Lisa

I walk into the kitchen at six in the morning, only half surprised to find Jennie standing in front of the coffee machine, dressed in that prissy way she likes nowadays. A tight black skirt that hugs her ass beautifully, and a pink blouse that I'm sure will cup her breasts perfectly. I'm already anticipating her turning around so I can get a better view.

I lean back against the wall and watch her for just a couple of seconds. I barely even recognize her. She doesn't smile the way she used to, and she no longer has that mischievous look in her eyes that I used to love about her. It's like time has chipped away at everything that made her so her. I wonder if she even owns any jeans anymore. I know for a fact that she rarely leaves the house, yet she wears these stuffy clothes and those hot fucking heels every single day.

I push away from the wall and Jennie turns, surprised. Her eyes widen when they land on me and I bite back a smile when her gaze roams over my body, lingering on my abs. She bites down on her lips, and I swallow hard. Looks like she enjoys my fresh from the gym look.

"Morning," I murmur, my voice gravely.

Jennie snaps out of it and looks up at me, her cheeks pink. "Good morning, Lisa," she says, and the tone she uses irritates me. Everything that comes out of her mouth sounds so fucking formal. I look at her with raised brows and walk towards her to grab myself a cup of coffee.

"Where are you going this early in the morning?" I ask her, my eyes running over her body. I fucking knew it. Her breasts look amazing in that blouse. Why the hell is she still this beautiful?

Jennie blinks up at me. "Oh, nowhere. I have no plans. I was thinking of having breakfast with my dad, and then I'll have to see. I thought it might be nice to go into town."

I frown and lean back against the counter as I take a sip of my coffee. "You have zero plans, yet you're dressed like you're going to work. What's up with that?"

Jennie looks away, a flash of annoyance lighting up her eyes. "I can't very well walk around in my pajamas."

I bite down on my lip and her eyes follow my every move. "Hmm, I recall you lounging in my t-shirts all day, back when we lived together. If I recall correctly, you once tried to convince me that bras are torture devices concocted by misogynists." My eyes drop to her breasts and I lick my lips. "Looks like you've had a change of heart, huh? Here you are, definitely wearing a bra, voluntarily. You certainly don't need to on my account."

When my eyes travel back up to hers, she's staring at me wide-eyed. I grin at her and she blinks, her cheeks reddening. "I… that's… what?"

I bite back a smile. "I said you don't need to wear a bra on my account. If anything, I prefer you without the damn things on."

Jennie looks shocked, and I can't help but chuckle. That's more like it. At least that damn prissy expression of hers has cracked. She glares at me and crosses her arms over each other, covering up her breasts.

"What would Layla think if she heard you say that? Do you have no respect for your girlfriend, Lisa?"

I take another sip of my coffee and look at her leisurely. "Why should I care what she thinks? I've only ever had one girlfriend, and it was never her. It never will be, either, and she knows that," I say. I see the surprise in Jennie's eyes and I love it.

"So, like Dad said, you're just shagging her?"

I burst out laughing. "Shagging?" I repeat. "That word sounds ridiculous coming out of those pretty lips of yours."

Jennie looks away, the edges of her lips tipping up just slightly. I push away from the counter and walk up to her, pausing right in front of her. Jennie looks up at me and I place my finger underneath her chin, keeping her eyes on mine.

"Yes, I was fucking Layla. It didn't mean a thing. But you… you're moving in with some guy, aren't you? What's next? You marrying him, Jennie? Are you dreaming of becoming his little wife?"

I lock my jaw in anger at the mere thought of her living with someone else. Does that asshole get to wake up to her? Spend lazy Sundays in bed with her?

"Was?" she repeats. "You were fucking her or you are?"

Out of everything I just said to her, that's what she's focusing on? Interesting. "Does it matter?"

Jennie takes a step away from me and grits her teeth. "No, I guess not. She seemed pretty damn upset to see me yesterday, so if you're still with her, you might want to reassure her or something."

I freeze. "Where did you see her?"

Jennie looks away. "I went in to get my blood tests done. I know Dad won't agree to it easily, but if I can, I'd like to donate my kidney."

My heart fucking drops. She got the blood tests done already? She's only been here for a little over a week. "You can't. I'll find a solution, Jennie. You aren't doing that."

She crosses her arms over each other and stares me down. "It's my choice, and my mind is made up."

"I'm sure Layla will have told you this, but for women the main risks are related to pregnancy. Are you aware that women who get pregnant after donating a kidney have a lower likelihood of full-term deliveries and a higher likelihood of fetal loss? What about those two kids you told me you wanted to have? A boy and a girl, right?"

I still remember her lying in bed with me, dreaming out loud about the children we'd one day have. She told me they'd have my eyes and her nose, and that our son would be a mini me. I remember how fiercely she wanted all of that. I know not every woman wants to have children, but the Jennie I used to know was close to picking their damn names.

She glares at me, a flicker of something dark in her eyes. "Layla told you all that? I'm well aware. Mino is a doctor too, and he ran me through all the risks. I'm fine with it."

She's dating a doctor, huh? Why couldn't he have been some sort of fuck up? Why did it have to be a fucking doctor? I inhale deeply and shake my head.

"No. You aren't doing this. I'm not having you risk your health like that, and neither will your dad. The recovery will be brutal, and the health-related consequences will impact you for the rest of your life. I'll find a black-market donor before I ever let you risk your life."

She looks at me with those stubborn eyes of hers and I almost grin at her. She's still got that spark. She just keeps it hidden.

"You're crazy if you think you can tell me what to do. There's nothing I won't do to save my father's life. He would've done the same for me," she says, pushing past me.

She slams the kitchen door behind her, and I sigh. There's no way I'm going to get her to change her mind. If nothing else, I need to keep her from getting her hands on those blood tests. For now, at least.