when he finally got his senses back.
"Now why would I do that?" She asked as she ran her index finger down the side of his face.
Nicholas reached up and grabbed her hand away from his face. He spun her around slowly, taking in every inch of her. "God, you're beautiful!" He told her before ravaging her lips with his. He ground his hips into her and after the kiss he said, "See what you do to me, just by looking at you?"
Jenna laughed. "Well, turnabout's fair play!" She walked away from him and into the kitchen. Nicholas followed her, like a lost puppy dog. When he walked in, he saw Jenna bent over, taking the food out of the oven directly in front of him. He couldn't tear his eyes away from her round bottom sheathed in black leather.
"I don't think I'll be able to make it through the night…You are staying here tonight, aren't you?" He asked.
"Well, I wasn't sure if you wanted me to." Jenna said.
"I want nothing more than to have you in my bed tonight." Nicholas told her as he looked into her eyes. Jenna just nodded, unable to speak when she saw all the feelings and emotions shining in his eyes. "Good. Now, do you think you can finish up in here? I need to go take a cold shower before everyone gets here. If I'm not down soon, it's all because of you!" He said, gave Jenna a quick kiss, then retreated upstairs.
Jenna smiled as she watched him run up the stairs, glad knowing that she was having as much of an effect on him as he was on her. It was going to be a long night!
Chapter 14 Party
Before Nicholas was able to make it back downstairs, some of the dinner guests began showing up. Jenna didn't have any problem entertaining them, especially since Nathan and Vanessa were the first ones there. Nathan knew the two guys, Pete and Tony, that had shown up after he did, so he helped Jenna by keeping them company until Nicholas showed back up. Jenna was thankful to Nathan for helping her, and she was even seeing him in a whole new light from when they went on their 'date'. Jenna was also happy because it gave her and Vanessa some 'girl time' before everyone else started to show up.
"So, things must be getting serious between you and Nathan! Seeing him again, for what, the third weekend in a row?" Jenna teased.
"More like we've barely left each other’s side since we met, except to go to work. Strangely serious, by my standards anyways." Vanessa laughed. "So, what about you and Nicholas?"
"We're just seeing where things lead us. That's about all the commitment we can give each other right now, but I care about him a lot, enough to scare me, and I think he cares about me too…I know he cares about me." Jenna said with conviction.
"Well, good for you. Any word from the frog since Prince Charming saved you from him last week?" She asked.
"Who, Kyle?" Jenna asked and Vanessa nodded her head. "No, he'll lay low for a while, then he'll probably come back and do some other dumb ass thing. Thank god for Nicholas!" Jenna told her.
"Now that's just what I like to hear…My little Jenna thanking god for me!" Nicholas said as he walked in the kitchen behind Jenna and wrapped his arms around her waist. He nuzzled his lips in her neck, breathing in the scent of her perfume.
"Yeah, no better topic came up, so we had to discuss my annoying neighbor." Jenna teased. "You know, you're nose is awfully cold. Have a nice shower?" She laughed.
Nicholas blushed as he looked between the smirking faces of Jenna and Vanessa. "Not really, it was pretty lonely, but I don't think our guests would have enjoyed eating on the same table that I had just ravished you on."
"Ok, too much information, thanks! And yeah, we also appreciate you not screwing on the dinner table. I'm sure I speak for all the other guests when I tell you that, from the bottom of all our hearts!" Vanessa said.
"Ah, you're just too funny Miss Vanessa!" Nicholas laughed. He unwrapped his arms from Jenna and went over to give Vanessa a polite kiss on her cheek. "You look great tonight. Dress up in order to catch the eye of our fair ball player?" He asked, looking at her white leather A-line mini skirt and black and white print one-shoulder shirt.
"Oh, honey, Nessa doesn't need the attention of the fair Moose…she has the attention of your buddy Nathan, remember?" Jenna told him.
"Still!?" Nicholas asked, shocked that the two of them were still together. Nathan had never been one to stick around longer than a week or so, and from what Jenna had told him, Vanessa was usually a one night deal. He was really surprised that the two players were still playing together.
"Well, what can I say? Poor Nathan just can't get enough of me!" Vanessa laughed as Nicholas and Jenna both rolled their eyes.
"It's a good thing we haven't eaten yet, or I just might have lost my dinner!" Nicholas joked. When he heard the doorbell ring, he excused himself from the two girls to greet more guests.
Jenna and Vanessa made their way back to the living room shortly after Nicholas answered the door. Jenna didn't want to seem anti-social, especially to the couple of friends of Nicholas that she would be meeting for the first time tonight. When they entered the living room, it looked like everyone had shown up, so dinner would be starting soon, but she wanted to say hello to everyone first.
