Jenna held the door open as Dave guided her in. “Did I what?”
Lorraine chuckled. “Did you fall in love with him?”
Jenna’s heart skipped a beat. She’d never fallen out of love with him, so there was no need to fall in love with him. “I did,” she answered, careful not to meet Dave’s gaze.
Lorraine smiled. “Then my work here is done.”
“Don’t say that, Mom. You’ve got plenty more life left in you.”
“Oh, I know—I meant that my work in getting the two of you together is done. Now I need to find another project to keep me busy.” Lorraine laughed.
“I’m sure we can find you something else,” Dave said.
“Are you going to get married?” Lorraine asked them.
Jenna looked at Dave.
“Yes,” Dave said. “I love your daughter very much and I plan to marry her.”
DAVE TURNED THE KETTLE on when he heard Jenna shut her mom’s bedroom door. He’d taken two cups out of the cupboard. He knew she’d want some tea after seeing her mom.
“I put her in bed,” Jenna said as she walked into the kitchen.
“Tea?” Dave asked.
“Yes, please.” Jenna sat down and pulled her hair-tie off. “What was that about? It that normal?”
Dave set a cup of tea down in front of Jenna. He knew what Jenna was referring to. “It’s common for one to experience problems with memory and clear thinking after a stroke.”
“But it’s like she doesn’t know we’re married.”
“That’s because she doesn’t.” He sat across from Jenna. The look of worry was all over her face. “But that can change tomorrow. Tonight, even. Generally, confusion after a stroke can last a few months. But it gets better as the brain tries to repair itself.”
“Maybe I should stay here until she’s better.” Jenna shifted in her seat. “You can look after the kids.”
“I’ve arranged for a rehab nurse to stay with her.”
Jenna looked up at him. “You did?”
Dave took a sip of tea and nodded. “Mm-hmm. She should be coming within the next hour or so. It’s a big job to take on yourself. It will be good for your mom to have someone with post-stroke care experience. They’ll help with her rehab exercises as well.”
Jenna bowed her head and rested it on the table. “I wouldn’t even have known how to get all that sorted.” Her voice was muffled.
Dave reached for her hands across the table. “You’ve got me, Jenna,” he said. “We’re in this together.”
Jenna peeped out from behind her hair. “Thank you,” she said finally.
THAT NIGHT, JENNA LEFT the bedroom door open; and when Dave followed behind her, she didn’t complain.
Her heart was heavy as she felt crushed beneath a load too heavy for her to carry on her own. The last few weeks have left her weary. First, Dave; and now her mom.
Jenna sighed. She longed to return to the night she jumped into the lake with Dave—when she felt both loved and inspired.
Whether she was angry, sad, or tired; she could no longer tell. And if her life was a movie, this would be the scene when the melancholy tune would play. It was overwhelming.
Jenna didn’t actually know where things were at between her and Dave. Nevertheless, she missed him. That much she knew. In spite of how horrible she’d been to him; he stood by her. And that didn’t go without notice.
Amy was right. Marriage is hard work. Wasn’t that what she’d told Charlotte when she had Ben-problems? It’s not as if Jenna didn’t know that, but this time... she needed a bit of reminding.
Jenna went into the bathroom and closed the door. She stood in front of the mirror and looked at herself. While there weren’t many creases across her face, she knew they were there. Just like that song—she thought—the lines told her story.
Worry lines, laugh lines—it didn’t matter. They were all there. Places she’d been, things she’d experienced. The good, the bad, and the ugly. And yet, there wasn’t a good day in her life without Dave in it that she could remember.
“Dave?” Jenna called softly. It was almost a whisper. He can’t hear you, she thought.
Dave opened the door and popped his head in. “Yeah?”
She could see that he’d been getting changed. His shirt was unbuttoned, and she caught a glimpse of his chest. Jenna closed her eyes and took a breath in.
“What’s wrong?” Dave stepped in and turned her to face him. “Hey, it’s okay...” He said when a tear escaped from behind her eyes. “Come here.” Dave pulled her into an embrace.
