WIDOWer

CHAPTER 14

It is a little after nine AM when Doug wraps his arm protectively around Jennifer as they lie cuddled up in his bed, memories of her tending to Dillon’s every need haunting his early morning thoughts. Before he realizes it, Jennifer wakes up and heads into the bathroom.

Her alarm goes off as she’s coming back into the room

“Do you have somewhere to be?” he asks when he realizes she isn’t getting back in bed

Narrowing her eyes at him Jennifer responds softly

“No, I don’t”

After turning off the alarm, she stands next to the bed then asks

“Do you have something you wanna say?”

“You heading back to ya boy?”

“You jealous?” she asks with a raised eyebrow

“H*ll no! Of what?”

“Of Dillon” she laughs grabbing her clothes

“You mean your pet” he replies

As Jennifer gets dressed, she says

“We’ve been playing this game for years now. Why is it so hard for you to admit you have feelings for me?”

Pulling the cover back, Doug whispers

“That’s not what’s hard!”

Jen just stands shaking her head then leaves the bedroom. After a minute, Doug gets up and follows her into the living room

“You said you didn’t have anywhere to be, so where you going?” he asks

“I’m going home. You play too much!” she responds after a beat

“Hey” he murmurs

Taking her hand, he gently tilts her chin, so she meets his gaze then says

“You know I care about you, or we wouldn’t be here.”

Leaning down, he gives her a quick kiss but surprisingly, she pulls away

“That’s not enough and I’m tired of playing whatever game this is.”

Stepping back Doug doesn’t respond, instead, he raises an eyebrow waiting for her to continue

“You have the nerve to get jealous when I show anyone a fraction of attention, but all you can say is that you care about me”

“I don’t know what you want me to say, I’ve been the same person since day one.”

Jennifer looks up at him as emotions start to overwhelm her and she whispers

“That’s the problem, it’s been four years D!”

“I gotta go” she adds after giving him a quick kiss on the cheek

“Jen!” Doug calls out, but without a second glance, she closes the door behind her

Warren has packed he and Julie’s bags and is putting them in the trunk when Bria gets into the passenger seat without a word. Not having said anything since snatching her phone from Warren and leaving the kitchen, he can tell she isn’t happy with how the phone call with Grace ended.

Unsure what the next few days hold in store for them and with Christmas only days away, Warren goes back into his office. Reaching into his pocket, he pulls out the ring box with the engagement ring in it, after locking it in his office drawer, he locks up the rest of the house and heads to the car, mentally preparing himself for the impending argument that awaits him.

To Warren’s surprise, he is greeted by a cold dead silence when he gets into the car. After glancing at Bria briefly, he turns on the ignition and backs out of the garage. When the garage closes, he puts the car in park then whispers

“Isolating yourself isn’t always the solution!”

They say if looks could kill, and they had perfectly described the murderous look in Bria’s eyes when she finally turns to glare at him.

“There are plenty of people in my life that have known me far longer than you have, and I rarely take their advice into consideration. So, tell me how you, having known me for less than a year, suddenly know exactly what’s best for me?” Bria states all too serious

“Wanting what’s best for you and our daughter isn’t the same as knowing what’s best for you!”

“And I never claimed to” Warren adds

“It’s a few days before Christmas and you’ve had a lot going on. I know you well enough to know that you want nothing more than to go home, crawl into bed and not answer your phone or door for a few days. But despite everything, there are people that love you and want to spend this time with you.”

“Julie included!” he adds softly

Bria narrows her eyes at Warren then, not responding, she turns to look out the window.

Once they arrive at Bria’s house Warren asks

“Isn’t that Sue’s car?”

“Yeah” Bria breathes reaching for the door

“Hey!” Warren states touching her arm

“We don’t have to go to your parents if you don’t want to.”

“Oh, we’re going!”

“But just know that however it goes, it’s your fault!” Bria states then climbs out of the car

Warren sits, checking emails and just as he’s about to send Doug a text, his phone rings

“What up Bro, I was just about to shoot you a text”

“I bet, what’s up with you? How’s ya girl?”

Warren laughs then says

“She’s good.”

“How’s Jen?” he asks sarcastically

“I don’t know, she stormed out about an hour ago” Doug responds

“Let me guess, she had to get back to Dillon” Warren chuckles

“Bro, that sh*t ain’t funny”

“Nawl, it’s hilarious. D you in love, bruh!”