Vanessa followed her over to the group of guys, where Jenna was grabbed by Nicholas and Vanessa was grabbed by Nathan. Both girls were introduced to Pete, Tony, and Alex, friends of both Nicholas and Nathan. Vanessa was also introduced to Mike Mussina as she shook his hand in awe. After Jenna pried her hand from his, Jenna said hello to him and thanked him for coming. Mike thanked her for cooking by giving her a hug, and when he released her, Nicholas immediately pulled Jenna back into his arms.
Mike looked at the scene before him curiously. "Am I missing something here? Are you two together or are you just friends?"
"We're together." Nicholas admitted, for the first time to anyone. All of his friends looked at him curiously, before patting him on the back in congratulations.
"Good for you man, it's about time." Mike told him sincerely. "You're one lucky man, you know that?" He asked as he eyed Jenna up and down.
"Do I ever!" Nicholas smiled as he looked into Jenna's eyes.
"So, how about dinner? Everyone must be hungry!" Jenna said to get out from the peering eyes of the men. She led them all into the dining room and showed them where to sit. Her and Nicholas disappeared into the kitchen to bring the food out. "So, was it weird for you to tell them that we're together?" She asked him when they were alone in the kitchen getting the food.
"Actually, it was really easy. It just felt right. Almost as right as this…" He said as he pulled her into a kiss.
"Mmm, that did feel right, but watch out or you'll need another cold shower!" Jenna laughed.
"Yeah, about that…I'm not really fond of them, so how about we keep them to a minimum?" Nicholas suggested.
Jenna laughed as she handed some food to Nicholas to bring to the table. She grabbed the rest and headed to the dining room. Everyone was passing the wine and the food by the time her and Nicholas sat down, with an abundance of conversation and laughter being shared also. To Jenna, it seemed as though the night was beginning to be a success. Nicholas beamed proudly at Jenna as everyone complimented the food, he couldn't have been more proud to have her by his side.
After dessert, everyone sat around talking about how stuffed they were and how delicious all the food was. Jenna and Vanessa cleaned up the table and put all the dishes in the dishwasher. Jenna told Vanessa that she could do it on her own, by Vanessa insisted on helping. It went much fast with the two of them working together, allowing them to rejoin the guests sooner than if Jenna had worked alone.
They all sat around the living room, talking about days of the past, and Vanessa and Jenna sat there listening to their stories. At a few stories, Jenna and Vanessa looked at each other, feeling a little left out, with no clue who or what they were talking about. For the most part though, they were happy to hear the stories about the wild antics of Nicholas and Nathan in their youth.
An hour after dinner, more guests started to arrive. Jenna and Nicholas took over being the dutiful hosts, leaving their current guests to mingle amongst themselves. Soon the party was in full swing, with people milling a
ll throughout the house and on the back deck. It had been about an hour since Jenna had last seen Nicholas and she was wondering where he was. She was at the makeshift bar with Mike Mussina and one of her very single and very pretty friends from work. Jenna was trying to work her matchmaker magic on the two of them, and it seemed to be working. Of course, to keep her friend Pam from going after him only because he was on the Yankees, she told her only that his name was Mike and that he liked sports. All three were getting ready to do a shot when Jenna felt arms encircling her waist from behind.
"I wouldn't drink too much if I were you. I hear there are some pretty big plans for you tonight, some that you'll want to be sober for." A low voice whispered in her ear.
Jenna's legs turned weak, hearing the voice and feeling the warm breath against her ear. She turned to see a seductive smile on Nicholas's face. "Is that so?" She asked. "Well then I better be a good girl tonight!" She said with a sultry smile.
"Just until all the guests leave, then you can be as bad as you want to be." He told her, then kissed her deeply, not caring who was watching.
"Mmm…I've been waiting for one of those. Where've you been, I haven't seen you in a while."
"Oh, one of my buddies was getting a little rowdy, so I took him out front to calm him down, then he got into one of his drunken confessions about his life that I had to sit there and listen to. Most of it was so slurred that I couldn't understand what he was saying, so I put him in a cab and sent him home." Nicholas told her.
Just then, Vanessa rushed up. "Um, Jens, I think we have a little problem. I think I just saw Kyle."
"What!?" Nicholas and Jenna both shouted. "Where was he?" Jenna asked.
"Well, Nathan and I went over to your house to get away from all the people for a few minutes, and when we were leaving, we saw a guy walking down your front sidewalk to the back of the house. Then we lost him in the crowd of people in the back yard. He had a paper in his hand, and when we shut the front door, the sign that told people the party was over here was gone." Vanessa explained.
Mending the Soul Page 10