Jenna inhaled deeply as she rested her cheek against the warmth of his chest. It felt good to lean on him for strength, even if only for a moment.
“It’ll be okay.”
Chapter 24
The morning after—and for the next three days—Jenna followed the same routine. She got the children ready and sent off to school. And then she headed over to her mother’s place to check on how she was doing.
Jenna was grateful for the in-home nursing care that Dave had organized. Each morning she visited; she found her mother sitting outside on the patio with a cup of tea. “Mallory says that tea is soothing,” she said that morning of her nurse.
Jenna glanced at Mallory, who sat on the porch swing, knitting. Her warm caramel hair was done up neatly in a loose braid. Jenna guessed she was about thirty-four, maybe thirty-five. Either way, she looked like a nice person and Jenna was glad. “Mallory’s right, Mom. A cup of tea has a way of making things better.” Jenna smiled and turned to Mallory. “How’s she doing?”
Mallory looked up and smiled. She set her knitting down as she got to her feet to join them. “She’s doing very well. I’ve been teaching her how to knit. Isn’t that right, Mrs. Myers?” Mallory set a hand on Lorraine’s shoulder. “It helps to keep the fingers limber and improves dexterity.”
“That sounds great. I would never have thought of that,” Jenna said. “Are you enjoying knitting, Mom?”
“It’s very confusing!” Lorraine waived a hand dismissively. “Tell me, darling,” Lorraine continued. “Have you married your boyfriend yet?”
Jenna glanced at Mallory, who smiled sympathetically. “Not yet, Mom. I’ll let you know when we do, so you can be there too.”
Lorraine clapped her hands together. “Oh, that’s wonderful, darling. Do you think you can invite my friend Mallory as well? She doesn’t have any family, you see. She might meet an eligible boy at the wedding.”
Mallory laughed sweetly.
“Of course,” Jenna smiled. “But I’m pretty sure that Mallory doesn’t need you playing matchmaker for her.” Jenna made a mental note to get to know Mallory more. She was, after all, looking after her mom.
“You will make a beautiful bride, dear.” Lorraine smiled and put a hand over hers. “Won’t she, Mallory?”
“I have no doubt at all, Mrs. Myers,” Mallory agreed.
Jenna let out a sigh and smiled at her mother. Who was this woman? Where had she been when Jenna was growing up? The mother she’d always hoped she’d had. Loving, encouraging, and supportive. A mother who didn’t constantly put her down—telling her that she was too fat. Or too thin. Or haggard looking. Jenna felt a pinch in her heart. “You think so?”
Lorraine leaned forward in her chair. “I know so.”
Jenna let out a slow breath and pushed her tears back. She wished she could tell her mother what it meant to Jenna to hear those words. Before Jenna could think it through properly, she opened up to her mom. “You know... I’m not so sure about marrying Dave.”
“Oh?” Lorraine looked at her daughter with worry in her eyes. “Why’s that?”
Jenna took a deep breath in. She glanced at Mallory, who volunteered to make a fresh pot of tea. “Well—for one thing, we seem to have grown apart.” She paused and studied Lorraine’s face, who listened intently. “He wants to leave his job at the hospital.”
“Does he? But isn’t he a good doctor?”
Jen
na nodded. “The best surgeon in the County.”
“And why does he want to leave?”
Jenna felt her shoulders rise with every deep breath she took. She’d never been able to have such conversations with her mother in the past. She didn’t know how long this version of Lorraine Myers would go on for; but as twisted as it may seem, Jenna was grateful for the chance to talk to her mom. “He wants to open up a small practice here—in Willow Oaks. He thinks that in doing so, he would be helping our town.”
Lorraine nodded. Jenna could see that she was considering her thoughts. “Well, that sounds very noble, if you ask me.” Lorraine took a sip of her tea. “Do you not agree with him?”
“I’m not sure.” The question forced Jenna to think about it. “He’s worked so hard—all these years—to achieve what he has achieved so far. And to throw it all away... I don’t know. It seems like such a big risk.”
