The Beginning of the End - Jenlisa

Chapter Twelve

But I was completely in the dark when it came to knowing how to deal with this.

I wanted Riley to be happier than I wanted anything else in the entire world, but if that meant being away from him...

"No." I whispered to myself as I brought my knees up to my chest and drove my hands forcefully through my hair. Tears filled my eyes. "You wouldn't do this to me. You wouldn't. You couldn't."

The problem was... I had trusted Lisa once. And she had let me down.

I pushed that thought away as soon as it came. I would not blame Lisa for what had happened between us. I would not blame her for our failed marriage. I simply refused to. Lisa wasn't the only one at fault, and thinking like that was selfish and irrational. I have spent many restless nights over the past six years trying to come up with a proper explanation for this situation. I have been unable to.

And that was the exact reason why I couldn't blame Lisa.

What I needed to do was to trust her. There was no other way.

∞

The moment we stepped over the threshold, Riley was no longer by my side.

"NINI!" I heard him shout, his little footsteps thundering out of the room.

I took longer in entering, but rounded the corner in time to see my son leaping into his NINI's arms. Jennie caught him easily, hugging him tightly as his own little arms came to wrap around her neck. Jennie showed her very heartwarming gummy smile, kissed his small puffy cheek, before resting her head against him and closing her catlike eyes.

"God, I'm not used to being away from you. "Jennie said.

Riley laughed, pulling back to see Jennie's face. "Nah~, me neither."

"Then I guess it's a good thing that I kept my promise." I, who had been watching them exchange quietly from where I leaned against the wall, said, bringing their attention upon me.

"Good for you, yes." Jennie answered. She shifted the boy into her arms, but refused to put him down.

Riley grinned at me from where he had tucked his head below Jennie's chin.

I smiled. "You had fun?" I asked.

The handsome boy laughed, exclaiming, "Yeah!"

Jennie kissed the top of his head to hide her gummy smile, bending her head slightly to talk to Riley. "Why don't you go upstairs?" Jennie suggested placing another kiss on his small, puffy cheek.

"Sure." Riley agreed.

Jennie lowered him to the floor. Her smile was obvious as she watched him bound up the stairs, taking two at a time. Then she turned to me, hands stuck in the back pockets of her skinny jeans, khaki hair falling over her slender shoulders in soft waves, brown catlike eyes staring directly into me.

"Thank you." Jennie told me, genuinely. "For taking care of him."

I smiled idiotically, shaking my head. "No. Thank you, for letting me spend time with him."

"I told you once, Lisa. I won't keep him away from you."

"I don't want you away from me, either." I confessed. "I know that... you don't want to be around me. I know, and I understand. But the thing is... Riley missed you these days. And I –"

"It would be better for him if we were both there." Jennie completed.

I nodded. "We can't be two separate persons. Not when it comes to him."

"I know. I got that. And for Riley..." Jennie shook her head. "Lisa, I would do anything for Riley."

I grinned again. "Then I guess we're on the same page." I said. Pulling the key card that the boy had given me mere minutes before pulling it out of my pocket, I attempted to hand it over.

But Jennie shook her head. "Keep it." She said. "I have a feeling you'll be around for a long time."