An Imperfect Love Story - Book 8

Friday Night with Mama

LENA POV

Lunch with Stef didn't go as I had planned in my head. I thought that I'd be helping her as a friend, and now all I feel is deep, deep pain from having hurt her even more. Is it true that I would have eventually chosen Denni if I had dated them both? Maybe so because I feel nothing but relief at having ended things with Stef almost a year ago, and I still feel that way considering everything became like pulling teeth with her. We both had things to iron out, and it still feels that way.

It doesn't help with how I'm feeling right now as I have spent the last several hours crying and thinking as I had removed my sandals and walked in the sand and allowed the waves to wash over my bare feet. I now have managed to walk back to my car, and as I pull out of my parking space, I decide to head to the gallery and see if Denni was still in her office.

Thankfully, I know that Michelle won't be in, and if I'm lucky, Denni will be the only one in today. I feel as if I really need to finish telling her things about me before she finds out from someone else. I have a lot of reservations in regards to it, but if we are really going to date and become serious, I can't hide things from her, no matter how hard they are.

I quickly park and head inside as the gallery is very quiet. It seems as if no one is even here, but if I hadn't seen Denni's car, I'd have thought no one was as I quietly walk up to the second floor to where her office is. Seeing her through her slightly ajar door, I see she has on her readers and is typing as I knock softly and she looks over seeing me.

She removes her glasses now as she smiles. "Come in, sweetheart. You're not out enjoying your day off?"

I walk into her office and sit across from her now. "I did. I was. I met Stef for lunch at Round Rock. I extended the invitation for her to have dinner with me and you as well as Mike like you and I discussed the other day."

"How did that go? Did she agree to meet?" She folds her hands now as she looks at me softly.

I nod as I bite my bottom lip. "She did. I'll call Mike later on, but um, I came here because I...I wanted to talk to you, and I don't want to wait any longer. But it's...it's hard for me to say. I don't know where to begin, and I know you're working. Shit, why did I come in here when you're working?" I stand to my feet now as she quickly gets up and walks around her desk as she gently grabs my arm.

"I'm done anyway, Lena. Come on. Let's go to my place," she says so softly as she searches my eyes, and I feel so nervous I don't know what to do. This is so much harder than I thought it would be as I shake my head.

"I probably better not. You might break up with me anyway, Denni," I say as my voice shakes, and she looks at me with a worried expression. "Are we the only ones here?" I ask as I blink back tears and she nods as she pulls me over to the small couch, and she looks at me intensely.

"We are alone, and whatever you have to say, say it, Lena Adams. I prefer honesty than half truths, and whatever it is you think is so terrible, I promise you we will work through it."

I nod as I play with my fingers now as I sniffle. "I've been crying for a couple of hours. I had a hard talk with Stef where she doesn't understand how you and I are moving so damn fast, honestly, I don't feel we are. But that's beside the point. The point is, Denni...I just think that maybe I should have told you this way before asking you to be my girlfriend because it's not good. It's just not. Remember how I said I stopped going to my job at the high school?"

She nods now as she turns her body to look at me intensely, her arm resting on the back of the small couch as she leans her face on her hand. "Yes. I remember. But go on."

"It's true. I did stop going. I showed up here and there, but I never got over Will's death if I'm honest, and when I found out he had a son, our little Jude, I was in so much shock. He had him with his friend from before he moved to Maine. Ummm, she was a drug addict, and all of that was a mess. Stef and I went to Philly to talk to his grandmother, and in the process of that, I found out that he also had a brother! I was in so much shock, I began to feel as if my entire marriage was a lie. I felt betrayed, and well, I hurt like hell considering he's not here to explain anything. Nothing, Denni. I spiraled very fast, and by the time we were back here in Cali, I was in bed in a very deep depression."