Life's Choices

Chapter Three

The house was exactly where Kimberly had said it would be. It was one of them Leave it to Beaver kind of neighborhoods, where the lawns were perfectly cut and kids played outside. There was a bunch of little girls near the house Kimberly had said was Jen's. Slowing his car down, Brian tries to catch his breath. He had replayed the night he had told Jen that Amanda was pregnant and they were getting married. She had told him she had something she needed to tell him, something important. He had cut her off, thinking she was about to tell him she had changed her mind, that she wanted to be more than just the other's booty call. At the time, he had thought he was doing her a favor, saving her the humilation of hearing he had to choose Amanda. What a fool he had been. He should have heard her out. He had no doubt that Jen had been about to tell him about Bree. His mouth lifts up a bit at the corners. Briana Marie. Kimberly had said Jen had named her Briana for him, so she would have some part of her father's name.

Sitting in the car, gripping the steering wheel, he stares out a the group of girls. All of them were the right age. He ruled out the tall thin girl with coffee colored skin and large chocolate colored eyes. That left a short, almost pudgy girl with frizzy red hair and glasses, a petite girl with almost white blond hair pulled up in pig tails, and a slender girl with long honey colored hair and golden skin. The red haired girl was ruled out when an older version of her yelled that it was time for dinner and mom said to come now, no buts.

The door to the white two story that belonged to Jen opens. A potbellied daushound wanders out first. Followed by a familar brunette. She hadn't changed, really. Her hair was still a rich walnut color, pulled back in a loose ponytail, she still smiled that sweet, girl next door smile. After almost ten years, he had thought he would be over her by now, but she still had the ability to bring him to his knees, to leave him feeling as though someone had sucker punched him.

Jen loops the red leash on one wrist, and adjusts an iPod with the other. He can hear her call the name Bree, along with Megan. The tiny blond and the golden skinned girl both tell the other girl bye and run to meet Jen. It was hard to tell which girl was her's, she was fawning over them both. It wasn't until she rubbed the  head of the paler child and told her that her mother was home that he knew. What little air he had left when he sees Jen wrap an arm around the waist of her daughter, tugging the long honey colored ponytail. Their daughter, he corrects silently.

The girl says something to her mother, getting a laugh and nod. She takes the leash, bending to scratch the rusty red head of the dog. The dog could barely walk, his stomach dragging the ground. They were a block away when he worked up the courage to park his car, two blocks away when he had the nerve to get out.

Standing on the side walk in front of their house, Brian stuffs his hands in the pockets of his jeans. He had every right to go up to Jen, to demand an explanation. Except she would be there. Bree. And she didn't deserve that. He had no clue what Jen had told her, if she had told her anything. He needed a game plan. He made the decision to walk back to his car, to drive to his nearly empty apartment, then call. He didn't quite make it. Instead, the dog he thought incapable of moving very fast was barreling down the side walk full speed. Bree and Jen right behind him. Muddy feet jump up on his legs, large doe brown eyes stare up at him.

"I am so sorry..." Jen's voice trails off as she recognizes him. Her face grows pale under normally golden skin. Taking ahold of the leash, she hands it to Bree. "Go inside sweetie, mommy needs to talk...just go inside. Please. Wash Button's feet off in the garage, if you don't mind."

Bree frowns, looking from her mother to Brian. "Do you know him?"

Jen nods. "Um..yeah. He's a...an old friend. From Sacred Heart." The explanation seemed to satisfy Bree. She flashes Brian a grin that is similar to his own, then bends to heave Button's into her arms. The pair struggle toward the garage, the little girl giggling as the dog licks her face. "I figured you would show up. Just thought I would have a bit more time. Or that you would call first."

It wasn't exactly what he had been expecting. In fact, it was nothing like he had expected. Then it dawns on him. She knew that he knew. "Kimberly?" She nods, crossing her arms. She darts a glance to the now open garage. Bree was wrestling the daushound to the ground, trying to spray the mud from his feet. "Did she tell you why she told me?"