Nina sat in Sophie's newly furnished bedroom on the girl's tiny twin bed. The bed was a gift from Nina's old roommate Rosa.
The older woman had bought the bed for Sophie at an after Christmas sale from a nice little shop. Neither of the women would have been able to afford to even step foot in that furniture shop in any other circumstances.
The bed a white wood frame bed, with a little shelving unit built into base of the bed. The drawers were perfect to hold Sophie's small collection of dolls, her little plastic and felt play food, and her cherished porcelain tea set.
Nina and Gabriella had managed to put Sophie's room completely together just the day before. It had turned out wonderfully.
The walls were the exact shade of pink Gabriella had promised; a soft pastel pink, the color of a ballet slipper.
There were little hints of pink all throughout the room; the lamp on the bedside table, the little pink piggy bank sitting on the dresser, and the delicate looking pink Chinese paper lantern Nina had hung from the ceiling. There was even a pink feather boa draped over the headboard of the bed.
Nina had found a little white child sized chair and table set for Sophie to hold tea parties at. It was Sophie's favorite piece of furniture. The little girl loved nothing more than sitting her Barbie dolls and stuffed animals around the little wooden table for tea time.
The room was perfect for a little girl and Sophie had seemed to adore it.
Nina was relieved that Sophie had loved her new bedroom. She'd been worried that her daughter would miss her old room.
Sophie's old bedroom had been quite bigger than her new room. Rosa had insisted that Sophie take the biggest room in the apartment.
Their old apartment in Miami hadn't been the most extravagant but it had been home for five years now.
They'd developed little routines in Miami that so obviously wouldn't work here in Charming.
There would be no more Sunday afternoons spent at the beach. There would be no more bike rides along the boardwalk. There would be no more lunches at Sophie's and Nina's favorite place; Rico's Cuban Diner.
Nina knew that in the end of the day she would probably miss these little routines more than Sophie.
In a few years Sophie probably wouldn't even remember much about life in Miami.
They would just have to make new routines Nina told herself; new routines for their new life in Charming.
Nina held Sophie's favorite Hello Kitty stuffed animal in her arms, hugging the doll close to her body as she tried to regain control of her breathing.
She had hoped that she could avoid running into Chibs Telford forever. She knew this hope had been an unreasonable one to say the least.
She knew deep down inside that she was bound to run into him eventually.
Charming wasn't a large town and the Sons presence was immense from what Nina could remember. Not to mention Estrella's Tavern was and had always been one of the Sons favorite bars.
Nina felt foolish for believing that she could ever avoid Chibs.
She felt even more foolish knowing the way her heart had lifted at the sight of him.
Nina told herself that she should hate Chibs Telford.
Her heart shouldn't skip at the mere sight of him. He shouldn't have this hold over her after what he'd done.
Nina knew that she should have jumped over that bar and slapped Chibs. She should have screamed at him; told him what a jerk and a dipshit he was. She should have told him to get the hell out of her sight.
All she'd managed to do was work out some insult and then run for the hills.
Nina had tried so hard to hate him the way she felt she should. She found the task so impossible though.
How could she hate the man who had given her Sophie?
Her feelings for Chibs were all so mixed up. They were tangled together like dozens of strands of Christmas lights that had been stored in the same box for too long.
It just seemed that if she tried too hard to untangle her emotions then something would get torn and damaged beyond repair.
She was thankful to him for giving her Sophie, but she was so angry with him for leaving her that morning. She was angry with him for sleeping with her and then disappearing without even saying bye. She was enraged with him for making her feel so used.
Despite what some people might assume Chibs had been Nina's first and her last one night stand. She'd never been the type to just bring a man home like that. She had liked him so much though. Chibs had seemed so sweet; so genuine.
She felt betrayed by him. He had slept with her and then had disappeared. It wasn't the move of a sweet guy.
For at least the billionth time in Nina's life she felt that she had no idea what she was doing.
Had she made the right decision coming back here to Charming? It wasn't as though she could have avoided coming back to her hometown forever.
She knew that she could have never said no to Gabriella. Gabriella had asked for her and she'd come just like a good niece should.