“Tell me what you was bout to text me so I can hang up on yo *ss”

“I’m going to get Jewels and were going to Bria’s parents for the weekend.”

“Keep me posted on that and put eyes on him when it’s over.” He adds

“Yeah whatever!” Doug responds then the line goes dead

Almost thirty minutes go by, and Bria still hasn’t come back outside, so Warren gets out and heads inside. The front door is closed so he rings the doorbell, when he doesn’t get a response, he opens the door that’s been left unlocked.

Inside, he finds Bria sitting down on her bed. Leaning against the doorframe, Warren just stands watching her until finally she looks up and through tears she mutters

“I’m sorry I dragged you, Julie and this little one into all this.”

Gently placing her hand on her belly, she turns and stares back down at the floor

“You don’t deserve this” she adds softly

Not responding or moving, Warren just continues to stand there, his attention focused on her. The silence is interrupted by Warren’s phone, glancing at the screen, he sees that it’s Julie again

“Hey Jewels” he says answering the call

“Hey Daddy, where are you?”

“I’m leaving in a few minutes. What’s wrong?” he asks

“Nothing, I just miss you guys and I wanna come home”

“I’ll be there in a few hours, go spend some time with your grandparents. I gotta go”

When he ends the call, Bria stands up wiping her tears, she turns to Warren then says

“I’m sorry for holding you up. You should go”

“You mean we should go” he replies

“No, I mean you.”

“I don’t think…” Bria begins but before she can finish, Warren walks over and holds a finger up to her lips

“You are not perfect. You have done some things I don’t completely agree with. You are undoubtedly the most stubborn woman I have ever met…”

“You can stop!” she whispers shaking her head

Warren grabs her arm as she turns to walk away and says

“Knowing everything I just said, I still love you. And in case you haven’t figured it out by now, I’m not going anywhere.”

With a raised eyebrow, he adds

“If you want to call it quits, then just say that. But stop trying to give me an out, I’m not interested!”

They stand there for a few moments searching each other’s eyes, Bria trying to figure out how exactly he’d managed to look past all her countless flaws and still be able to say he loved her. And Warren willing her to comprehend the fact that he truly loves her, the woman she is faults and all. As much as Bria wanted to stay in that moment and share an uncomfortably transparent conversation, she remembered that they had a long day of driving ahead and that Julie was waiting for them.

“Can you grab my bag please?” Bria asks then walks into the living room

“You bet” Warren states

Warren grabs her bag from the bed then following her he says

“Before we leave, there is one more thing I wanted to say.”

“I’m sorry about last night. I meant what I said about us never having to talk about anything you don’t want to, but I wanted you to know that I knew” he adds silently praying she doesn’t make him spell out what he’s referring to

Bria grabs two bottles of water from the fridge then standing at the counter she says

“What you said is true and I’m sorry for lying to you. I had no idea we’d…”

“I get it” he acknowledges cutting her off

“Are we good?” he asks

Bria stands searching his eyes then says

“Yes, we’re good!”

“But after the new year, I wanna go to the gun range!”

Warren laughs then opening the front door he says

“Keep it up and I’m gonna ship you off to Saskatchewan for real”

“I’m serious” she responds as they walk to the car

“So am I”

“Who’s car was Sue driving?” Warren asks

“I don’t know, she probably rented one”

Warren puts her bag in the trunk and when they get in the car he asks

“What did you get your parents for Christmas?”

Bria rolls her eyes then answers

“A bun in the oven”

“What did you get Julie?”

“She’s really into nail… polish and these… little… sticker… nail things” Warren replies unsure exactly what he’s talking about

“You mean press on nails?” Bria laughs

“Yeah, you know what I mean. I got her a huge kit and table for that and some painting supplies.”

“I got her a gift certificate to the spa and some canvases cause I knew you’d get painting supplies but no canvases” Bria announces

“What did you get me?” Warren asks

“You got a bun in the oven too” she smirks

“I’ll take it!” he laughs

“You better!” she giggles

Warren takes Bria’s hand and whispers

“It’s ok not to be ok over what’s going on with you and Sue. I’m here and I got you”

“Thank you for that!” she replies

Marcus walks into Doug’s house and finds him laying down on the couch watching sports center.

