Curveball

Chapter 22

Shawn pulls up after school and sees her sitting on a bench, waiting for her dad. "Hey baby girl," he smiles.

She waves and climbs in, buckling in. "Daddy...did you make Miss. Jenna mad? Were you mean to her?" she starts giving her father the third degree.

Shawn chuckles. "No, I didn't make her mad. Why?"

"She seemed sad. We made her a card to make her happy, but it didn't work. She's more fun when she's happy."

"I'll talk to her about it okay?"

"Can I bring her a flower tomorrow?"

"Sure babe. Well steal one from Grandma's garden," Shawn winks at her.

"One of the pink ones. I think her favorite color is pink," Cora says, Shawn knowing that's not true. Jenna's favorite color is yellow.

"What about a tulip?" Shawn suggests.

"A pink one...Gramma has lots!

"There aren't pink tulips there sis."

"Gramma has all kinds of tulips. You'll see," she says looking out the window, getting out when they get back to his mom's house. "Grammmmaaaa," Cora runs in looking around for her.

"Hey momma," Shawn says walking in, kissing her cheek before walking to the kitchen to retrieve a bottle of water.

"I saw the headline..." his mom says leaning against the doorframe. The headline talks about Shawn and Jenna.

"Yeah? What about it?"

"She lives here all the time and had to come back and get out of the 'Shawn's girlfriend' title. It took her a long time. I know you love her, but please..." his mom says taking a deep breath, "think of you and your daughter first before Jenna this time," she looks at him, her knowing Shawn had always put Jenna before him, from the time they were four and the pair found one blueberry on the bush and Shawn let Jenna have it.

Shawn sighs running a hand through his hair. "This whole situation just sucks."

"It does, and I'm sorry for that, but you knew she was here when..." his mom stops talking and looks at him. "Did you come back here for her?"

Shawn looks at his mom. "Seventy-five percent of it was for Cora. Twenty-Five percent was yes for Jenna."

His mom smiles. "When you told me when you were seven that you were going to marry her, I believed you."

Shawn smiles too. "Yeah well, I might have been stupid about a lot of things, but I've always been certain about her."

"I know sweetheart," his mom says, walking into the living room and then coming back, putting a box in front of him. "That's why I didn't give you this when you married Janelle."

"What is this?" he asks.

"Open it," his mom smiles.

Shawn opens the box seeing an antique wedding band set in it-an engagement ring and the his and her band. All three have the traditional German oak leaf engravings, and the engagement ring has a small but perfectly tinted and shaped diamond. The two wedding bands match identically, but the women's is smaller and thinner.

"These were the only things your Grandmother kept when moving here. She wanted me to give them to you for your wife," his mom looks at him. "I know you married Janelle, and she's sweet, and Cora is perfect, but I didn't think you'd want her to have them."