How in the hell did she expect to keep Sophie from the truth about her father forever? The girl would have questions about her heritage one day.
How was she supposed to stop the girl from running to Chibs the second she found out that he was her father? Would Chibs even want anything to do with the girl? Did he even have any children?
Nina didn't know anything about him other than his last name, his occupation, his Scottish ancestry, and the fact that he was a Son.
This entire situation just seemed like it was one big bomb waiting to explode. And Nina knew when the truth came out that the damage was going to be massive.
A huge part of Nina wanted to pack up Sophie and everything they owned into her Ford Focus and get the as far away from Charming as they possibly could before the bomb went off.
Nina knew though that she couldn't do that to Gabriella. Her aunt had asked her to come home and she couldn't leave her.
Nina stood up from the bed her stomach rolling as she heard the front door to the apartment slam shut.
Nina hurriedly placed Sophie's Hello Kitty doll back on the bed her stomach doing summersaults as she tried to regain control of her emotions.
Nina did all she could to control her uneven breathing as she walked out into the living room.
She pasted a smile on her face as she spoke. "Did you girls have fun at lunch?"
Nina felt her heart begin to slam in her chest as she took notice of Gabriella's expression; something was wrong.
Nina closed her eyes for a brief moment cursing silently; she had a feeling she knew exactly what was wrong.
She opened her eyes as Sophie spoke her voice full of excitement. "Uh huh Tia took me to the library momma. I got two books. Tia checked them out for me because I don't have a library card."
Nina knelt down as Sophie made her way over to her a grin on her face clueless to her aunt and her mother's discomfort. " Then tia got me a library card. So I can get more books by myself."
"You did, how fun baby. What books did you get?" Nina asked doing her best to pretend that everything was just fine as she pressed a multitude of kisses to the girl's cheeks.
Sophie took off her bright pink backpack unzipping it and pulling two books from within it. She proudly showed them off to Nina as she spoke. "I got a book about Barbie and a book about birds see."
Nina smiled staring at the book the child practically shoved into her hands The Children's Encyclopedia of Birds. "That looks interesting baby. You like your birds don't you?"
"Uh huh. Can we get a bird? A parrot? I'd take care of it and feed it and everything." Sophie blurted out her bottom lip sticking out as she prepared to beg for the pet.
Nina gave the girl a grin well accustomed to resisting the bottom lip move by now. "I don't know. Birds can be pretty loud and they can cost a lot of money baby. I'll have to think about it. We might start with a goldfish and see how you handle that before we worry about a bird."
Nina pressed a kiss to the girl's cheek speaking up before Sophie had a chance to push the pet issue any farther. "Why don't you go pick out a movie to watch before naptime."
Nina felt her stomach churn as she watched the girl disappear off towards the back of the apartment.
She knew that she wouldn't have long to talk with her aunt in privacy. Sophie always watched either one of two dvds before naptime; Cinderella or Aladdin.
She felt a lump begin to develop in the back of her throat as Gabriella spoke. "What are you doing up here Nina? Who's watching the bar?"
"Cindy...I told her this was a test to see how she handles herself at lunch hour, before I start letting her work the bar full time." Nina explained her throat tightening as she prepared to tell the reasons why she'd left a twit like Cindy to do her job.
She spoke again as she began to pace. She rang her hands together as she paced back and forth her heart slamming so hard within her chest. "He was here tia...Filip, he was down at the bar with that guy that you said comes in all the time...Bobby. Fillip saw me...He remembered me."
"Oh querido...I know he saw me too...me and Sophie. Bobby saw us out front and spoke to me..I couldn't be rude and ignore him. He's always so kind to me, I didn't want to be impolite. Filip saw Sophie." Gabriella confessed as she moved forward placing her hands on Nina's shoulders stopping her in her place.
Nina felt her heart drop down into her pelvis upon hearing those words. She spoke her throat feeling as though it was growing tighter and tighter with each word. "Did he say anything? Did Sophie say anything?"
"No...Bobby did all the talking...Filip knows Sophie is my niece though...He has to have figured out she's yours...he didn't take his eyes off her the entire time." Gabriella replied spotting the panic in her niece's eyes.
