The Billionaire's One

42. Journal Entry Six of Growing

Jenna took is surprisingly well.

I know that Aura and I are in for about a million-and-one horse jokes, but all things considered, it's worth it, Dad.

I think I can weather any of my sister's jokes for Aura.

She sent me to my room with an apple.

I wonder if she got that from Aura because she's never done that before.

I keep running it over an over in my head that soon enough, we'll be telling other people about it, too.

A part of me wants to rent a megaphone and just climb to the roof and tell anyone who is willing to listen, but I think I'll go with Aura on this one.

She wants to tell her sister and her parents before anything.

I'm sure you're wondering what we're going to do when she goes back home – how we're going to handle all of this across oceans.

We've agreed to discuss that soon.

Maybe today.

I do have a different plan for today, though.

A plan I can put into action is Jenna ever relinquishes Aura.

Speak of the Devil.

She just barged into my room.

One knock and she bust through the door.

Closing it behind her, she came over and sat down in front of me.

From her face, it was clear she meant business.

I closed my journal and waited for her to say something.

"We've talked about this before, Isa and I," she began, "That Aura's last boyfriend was not in any way good enough for her. Sure, he wasn't even close to being the scum-bag that Isa's was, but he still wasn't nice. He didn't do anything nice for her. Sometimes, when she would have had enough, she would ask him, to please, please do something for her. His excuse always was that he had no idea what to do. He had no idea what she meant. Never gave her a flower, never opened a door for her. Some things never bothered her because she's independent, but Eli, she's the most romantic person that I've ever met. I've seen her hurt a thousand times over because he wouldn't give her his time, or do anything even half as nice for her as she did for him."

Jenna was frowning at me at this point.

I, on the other hand, was hurting.

I wanted to tell Jenna to stop talking so that I could start to make up for everything that he hadn't done for her.

"He had all the money to do things he wanted, but never had money to do something nice for her. She used to do nice things for him and he would say bullshit like 'now, I have to do something for you'. Like it was a bad thing. At a point, all she asked for was time and he wouldn't try, even then. He stopped trying. He stopped putting effort. She tried to get him to talk. He wouldn't talk. She would ask him to do something. He would break his word. He wouldn't keep his promises. She kept every single word she had given him, but he kept letting her down. She would cry alone in her room and still convince herself that he loved her because of the occasional nice things he did and said. Until, finally, she had enough. She gave up. She stopped caring. She moved on long before they broke up. Every day, time after time, he broke her heart, again and again."

Jenna pointed at me.

"She's too good to have her heart broken by someone she loves. If you even think of breaking my friend's heart, I will break your face, and skeletal structures."

I put my hand out and lowered the finger that Jenna had raised at me.

"I don't want to break her heart, Jen. I think you know that."

"Just consider this a credible threat. Isa and I will rain terror down on you."

"I know."

She sighed. "This doesn't mean that I want you to go and try to make up for things that some random ass dude didn't do. Just be good to her. She deserves someone who will be good to her."

My sister is a strange person, Dad.

This is how she cares for the people she loves.

Through threats of violence to other people.

But I know she cares for Aura.

I know, because I know that she's not joking.

"I give you my word that I will do nothing less than the best of my abilities for her."

Jenna stared me down a while longer before she nodded.

"Alright. Good. Because she deserves some good from you after she put enough life back into you to want to play the piano."