Regina couldn't wait another moment. It was her first day there and already she was freaked out and she needed to know more about this 'James Nolan' So, she went up a little early for dinner and had apologized countless times to Robin, who told her it was okay. He didn't know the woman but he knew that there was something wrong and would not turn her away. At the time she had come, Roland was up in his bedroom playing video games, which he normally did after homework was done and was waiting for his dinner. So, they had the time alone in Robin's kitchen.
Robin's place was cozy and snug. It reminded Regina of an old cottage her parents took her and her sister to when they were kids. The place was lit up with nothing more then the lights on the wall, that looked like lanterns. When you walked in you were in the small kitchen with wooden floors, to your left was a couple of steps that led to the huge living room. On one side, a fireplace with a painting of an old house over the mantel. A real fireplace, not an electric one. In front of it, an old rustic rug laid. A pool table on the right side of the fireplace and on the left was a stone wall with a built in entertainment center, his couch and lazy boy chair were a black leather.
Then, on the right side of the kitchen was a hall that led to the bathroom, a guest bedroom on one side, Roland's on the other and at the end of the hall was a master bedroom, which was Robins. A bungalow and Regina wondered if maybe she should have settled on one as well, considering it was only her. But then again, she wouldn't have met Robin. Regina shook that thought away just as she had finished her small story to Robin. "The person you are describing sounds an awful lot like the man on the next street." Robin said, "Blonde hair, blue eyes, built, tall, and drive a brown pick up truck."
Regina nodded her head. "Definitely him." Regina said.
Robin got up and went over to quickly check on the potatoes and then sat back down across from her again. "Well," Robin said, "After dinner, I will get Ruby over to watch Roland. You and I can go over and have a chat with him. I am sure it's just a big misunderstanding. You say you've never seen him in your life before today?"
Regina shook her head. "Not even once." Regina replied, "I didn't even get the sense of deja-vu when I saw him."
"Just the same, we will drive over and talk to him." Robin said before getting up from the table once again. "Roland." He called out, "Dinner in five. Clean up time."
Robin took out his cell phone after calling out for Roland and dialed a number. "Hey Ruby." He said before walking in to the living room to talk to her.
As he spoke to her, Regina could hear Roland's door open and then close with a slam. "Sorry daddy." He said, and Regina had a feeling this was something that happened all the time which was why Robin had went to the living room.
Regina heard his tiny little feet run to the bathroom and heard the light click on and the water running. Then she heard Roland groaning as if struggling to reach something. Finally, he must have gotten it and she heard the water turn off and then the light click off. Roland ran out to the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks as he looked at Regina. Regina's stomach turned yet again. First impressions with kids were always a big thing but she couldn't think of anything else to do but smile towards him and say, "Hi." with a small wave.
Apparently it was enough, because Roland had given her his dimpled smile and a wave back. "Are you the pretty girl next door daddy was talking about?" Roland asked.
Regina could feel her cheeks heat up with a blush. Robin was just coming back in the kitchen and apparently had heard what Roland said because his cheeks were a crimson red as well. "Roland." Robin said in an awkward tone, "Why don't you take your seat?"
Roland looked back and forth between the two, wondering what he had said so wrong. "Adults are so weird." Roland said before walking over to the table and getting up in his seat.
Robin dished out dinner for each of them. