Thank you to Alexandria M, DeeMarie426 and justkimmy for reviewing :)
Roman got to the restaurant that Katrina's father would be waiting for him in. He parked his black Tahoe and saw him step out of his car. They greeted each other and walked into the restaurant and looked for a seat. Roman got a text and smiled when he saw that it was from Katrina.
Katrina: Thank you for last night. I loved it :)
Roman: I'm glad you did. I really mean all of those promises that I made to you last night.
Katrina: I know. Just make sure you keep them. I love you.
Roman: I will. I love you, too.
Once they ordered their food, Roman felt a bit awkward, wondering what he could talk to him about. Thankfully for Roman, he started the conversation.
"Tell me about your last relationship." He said. "You seem like a very private guy. I don't think I've ever heard you mention anything about any of your previous relationships."
Roman thought for a moment. "I do tend to be private about my personal life, but it's not on purpose. It's just how I am."
"It's okay." Replied Mr. Rodriguez. "But, seriously though, what was your last relationship like, how long did it last, why did you two break up?"
"We met in college." Replied Roman. "Everything was fine until the weeks that led up to us breaking up."
"What happened?" Asked Mr. Rodriguez.
Roman waited a moment before responding. "She cheated on me and it was with someone that I saw as a brother."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Said Katrina's father. "How did you find out?"
"When she went into labor." Said Roman. The man looked up at him when he heard the last four words of that sentence. "I didn't know that she was cheating on me until she went into labor. She got pregnant, and so me thinking that I was the father, went to every single appointment that had to do with the baby. I helped buy things for the baby. I did everything I could for her during that pregnancy because I was trying to do the right thing and for nine whole months, they made me believe that it was my child. When she went into labor the guy was there in the hospital. I didn't think anything of it until I remembered that he lived all the way in Iowa and I was still in Georgia and the time of the year that she gave birth...why was he there?"
"That's when he told me everything." Roman continued. "I felt stupid because I noticed little things and I didn't bother to connect the dots until after I found out. I guess a part of me didn't want to think that anything bad was going on."
"Is that child yours?" Asked Mr. Rodriguez when the waiter bought their food.
Roman shook his head. "No, it's not mine. After the baby was born, we did a DNA test and the baby is his. After the baby was born though, I began to move out of the house and I moved in with one of my friends. When we found out the baby wasn't mine, I was devasted and so I finally broke up with her and cut all ties."
"How did you deal with it?" He asked.
Roman thought for a moment. "I don't know how I did it. I think that the support from friends and family is what really helped, as well as me just having some time to myself to think about things. I asked myself so many times if there was anything that I had done wrong to cause it to happen to me. I thought I had everything going for me, you know? An education, college ball, a good girl by my side, a possible future in the NFL. So when everything happened, I had just gotten off the heels of seeing that my career as a professional football player may not happen. It felt like my world was falling apart and I didn't know what to do to stop it from getting to the spiriling out of control part. I went to teach high school English and became a coach for the football team until I moved here and began teaching where I am now."
"It's changed you, hasn't it?" He asked.
Roman ate some of his food and nodded. "I think that it caused me to become a bit more sensitive and a bit more vulnerable when it comes to relationships and love. That girl was somebody that I thought I would spend a long time with. The love that I had for her ran deeply and I cared for her just as much. I couldn't stay with her though because I knew that I would never be able to trust her again no matter what she did to make it up to me. I would always hold it against her and the moment she did something to mess up, I would take that chance to leave her. But also, because of what happened, I say 'I love you' more often."
"Everyday?" Asked Mr. Rodriguez.
"Yeah." Replied Roman. "I learned that you should tell that someone that you love them. Don't just assume that they'll always know. That's why I tell Katrina every single day at every chance that I have that I love her. I want her to know that I do and I want her to hear it from me. I want to make this relationship last as long as I can. She's made the happiest that I've been in a very long time. Katrina's my girl and you can't let pain make you forget how to love."
Her father smiled when he saw his face light up at the sound of daughter's name.
"Speaking of Katrina...can I ask you something?" Said Roman, in a curious tone.
Hours later...
Katrina and Roman arrived at her father's house for dinner with her grandparents and her sister, Anna. Roman and her father actually greeted each other without any akwardness between the two. They seemed to be getting along better, especially after their lunch today. Her father had just wanted to get to know Roman a little better and show that it was a genuine effort that he was putting into it, rather than just doing it for the hell of making Katrina happy. Regardless, she was happy to see that her father was trying to get along with the man of her dreams.