“Well, darling. If you ask me, life is about taking risks.”
“He also thinks that by opening a practice in town, he would be closer to home. That he could spend more time with me and the children.”
“I see.”
Lorraine’s eyes made Jenna feel as if she was standing in front of an x-ray machine. Ready to see through her and her imperfections.
“Wouldn’t it be lovely to have a husband who wants to be close to you and your children? To have a husband who wants to give back to his hometown?”
Jenna pressed her lips together.
“What are you afraid of, darling?”
“I don’t know...” What was she afraid of? Something inside her told her it was the wrong thing to do. Adults don’t take mindless risks. The voice of reason dictates that stability is the product of success. “Shouldn’t we be happy with the stability of his current job? The life that we’ve built together?”
“Stability isn’t always a good thing, my dear,” Lorraine said. “If your father—bless his soul—hadn’t taken a risk to leave the army... it was all he’d known, you know. The army. They were like his family. But if he hadn’t taken that risk of leaving the army to be with me—an ignorant small-town girl he’d only met one summer—then we wouldn’t have had you and your brothers.”
“But... wasn’t it hard for him? For you? Money was always so tight when we were growing up.”
“It was hard, yes.” Lorraine nodded. “But we had a lot of fun pushing through the hardship. And besides, no one gets left behind in Willow Oaks. Everyone looks after each other. And on days when we couldn’t put meat and three vegetables on the table, we were invited to the neighbor’s house to share theirs. And we did the same thing for anyone else who needed a hot meal.”
“I don’t want the children to grow up wanting for things.”
“Oh, but my darling... there are far worse things. But there’s nothing worse than growing up, yearning for an absent father,” Lorraine said. “Or an absent mother.”
The faces of Jenna’s children ran through her head. When’s Daddy coming home? Why can’t Daddy watch my soccer game, Mommy? Their precious little voices bounced around the walls of her mind.
“What is money, when you have no one to share it with, hmm? Family first, your father and I always used to say.”
Jenna stared out into the garden.
“To have someone that loves you so much—that they want to be closer to you. That’s something only few get a chance to experience in a lifetime. I had thirty-three and a half years with your father. And let me tell you—those years were the best years of my life.”
“You remember?”
“I will always remember.”
“I’m worried it might be a big mistake.”
“Even as a child, you always worried about not being in control. I remember... when you found out that your father was building you a dollhouse, you insisted on talking through his plans and demanded that changes be made.” Lorraine laughed. The wrinkles that creased her face shone with wisdom and experience. “And, instead of a surprise, it turned out to be a joint project between you and your father.”
Jenna smiled. “I remember that.”
“Your father—he’d always worried that he didn’t know how to spend time with his little princess doing girly stuff, he called it. Oh, how he loved every moment of that summer with you.”
Jenna bit her lip as it quivered. She tried to fight back the tears that had welled up inside her.
“Sometimes, darling,”—Lorraine reached out for Jenna’s hand—“you just have to throw caution to the wind. Go where the wind takes you. Life has a way of working itself out. Trust in each other and have a little faith.”
Jenna looked into her mother’s eyes. “I have to go,” Jenna said.
“Oh? So soon? Where are you going?”
Jenna smiled and gave her mother a hug. “To where the wind is taking me.”
Chapter 25
“Hurry, kids,” Dave called out from the bottom of the stairs. “We don’t want to be late for your Auntie Charlotte’s baby shower!”
“Dad!” Rory yelled out. “I don’t know how to fix the ribbon!”
“It’s not a ribbon, silly,” Macy retorted. “It’s a bow tie!”
Dave smiled to himself. Despite all the chaos and bickering between the children, he loved every moment—especially whenever it was him they called. Spending more time at home had definitely brought them closer. “I’m coming!” He climbed up the stairs and stopped by the master bedroom to check on Jenna. “Are you almost ready, honey?”
Jenna turned around to face him as she tried to put her earrings on.
Dave took a sharp breath in and put a hand to his heart. “Stunning—you look absolutely beautiful.” The dress she wore accentuated her long slender neck and hugged her just right around her small waist. The rest of it fell to the ground like a flowing waterfall.
