An Imperfect Love Story - Book 8

Running

LENA POV

"How  are you doing, my darling? Goodness, I've missed you." Denni says as she  softy pecks my cheek as we have met for our  nightly run.

The day had  been long, VERY, especially with the giant bomb  Stefanie dropped in my  lap that I had no idea what to do about. She was  terrified to tell  Stef, which I got partly, but at the same time I  didn't think Stef  would kill her. If anything she'd just want to know  why. Why she felt  the need to lie all this time and to the point she had  the letters  forged.

That was not  going to be the easiest thing  for her to admit to Stef, and I told her  I'd be there with her  when we  did tell her. Regardless, it was leaving  me to wonder if this little girl  was hiding anything else from Stef,  and that alone was rather scary.

"Better now that I see you." I smile widely at her as she hands me a smoothie. "For you, my love. I thought we could chat a bit and share one before you head home to your little ones."

"I wish they were still little." I smile at the thought. "But thank you for meeting me earlier in the evening. It's the kids' last night so we are gonna make pizzas and watch a movie. They go to their Mom's tomorrow."

"I know that's hard for you, honey. I know you miss them when they leave."

"I do," I say sipping on the delicious strawberry banana smoothie as I pass it to Denni, and she takes a sip herself.

Honestly I want nothing more but to hold her hand right now as we walk, but I refrain as to not cause any attention."They are a lot of fun and even I forget. Sometimes I'm at a loss when they are gone. I mean I appreciate the free time now but, damn, it's still an adjustment."

"Of course it is. You get used to seeing them everyday, take it for granted in some regard, and then things change. It's only natural, darling." She says sweetly as she smiles at me, and she all but takes my breath away as the wind blows softly through her blonde hair as she is wearing sunglasses.

I'm not used to seeing her in casual clothing either as she is wearing jogging shorts and a tank top, and I force myself to keep looking at her beautiful face and not her ass or tits.

"Yeah, I know."

"You know Lena, the time goes fast with our children. Almost like lightening and before we know it they are grown adults, so they say, wanting to assert nothing but their independence and desires for their own lives. From what I gather it was rather a challenge for you when Francesca and Corey were little."

"I mean in some sense, yes it was. Corey was always easy. He was very easy going and listened without giving me much of a hard time, if at all. Frankie was a Daddy's girl. She was very close to Will, and when he, well, when he left it was hard."

"He left?" She asks passing me the smoothie as we continue our walk along the pier as I stop and look out onto the ocean. "I don't mean to pry, sweetheart."

"You aren't." I say looking at her. "Will and I had issues, and I woke up one morning to a note when Corey was a baby, and he left. He didn't leave me penniless, he left himself penniless, but he felt he wasn't a good father and husband. In the last few years he sort of drank, too which made it...rather difficult."

"That's hard, Lena. Especially as a wife and not to mention a mother. I can't even imagine how you felt," she sympathizes as she is the one to take my hand now as I hold it back trying to relax.

"I sort of married two people and sort of gave them the same issue." I laugh.

"I don't follow, sweetheart. What did you give them?" She asks as I now feel her gently squeeze my hand causing me to look at her and I shake my head.