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"Brittney sees Jessica as much as you do. She's only ever with her the day you're off to make it seem like she's always home but she's not. That's why your parents watch her so much. Her and Aaron are rarely ever in the state. When she is she's constantly partying. Remember that night you said she left for a girls night and came home black out drunk? That's a weekly thing sometimes multiple times a week. The reason she started having Jessica home schooled is so she wouldn't have to take her to school anymore so she can leave as much as she wants to. I found out she hides Aaron's drugs in the house, locked away where Jessica can't get to it but it's still in the house and speaking from experience that's extremely dangerous for anyone especially a kid involved. She said her mom yells at her or is mad at her a lot right? That can go for emotional abuse, even what she said today can. She quit her job months ago and has been using a lot of the money in your joint account to go out and for herself, she can't provide for her unless you give her money, I know she'll get a lot of money for you but she wouldn't even use it for her daughter."
"Wait you knew this and you didn't tell me Ambrose?!" Roman screamed.
"You'll wake Jessica! Be quiet!" Rox said in a stern voice.
"I just found all this out Roman! The drugs and not being in the state I found out today. I talked to one of my old buddies and he has proof for all of this. All Brittney has on you is that you have a job that makes you travel. You have that she's never there, yells at her, puts partying before her, keeps drugs in the house, always has someone else watch her and doesn't even home school like she's supposed to. Her friend does that apparently." I said a little bit above a whisper.
"Holy shit... I never would have expected Brittney to be like this." Seth said letting out a big breath leaning back into the couch.
"She never was." Roman said looking surprised and pissed off.
"Aaron's changed her probably. I mean she always seemed to love Jessica.." Rox said
"This is why she told Jessica not to tell me anything." Roman ran a hand over his face. "Honestly guys I just didn't want to lose her I never wanted to take her away from Britt ya know? But now I have no choice I have to.. This is going to be so hard to explain to Jess.. I don't want her to be drug through court and possibly have to get involved."
"Maybe you can confront Brittney?" Rox said putting her hand on his knee.
"Yeah. If you confront her and let her know you found all this out and have proof maybe she can drop the case and she can just sign over her rights to you. And then if she gets her shit together you two can handle it and change it alone." I added.
"I doubt she'll do that. She so badly wants to hurt me and Rox, it seems, that she'll have no problem going just to try to." Roman sighed.
"As bad as this sounds use Jessica." Rox said. We all looked at her and Roman looked really confused. "Tell her if she loves her daughter she'll do what's best for her and that's signing over her rights. Tell her what Ambrose just told you about it being done between you two. Let her know that Jess deserves better than this and as a mom she should own up and stop it. It's either she signs over her rights or she has her dirty laundry aired which could turn out worse for her you know?"
"I'll text her and tell her we need to talk tomorrow." Roman said picking up his phone.
"Look man, I know this is hard to hear but when you said she was trying to take Jess away from you I called some friends to help me out. I wasn't going to let you lose her I'm just sorry it was this bad." I said patting him on the back giving him a sympathetic look.
"Naw man I really appreciate it." Roman said fist bumping me.
"I think we should go to bed now." Rox said standing up and stretching.
"Yeah I'm with her." Seth said getting up. We all said good night and went to our bedrooms.
*Romans POV*
I laid in bed with Rox cuddled up to me her head on my chest. I couldn't stop thinking about what Ambrose told me. Everything my daughter was going through that I had no idea about it really made me question how good a parent I was. Hell it seemed I was just as unfit as Brittney. I wasn't here to protect her. I know I needed to get Jessica out of that situation but i had no idea how to explain to her what was going on. I rubbed my hand up and down Rox's arm as she looked up at me.
"You okay?"
"I feel horrible.. I wasn't here to protect her."
"You're here now and you're getting her out of there you are protecting her babe. It could be so much worse, especially with Aaron involved and drugs being involved trust me...you found out just in time."
I went to answer when I heard a faint yell. "Daddy!" I heard Jessica yell in a terrified voice. I got up and ran to her bed room.
I swung her bedroom door opened and ran to her bed. She was sitting up holding her teddy bear looking scared.
"What is Jess? Are you okay? Did something hurt you?" I asked grabbing her and picking her up to me.
"I had a nightmare." I let out a sigh of relief and sat on her bed with her in my lap.
"About what sweetie?"
"It was scary daddy... I don't want to talk about it."
"Everything okay?" I looked up and saw Rox in the door way looking concerned.
"I had a nightmare." Jess whimpered.
"I'm sorry sweetheart. Are you okay?" Rox asked walking over to us running her hand through Jessica's hair.
"Can I sleep in your room tonight?" Jessica asked.