Gabriella was quick to speak again not hiding how she really felt about this entire situation. "Maybe it's for the best Nina. Maybe it's time the truth came out."
Nina narrowed her eyes at her aunt her apprehension being replaced with irritation. She spoke her voice lowering so only Gabriella and she would be able to hear any of this conversation. "The best for who tia? How is any of this good for anyone?"
"Sophie deserves to know the truth baby. You can't keep Filip out forever." Gabriella was quick to scold her niece thankfully keeping her voice just as low.
Nina sighed knowing that she shouldn't be shocked by her aunt's response. Gabriella had always felt that Filip should have been in on this from the start.
She had always been so quick to point out that she didn't think Nina had given Filip a fair chance to be there for Sophie.
This conversation never failed to show up anytime they'd talked on the phone. It was partially why Nina had stopped calling so often. She didn't want to hear how she'd made mistakes. She didn't want to hear what she have done differently. She wanted the past to stay in the past.
Nina cringed as Gabriella spoke again. "Think about what's best for Sophie Nina. She deserves to know the truth about her father."
"The truth? She doesn't need to know that her momma spread her legs for some gringo biker and nine months later she was born...that's not the truth she needs. She doesn't need to know that her father didn't even stick around for coffee the morning after...She doesn't need to know any of that." Nina spat out finding it so hard to keep her voice lowered.
She wanted to scream, she wanted to cry. She wanted to curse at her aunt for being so difficult; for shoving her opinions on her.
Nina took a deep breath as she spoke again her voice firm. "We don't need him Gabriella. I'm the only father Sophie needs...just stay out of it...please tia... I love you and know you think you know what's best, but just stay out of it."
Nina turned away from Gabriella speaking as she made her way to Sophie's room. "I have to get Sophie down for her nap or she's going to be Miss Grouchy all afternoon. Can you take over downstairs?"
Gabriella rolled her eyes as she watched her niece disappear down the hallway. She spoke up her voice low. "So stubborn."
She didn't understand why Nina had to be always be so damn headstrong. Nina just couldn't see that keeping Filip out wasn't fair to Sophie in the long run.
Gabriella let out a sigh coming to a quick decision. If she wanted everything to all work out then she was going to have to step in herself.
Gabriella knew Nina would be pissed but it was for the best.
She just wanted her nieces to be in a good place. She needed to leave them in a good honest place.
After leaving Estrella's Tavern Chibs and Bobby went their separate ways. Bobby went on back to TM Auto, and Chibs just drove on.
Chibs had thought that a long bike ride would make his thoughts more coherent; that it would clear his mind.
His mind felt fuller than ever though. His thoughts felt like they were racing through his head at nine hundred miles a minute.
All he could keep thinking about was those eyes; Sophie's dark brown eyes.
He tried to tell himself that he was looking into this too much. He tried to tell himself that brown eyes didn't mean a thing. A lot of people had brown eyes, he told himself. It was such a common eye color he kept on telling himself.
Chibs would recognize his late mother's eyes from a mile away though. They were the same expressive brown eyes his Kerrianne had inherited; they were his brown eyes.
Could it be possible he wondered? Could Sophie really be his?
The little girl had to be Nina's daughter. The tattoo on Nina's wrist was all the proof he needed of that.
Sophie was a gorgeous little girl. She looked quite a bit like Nina; the same rounded face, the same narrow nose, the same wild dark curls, and the same lips.
Those dimples though and those eyes, they were all him.
Chibs hadn't been able to take his eyes off Sophie. He'd watched her until Gabriella and she had disappeared behind the door of that apartment above Estrella's.
It had taken all the will power he'd had to keep himself from marching up those stairs and demanding to speak with Nina; demanding to know just who Sophie's father was.
Was he that little girl's father? It seemed possible.
Those eyes of Sophie's were more than enough to convince him that it was a definite possibility.
He almost couldn't believe it. Had he really gotten Nina pregnant that night? Hadn't she said she was on the pill?
She wouldn't have lied to him would she? Why would she ever lie about something like that?
