A Christmas Baby #Wattys2019

8.

Storm pushes her way into the room and she looks closely at the photos. "You're fucked, Jenna. This photo was taken today at the restaurant." She turns towards me. "Kadence was shopping with her mother and the only person capable of something like this is you."

Jenna's face pales as she realizes the mistake she made with trying to frame me.

I hope tonight's full of lessons for that girl. She deserves what's coming her way. I'm not going to let her become a slippery snake and try to back herself out of trouble.

A smile spreads across my face. "Karma was going to catch up to you someday and I'm glad it did now. I can't wait to see what's going to happen over dinner." Grabbing Mom's hand I walk away with her and we head to the kitchen to where the rest of the family is waiting.

Dad looks at Mom as she enters the room. "Honey, I want you to sit next to me."

Mom drops my hand and smiles at him. "Okay," she walks over to him and he pulls her into his lap.

Dad places his lips on hers and they kiss.

This is the first time since I've been back that Mom and Dad are showing affection to each other and I'm liking it.

Storm, Coden, Gage and Jenna are the last to arrive in the room.

Jenna takes the seat next to dad and he doesn't look too happy.

Once everyone is seated Dad clears his throat. "I'm glad where all together for dinner again. There's a lot I need to apologize for when it comes to my family." Looking into Mom's eyes he says. "I'm sorry for everything I put you through the last couple of years. I believed in lies that were fed to me, by a child that has no good role models in their lives to learn right from wrong. A mother who wanted the child to pretend another man was the father, while the actual father got to run around with his own family. One that doesn't give a shit that they're child is running around with another family, claiming that they're hers." He turns his attention to Jenna and adds. "This is the last family dinner you'll have with us, until you respect my wife and daughter. You've gotten a lot from me over the years and now I left betrayed by my niece."

Tears well in her eyes and she puts on an act. "Are you kicking me out? Where am I supposed to go? I've got no one."

Dad mouths to me. I'm sorry. Before turning his attention back to her. "You're not going anywhere, Jenna. You'll be living in the maid's quarters until I can trust you around my family. Framing my daughter for stalking isn't a good thing to do. Especially, to a guy that's been in love with Kadence since he was sixteen."

Gage opens to his mouth to say something when I cut across him. "I don't want to talk about this. Besides, things can't be fixed with pretty words." Standing up I walk away from the table.

I feel someone following me and turn around, coming face-to-face with Gage. "What do you want?"

He leans against the wall. "I really need to apologize for everything that's happened between you and me because of Jenna. I should have trusted my gut instinct, but the evidence that she provided was enough to make me believe her."

"Leave me alone, Gage. You've hurt me enough tonight and seeing your face right now makes me want to slap you."

"Then do it." He steps closer to me. "It pains me to see you like this." He leans forward, trying to kiss me.

I slap him across the face and the power of the slap turns his face to the side. A red handprint appears on his face. "That's for trying to kiss me." Then I hit his chest, feeling the muscles under his shirt. "This is for believing lies about me."

When I start to feel tired he says. "Are you done?"

"For now." I walk away from him. Turning back around I add. "Don't come near me again, Gage." I don't hear Gage move as I walk away from him.

As soon as I get closer to my room I see Coden by the door. He hesitates before knocking on the door.

"I'm not in my room." He spins around and his eyes land on mine. "Coden, can you please not fight with Gage over this? He's your best friend and I don't want to see your friendship ruined because of this."

Coden walks over to me and pulls me into his arms. "I didn't know this was going to take place. If I did I would have told Gage to come over for the party in a couple of weeks."

Pulling away from him I say. "Its better it happened now. Can you imagine the shit storm that would come from this if it waited until the party?"

Coden runs his hands through his dark hair and starts to pace. "It would have been worse. Jenna would have made sure that the paparazzi saw the room she made and frame you for it. People would see you as a stalker." He stops pacing. "Where is my best friend? I saw him follow you out of the room."

"I left him in the close to Dad's office. Go and check in him. I'm sure he's beating himself up about it."

He looks at me and says. "Are you okay with me checking on him? You're the one I'm worried about."

I smile slightly at him. "I'll be fine, Coden. Talk to him. He needs someone."

"So do you." He mumbles, before walking towards Dad's office.

Walking into my bedroom I walk over to the nightstand and pull the photo album I have lying there onto my lap.

I flip through the pages and see lots of photos of Coden, Gage and I. Growing up we were known as the three musketeers, but as soon as we hit high school Gage and Coden joined the football team and I was forgotten by them both. When school was over it would be the three of us again, but it never really was the same.

By the time I was sixteen I started to develop real feeling towards my brother's best friend and I didn't know how to handle it. So, I kept it to myself. Sometimes, I wrote in a diary about my day and how I felt about Gage.

During ninth grade a page from my diary was printed off and posted around the school.

Gage was embarrassed by it and made me burn the diary after school that day. He told me not to mention that day again.

What he didn't know was that I kept a copy of it on hard drive. That way when I was older I could go through it and remember what it was like to be a teenager.

The door to my bedroom opens and Milan walks into the room. She walks over to the bed and sits next to me. "What are you looking at?"

I show her the album and a smile spreads across her face. "This was always my favorite picture."