A Love Rekindled (The Game of Love #1) (4 page)

***

Jessica
heard a small knock on her bedroom door and snapped back into
reality.

“
Mom,
are you coming back out?” a little voice asked. “I want
to decorate the tree.”

“
I
will be out in one second. Let me put something away,” she
said.

She
heard little footsteps fade back to the living room. Jessica put the
lid back on the box and slid it back under the bed. She sat for a few
minutes longer to dry her tears and then made her way back out to
finish her hot chocolate, which no longer had marshmallows. She
laughed when she looked over at her little boy as he laughed.

Jessica
had her tree put together before her son woke up that morning. She
pulled all of the boxes from the attic so they could decorate. They
turned on some holiday music and began decorating. She did the
lights, while he put on the ornaments. He put them wherever he
wanted, and she promised not to move them. She added a few to the top
of the tree where he could not reach. Her favorite ornaments were the
ones he made at daycare or school. Those were displayed perfectly in
the middle of the tree.

When
the tree was done, they stood back to admire their work. He was
already busy with coloring, when she decided to make some cookies.
Jessica went into the kitchen to prepare what they needed before he
came in to help her. She was looking out the kitchen window thinking,
when her phone rang and she jumped. She reached in her purse, as she
juggled the things in her other hand and put the phone to her ear.

“
Hey
sis, how are you?” Renee chirped from the other end of the
line.

“
Okay.
We made a snowman, decorated the tree, and are getting ready to make
some cookies. How are you?” Jessica answered.

Jessica
had mentioned to Renee, when she went home the night before, that she
had seen Luke at the party. Her sister sat with her and hugged her
while she cried. Jessica figured Renee was calling to check up on
her. Even though her sister was two years younger than her, she had
helped her through so much.

“
I'm
missing all that fun for work,” Renee laughed. “I don't
have to work tomorrow and figured you could use a couple of hours to
relax. Can I take little man tomorrow? I want to take him shopping.”

“
If
you want to,” Jessica answered. “We don't have anything
planned. Are you sure?”

“
I'm
sure,” Renee said. “I need some time with my favorite
nephew. We need some bonding time. I miss his little face. I will
pick him up at noon. Is that cool?”

“
Why
don't you come over early and I will make breakfast,” Jessica
said.

“
That
works for me,” Renee said. “I will feed him lunch and
dinner. We will bring you home something for dinner.”

“
Great!
See you in the morning,” Jessica said.

“
Save
me some of those cookies,” Renee replied. “Bye.”

Luke

Luke
could not get his mind off of Jessica. He thought about her and the
little boy playing in the yard. They looked so happy. He was supposed
to be the man spending the rest of his life with her and having a
family with her. The more he thought about it, the more upset he
became.

He
knew he had to get his mom something for Christmas, so headed to the
mall. Maybe he could get his mind thinking about something else. He
parked the car and walked into the mall. What would his mom want, he
wondered? He went to one of those stores where all the aromas blend
into each other and turn into a super strong, flowery, and fruity
smell. Maybe she would like some lotions or candles. He wanted to
make the holiday special for her. It was his first year in a long
time that he would be home for the entire holiday.

Luke
looked around the store, not sure what to buy. He had not had a
relationship since Jessica. Luke didn't buy presents for any of the
women he had spent time with since then. He grabbed some lotion,
candles, and body stuff he thought his mom would like. She always had
a candle burning or some fruity smell around the house. Luke was
enjoying his time with his mom, but couldn't wait to buy a house of
his own. He was not used to someone asking him where he was going and
what he was doing, every moment of the day. Luke was used to keeping
his place the way he wanted. At his mom's house, he felt like he
always had to be careful and could not really relax. It was not home
anymore. After being on his own for so long, he wanted that relaxed,
comfortable feeling again.

He
took the things he had picked out for her up to the register and
stood in line. Luke stood and rolled his eyes as he waited for the
woman in front of him to ask a million questions. He looked at the
girl the register and thought she looked familiar. There was
something about her. Where had he seen her before? Maybe they had
gone to school together. The woman in front of him finally left. He
walked up and put all of his stuff on the counter. The girl laughed
as she looked down at everything.

“
The
woman in your life is going to love you for buying her all of this,”
she said, with a smile.

Luke
smiled and he felt his shoulders relax a bit.

“
They're
for my mom,” he laughed. “I'm not sure what to get her. I
figure she will at least like some of it.”

“
Luke,”
she said, as she looked up. “No way, is that you? I heard you
were back. Are you okay?”

Luke
looked at her for a moment. She laughed.

“
I'm
Renee,” she said. “Jessica's sister.”

“
No
way,” he said loudly. “I knew you looked familiar. I
can't believe how grown up you look.”

“
How
long are you in town for?” she asked.

“
I'm
staying,” he said. “I'm not leaving.”

Renee's
mouth dropped open and he could tell she hurried to close it.

“
Are
you okay?” he asked.