After all if she was purposely going without contraceptives; purposely trying to get pregnant wouldn't she have picked a guy that was the complete opposite of him, a guy with money and a bright future.
Women didn't try for babies with guys like him Chibs knew that. Nina wasn't just some croweater looking to get knocked up by a biker.
She had been in college; she'd been so passionate about painting. She'd been so excited and impassioned when she'd spoken about her dreams.
She wasn't the type looking to get herself knocked up to land herself some guy. She was smarter than that.
Why hadn't she come to him when she'd gotten pregnant? She knew where to find him. He had never lied to her about his name, about where he worked.
Yes he knew he'd fucked up leaving that morning without saying anything at all to her.
Being angry with him wasn't a good enough reason to keep a pregnancy and a child from him though.
If she didn't want to speak to him she could have called. She could have written him.
Nina hadn't done any of that though. She'd run off to Miami and kept his child from him.
He tightened his grip on the handlebars as he sped up anger clouding his brain.
What had he done that was so horrible that she'd kept something like this from him?
He kept on thinking about Sophie about all those years he'd missed out on. He'd missed five years of his child's life.
After all that had happened with Kerrianne and Fiona, Chibs had sworn to himself that he'd never allow anyone to keep his family from him ever again.
He had sworn that he was ever lucky enough to have another child then he'd be there for him or her. He had promised himself he wouldn't miss a moment of his child's life.
Here he was now though; having lost so many years with Sophie. He'd missed so many little moments; her birth, her first words, her first steps, her birthdays, her Christmases.
Did Sophie even know he existed? What had Nina told her about him?
Did Sophie think her father was some outlaw biker who'd used mom and run off without a word?
He had to find a way to fix this. He had to find a way to the truth. He had no idea how to even broach this subject though.
He didn't think running to Nina and demanding the truth would work out well for anyone. Would she even tell him the truth anyway?
And what if he was wrong? He'd look like a bigger asshole than Nina already thought he was.
All Chibs knew was that he needed a drink.
He made it back to the clubhouse after the sun had set. His body felt as though it weighed at least a ton and he could feel a headache forming at the base of his brain.
He glanced up at the roof of TM Auto spotting a familiar sight. He quickly forgot his quest for a glass of Jameson as he made his way over to the building choosing instead to climb the ladder to the roof.
Jax glanced up at Chibs raising an eyebrow at the man's appearance. Chibs had definitely looked better.
He was quick to shut the journal he'd been jotting his thoughts down in as Chibs took a seat beside him. He spoke up mentioning the man's pallid complexion. "You alright brother? You look like you just saw a ghost."
"Aye...I did." Chibs blurted out his thoughts feeling as though they were all jumbled up within his brain. He couldn't sort anything out; anything that made sense at least.
Jax reached down picking up the extra beer he'd been planning on popping it open later, deciding that Chibs looked like he needed it a bit more than him. "This about Jimmy O'?"
Chibs let out a heavy huff as he popped the cap of the beer Jax had handed him. "No...I wish it was...I have a daughter Jax."
Jax raised an eyebrow almost tempted to ask Chibs if he'd hit his head. What was he talking about a daughter? Everyone already knew that Chibs had a daughter. They'd just gotten back from Ireland a few months back, leaving the girl and her mother behind in Belfast. "Kerrianne?"
Chibs shook his head his hands beginning to tremble. He took a big swig from the bottle of beer before he managed to speak. "No not my Kerrianne...you know Nina Franklin?"
"Yeah Gabriella Diaz's niece. Didn't she used to work at that bar...Estrella's?" Jax remarked still feeling lost in this conversation.
Nina Franklin was a little too old to be Chibs' kid wasn't she? Hell she didn't even look like him and Chibs wouldn't have been here in Cali to get her mom pregnant.
As Jax had this thought it quickly hit him just what Chibs was getting at. Gabriella Diaz had said that her niece had moved to Miami about five years ago.
Chibs had said that he'd seen a ghost; Jax had the feeling that Nina was the ghost.
Chibs spoke up quickly giving validation to Jax's assumptions. "Nina and I slept together...it was one night...I left the next mornin. I wanted to stay with her. I wanted it so bad, but I figured a lass like her deserved more than a guy like me."