After dinner, they were all in the living room when Katrina and Anna's father came into the living room, looking at his phone with his eyebrows furrowed.
"Dad, what's wrong?" Asked Anna when she noticed.
He looked up at everyone that was in front of him in the living room. "I just got a call from one of my friends...he saw her at the mall. She's back."
"Who's back?" Asked Katrina.
"Your mother." He simply replied.
Anna and Katrina's jaw dropped when they heard the news about their mother. They havent' seen her since the divorce was finalized, almost seven years ago. Things have changed since then and the sisters have been doing just fine without her around anymore.
"What do you mean she's back?" Asked Anna.
Their father shrugged as he tried to form the words. "He said that he saw your mother in the mall with somebody else. He believes that it may be the same guy that she was with when she filed for divorce and left. We never saw who the guy was so we can't know for sure who the guy is. He overheard them talking to somebody and saying that they were looking for houses here. They didn't mention a neighborhood."
Roman noticed Katrina's mood and body language change instantly. He wrapped an arm around her waist and watched as she laid her head on his shoulder when he did.
"How are you not upset about this?" Asked Katrina when she looked over at Katrina.
Katrina scoffed. "You think it doesn't bother me just because I'm not saying anything about it? I'm pissed off about the fact that she's back. Our mother has been gone for almost seven years and not once has she ever given a damn about us to keep in contact over the years or even let herself be seen."
Anna's behavior soften when she realized how hurt Katrina must have still been about what had happened all those years ago.
"We had to finish growing up without our mom." Katrina continued as she sat up on the couch. "Dad sacrificed so much for us when she left and I'm so thankful for everything that he's done for us and for the things that he's taught us. What has she done over the last six years? Absolutely nothing. I don't want anything to do with her anymore. She'll always be our mom, Anna. We can't change that. But me, personally, I don't want her in my life. So don't question how I'm feeling about this."
Katrina got up from the couch, grabbed her purse and walked out. Roman looked around and went after her, catching up to her when Katrina got to his car. She landed in his arms and dug her face into his chest.
"She must have forgotten all about me and Anna." Whispered Katrina. "She doesn't even seem to have the slightest of doubts about moving back here."
Roman didn't know what to say. His heart broke, hearing the pain in her voice as tears stung her eyes. Keeping his arms around her, he tried to sooth her as much as he could before her dad came out with a worried look on her face.
"Daddy, please don't make me see her again." She pleaded with him as she found herself crying suddenly. It hurt as she remembered what it felt like to see her mother walk away from her and never come back. To know that she was never there for Katrina during the times when she felt she needed her mother the most.
"I won't, sweetie." He replied. "You don't have to see her if you don't want to."
Katrina nodded and kept herself in the comfort of Roman's arms until she stopped crying. She got into the passanger seat of the car a while after and watched Roman walk towards her father.
"Katrina wants to go home." Roman told her father softly. "I'll take her and I'll make sure she gets some rest."
He nodded. "I'm sorry if I ruined her mood a bit. I just thought that they should know that their mother is back in the area. She's still their mother no matter how much they want nothing to do with her."
"I understand and it's fine." Roman replied. "Maybe tomorrow, she'll feel a little better."
"Let me know how she's feeling tomorrow." Said Mr. Rodriguez. "And as for that question that you asked me earlier today at lunch..." Roman nodded and looked on to hear what the answer would be. "I don't see why not. So 'yes' is your answer."
Roman smiled and shook his hand. "Thank you, sir."
"Yeah, yeah." Said Katrina's father. "But just know that even though she's an adult, she's still my daughter and I'm gonna protect her too."
"Yes, sir." Said Roman seriously, but with a hint of a smile in his voice. "Goodnight."
A few days later, Roman was woken up by his alarm clock and knew that he had to get ready for work. Katrina laid in his arms, beginning to wake up. She didn't have any classes until tomorrow, so she would comfortably stay at home. Insisting that they take a shower together, Katrina gave in and allowed him to comfort her while they did.
Katrina quickly made him some breakfast before leaving and smiled happily as he whispered sweet words in her ear. The weekend had been a bit rough for her, emotionally after finding out that her mother was back around and she didn't know what she'd do if Roman wasn't there to help her get through it.
"I'll see you later, okay?" Asked Roman as they shared a few kisses.
Katrina nodded and felt comfort in his arms and with his kisses. "Have a good day. I love you."
"I love you, too. Have a good day." Roman replied with a few more kisses before leaving.
A/N: Roman and Katrina's dad are finally getting on good terms. Do you think that Katrina has a right, not wanting her mother back in her life after nearly seven years of being apart from her?