Page 23 of Accidental Love

“T-the mall in Hill Crest.”

“Jenna, hold on. I will be there in a few minutes.” I instantly knew where she was. I didn’t even shut my office door behind me.

“Please hurry,” she pleaded through the phone softly. I hung up.

“Deborah, tell the members at the meeting I cannot make it. I have a pressing matter I have to attend to. Also, cancel everything else for this afternoon. If people call, answer and tell them I will get in touch with them later,” I briefly told my secretary before going over to the elevator and impatiently pressing the buttons.

Within minutes I was in my car, driving toward Hill Crest Mall. I was going way over the speed limit and weaving in and out of traffic, but I did not care. Jenna needed me, and by God I was going to be there. I tapped my fingers impatiently on my steering wheel when I got stuck at a red light. Once it turned green, I pressed the gas pedal, the car jerking me back in my seat.

Five minutes later I screeched to a stop in front of the mall. I did not know where she was, but it wasn’t that big of a mall. Quickly locking the car, I strode inside through the doors, whipping my head back and forth. Thankfully not a lot of people were here on a Tuesday. As I passed stores, I quickly scanned them. She wouldn’t be inside a store.

Just as I passed the Build-A-Bear Workshop, I heard a small whimper. It was almost not noticeable, but it instantly made me still. Turning, I went back the way I came, following the sound. Glancing in a small corner between two stores, I saw a figure crouched on the ground, her body shaking. Jenna. Not wasting any time, I headed to her and placed a hand on her shoulder.

She instantly flung herself at me, burying herself in my chest. I wrapped my arms around her to keep her up and to press her to me. With my back turned, I was able to shield her from anyone who walked by. As she sobbed into my chest, I gently ran a hand through her hair and kept the other around her waist.

“Everything is okay. I’ve got you,” I whispered softly. I planted a soft kiss on the top of her head. For the next few minutes I kept whispering encouraging words to her, waiting for her to calm down. Ever so slowly she calmed down, only small quakes going through her body. Now she was only hiccupping.

“It is okay, Jenna,” I said soothingly. “Do you want to go home?” I asked quietly. I felt her nod against my chest. I felt a small spot of my shirt sticking to my body from her tears, but I ignored it.

“B-but Sophia, Candy, and Sky are still here.” She hiccupped, tilting her head to look at me.

I brought my hands to her cheeks. With the pads of my thumbs, I started wiping her tears away. I softly rubbed under her eyes, which were slightly smeared with mascara.

“That is okay. Let me have your phone. I will tell them I came to get you and that the driver will be waiting to take them home,” I said, reaching for her phone. Her friends would understand. As I took her phone she buried herself back in my chest, gripping the back of my shirt once more. Finding the contact that was named Candy, I hit “Call”. With my free hand, I rubbed her back soothingly.

“Jenna!” a familiar voice said through the phone.

“Sorry, no, this is Liam. Listen, something happened and I am here to take Jenna home. She is not in the best state right now.”

“What happened?” she demanded.

“I’ll have Jenna tell you later when she can talk. You, Sky, and Sophia keep shopping, and when you are done, the driver will be waiting to take you home. I’ll have Jenna call you later when she is better. Don’t worry.”

Once Candy finally agreed, I hung up and slipped Jenna’s phone into my pocket.

“Baby, let’s get you home,” I said softly. She pulled away from me, but only so we could walk. With my arm around her waist and taking the two bags she had, I led her through the mall and toward the car.

Once I had her buckled in, I started the drive home. I kept glancing over at her, but she only stared out the window blindly. She wasn’t crying anymore, and her nose was slightly red as well as her cheeks. The look on her face made me slightly scared. She looked absolutely crushed.

I wanted to know what her sorry excuse of a mother said to her. If it was anything rude or mean, I would not stop in having a word with her. I did not care if Jenna did not want me to. Her “mother” needed to know that she was not needed or wanted in Jenna’s life. Jenna was fine now without her, and I did not want her coming to screw up whatever I had with her. I also did not want her mother to think she could simply come back into Jenna’s life now, when she had fourteen years to do so.

All that mattered right now was Jenna and how she was taking talking to her mother. Later I would have a little discussion with Karen Brotherson, and trust me, it was not going to go well for her.

***

Once I got Jenna inside, I led her to the couch. She was like a zombie, letting me lead her everywhere. She was here but not really seeing what was going on around her. After making sure she was fine for a minute on the couch, I went to the kitchen and grabbed a glass of water.

“Babe, are you okay?” I asked softly, taking a seat on the coffee table facing her. “Here is some water.” I put it in her hands when she didn’t answer. She was really starting to scare me, but when she brought the glass to her lips I relaxed for a second. A few more minutes were spent in silence before Jenna started to talk.

“I talked to her,” she said, her voice neutral. There was no feeling in it.

“How did it go?” The moment those words left my lips I wanted to slap myself. Of course it didn’t go well. She’d called me, crying.

“She said she was sorry for leaving me.” She turned her green eyes on me. Some say you can see people’s souls through their eyes. Well, Jenna’s green ones showed she was in pain and lifeless at the same time. “She went on about how she would take it back if she could, and when I told her I knew that she left me for a guy she didn’t really deny it.”

“Jenna—”

“She wants to make it up to me and have me meet her other kids, my half siblings. She even gave me a card with her number.” I looked down at her hands and noticed for the first time a white crumpled up piece of paper in her fist.

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