He paused taking a deep breath as he placed his beer down beside him. He ran his hands along the nape of his neck as he managed to work up the nerve to speak again. "She has a daughter...Nina does. She's five years old Jax. She has my eyes."
"Christ. Have you talked to Nina about it? Made sure?" Jax blurted out wanting so badly to ease his brother's fears and anxieties.
"No I haven't...It makes sense though doesn it Jackie? That lass has my eyes and my dimples. She's the righ age." Chibs replied his hands still shaking as he dropped them down to his sides.
Jax nodded his head shocked by this revelation. Chibs had never spoken of Nina Franklin in the past five years.
Jax cleared his throat not helping but to be curious. Chibs looked completely lost. It was so unlike him to seem this out of control.
Jax knew that the loss of Chibs' family, the years he'd missed with his daughter had haunted him for years.
"What's her name? The kid I mean...what's she like?"
Chibs gave Jax a tight smile the memory of the short glimpse he'd had of Sophie replaying in his mind again. "She's perfect Jackie. Her name is Sophie...she's gorgeous. She has her ma's dark wild curls. She's so tiny...delicate ya know. She's the most amazin thing I've ever seen."
He took a deep breath his heart slamming in his chest as he spoke again. "I wanta know er Jax. I want to be her da. What if she doesn want me though. Christ Jackie what does a guy like me have to give her and her ma? I don't have to worry bout Kerrianne seein the kind of man I can be...the shite I do fer the club. She's in Belfast far away from it...Sophie is here though...If I fuck up she gets hurt."
Jax nodded his head knowing that Chibs had just echoed the exact thoughts Jax had at least a dozen times about Abel.
Jax spoke up confessing something to Jax, something he'd told none of his brothers, only Gemma knew. "I almost left Abel in Ireland...I saw him with the couple who adopted him...I kept thinking about all the shit that kid has been through. I kept thinking about how he could escape this...escape my legacy. Those people that adopted Abel could give him more than I could ever dream of. Ma straightened me out though...told me good or bad I'm Abel's dad. She was right. I'm Abel's dad...I might not be perfect, but he's my kid. I think that's all you can do...love them and try to do the best you can. That girl is yours...be her dad."
Chibs let out a heavy breath shocked by Jax's statement and his words. Jax was right.
He was Sophie's father. He just had to give her the best he could.
"You know we're here for you brother. We'll take care of anything you need." Jax assured Chibs as he stood up being sure to take his journal with him.
He knew Chibs needed time to think. He could see that the guy needed to be alone for a moment to gather his thoughts.
Chibs nodded his head giving Jax a tight smile as he watched the man descent down the ladder.
He spoke up quick to add on something before Jax was out of earshot. "Don't tell yer ma bout this...I don't want her goin to Nina...stirrin anythin up. Nina already aint my biggest fan...I don't wanna give her another reason to hate me."
Jax chuckled knowing that Chibs was right. If his mother knew anything about this all hell would break loose. "I won't. If she finds out about this and knows I knew though it's your funeral."
Chibs chuckled at this comment thankful he could trust Jax to keep this secret.
He took a deep breath as he was finally left all alone. He stared up at the night sky knowing that he had a lot of stressful days ahead of him.
He would do his best, he assured himself. Sophie deserved his best.
Gabriella sat by Sophie's bedside her hand running along the girl's messy curls. Sophie peered up at her aunt her eyes growing heavier and heavier by the minute.
The girl was doing her best to resist her afternoon nap, but was failing rapidly. She'd made it through half her movie, but not even the wonders of Disney could keep her awake.
Sophie spoke up remembering how upset her mother had seemed all morning. "Is momma mad that we went to the library without her yesterday?"
Gabriella tried her best not to chuckle at Sophie's observation. "No of course not bebé. Momma is just having a hard day."
"Because we moved. She doesn't like Charming huh?" Sophie asked snuggling her Hello Kitty stuffed animal as Gabriella tucked the Barbie comforter in around her.
