pushing hard. I've never told anyone this, but my mother threatened to cut me off from contact if I didn't drop you and date Nick, even though I'd told her time and again that I didn't think I could ever really love Nick," she said.
Kyle stood there fuming inside. He'd despised her mother, but had never said so. Her father wasn't great either, but mainly because he went along with her mother. She was a force to be reckoned with and few people crossed her.
"After awhile apart, I realized that the only way to protect you would be to do as she asked. If you and I had gotten married, she would have made your life miserable, and I couldn't do that to you."
"You know I would have done anything for you, Jenna. Even if it meant being around the wrath of your mother."
"I know, but I couldn't allow it. I wasn't going to watch her degrade you for years on end. She thought you'd never go anywhere just because you were raised by a single mother. Your outgoing personality scared her," Jenna said smiling half heartedly. "When I think back now on all those years we lost and how weak I was, it makes me sick. But it is what it is, and I can't change any of it now."
"No, we can't go back again. What's done is done, but I've always wondered," Kyle said taking in a deep breath of the briny sea air. "Well, I should show you to your room."
"Kyle?" Jenna said as he started to walk toward the house.
"Yeah?" he said turning around.
"I'm so sorry I hurt you."
"I know," he said with a smile as he turned and continued to walk.
***
Jenna and Kyle carted several boxes up to her room. As she unpacked a few of them into the dressers and closets, she looked out the window at the ocean and marveled at how some things never change. The sea never changes, and the feeling of something constant was what she needed. Stability.
With all her parents' efforts to make sure she was stable, they had failed. Now, she was as unstable as she'd ever been. Single motherhood. The one thing that her own mother was so critical about in Kyle's mother, and here she was in the same situation.
"Everything look okay?" Kyle asked standing in the doorway.
"Yeah."
"You alright?"
"I will be," she said with a smile as she returned her gaze to the ocean.
"Can I help?" he asked, obviously worried about her. He walked up behind her, and the scent of his cologne immediately carried her back to their days as a couple.
"No one can really help, Kyle. I was just thinking about the irony."
"Of what?"
"My mother didn't want me to date you, and one of the reasons was that your mom was a single mother. Now, here I am - a single mother. I bet she is rolling over in her grave." She chuckled softly, but it wasn't funny at all.
"Jenna, your mother loved you in her own weird way. She thought she knew best, but she didn't. Even parents make mistakes."
"I know. I just wish..."
"Don't do that. Some things can never be changed."
He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, a gesture that both shocked and comforted her. She wanted to turn around and fall into his embrace and erase all the years that had pulled them apart. Instead, she stood still, careful not to scare him away. He was like a timid dog that had been kicked by its owner, and she knew that coming on too strong would be a sure recipe for disaster.
"What time is it?" she finally asked after a few moments.
"It's eleven o'clock," he said looking at his watch.
"Oh, crap!" she said as she started scurrying around looking for her keys.
"What's wrong?" he asked following her as she ran down the stairs.
"I'm supposed to go see my Dad and have lunch with him," she said as she grabbed her purse and opened the front door.
"Mind if I tag along?" Kyle asked which stopped Jenna in her tracks on the sidewalk.
"You want to see my Dad?" she asked with her mouth gaping open.
"I actually liked your Dad... a little bit anyway," he said with a smile that made her insides melt.
Kyle stood there fuming inside. He'd despised her mother, but had never said so. Her father wasn't great either, but mainly because he went along with her mother. She was a force to be reckoned with and few people crossed her.
"After awhile apart, I realized that the only way to protect you would be to do as she asked. If you and I had gotten married, she would have made your life miserable, and I couldn't do that to you."
"You know I would have done anything for you, Jenna. Even if it meant being around the wrath of your mother."
"I know, but I couldn't allow it. I wasn't going to watch her degrade you for years on end. She thought you'd never go anywhere just because you were raised by a single mother. Your outgoing personality scared her," Jenna said smiling half heartedly. "When I think back now on all those years we lost and how weak I was, it makes me sick. But it is what it is, and I can't change any of it now."
"No, we can't go back again. What's done is done, but I've always wondered," Kyle said taking in a deep breath of the briny sea air. "Well, I should show you to your room."
"Kyle?" Jenna said as he started to walk toward the house.
"Yeah?" he said turning around.
"I'm so sorry I hurt you."
"I know," he said with a smile as he turned and continued to walk.
***
Jenna and Kyle carted several boxes up to her room. As she unpacked a few of them into the dressers and closets, she looked out the window at the ocean and marveled at how some things never change. The sea never changes, and the feeling of something constant was what she needed. Stability.
With all her parents' efforts to make sure she was stable, they had failed. Now, she was as unstable as she'd ever been. Single motherhood. The one thing that her own mother was so critical about in Kyle's mother, and here she was in the same situation.
"Everything look okay?" Kyle asked standing in the doorway.
"Yeah."
"You alright?"
"I will be," she said with a smile as she returned her gaze to the ocean.
"Can I help?" he asked, obviously worried about her. He walked up behind her, and the scent of his cologne immediately carried her back to their days as a couple.
"No one can really help, Kyle. I was just thinking about the irony."
"Of what?"
"My mother didn't want me to date you, and one of the reasons was that your mom was a single mother. Now, here I am - a single mother. I bet she is rolling over in her grave." She chuckled softly, but it wasn't funny at all.
"Jenna, your mother loved you in her own weird way. She thought she knew best, but she didn't. Even parents make mistakes."
"I know. I just wish..."
"Don't do that. Some things can never be changed."
He put his hands on her shoulders and kissed the top of her head, a gesture that both shocked and comforted her. She wanted to turn around and fall into his embrace and erase all the years that had pulled them apart. Instead, she stood still, careful not to scare him away. He was like a timid dog that had been kicked by its owner, and she knew that coming on too strong would be a sure recipe for disaster.
"What time is it?" she finally asked after a few moments.
"It's eleven o'clock," he said looking at his watch.
"Oh, crap!" she said as she started scurrying around looking for her keys.
"What's wrong?" he asked following her as she ran down the stairs.
"I'm supposed to go see my Dad and have lunch with him," she said as she grabbed her purse and opened the front door.
"Mind if I tag along?" Kyle asked which stopped Jenna in her tracks on the sidewalk.
"You want to see my Dad?" she asked with her mouth gaping open.
"I actually liked your Dad... a little bit anyway," he said with a smile that made her insides melt.
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