“
Yes,”
she answered. “I'm fine. I just can't believe you are really
here.”

“
I
saw Jessica last night at a party, and she took off on me,” he
said.

“
Oh,
wow,” she replied.

“
I
drove by her house this morning,” he said, as he saw Renee's
eyes widen. “She was playing outside with a little boy. He
looks just like her. Can you talk? I need to know something.”

“
I
will meet you in the hall in ten minutes,” she said.

Her
hands shook while she finished checking out his stuff. Why was she
nervous, he wondered? He felt like she was afraid of what he was
going to ask her. He paid his bill, grabbed his bag, and walked out
into the hall.

Renee
walked out and motioned over to an empty bench across the hall. They
both walked over and sat down. Luke put his head in his hands and let
out a sigh.

“
How
old is her son?” he asked.

“
Six,”
she answered.

Luke
shook his head.

“
She
never gave me a reason for breaking up with me. Did she dump me for
someone else? Was she already with him?” he asked.

Renee
sighed and sat still.

“
Who
is she with?” he asked. “Do I know him?”

Luke
could see sweat drip from Renee's brow. Her legs were shaking and she
was fidgeting. What was she nervous about, he wondered? She still had
not answered him.

“
Please,
tell me something,” he said, as he looked directly into her
eyes.

“
She
was not with anyone when she broke up with you,” she said.

Renee
looked down at the ground.

“
It
sure didn't take her very long to sleep with someone else,” he
mumbled. “I can't believe I let myself hurt over her for so
long, when she never even cared.”

Renee
reached over and put her hand on Luke's shoulder. He knew he was
shaking.

“
Do
I know her husband?” he asked. “Please tell me he is not
one of my friends.”

“
You
need to talk to her,” Renee said. “You need to ask her
these questions.”

“
I
don't know if I can,” he replied, as he felt his leg shake.
“I'm not sure I can do it.”

“
This
is not something I can talk to you about, Luke,” she said.

“
So
it is someone that I know,” he stated to himself. “I
should have moved on. I'm sorry for asking you. I can't do this to
myself anymore. I need to go.”

Luke
moved to stand up and Renee put her hand on his knee to try to stop
him.

“
I
will take my nephew shopping tomorrow. You go to the house and talk
to her. I don't want him there while you two talk,” Renee said.

“
I'm
not sure about this,” he said. “I don't know how I will
react to what she tells me.”

“
I
will take him out,” she said. “Show up or don't. That is
up to you.”

Renee
took her phone out of her pocket.

“
I
will be right back. I need to make a call,” she said.

Luke
sat quietly, as he waited for her. She was gone for a few minutes.
She walked back up to him and stood in front of him.

“
I
am picking him up at noon,” she said. “I will bring him
back at six. You need to be gone by the time I get back. If you are
going to show up, do it early. You need time for the answers you
want. Make sure you are gone by six. I do not want to bring him home
while you two are still talking.”

“
What
about her husband? Will he be home?” he asked.

“
It
will be fine,” she said. “Go talk to her. You really need
to. It is important that you are done talking by six. I mean it. I
don't want her son to see you there. I have to get back to work.”

Renee
leaned down and wrapped her arms around his neck to hug him. He could
feel her shake against him, as he hugged her back.

“
Its
okay, Renee,” he said. “Thank you for talking to me.”

“
I
can't believe you're here,” she said, and she turned to walk
away. “Bye.”

Luke
got up and walked out of the mall to his car. Was he making a huge
mistake? He let out a sigh as his head fell back against the head
rest. He knew he needed to talk to her. Why wasn't her husband at the
party, he wondered? Maybe he had business or maybe he was home with
their son. He knew what she was going to say would probably hurt him,
but it was time for him to move on. Luke needed closure and answers.
No matter what she told him, it was time to make some changes in his
life. He was ready to fall in love and have a family.

Jessica

Jessica
woke up to the sun shining in her window. It looked like it was going
to be a beautiful day. She stretched her arms out and snuggled into
her blanket. Jessica decided she was going to relax and have a nice
day. She was going to go the whole day without thinking about Luke.
He was in town and didn't seem to be leaving. There was nothing she
could do about that, but she could make sure that she didn't bring
him into her thoughts. It was something she had to get used to. She
decided to leave on her shorts and tank top for the morning. It was
going to be an amazing day.

She
threw her hair into a ponytail as she made her way to the kitchen to
make a pot of coffee. Renee was coming over for breakfast, and
Jessica knew to have her coffee ready for her. Jessica turned on the
radio and danced around as she made breakfast. Yes, it was going to
be a great day. Her little guy laughed at her when he caught her
dancing in the kitchen. She laughed as she scooped him up to spin him
around. There was a knock at the door. She let him down and told him
to go let his aunt in. Jessica saw her out on the front porch. She
made eggs, bacon, potatoes, toast, orange juice, and coffee. Renee
walked in and laughed as she looked at the table.