"Of course baby girl." I got up and carried her to my and Rox's room.
"You want to lay in the middle or on the other side of daddy?" Rox said getting onto the left side of the bed- away from the door.
"In the middle." Jessica said getting under the blanket and cuddling in.
I got in on the other side and laid on my side looking at Jessica.
"You okay baby girl?"
"Yeah. Good night daddy." she said hugging me tightly as I kissed the top of her head.
"Night baby."
"Good night Rox" Jessica said turning and hugging Rox tightly.
"Good night beautiful" Rox said hugging her back.
The next day I woke up and looked to see Jessica cuddled up to Rox. I smiled and picked up my cell phone and took a picture. I was terrified Jessica wouldn't like Rox. As much as I loved Rox if Jessica didn't like her we were going to be over so I thanked God daily that she loved her. I looked at my phone and saw I had a text message from Brittney. She agreed to talk to me this morning at 9 if I went to her house. I looked at the clock and saw it was 8:45 so I got up to head out. I texted Rox to let her know where I was if she woke up.
I pulled up to Brittney's house at exactly 9 and got out, told myself to stay calm and rang the door bell.
"Hey Roman." she smiled.
"Hello Brittney."
"Come on in."
I walked in and saw she had the dining room table set for two. Two plates with pancakes, bacon, eggs, toast and orange juice. Flowers set between the plates and light music was filling the air.
"I figured we could eat some breakfast while talking."
"umm.."
"I have some wine if you'd rather that than juice."
"Brittney...it's 9am. Who in the hell drinks at 9 am unless they have a problem."
"People who like wine." She shrugged. "Now eat before the food gets cold."
"I just want to talk Brittney."
"Roman I am so happy you texted! I've been dying to talk it all out with you and-"
"I didn't come here to talk it out Brittney." I said interrupting her.
"Then what did you walk to talk about?"
"You need to drop this custody case and sign over your rights to me."
"Like hell I will!" she shouted getting up and walking to the door "Get the hell out."
"Brittney I know everything! That you're never here! That you drink and party all the time! You don't even teach her anything you took her out of school for your own benefit, you quit your job you have drugs in this house! Everything. And I have proof for it all. Now like I said drop the case and sign over rights. I'm way more forgiving than a court ever will be and when you get your shit togehter we'll work out a custody agreement."
"I'll see you in court Roman!"
"So you're going to drag your daughter through legal shit and cause her more pain than you already have?! Mother of the fucking year. If you love her at all you won't do this to her! I'm not going to take her away. You can still see her just not how you have been. But if you still want to go to court then we'll go..but all the proof will be there and you'll lose her. For good." I said walking to the door. "Think about it and let me know." I left and got in my car driving home.
I walked in the door and Jessica ran up to me.
"Hey daddy where were you?"
"I just had someone I had to talk to. How is your morning baby girl?"
"Great! Rox made me an omelet and painted my nails and is watching spongebob with me!" She smiled.
"Do you want one Roman?"
"What?"
"An omelet..do you want one?"
"Oh yeah sure, thank you baby."
"Daddy why do you call Rox baby?"
Rox stopped mid way to the kitchen and turned to look at me.
"I call her baby because we are together and i love her very much."
"Do I call her baby?"
Rox tried to cover her laughter which made it harder for me not to laugh.
"No baby you call her Rox."
"Oh okay."
I put her down and she ran back to the couch to finish watching spongebob while I followed Rox to the kitchen. She started cooking and I walked up behind her putting my arms around her waist and my head on her shoulder.
"You're an angel baby."
"For making you food?" She joked.
"For walking into a situation like I have and not walking away. For being there for Jessica and just being you."
"Stop that Roman."
"Stop what babe?"
"Giving me all this credit and making me sound like some amazing person."
"But you are one Rox. You're always so hard on yourself and you need to stop okay?"
She just nodded her head and went back to cooking.
Later that day after we ate lunch we were all in the back yard, Me, Rox, Dean, Seth and Jessica playing random games with Jessica when my phone alerted me of a text message. I saw it was from Brittney and sighed. I opened up the text and it said "I thought about what you said."
"And?"
"I don't want to lose Jessica. I don't want to drag her through this though."
"We will work out details. I would never keep a kid away from their mother. I'm not like that. But she will not be in your house, or staying over night we can work things out."
"Is that really necessary? She's been with me all this time and nothing have happened!"
"I know what could happen. Dean went through this as a kid and I'll be damned if I let Jessica go through it to. What's your decision? Should I be calling a lawyer?"
"Fine...I'll sign over my rights only if I still see her."
"You will."
"I want to meet and talk to Rox. Alone."