Jenna smiled and adjusted the cap sleeves over her shoulders. “You don’t think it looks too.... hippy-free-love-bohemian-esque?”
“You look like a goddess,” Dave said as he walked to where she stood. He held her by the waist and planted a kiss on her cheek.
“I spoke with Mallory this morning—Mom’s nurse. And she said that they weren’t asked to wear white. So maybe it’s just for the godparents, you think?”
“Maybe.” Dave shrugged his shoulders.
“I feel terrible that I wasn’t able to help Charlotte with any of the preparations.”
“You didn’t know she was doing this, so you can’t feel bad.”
“Anyway, they’ll meet us at the White Willow. Mallory says that Mom is super excited.”
“That’s good to know.” Dave looked at his watch. “We’ve got to get going soon, babe.”
“I’ll be out shortly. Would you mind checking on Rory’s bowtie? I’ve done Macy’s hair, so she just needs to put her white sandals on. It’s by the foot of her bed.”
“Roger that!” Dave disappeared into the hall. He pulled at his collar and let out a breath, as his heart banged wildly against his chest. He slipped his hand into his right pant pocket. The small box he’d kept was still there.
“Daddy, Daddy,” Macy came running into the hall. “We’re going to be late for the wedding!”
“Sssh!” Dave brought a finger to his lips and looked behind him. He ushered Macy back into her room.
Macy covered her mouth to make up for her loud slip. “Oops!”
Dave whispered. “Remember... it’s a secret.”
Chapter 26
When they arrived at the White Willow, Jenna caught a glimpse of white lanterns strung across the garden in the back. “Oooh, everything looks so pretty! Amy and Sam have done an amazing job.”
Dave opened her door and helped her out. The children jumped out of the backseat and ran up to the front door where a blackboard sign stood. It read: Private Function.
“Are you sure it’s okay that I didn’t get to help them with any of the preparations?” Jenna said. Carrying a gift for the babies, she smoothed her dress and
tucked her hair behind her ears.
“Here, let me take that”—Dave took the box from her—“I’m sure everyone understands, honey. You’ve had it pretty busy yourself these past few weeks.”
“Charlotte is my best friend, and I’m going to be godmother to her twins. I should have made time!”
“Well... like I said—we didn’t know they were planning this, so there was no way of offering any help.”
And just then, the front door swung open. Amy stood in a maxi-dress. The soft pink dress highlighted the blush of her cheeks. Its intricately embellished lace bodice shimmered as the light hit it. “Oh Amy, you look beautiful!”
“Me? Look at you!” Amy beamed.
“Why are you in pink? I thought we all had to wear white?” Jenna asked.
“She told us all what colors we had to wear.” Amy waved a hand. “Come in, come in! I’ve got something here that Charlotte wants you to wear.”
As Jenna stepped in, she could hear the chatter coming from the garden out the back. Her eyes widened in horror. “Are we late?”
“Huh?” Amy pulled out an intricately layered gold chain. “No, no... some people have just arrived early. Come here, let me put this on your head.”
“What? Why?”
“Charlotte said you had to wear it.” Amy put the headpiece over Jenna’s head and adjusted the rhinestone drops so that it fell gently along the center of her forehead.
Sam appeared behind Amy. “Good to see you, man.” He pulled Dave into a hug and pinned a white boutonniere on his jacket. Turning to the children, he said, “Go on, kids. Just like we practiced.” And just like that, the children scrambled off towards the garden.
“What practice?” Jenna asked Sam and then looked in the mirror in the hallway and finger-combed her hair.
“You look amazing, Jen,” Sam said.
“Shall we?” Dave asked as he offered his arm to Jenna.
Jenna took his arm and followed Amy as she led them through the French doors and out to the garden.
Jenna took a sharp breath in when she saw everyone—practically the whole town! And they all looked so beautiful. From where she stood, she could see rows of white wooden chairs arranged along each side of a center aisle that was laden with pink and white petals.
Love Me Again Page 10