Tough Love

CHAPTER TWO

Both Ash and myself turned, Jenna stood in the doorway, wearing pink flannel pyjamas with clouds and sheep jumping over them, and even though the room was darkened, I could still make out that her eyes were to slits. Her chest rose and fell with each angry breath as her fingers curled to fists as she stood, glaring furiously at her father.

Drifting my gaze back to Ashton, who looked obviously shocked to see his daughter act in such a way, he still managed to keep his calm but there was no missing his authority. "Jenna. Calm down, and go back to your room please."

"No." she shot back as her eyes swelled with tears. "You promised me! You said you didn't want another baby! You can't break promises!"

My heart in the pit of my stomach. Suddenly feeling sick for other reasons. My expression masked hurt, and horror at what she had just claimed. "Is that true?" I couldn't not ask this question. This was news to me.

"Shut up!" Jenna shouted, growing angrier. "I don't want you to have a stupid baby!"

"Jenna." Ashton's voice grew louder, a rare occurrence but it startled both her and myself. "You do not speak to your mother that way. Do you understand me." Calmly taking a breath then asking her, "apologise to Isabelle."

Her brown eyes widened, setting her off more. "She isn't my mother and she never will be. I hate her!" Turning, she ran to her room, yelling once more "I hate her!" before her door slammed, rattling the picture frames on the wall beside her room.

Sitting there, tears burning my eyes with the confession. I knew we were going through a rough patch, but to have pure hatred for me, was humiliating. Here I had been holding onto that small ounce of hope we could repair what we once had, but that had been blown out the door now.

With Jenna sobbing in her room, I remembered why this had happened in the first place. "Did you tell her that?" I asked, my voice barely auditable.

"What?" he stood, looking dazed and confused at what had taken place. "I need to check on her."

"Answer me." I demanded, wiping the tears running down my cheeks with my sleeve.

What made this situation worse, he never answered my question. He walked out of the room, and to hers. He never denied it, and that told me something. I sat, the tears uncontrollable as I silently sat there crying.

I walked into the bedroom after ten minutes of waiting for his return when it became clear he was still in with Jenna. Possibly, trying to earn her forgiveness, or hopefully telling her that she couldn't dictate if we had a baby or not. I just hoped that he wasn't giving in, and making more promises that he wouldn't be able to keep.

The door creaked open slowly as I sat on my side of our bed, staring out the window. I was looking at nothing, mostly my gazed fixed on the street lamp across the road. I was nervous for what was going to come. My stomach uneasy with nerves. We barely fought, and little arguments never escalated to a screaming match. My fingertips grazing over the white cover, feeling the patterned ripples as Ashton closed the bedroom door. I really didn't know what to say to him.

"Jenna has calmed down." He walked around the bed, standing beside me then moving to kneel in front and resting both hands on my thighs with a gentle squeeze. "Are you ok?"

I raised both brows, speaking through tears. "After finding out your daughter hates me, I would say I'm far from being ok."

"She's upset Belle."

The hurt in my voice was evident. "And I'm not?"

"That's not what I said." Sighing heavily, his thumbs stroked over my cotton pyjama shorts. "I know it's not ideal, but maybe we should hold off on any baby talk for a bit longer."