"Um why?"
"She's going to be around my daughter. I deserve to know what she is like."
"You don't need to do that alone."
"This is my condition to not take you to court. Chili's at 8 let her know."
"Babe come here." I said looking at Rox. She got up from the grass and walked up to me.
"What's up" she looked up at me concerned.
I handed her my phone so she could read all the text messages herself.
"I'll meet with her."
"Are you sure?"
"If it helps you of course." She leaned up and gave me a kiss and we went back to playing with Jessica.
*Rox's POV*
I walked into Chili's and spotted Brittney right away and walked up to her.
"Hello." I said sitting down.
"Hello Rox."
We sat there quietly looking at the menu. We ordered and sipped our drinks and just looked around.
"Is this why I had to meet you? So we can sit here awkwardly?"
"I just wanted to meet the girl who's replacing me."
"I'm not replacing you."
"Sure seems like it. Guess your planned worked out perfectly."
"Excuse me?"
"Sleep with my fiancee so you can have him and my daughter. Perfectly done really."
"I stopped talking to Roman and being friends with him for you!"
"And then you jumped into bed with him."
"Kinda like you jumped into bed with Aaron. Roman's bed by the way!"
"Like he wasn't fucking around with you before I did that."
"He wasn't."
"If it wasn't with you it was with someone else."
"Roman's not like that."
"Oh sweetie. You're so naive. You really think Roman is oh so loyal? I've known him since I was 20. I know him a hell of a lot better than you do. He couldn't be loyal to me, the mother of his child, what makes you think he'll stay loyal to you?"
I stayed there silently.
"He loves someone and then he'll fall out of love and start messing around on you. God knows I'm not perfect but Roman isn't either. If he cheated with you he'll cheat on you."
"Are you done yet?"
"No need to be rude I'm just letting you know. To be quite honest, I was going to sign the papers anyway because I love my daughter more than anything I just wanted to meet with you to let you know exactly what you're in for. Lies, being cheated on, taking a back seat to everything. Just make sure you don't make Jessica suffer for Roman's mistakes. He makes a lot of them and you are walking into this so blind you have no idea what he is really like. You're going to get hurt. Badly."
"I'm leaving." I said grabbing my purse and standing up. She went to stop me but I kept walking. She ran up to me and grabbed my arm turning me around.
"Don't touch me."
"I'm just trying to let you know the truth before my daughter gets attached to you."
"Your daughter is already attached to me. You're just trying to be a bitch. Roman has to be telling the truth about you changing. NO way he'd ever be with someone like this." I said pointing at her.
"Exactly! Why the hell do you think I changed? Because of everything Roman has done to me. You see what he does! I'm trying to warn you! It's not going to end pretty for you. Everything I have done is because of him!"
"You're just trying to make Roman seem like the bad guy. I know him and I know he's not like you're saying he is."
"I thought the same thing. I promise not to say I told you so when it happens." Brittney turned and walked to her car and I stood there for a few minutes before walking to my car and driving back to Roman's.
I pulled up to the house and sat in the car thinking about what Brittney told me. I know I shouldn't let what she said bother me but I couldn't help it. It just kept nagging at me. She couldn't have just randomly changed. Something had to have happened to make her how she is. What if Roman is the reason? I really didn't want to get hurt again. And then the cheating line. I know I'm a hypocrite because I cheated too but what if she was right? What if he would get bored with me and find someone to replace me with? I was so deep in thought I didn't realize someone walked up to my door and opened it.
"You there Rox?"
I turned and saw Dean standing there.
"Mhm..."
"Alright what's going on? What happened with Brittney?"
"Nothing she said she'll sign the papers.."
"I can tell somethings on your mind. Talk to me Rox."
"Promise you won't say anything?"
"I promise." Dean said looking at me worried.
"It's just..do you...I don't.. "
"Spit it out."
"Do you think Roman would cheat on me?"
"What?! Are you serious Rox?! What the hell did Brittney say to make you think that?"
"You didn't answer my question..." I said looking down.
"No. Roman would never cheat on you."
"What if he gets bored with me..."
"You need to talk to Roman about this. I can't make you feel comfortable about your worries about Roman.. I'm going to go get him."
"Dean No!" Dean went in the house and I groaned. Roman came out looking concerned and walked up to the door.
"Baby girl what's going on? Why are you sitting out here?"
"I just was just thinking. Sorry." I stepped out the car and shut the door and started walking towards the house.
"Rox what's wrong?"
I turned around looking at him and smiled "Nothing Rome. Everything is good. She's going to sign over her rights."
Roman let out a sigh of relief and walked up to me and hugged me.
"Thanks baby."
"You're welcome.."