Gabriella let out a heavy sigh not shocked that the little girl had picked up on her mother's tension. She shook her head doing her best to explain it to the girl. "Momma is a complicated woman. She likes Charming, but she doesn't like some things about it. It's sort of how you like watermelons but hate the seeds...does that make any sense?"
Sophie nodded her head as Gabriella spoke up again a soft smile on her face. "That's my smart niña."
She watched over the girl as Sophie finally closed her eyes drifting off to sleep. Gabriella shook her head as she spoke up her voice low. "Let's just hope you aren't stubborn like your momma."
Gabriella turned the lights off being sure that the nightlight remained on before she left the girl's room.
Gabriella shook her head at the barmaid she'd left to watch over the little girl while she ran her errand.
Norah wasn't the brightest bulb in the chandelier but she would be capable of watching Sophie for a few hours. She like most of the barmaids at Estrella's was barely twenty one and only working part time as she went to college over in Lodi.
"Don't turn that TV up too loud. The little niña is sleeping. Remember what I said to tell Nina if she comes up here from the bar?" Gabriella remarked giving Norah a firm look at the woman reached for the tv remote.
"That you went to the grocery store." Norah replied her stomach rolling at the matriarch of Estrella's Tavern.
The barmaid knew well enough to take this babysitting job serious. Both Gabriella and Nina would rip her head off if something ever happened to Sophie.
"Si good girl. I'll be back soon." Gabriella replied as she grabbed ahold of her purse making her way out the door before Norah had a chance to question just why she was keeping this errand a secret from Nina.
Gabriella took a deep breath as she climbed into the drivers seat of her Volvo. She knew Nina would kill her for what she was about to do, but it was the only way any of this would work.
Nina wasn't going to talk to Chibs anytime soon. So Gabriella knew she had to step in. She had to do this for Nina. It was an act of love.
Chibs kept his gaze locked on the old Harley he was fixing the transmission on his mind welcoming the mundane task.
After all that had taken place yesterday his nerves felt shot. All he could think about was; Jax's words, Nina, and tiny Sophie of course.
He had no idea how to even approach Nina when it came to Sophie.
He wanted to talk to Nina so badly, to know the truth. There were so many questions he had, and he had no idea how to ask any of them.
He almost jumped out of his skin as one of the prospects gave him a pat on the back speaking up. "Old broad wants to talk to you."
Chibs frowned his eyes leaving Vi Lin and locking on Gabriella Diaz. He swallowed the lump in his throat his mind racing at the sight of her.
What did she want with him? He prayed she wasn't here to tell him to stay away from Nina and Sophie.
He already knew that he would tell her where to shove it if she tried to keep him from Sophie.
He wiped his greasy hands on a rag tossing it down on his toolbox before he made his way over to her.
Gabriella was quick to speak her voice tight. "Filip. I think we need to talk."
"Aye...we do." Chibs agreed his palms beginning to sweat. He wiped them on his pants trying to pretend that he was just getting rid of any traces of grease left on his hands.
He prayed that Gemma wasn't peeking out watching any of this as he followed Gabriella over to a bench off near the clubhouse; far out of earshot of anyone.
Gabriella was quick to speak as she placed her handbag beside her peering at Chibs an intense look on her face. "Nina doesn't know I'm here. I can't keep this from you any longer though. I know you saw Sophie..I saw the look in your eyes when you looked at that girl. I take it you've figured out the truth."
"Aye." Chibs blurted out feeling idiotic for not being able to form any other words.
He was shocked by how blunt Gabriella was being. He'd been expecting her to call him biker criminal trash and order him to stay the hell away from her nieces.
He hadn't been expecting this.
"So she's mine?" Chibs finally managed to work out his stomach aching and churning. Was he right? Was Sophie really his child?
Gabriella nodded her head her throat tight as she tried to push the guilt from keeping this from the man for so long, away. "She is. I know you're angry...I tried to make Nina do the right thing. She's so stubborn though. She holds grudges."
"Mus be some pretty big grudges to keep our kid from me." Chibs remarked his jaw tightening.
He was irritated to know that Gabriella had known about this all along. She'd seen him a dozen times throughout the years and she had said nothing.
