Late as always. Real live has been busy, but here's a new chapter!
At the same time in the hotel Caroline had just woken, got out of her bed and started to get dressed. I hope last night gave Robert the lesson he needed, she thought to herself as she unlocked the door of their bedroom. Even though she was hoping that Robert had taken something away from what had happened last night, she knew that her husband was stubborn as hell. As she entered the living room Caroline was surprised to not find her husband but a piece of paper on the coffee table.
Caroline,
I'm going to make things right with our daughter.
R
God knows how long it had been silent in Catherine's room. By the expression on her father's face Catherine knew that he was thinking about what she had just asked him. The once so faithful look on her face already turned into the same look she had when she had showed him the ultrasound picture of her baby. Once again he made her feel like the little girl she was many years ago. Please Dad! Give him a chance! in her mind she was yelling at him, but she couldn't say a word as she was still waiting for him to answer. Steve was still tightly holding her hand his eyes fixed on Catherine. He didn't care if the Admiral ever did approve his relationship with Catherine and he wanted to tell him that, but he knew that it was important for Catherine.
"Well…Catherine, like I said it's not going to be easy for me to accept Steve, but I promise you this, I'll try. I really will try, Catherine, because I love you and I know how much you love each other, even though I didn't want to realize it until this moment." Robert finally said after what seemed like an eternity for everyone. Catherine couldn't believe what she had just heard. It had been over 6 years now since she had brought Steve home for the first time; and now, her father finally was willing to try to accept him as her boyfriend. Catherine was still trying to believe what she had just heard when her father walked over to them, his hand extended. "Welcome to our family, Comman… uhm, ah I mean a Steven." Robert Rollins said as he extended his hand towards Steve.
"Thank you, Admiral Rollins, thank you very much." Steve replied taking his hand.
"Please call me Robert, at least while we are in these private moments. In uniform we must still be formal with our ranks, and such." Catherine heard her father say and then a big smile foamed on her face as tears rolled down cheeks.
"Ok, Robert, I'd like that very much." Steve said with a contrite look on his face.
Finally! She thought to herself. My men, my two pig headed stubborn military men, finally they meet each other half way. Miracles do happen…
"Hey Cath, what's going on? Are you in pain?" Steve asked as he heard her sobs.
"Catherine, are you okay?" her father asked and for the first time in ages she could hear the true concern about her and her well being.
"No." Catherine shook her head. Oh Lord, those NAVY Men and their emotional problems, she thought to herself. "I'm fine, It's...it's…a…I just never thought I would hear you say that, Dad." Catherine took a deep breath in order to calm herself down again. After everything that had happened, we'll be a family, she thought to herself. The three of them just looked at each other and smiled when suddenly, the door flew open and Caroline entered the room.
She saw that her daughter must have been crying "Catherine, baby, are you okay?" Caroline rushed over to her daughter to hold her hand. "Come here." She said motioning for Catherine to sit up so she could hug her.
"I'm fine." Catherine said as she sat up. "Really, I'm fine, Mom." Catherine said again when Caroline had wrapped her arms around her. Why does everyone think that I only cry because something bad had happened? Catherine asked herself.
"Are you sure? You don't look fine." Caroline was more than just a little worried about her daughter as she glared at her husband. "What have you done this time, Robert? Have you forgotten what I told you yesterday?" Caroline got up from the bed again and walked over to her husband.
"Caroline, honey… really, believe me, I did nothing." Robert blubbered as he defended himself. "Honestly, I just came here to make things right, like I wrote you."
Caroline looked at him suspiciously, she knew that Robert was a man who stuck to his word, but she couldn't believe that after all those years he was against their relationship that he would finally start to accept it. "Is this true, Catherine? Steve?" Caroline asked them both. Steve just nodded as he looked at Catherine.
"Yeah, Dad only came here to talk to us and he's willing to give Steve a chance. He welcomed…" Catherine paused and smiled at Steve. "Steve to our family. So really Mom, he didn't upset me. I'm just happy that after 6 years he finally accepts Steve as part of our family."
"Really, Robert? You finally managed to get over your own pride and accept that our daughter is not your little girl anymore?" Caroline asked her husband.
"Yes." Robert nodded, and smiled at his wife and daughter. "All I want for you..." he looked at Catherine. "Is to be happy; and if that's going to be with Steve I'm fine with that and want nothing but happiness for the three of you." He leaned over and kissed Catherine on her head and Caroline on her cheek. Caroline turned around into her husband and gave him a great big hug and whispered…
"There's the big old softie I knew I married." and the smile on her face told Robert he had been forgiven, by his wife at least.
TBC
As always, please leave a review! the next one will be the last chapter of "It's never too late", but there will be a 3rd story for my McRoll series.