Toddlers Until Teenagers

Chapter 51

       "Oh my god, no way!" I clamp my hand over my mouth, eyes watering as I stare at the man standing at my front door. This can't even be. It's been at least three or four years since I last saw him.

   "Hey, Jenna." He grins as Liane shrinks behind my leg, clutching it with all her might. His eyes twinkle, welcoming and familiar, and his grin stretches across his face as he has his hands shoved in his pant's pockets. He's taller than me by a couple of inches, still. He only has a few wrinkles at the corner of his eyes when he smiles, and his hair is cut shorter, his stubble on his chin fluffier, like a light graze of a beard, but not a beard exactly.

   "Jenna, who's at the door?" Fiona calls, irritated, and stomps over from behind. Her steps stop in a halt, as she breathes a heavy breath from behind me.

   "Won't you invite me in?" He asks, smirking. I quickly nod, ushering him to come inside, as he does. I move out of the way so he can take his brown loafers off. Fiona rapidly regains her composure, as he attempts to talk to her while coming inside, behind me. I lead him to the living room as he sits down, smiling.

   "It's been so long, Ethan. What brings you here now?" Fiona's voice sounds bitter, and I bet she is pretty angry. Ethan is taken aback by her venomous tone. I hear footsteps as Amy comes into the room, and kinda gapes before sitting beside me.

   Ethan sighs. "Fiona. It seems you're not happy to see me here."

   "Well, Ethan, you should expect that after you just ran off and only texted me for about two days until you totally forgot I even existed. Even to Jenna you did the same." Fiona replies, and Amy notices the name. Fiona would never talk about Ethan, but only when we were discussing the worst exes ever, then she brought the name up and a few curse words.

   "I'm sorry, okay? I really am. But I have to explain, first. Don't act like that, Fi." He pleads, and Fiona scowls.

   "You kinda lost the privilege of calling me that." She snaps, and then with that, walks out of the room.

   I sigh sharply before clearing my throat. "Ignore her. She's been moody these days. How are you? Do you have a nice job, now? A better future?" My words also come out sharper than I expected. But that's what he said when he went off to England with only a couple of words for us. Those words probably sting, now.

   He winces, and Amy places a hand in mine, trying to calm me down. Liane hides farther beside me, into the soft and cushioned sofa. "Yes, now I did. I own some of the Ritz Carlton hotels. The co-owner."

    Wow. That actually is a huge accomplishment. "That's nice." I nod. "So, um, this is my close friend, Amy. And you know Liane."

   "Hello, Amy. It's nice to meet you." He has a faint British touch and manner to his accent, while Amy is Australian and she has a similar accent, which is faint, too.

   "Hello, Ethan. Nice to meet you as well." She nods.

    "Oh, and my favorite Liane. I brought presents for all of you, but liane has a special spot in my heart. Come here, darling." Ethan ushers. Liane stays put.

   "Liane, honey, go to uncle Ethan." I tell her softly, and she shakes her head. "Okay, then at least come away from the sofa." So she does.

   "She's grown a lot." He smiles sadly. "I'm really sorry I wasn't here for all those years when she was growing up. I had to leave, and I know I did it in a bad way, but I swear I can explain. A lot has changed. I just want a second chance."

   I run a hand through my hair, as it waves around in all directions. It's cut shorter, to maybe a couple of inches off my shoulders. "I know, but I still need some time to decide. I hope you can give me that. It's just, everyone's hurt by your decisions, and then we lost touch completely. So..I'm really not sure if I can deal with this right now."