Gabriella narrowed her eyes at him not amused by the statement. She bit her tongue doing her best not to spit back a smart remark. "Si big grudges...lots of them. My niece is a complicated woman Filip. She didn't know her father...my sister barely knew him. They'd only been together for a few months when Miranda got pregnant. Miranda wasn't ready to be a mother. She dropped Nina on me when the girl was three. I loved Nina and raised her like she's my own. I can admit when she's wrong though."
She paused to let out a heavy sigh; her body was so tired. She'd been more and more tired lately.
Chibs raised his eyebrow at the frail looking woman. He hadn't noticed just how frail she looked until now.
Gabriella didn't give him time to question her weakened state as she spoke again. "Nina never wanted to be like her mother...I think when she got pregnant all she could see was her mother."
"It wouldn't have had ta be like tha though...I woulda been there fer her if she'd given me the chance." Chibs blurted out doing his best to keep his rage in check.
A crappy childhood didn't give Nina any excuses. God knows his own childhood had been shit, but he would have never done anything like what Nina had done.
Nina would have been willing to keep him in the dark forever; the thought made Chibs' blood boil.
"Si you know that and I know that Filip. My niece is...she's the type to run when she's hurt. I don't know what you did, but it hurt her and she ran. I'm not saying it was right. I never condoned it. She made me swear not to say anything to you about that little girl and I agreed. Not because I thought it was right, but because she's like a daughter to me. I love her and I would do anything for her. I can't keep it a secret anymore though." Gabriella explained doing all she could to explain why Nina had done what she'd done.
She hadn't come here to make Chibs angrier. She had come here to try to make him understand. He had to understand so he could move forward; so he could step in and be the man Nina and Sophie needed.
"Why now? Why are ya lettin the truth come out now?" Chibs asked his eyes boring into Gabriella's. There was something there; something not right.
Gabriella clinched her fists the lie slipping out between her lips. "I'm an old woman Filip. What good do secrets do for someone my age. It was time. Sophie needs a father and Nina needs to learn to forgive."
She knew that Nina couldn't know the truth yet. No one could know yet.
She paused her voice still so firm despite her weakened state. "You have to learn to forgive too Filip. Nina did something wrong, but she deserves forgiveness. You need to do what's right for Sophie...both of you do."
Chibs took a deep breath knowing deep down inside that Gabriella was right. His rage and resentments wouldn't do Sophie any good.
Nina and he had to find a way to agree. They had to do what was right for Sophie.
Gabriella spoke up again her hand patting Chibs'. "Go to Nina Filip. Go to her tonight and get this all out in the open. Don't let your anger hurt that little niña. Be good to them. Promise me you'll be there for both of them."
"Aye I promise." Chibs blurted out his stomach rolling at the intensity of Gabriella's statement.
She wasn't well. He could tell that.
He knew he had to keep his promise to her. He had to sort this shit out with Nina. He had to be good to them.
Chibs just prayed that Nina would let him in.
Nina sat back on her sofa her eyes locked on an old film with Audrey Hepburn. She wasn't focused on the film though. She couldn't pay it any mind even if she tried.
All she could keep thinking about was her conversation with her aunt just the day before. Think about what's best for Sophie.
All this time she'd been trying to do what she thought was best for her daughter. What if she was wrong though. What if keeping Chibs out was the wrong move. This was her daughter; raising the girl wasn't some game that could be stopped and unsaved and then started all over again.
You only had one chance to raise your children. What if she was ruining her chance; just like her own mother had ruined hers.
She cringed at the thought; being anything like Miranda Diaz. The woman had been a rotten enough mother that she'd dropped Nina off the first chance she could. At least Nina could live with the comfort that she hadn't fucked up parenting Sophie that badly.
She let out a soft sigh her brain aching from her worries. She'd not slept at all the night before and she had a feeling that she wouldn't sleep at all tonight.
She was just relieved that Sophie had seemed mostly oblivious to the reasoning behind her mother's tension.
Work had at least proven to be a good distraction. Nina was really starting to enjoy her job at Estrella's Tavern.
