Lisa

Jennie was acting distant all day yesterday, and I regret inviting my mother and sister in. It's obvious that Jennie hates being around them, and I want her to feel at home here. I want her to consider my home hers.

I walk into the kitchen to find it empty and sigh. I was hoping that she'd be here, that she'd share a cup of coffee with me, if nothing else. I turn the coffee machine on, hoping she might come down soon, but she doesn't. I stare at the coffee cup that I've been using for years, every memory with Jennie still fresh in my mind. Am I being selfish by pursuing her again? I still remember the way she lost her spirit day by day, the way she'd cry herself to sleep, the way she'd bite down on her lip hard enough to draw blood when Rosé's words wounded her. What am I doing, reminding her of everything she went through?

She's here for her dad. There's a reason I didn't go after her, and there's a reason she hasn't returned in years. Jennie deserves better than me. She deserves to have everything she's ever wanted, and I can't give her that. I can't ask her to live a life where she's forced to endure my family, and I can't abandon them either. She's right. Whatever there is between us is temporary, but is even that asking for too much?

My heart starts to race when I hear sounds coming from the hallway, and I turn, a smile on my face. John walks in, and my smile crumbles.

He looks at me with raised brows and then smiles. "Expecting someone else?"

I look at him through narrowed eyes and then look away. "No. Of course not."

He chuckles as he fills the kettle to make himself a cup of tea. "Jennie is usually already up by now," he says. "I thought she'd be down by now."

I sigh and nod. "Me too," I murmur without thinking.

John grins and crosses his arms over each other. "So, what's going on between you two?"

I shake my head and look down, unable to look him in the eye. This crazy old man would probably gut me if he knew what I did to his daughter just a few nights ago. "Nothing."

He smiles conspiratorially and I tense. "I'm not blind, girl. I was your age once, you know? You're lucky that I like you, because the way you look at my daughter sometimes can only be described as indecent."

My eyes widen and I suppress a smile. "Indecent, huh?" I repeat, shaking my head. I thought I'd been quite sly, but I guess not. Then again, I've never been able to hide my feelings for Jennie.

"So, what's going on? You two dating?"

I run a hand through my hair and look at him, feeling oddly nervous. "Would you be okay with that? She just came out of a relationship, and she's said multiple times that she has no intention of staying here."

John grabs his tea cup and sits down on the chair by the kitchen counter, his expression troubled. "I know my little girl, and I haven't seen her look truly happy in years — not until she came back home. She belongs here, and she's happy here. She's just stuck in the past because she's been running away from it for so long. I thought all she needed was a bit of time. I never expected her to stay in London. She's been running from the pain for so long that she's never had a chance to overcome it."

I sigh and shake my head. "I don't know, John. You should see her when she's around Mom and Rosé. I don't want that for her. Surely you don't either?"

John nods in understanding. "I don't ever want to see my daughter in pain, and it took me years to forgive your mother. But Lisa, I know Helen and Rosé love her. I can see the regret in Rosé's eyes, and the guilt she lives with. Everyone involved has been hurting for too long. Enough is enough."

He pauses and then looks up at me. "You too, Lisa. It's always been obvious to me that you love my daughter. I knew before you even did. I've also always known that she loves you just as much, and she still does. Even now she's happy when she's with you. I can see it in her eyes, in her smile. And you? I've seen you throughout the years. I know you never got over her. How about you two stop being knuckleheads and just choose happiness? It's right there, Lisa."

I smile sadly and inhale deeply. Has he known all along? Is that why he's kept an eye on me throughout the years? "It's not that simple. She won't forgive Mom and Rosé. You weren't there to see her fall apart. I'm grateful you didn't have to see that, but you wouldn't be saying any of this if you did."

John takes a sip of his tea and smiles. "Do you think I'd ever forgive either your mother or sister if I thought they didn't deserve it? My daughter means the world to me, and I'd keep her far away from you and your family if I, for even a single second, thought she'd be mistreated. You'd be stupid to let her go again, Lisa. You're many things, but you're not stupid."

I'm surprised that he seems to want us together, and it revives the hope I struggle to hold on to. Could she and I really make it?

"Do you love her, girl?"

I look into his eyes and nod. "More than life itself."

John nods in satisfaction and smiles. "Then don't let her get away this time. I promise you, she'll forgive your mother and sister. I know my daughter. I know her heart," he says. "And I'd like to think that I know both your mother and sister quite well too. They love her, and if Jennie didn't still love them too, she wouldn't be acting the way she is. She needs time to heal, but she'll get there."

I want to hope so, but hope is in short supply for me these days. "Maybe she will. Maybe she won't. It needs to be up to her. I can't just assume she will, and I need to be okay with it if she doesn't. I'll respect her choices either way."

"But will you? Will you be okay with it if she leaves? I don't want to see either of you unhappy, Lisa. Life is fragile. Trust me, I've learned that the hard way."

He sighs and shakes his head. "You know, I always knew you'd be the one that'd take my daughter away from me. It's why I was so upset when you two finally started dating. I was never worried about any other boys, but you? I knew you'd be the one for her. I knew you'd be the only one she'd love more than she loves me. And she still does, Lisa. She still loves you. So don't fear the future."

John smiles at me reassuringly as he rises from his seat. I'm lost in thought as he puts his cup in the sink and walks away.

His words echo in my head for the rest of the day, and I can't figure out what the right thing to do is. I want her, but more than that, I want her to be happy. If I can't be the one to make her happy, then I need to take a step back. I can't set us on a path to destruction again. I can't be the reason she cries herself to sleep ever again.