Page 56 of Before We Were Us

I chuckle. “Though I’d love to see that, it’s not worth you getting in trouble for.”

“Why do the awful, terrible, no good people seem to always win?” Jenna leans back in the recliner and slowly begins to rock.

“She hasn’t won yet, but it feels that way for more reasons than one.” I’m still fighting for my freedom from her and every single day I feel like she chips away another piece of the man I used to be.

“I don’t think you should completely write off the idea of Brynn and you.”

“Hey, you two.” Jenna and I look up to find our mother filling the doorway of the bedroom. “We’re setting the table now.”

“We’ll be right there,” I tell her and then look back to Jenna when Mom disappears.

“I’m pretty sure waiting around and hoping is only going to make it worse in the end. I fucked up, shit got messy and she shouldn’t have to deal with it.”

“If she can’t see past all that, then it's her loss.” I hear what she is saying but I’m pretty sure I’m the one that lost here. Jenna stands, right as the front door comes open and Myles steps inside.

“Sorry I’m late, I know.” He holds his hands up in defense. “I had a customer show up late and the woman was a talker. I had to explain every single step in great detail and then, explain it all again in the end.”

“Don’t explain it to us, it's Mom you need to grovel to.” Jenna widens her eyes. “She’s pissed, like raging mad.”

“Seriously?” He glances toward the kitchen and you can see the worry blanket his face. Right then my mother peeks around the corner again.

“You’re just in time.” She smiles and he looks over to Jenna and I.

“Both of you are dicks.”

“I didn’t say shit.” I chuckle as I too stand.

“Exactly, you could have eased my stress, but you sat there enjoying it instead.” Myles starts to walk into the kitchen, with Jenna and I trailing behind him laughing. It feels good to laugh.

thirty-five

. . .

Jensen

“Where are you?” My lawyer barely allows me to say hello before he talks over me. “Are you at your place?”

“On my way to the station.” I turn out of the parking deck of my apartment, and merge into traffic. “Why do you sound like you're out of breath? Wait, do I want to know?”

“The investigator just called.” My heart skips a beat. “Chrissy really screwed up last night. I’m surprised your phone isn’t ringing off the hook by now.”

Just then I see an incoming call from Connor that I choose to let go to voicemail.

I’m assuming whatever my attorney is talking about Connor is at the station and has gotten wind of it already.

“The investigator followed her home from a club around one this morning, she wasn’t alone.”

I fucking hate the idea of anyone in my house but I know it’s been happening behind my back since the moment she moved in.

“They stumbled inside together, did nothing to hide what they chose to do right in front of the picture window. Right there with the lights on, curtain wide open.”

I can go without the details of everything that has and is taking place in my house. “Just tell me the section where it all fell apart,” I rush him along.

“The entire display didn’t go over so well when her on again off again boy toy showed up to find her going at it with the new friend.”

I pull over to the side of the road and grip the steering wheel tight. My mind is racing with all the possibilities.

“There was a fight, it ended up on the front lawn outside, things got crazy fast. A couple neighbors came over to try and stop it and Chrissy went a little wild.”

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