Page 87 of Breaking
Lila turned to Troy, her voice filled with righteous indignation. "You have an obligation, Troy. This is your flesh and blood."
"Lila, I don't know what I have ever done to make you hate me like this," he said, voice tired but resolute. "I really don't. We have grown up together. You were like an annoying little sister to me, just like Eleanor. I don't know when you changed into this person I don't recognise or why. But I need you to leave and never come back."
Lila, still shaking, looked between them, her mask slipping further. "I-I didn't-"
"Lila, as your brother's best friend, listen to me. Get some professional help," Troy said, not even looking at her.
Lila's confidence finally shattered, and her act dropped entirely. Her face contorted in fury as she hissed, "This is not the last of this."
Troy's expression didn't waver. "Yes, it is. I'm going to speak to my lawyer. If you come within a mile of me or Jenna, or try to disrupt our life one more time, I am getting a restraining order."
Lila's jaw clenched, but she said nothing. Instead, she turned sharply on her heel and stormed out, slamming the door behind her.
Silence fell over the room. Jenna exhaled slowly, feeling the weight lift. Troy ran a hand over his face, his entire body sagging.
He moved first, pouring himself a whiskey. Without a word, Jenna took the decanter from his hand and poured one for herself. Their eyes met as they clinked their glasses together.
"It's not my kid, you know," Troy muttered, still shaken.
Jenna replied wryly. "I know. Unless you teleported your sperm into her."Troy let out a low chuckle, shaking his head and Jenna joined in.
The first real laugh between them in what felt like years. The silence that followed wasn't heavy or charged-it was understanding. Jenna set her glass down, watching Troy carefully.
"I think that beautiful bed upstairs is asking to be christened" she asked, her voice soft but sure.
Troy's eyes flickered with surprise, "Jenna, don't say that if you don't mean it. And I really really need you to mean it. I am tired of cold showers "
" Sometimes I can be serious" Jenna smiled playfully. His eyes flashed with something unreadable before he nodded and let her take his hand. This wasn't forgiveness. This wasn't a fix. But it was something. And for now, it was enough.
Chapter 66
The room was quiet except for the soft hum of the night outside. Jenna lay sprawled against Troy, her head tucked against his chest, their bodies tangled in the sheets. Their first joining had been fast and desperate-a rush of need that had left them both breathless. Now, they lay in a cocoon of warmth, the afterglow settling between them like a whispered secret.
Troy ran his fingers through her hair, twisting the golden strands lazily before arranging them over her bare breasts. "Dani's football season starts soon," Jenna murmured. "She's going to be impossible to live with if she doesn't make captain."
Troy hummed, distracted by the pink peeping through the gold.
"And Dylan's stubborn streak is getting worse," Troy muttered. "The other day, he refused to admit he got an equation wrong. Took him an hour to concede. It was uphill."
Jenna chuckled. "I think he came pre-installed with that attitude."
For a moment, she let her thoughts drift. "I wonder where Margaret went. I was expecting her to do a U-turn back once she got her second wind."
Troy smirked, rolling onto his side to face her. "I may have paid for Grant to take her to the Grosvenor overnight and then back to Brighton. I owe him big."
Troy continued tracing the curve of her waist, his touch light but reverent. Jenna had never been shy with him, but as his fingersghosted over the faint stretch marks on her belly, a flicker of self-consciousness made her pull the blanket higher.
"Don't hide from me," Troy murmured, catching the fabric before it could shield her. "You know I love every inch of your body. You are a goddess."
She scoffed, rolling her eyes, but his hands skimmed down her stomach, his touch worshipful. When he bent down, pressing an open-mouthed kiss to her skin, she giggled.
That was all it took. A playful tug-of-war for the blanket ensued, Jenna wrestling to cover herself, Troy determined to keep her bare. They tumbled, laughing, until his mouth caught hers, the kiss shifting from teasing to something deeper, slower.
"I love how soft you are," Troy murmured against her lips.
Jenna arched a brow. "You mean fat?"
Troy groaned. "You have to be crazy to think this body is anything short of perfect."