“Surprise seeing you again so soon, with everything going on” Doug says when he sees him

“I wouldn’t be if it wasn’t important. This robbery case I caught last night turned into a homicide, so I been tracking down leads since three AM” Marcus states

“The detectives working Dillon’s case will be revisiting the lounge today, so make sure everything is situated.”

“Done!” Doug responds

“I think Brooke invited Lexi to the lounge tonight. You hanging’ or you bringing Jen?” Marcus asks

Considering Jennifer’s tantrum earlier, Doug was grateful for a distraction.

“Yeah, I’ll save us a VIP table, just let me know what time y’all coming through”

“Warren went to pick up Julie and they heading to Bria’s people” Doug adds

After everything Warren had told him about Bria and now after the accident, Marcus was glad to hear they’d left town for the weekend.

“Where…” he begins but already knowing his next question, Doug says

“Jacksonville”

Glancing around the house, Marcus walks back towards the door and says

“You need to call Ma and have her send some girls over to clean up.”

“You right about that!” Doug laughs

“When you leave, to clean, you freak!” Marcus responds quickly

“Whatever!”

“Call her and set it up for me” Doug adds getting up from the couch

“Nope! She just told me the other day, that you ain’t been by the office to see her” Marcus replies grabbing the doorknob

“I’ll drop by on my way to the lounge” he says walking into his bedroom to grab a quick shower and get dressed

“Later D, I’m out!” Marcus states then closes the door behind him

Doug’s phone rings, glancing at the screen, he sees Lexi’s face pop up on the screen. Deciding, he’ll just call her back after his shower he lets it ring. While he’s standing in the shower, Jennifer’s words from earlier echo in his head.

“That’s not enough and I’m tired of playing whatever game this is.”

“You have the nerve to get jealous when I show anyone a fraction of attention,

but all you can say is that you care about me”

“That’s the problem, it’s been four years D!”

Annoyed by his unsolicited feelings for Jennifer, Doug proposes in his mind that he needs to take a break and not see her for a while.

Doug met Jennifer at one of his clubs in Atlanta a few years back, after hooking up that night, Jennifer didn’t think she’d see him again. They didn’t exchange numbers and they agreed there would be no strings attached, that their fling would be a once and done. But a few months later, Jennifer got a job at Scope and moved to Jacksonville. To celebrate her new job, her and a few girlfriends went out for drinks, and she ran into Doug again. They’d joked about fate bringing them back together again because the night they shared was so magical and even though they weren’t exclusive, they’d hooked up at least every other month since.

Surprisingly enough over time and especially since maybe a month or so before Bria and Warren started dating, they’d been hooking up more and more frequently, at least once a week, even sharing a few meals together, which was one of Doug’s many rules. No spending the night at their place. No real dating, like dinner, movies, or nights out on the town. He was more of a Netflix and chill kinda guy. And never ever did he meet any of his fling’s parents.

Jacob and Susan walk off the elevator and as they’re walking towards the exit of the hospital, Sue spots Jennifer coming into the lobby.

“Hey Sue, how are you?” Jennifer asks

“I’m sore, but ok” she replies

“I’m gonna go get the car” Jacob states ready to leave the hospital, hoping to avoid Bria

He knew that there was no way she’d come by the house, but wasn’t so sure she wouldn’t pop back up at the hospital hoping to see Susan

“You’re here with Dillon?” Susan asks

“Yeah, he told me things were still the same, but I wanted to check in on him and see if he needed anything.”

“I know he doesn’t have any other family, so I wanted to show support” Jennifer adds

“You’re such a great friend” Sue states reaching for her hand

“I’ll let you go. Call or text me if you need anything. Feel better” Jennifer states as Jacob drives up in their rental car

“Thanks, I’ll text you later” Sue replies

It’s a little after two in the afternoon when Warren pulls up to the Donaldson’s beautiful white French country house nestled at the end of a large cul-de-sac. As he pulls into the driveway, Warren says

“I’m sure you’ve met the Donaldson’s, but…”

“I’ll come in Warren” Bria whispers putting him out of his misery

“Thank you” he says letting out a breath, he didn’t realize he was holding

“It would be rude not to. Geesh, I’m not a monster!” she laughs

Warren scoffs then gets out of the car. Before he can walk around and open Bria’s door, Julie comes running outside.

