A Friendship Lost

24 - Step One

Ben's POV

„Sera, Violet, Sam! Could you come to the living room, please?", I yell outside, they're in the garden. First comes Sam, then Sera, then Violet.

„What's up, dad?", Violet asks.
„Sit please.", I ask them and point to the couch.
„Okay?", Sera raises a brow, all three of them sit down as I asked them to.

I sit on the coffee table in front of them and smile.

„So I.. okay, I just put it out there, alright?"
They nod.

„I met someone. She's kind and funny and she means a lot to me. Her name is Jennifer. I'd like you to meet her.", I smile nervously.

„I knew it.", Sera says and smiles, leaning over to Violet. She's not even trying to keep it down.

Violet grins.

„Knew what?", I ask and frown.

„Dad, come on. I've never seen you smile that much and sometimes you're acting really weird.", Sera chuckles.
„Really?", I ask and chuckle too.
„Really.", she replies.

„How do you know each other?", Violet asks.
„Actually... we know reach other for a long time. She was my girlfriend many years ago, before you were born."

Violet narrows her brows and and looks up as if she's thinking.
„Her name's Jennifer?", she asks.
„Right."

She inhaltes audibly and grabs Sera's arm, who's immediately complaining with an „ouch!".

„Jennifer Lopez??", she asks with big eyes.
I laugh. „How do you know?"

„Uhm, I don't live behind the moon, dad!", she says, almost sounding offened. „Oh my god.", she continues.

I look at Sam who kept quiet the whole time.

„Are you good, buddy?", I ask him.
„Yeah.", he smiles. „Does she have kids too?"
„She does. She has twins, Max and Cy. They're fourteen."

Sam smiles.

„So what do you guys say? Are you ready to meet her?"

They all nod and smile, and they look so cute doing so.

Jennifer's POV

We've set a date so that I could meet his kids and I'm nervous. I'm good with kids, always have been, but it's so important to me that they like me.

Before I left to see Ben this afternoon, I spoke with Cy and Max and told them about Ben.

„Is he a good man?", Max had asked and I think it's pretty cute.
„He's a very good man, papi.", I smiled at him and pressed his hand.
„How do you know him?", Cy had asked.
„We we're a couple before I met your dad."
„Really?", Cy had asked.
„Mh-hm.", I nodded.
„What happend?", Max had asked.
That's a tough question.
„Mh... We were engaged. You know how crazy the media gets with me, right?"

They nodded.
„And they got really crazy about me and Ben. And it was overwhelming and hard to handle, since we we're pretty young and... We didn't get along as well with it.. and with each other because of everything.", I told them as best as I could.
Cy pouted. „I'm sorry that happened, momma."
„It's okay baby. I'd love you to meet him... What do you think?"

„Okay.", Cy said.
Max sighed a little.
„What's up, papa?", I asked him.
He shrugged his shoulders.
„Nothing."
„Look, I know it's not easy for you. He's very good to me. I'm very happy with him."
He rolled his eyes a little. Max had always been very protective of me.