Let Me Love You

Chapter 15

Lisa POV 

"Henry! Hey, handsome!" I said, kneeling down to give him a hug. I looked ahead, expecting Rose to come running toward us, with Jenna and Rachel trailing behind.

"Lisaa, you're here!" Rose exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I pulled away from Henry and hugged Rose tightly before standing up to look at both of them. "Yes, surprise, right?" I said, sending a warm smile toward Rachel before turning back to Jenna and giving her a playful glare. "Because I am."

I stood up and greeted Rachel, feeling my heart start to race, as it always did when she was around. "Hey, guys, why don't you show Rachel around while Jenna and I set up the food?"

"But the food is alre—" Jenna began.

"Jenna, we have to set up the food. They must be hungry," I insisted, walking toward the stove and waiting for them to be far enough away so they couldn't hear us.

Once I was sure they were out of earshot, I whispered harshly, "Jenna—"

"Okay, wait, listen. I might have forgotten to mention that I invited her too. Rose wanted to play with Henry," she said, her eyes wide with mischief.

I sighed, my thoughts swirling. What was the problem if she was here? I shouldn't feel this way. It's Jenna's house, and she can invite whoever she wants. Rachel did nothing wrong. It's not her fault if she doesn't feel the same way I do. It's okay. Breathe in, breathe out.

"Okay, no problem. Let's have dinner," I said quietly, attempting to calm myself. I walked into the living room and called out, "Guys, dinner's ready," then returned to my seat without waiting for a reply. Bad move, Lisa.

"Mom, what do we have for dinner?" Rose asked, trying to climb into the high chair.

I stood up and walked toward her, helping her into the chair. "There you go, princess." I glanced back to see Henry waiting for his mom, who was still on a phone call, to help him into his baby chair.

With a smile, I shook my head and picked up Henry before Rachel could. "There you go, handsome."

"Thank you, Lisa," he said softly, looking up at me with those big, innocent eyes.

"No problem," I replied, feeling a sense of warmth as I walked back to my seat.

"So, today on our special menu, we have Chicken Parmesan with Spaghetti and Meatballs. For dessert, we have homemade Oreo cookie cream ice cream," Jenna announced brightly, bringing out a tub of her delicious creation. The kids squealed in excitement, eager to get through dinner so they could have some dessert.

"Jenna, that's a lot of food! You could have called me to help out," Rachel said, finally sitting down beside Henry, opposite me and Rose.

"It wasn't much work, Rach. Just a little here and there, then boom! Dinner's ready." Everyone laughed at the table, including me. The atmosphere was light and filled with a sense of camaraderie that warmed my heart.

As I dug into my chicken parm, savoring the delicious meal, I couldn't help but think about how amazing it tasted. Not going to lie, but this chicken parm is incredible. However, I won't tell Jenna that—it would just boost her ego.

"Jenna, this is delicious! You should be a chef, not a cop," Rachel said with her mouth full. Normally, that sight might look unappealing, but she managed to look cute even while talking with food in her mouth. How does she pull that off?

"Lisa, you're awfully quiet. Is it that good that you just want to focus on eating?" Jenna asked with a teasing smirk.

I shrugged, feigning indifference. "Nah, I've had better, though it's good."