“Finally!” she says giving him a quick hug

Bria gets out of the car and without warning, Julie comes over and wraps her in a bear hug, burying her face in her blouse

“Hey kiddo!” Bria whispers

Without warning, Julie breaks down crying uncontrollably. Completely caught off guard, Warren, and Bria eye each other inquisitively. Bria just continues to hug her until she loosens her grip enough so she can bend down to talk to her

“Hey!” Bria whispers when their eyes meet

“Hey!” she mumbles through her tears

“Jewels” Warren says after glancing from the front door, back to her and Bria

Eying him Bria asks

“Babe, can you give us a second?”

“Please!” she mouths when he raises an eyebrow at her

“Come inside when y’all done” he responds finally turning to walk inside the house when Monica comes to the door

“Hey Warren” she states when he walks up

“Hey. Is your husband around?” he asks

“No, he had a few clients to see today, he should be home soon though”

“Is she ok?” Monica asks referring to Julie

“I suppose. How long has she been like that?” he asks

“Since Tuesday night. We watched a Christmas movie, and the mom was pregnant, I guess it reminded her of Bria. She started talking about how much she missed her, and she hoped you two would get back together”

“I see her wish came true!” Monica adds eying the two of them in the driveway

“Hey, what’s wrong?” Bria asks squatting down so she’s eye level with Julie

“Nothing, I just missed you” she mutters

Bria eyes her then says

“You know you don’t have to miss me. I’m just a text, or a phone call or a video call away”

“I know, but it’s not the same!” Julie responds

“I hope missing me didn’t ruin your visit with your grandparents!”

“It didn’t!” Julie replies quickly wrapping Bria in another hug

“I love you!” she adds

“I love you more!”

“Now, let’s go say goodbye, daddy and I have a surprise for you!”

Changing the subject, Warren turns to walk inside

“I hate that I won’t get to see Jacob.”

“We’ve got a long drive ahead so we can’t stay long” Warren adds when Monica follows behind him

“I can whip up something quick for lunch if you want” she states

“No, no. I appreciate everything you’ve done”

“Don’t be silly. You’re family and it’s our pleasure!”

“We’re gonna have to come spend the weekend with you all sometime when you’re not so busy.”

“Absolutely!”

“Anyway, Julie has a ton of presents, so I’ll help you.” Monica states leading Warren to Julie’s room

Surprised by all the gifts covering the bed, Warren shakes his head then says

“Monica, this is insane!”

“I know. I’m so sorry” she smiles

“No, you’re not.” he replies walking over to the bed

“We’re not taking all this. She can take some of it, but not everything”

“What did y’all do go on a shopping spree?” he asks seeing Julie and Bria walk up behind Monica

“No, but we had to get some stuff for my sister too!” Julie states coming over to pull out the tiniest sunflower romper with matching socks from one of the shopping bags

Glancing at Bria Warren whispers

“It’s a little soon for that but I appreciate the gesture”

“Hey Bria!” Monica states turning to give Bria a quick hug

“It’s good to see you again” Bria replies

“You as well. You look absolutely radiant. Pregnancy suits you!” she smiles

“Jewels, we gotta get going. We’re going to Bria’s parents house in Jacksonville, so we have a long drive ahead.” he continues

“Pick a few things to take with you and go say goodbye to Grandma Monica”

Once they’ve packed up the car and said their goodbyes, the three of them stop to grab a quick bite to eat and begin their four-and-a-half-hour trip to the Smith’s river side estate.

Jennifer has been sitting in Savannah’s hospital room for the past few hours, keeping Dillon company. When the nurse comes in to check her vitals, the doctor soon follows her, and they ask Dillon to join them in the conference room. To Jennifer’s surprise Dillon asks her to join them, even though she’s slightly reluctant she agrees.

After going over the process of ending Savanna’s life, in depth, the doctors and nurses leave the room and allow Dillon and Jennifer a moment alone. Jennifer puts her hand on top of Dillon’s and without thinking, as a response to her compassionate touch, he leans over and attempts to kiss her. Quickly putting up her hand and pulling away, Jennifer asks

“What are you doing?”

Not responding, Dillon glares down at his hand then out of nowhere, he shoves the table away from him, stunning Jennifer, then stumbling to his feet, he staggers from the room.

“What the f*ck was that?” Jennifer mumbles under her breath as she stands completely unnerved unsure whether she should leave or just give him some time to calm down