Katey's lips curved into a precious smile as she gave a slight nod, "Yes, Rosa has always known about you…"

Javier felt his throat begin to burn as more tears threatened to fall. He had a million and one questions to ask, but at that very moment, he dare not speak.

Katey let out a small sigh. "I can only imagine how hard this is for you…."

Javier's eyes shot up, connecting in a glaring gaze with Katey's.

"I didn't want you to find out like that…. I was waiting for the right moment to…" Katey tried.

"After seven years you were waiting for the right moment?" he couldn't help it. The words spilled from his mouth, and as soon as they had been said, he wished he could take them back.

Katey lowered her eyes; "I deserved that…" she whispered after an agonizing moment.

"But you have got to believe me when I say that this was not what I wanted." She gave out another soft sigh, "I wanted to tell you as soon as I found out… I wanted to fly right back to Cuba and tell you, because I thought that would be the right thing to do…" Katey ran a shaking hand through her hair once more as she urged herself to continue, regardless of how much the words stung, "…and then even writing to you became dangerous….and even though I wanted so much to tell you about Rosa…about our daughter, it was just impossible".

Javier listened intently to Katey's quivering words, but he could not bring his eyes to meet hers.

Inside, he cursed himself for what he had asked her to do in the past. If he had not been so frightened himself, he would not have insisted that he and Katey cut off all communication with one another.

Who knows, perhaps it would not have been such a risk….and seven years ago, she would have written to him and told him of the birth of their daughter.

"I am sorry, Javier, that's all I can say…. I know it isn't much, considering all the time you have lost….seven years of not knowing you had a daughter" Katey quickly wiped a tear from her smooth cheek "I can't even begin to imagine…." His silence was driving a dagger through her heart. If only he would say something. "I wanted to tell you…" more tears fell, quicker then she could wipe them from her wet cheeks, "…I wanted you to be there…I was so afraid, and I felt so alone and all I wanted was you…."

Javier's eyes softened as they looked upon Katey. Without saying a word, he wrapped his bronzed arms around her shaking, fragile body and felt her tears dampen his shirt.

"No!" Katey suddenly whispered, pulling away from his embrace. "I don't want you to feel compelled to forgive me…" she wiped ferociously at her tears, "If you're mad at me than be mad!" she stared intensely into his darkened eyes, "if you want to yell and scream at me then do it!" she swallowed back more tears, "God knows I deserve all your rage" she whispered under her breath.

Javier stood awkwardly…truth was, he didn't know what to do with himself….

He flung his arms in the air; "cuáles son yo supusieron para sentirse?" he said before letting them fall awkwardly and limp by his sides as he stood before Katey, his eyes hopeless.

His eyes were wet with burning tears; "I don't know what you want me to feel, Katey!" he said, finally in an exhausted breath.

Katey's eyes widened as she searched for some words of comfort. None came to mind.

"I would be lying if I said I wasn't angry with you…." He sighed, "I wish you had have done things differently….found some way of telling me"

Katey gave a meager nod, which only seemed to propel Javier's argument and raging thoughts.

"I had every right to know, Katey!" he said, raising his voice, "I had every right to know about my child!"

A short breath escaped Katey's lips as she nodded again, "I know…" was all she could manage.

"But I don't…." Javier began, "….I don't know what you want from me!?"

"Qué deseo de usted?" Katey repeated his words, "What I want from you?" she said, furrowing her brow as she looked at him.

"Do you want me to pack up my life here in Cuba?" he began "throw away everything I have worked for, to move to America with you…" he gave an angry sigh, "so that we can all be one big happy family?"

Katey felt her heart sting and her blood suddenly run cold as she realized that what she had secretly hoped for was not going to come true.

She would be lying if she said she hadn't, for all these years, harbored some fantasies about Javier returning to America with her… she had always thought that Javier was the missing piece to her life's puzzle. That once she and Javier were re-united, once Rosa's father came to be a permanent fixture in their life….that that would be her 'happily ever after'.

Katey had always thought that for all her blessings in life, Rosa included… something had always been missing….Javier.

But now, the way he was talking…. It sounded as though, even with the knowledge of his daughter, that he would not come to America with her. Katey would not get her fairytale ending she had secretly hoped for and sought after.

"Javier…" she began slowly.

But he interrupted her, bringing his hands wearily to his forehead, "I-I just don't know what you want from me?" he said again.

Before Katey could say anything, Javier turned away from her and slowly began to walk back to the beach. Katey followed.

Javier sat in the sand, and waited for Katey to approach, and take a seat beside him.

They sat in silence for a while, looking out across the eternal blue.

"Do you want the truth?" Katey finally asked, under her breath.

Javier said nothing, simply turned and looked at her.

"When I told Rosa that I was coming back here….back to you, her father…." Katey took a deep breath, "she asked me to please bring her father back with me".

Javier looked away, back to the ocean.

"I would love for you to come back to America with me" Katey finally whispered.

Javier gave a distant nod, refusing to look into her eyes.

"That is asking a lot of me…" he replied in a gentle hush after a moment or two had passed.

Katey nodded, and listened to the expanding silence.

"But I was going to ask you to do the same…." Javier finally whispered, turning to look at Katey.

"What?" Katey asked, turning to Javier.

"I was going to ask you to stay here, with me, in Cuba…." He said simply.

"But...how…?" Katey stammered.

"It is still dangerous here, that s true…." Javier sighed, "But I could have looked after you…and things are not as bad as they were, which means it will only get better, over time…."

"You asked me back here to…."

"…To ask you to stay forever, si"

Katey's mouth was agape.

"I missed you Katey" Javier said, so simply that it made Katey's heart ache.

"I have missed you for seven years; I didn't want to miss you anymore…"

Katey closed her eyes as another tear escaped, and leaned in to Javier, kissing him gently on the mouth and then pulling away.

"I suppose we are both selfish…asking so much from each other" Javier finally spoke.

Katey gave a faint nod. "But Javier…" she said, turning back to him, she gently cupped his cheek in her hand as they gazed into one another's eyes, "…there is more to think about now, you and I both have to think about Rosa…our daughter." She leaned in and kissed him quickly on the mouth again, "we can't be so selfish anymore".

Javier nodded, "I don't know what to do, Katey…."

Katey shook her head, "neither do I" she whispered humbly.

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Author's Note:

Thank you all so much for your encouraging comments.

I know I have been especially slack with updating, but truth be told, I am running on empty most days. What with school and work, it's just hard to find a slice of time to sit down and indulge in my hobby… it's even harder, when I do find time, to actually write something half-decent.

Thank you all for the lovely comments and words of support. I will try to update quicker, but until my next chapter... I hope this one will suffice, and please most of you.