Trust Me

Chapter 14

Author's Note: Loving your reviews, guys! Please, keep them coming! I really do post much faster if you review! THANK YOU! Oh, and as for going to the altar, only time will tell!

"Robert, we were supposed to be on set five minutes ago." She mumbled around his lips. It was just a couple of weeks later and she was once again pinned against his dressing room door.

"Not until you give me an answer." He replied, mouth moving to her neck, and she sighed.

"Fine, I'll consider it. I promise. Now come on before Keith fires us both!" she said and he released her with a victorious grin. He had asked her to move in with him and, while she half wanted to, she still had a few months on her lease and was afraid they were moving a bit fast. Heck, Robert had already mentioned marriage and children!

She had never given kids much thought. Oh sure, she was good with them and they were kinda cute, but hadn't ever considered having any of her own. She was somewhat surprised that he was so anxious to have more and, while it certainly got her thinking, she knew marriage had to come first. If things didn't go in that order her father would come out of the grave and kill her boyfriend!

They were going strong, already practically living together. They had stopped hiding their relationship at work) why bother when everyone knew anyway?), though they didn't let it interfere with their jobs. At night they traded places, sometimes his and sometimes hers. She secretly admitted that having only one place would be more convenient but wasn't quite ready to take that step just yet.

They finished up the day's work and walked out to their cars. He cornered her by her SUV, pressing her against the door, and devoured her mouth. She giggled girlishly and pulled him closer, enjoying the attention…until someone cleared their throat behind them. Turning, Robert paled slightly.

"Hello, Robert." A tall, dark-haired beauty said in amusement.

"Deb! Hi!" Robert coughed, and then smiled as he noticed Indio standing behind her. "Hey, buddy!"

"I take it this is Chris." Deb said and stepped forward to shake hands.

"And you are Deborah. Nice to meet you finally." Chris said, taking the unexpected meeting in stride. After all she had been through an ex-wife hardly scared her.

"Likewise. Robert has told me a lot about you."

"Oh, please don't believe any of it." Chris joked, then grinned at Indio. "Hey, Young Master Indio. Nice to see you again." The boy didn't respond, just stood staring at them in hurt confusion.

"I thought we were meeting at our usual place tonight?" Robert asked uncomfortably.

"I'm meeting some friends for dinner just down the street so I thought I could drop Indio off here, if that's okay." Deb said and he nodded with a genuine, though nervous smile. It wasn't that he was ashamed of Chris- far from it!- but he had wanted to introduce her to Indio in a drastically different way.

"Of course it is. We- I- was just leaving. Indio, go ahead and put your stuff in the car." He said and the boy walked away silently. As soon as he was out of earshot, Robert groaned. "That is not how I had this planned. He looks hurt."

"He'll be okay, Robert. Just talk to him." Deb said and he nodded hesitantly. "Well, I need to get going. Chris, I'm sure we will see each other again soon. "

"I certainly hope so." Chris replied and as Deb left she turned to Robert. "Howabout I leave you two alone tonight and hook up tomorrow for lunch?"

"That might be a good idea. I'm sorry." He sighed. She made sure that Indio was still loading the car and gave Robert a quick kiss.

"Don't be. Just have fun tonight, talk to him, and call me later." She replied and he smiled at her. "I love you."

"I love you, too, baby." He whispered and they parted.

The next day they met at the local McDonalds for lunch. Indio was still quiet but didn't have that hurt look in his eyes. Chris thought bringing Dart might help relieve the tension- he was great with kids- and they soon found their way to the park. She was right, Indio fell instantly in love with the beautiful husky, and while the two played fetch Robert and Chris sat on a nearby picnic table. They had kept their PDA to a minimum but with Indio distracted they were able to hold hands and snuggle a little.

"So, how did the talk go?" she asked, tracing circles on his knuckles.

"Fine, I suppose. He still isn't too sure but I think he is reserving judgment. I just explained that he was first in my life and, while I would always care foe Deb, things just didn't work out between us." He said, obviously feeling guilty.

"He'll understand someday, Robert. You know as well as I do that it's always hard on kids, but he will be okay." Chris said and he nodded half-heartedly. "How did he take…you know…us?"

"I don't know. I talked about us, told him that we had started seeing each other not long ago and that we care for each other, but he never said anything. I think that worries me more than if he had been angry." He said and Chris frowned. That just didn't sit well with her. "Maybe you should speak to him." Robert suggested.

"Me? Why?"

"Well, if he gets to know you, maybe it will help." He said and she took a deep breath.

"If you think it will help, I'll give it a try. But I'm not going to force this on him. He needs time." She said and he nodded. "Okay, call him over."

"Indio! Come on over! Dart needs a rest!" Robert called and the boy ran over, dog in tow.

"He's really good at fetch!" Indio said and Chris smiled. "Can he do any tricks?"

"Lots. He can sit, stay, lay down, roll over, protect, and he is trained as a search and rescue dog." She answered and both Downey men were impressed. "I have an idea. How about I show you a few of them while your dad goes and gets us some ice cream?"

"Cool!" Indio said. Robert and Chris exchanged hopeful looks as he walked away and Chris ran Dart through his paces. He really was a highly intelligent dog and he made her proud. Once done, Indio sat down on the other side of the table from her, stroking Dart's fur as he drank from a pop-up bowl. "So, are you Dad's girlfriend?" he asked out of the blue and Chris took a deep breath. Guess he was ready to talk.

"I guess so. Yes." She replied honestly. No sense in lying to a kid, they could always tell.

"Do you love him?"

"Yes. I do."

"I think he loves you, too." He replied quietly and she smiled to herself.

"Is that okay with you, Indio? That we are together?" she asked and he shrugged noncommittally. "You know, you are the most important thing in this world to your dad. He wants you to be happy, and so do I. If you aren't okay with him and me being together I will understand and I will leave."

"You would go away if I didn't like you?" he asked in confused surprise and she nodded.

"Just say the word. But I'm hoping you'll give me a chance first, get to know me and let me get to know you. If you do that and still don't want me around then I will leave without argument. Fair enough?" she asked and he nodded with a small smile. Robert returned then with three dripping ice cream cones and they all sat together to eat them. He could tell they had talked but every time he looked at Chris she was focused on Indio, talking about soccer and Dart. It all seemed positive, but he could also feel tension coming from her as well. Finally, they decided to go and packed it up. They headed for the parking lot where the cars sat, Indio walking Dart on his leash. Robert hung back slightly, taking Chris's hand. She gave him a quick rundown of the conversation and he agreed that she handled it well. Still, the ball was in Indio's court right now and Chris was a woman of her word. They would just have to wait and see what the 9 year old said…