It had seemed that Gabriella was right about business being slow. Nina had no idea how to give the little bar the serious revamp it so badly needed.
She had thought of trying a new drink menu or maybe trying tapas. She wasn't sure if these ideas would be helpful or not though. The last thing Estrella's needed was to lose anymore money.
She took a sip of her tea her mind so weary from trying to come up with new plans to fix things at Estrella's. She so badly wanted her aunt's beloved bar to last. She wanted to be able to pass it on to Sophie one day and for Sophie to be able to pass it on to her children. It was a family owned bar and Nina wanted to keep it that way.
Nina frowned as she heard the distinct sound of a knock at the door. She stood up pulling her pink cotton kimono tighter against her body. She didn't exactly want to answer the door in a blank tank top and a barely there pair of gray sleep shorts. The knocking wasn't ceasing though so she knew she'd have no time to change.
She peeked through the peephole fully expecting to be forced to put up with some drunk who had been pissed to find that the bar was closed early. She widened her eyes as she spotted the last man she ever thought she would see on her front stoop. What was he doing here.
Chibs hadn't really prepared for this. He had done as Gabriella had told him to. He had gone over to Estrella's Tavern his stomach rolling as he neared Nina's apartment.
He couldn't help but to hate the idea of Nina and Sophie living above a bar where just any old drunk could help himself on up those stairs and into Nina's home.
He knew better than to press the issue of Nina's living arrangement though. He knew Nina would shut him down before he even got a word out.
Nina was the first to speak as she barely opened the front door glaring out at him. "What do you want?"
"We need to talk." Chibs blurted out his stomach rolling at her glare. How could one little glare from her unnerve him more than the idea of having a showdown with the meanest most ruthless biker?
"I highly doubt that." Nina spat out more than ready to slam the door in his face.
Chibs sensed that she was more than ready to do just that. He reached out placing his palm against the door holding it in place as he spoke. "We gotta talk bout Sophie."
Nina cringed her worst fears coming to light. He knew; somehow he'd figured it out. "Be quiet...she's asleep. I'll be out in a second."
She begrudgingly stepped out on the tiny porch her body pressed all too close to Chibs. She pulled away from him doing her best to ignore the way her body responded at being so close to the one man it couldn't seem to forget.
She would be being dishonest if she tried to pretend that she didn't dream of the night they'd shared together; the feel of his skin and lips on her body, the taste of his kisses, the way he knew just how to keep her begging for more.
She'd only been with two men since Chibs and neither of them had even come close to pleasing her the way Chibs had.
Nina pushed past him heading down the stairs not wanting to even let him know just the effect he still had on her.
Chibs followed her not helping but to enjoy the way the kimono she wore clinged to her curves. She was still just as sexy as he'd remembered her being.
He cursed himself for the thought. He was here to discuss their daughter, not to admire Nina's form.
"I talked to yer aunt today. She told me the truth...I'm not goin to lie, I'm pissed that ya did this. I'm goin to give ya a chance to be honest with me though lass. I think I deserve the truth from ya after five years." Chibs stated his heart slamming in his chest as he worked the words out.
It was time to hear the truth. He jsut prayed that she would be willing to be honest with him.
Nina let out a heavy sigh cursing her aunt. What was Gabriella thinking? She had told her to stay out of this.
She had done the exact opposite of what she'd told her to do. She had run to Chibs and told him God knows what.
Chibs spoke again his breath catching as the words found their way out his mouth. "Is Sophie mine? Is she my daughter?"
Nina sighed her heart sinking at the question.
She thought about lying to him. She thought about telling him that Sophie's father was some nameless guy she'd met when she was in college.
She knew he was right though; He deserved the truth. She owed him that at least.
"Yes..She's yours." Nina blurted out a heavy breath escaping her lips.
The truth was out.
Reviews? Constructive Criticism?
niña= (Spanish) little girl
bebe= (Spanish) baby
gringo= (Spanish) A White person from an english speaking country (used in Spanish-speaking regions, chiefly Latin America). Usually not a very nice thing to call someone.
si = (Spanish) Yes
tia= (Spanish) Aunt/ Auntie
Oh querido = (Spanish) Oh Dear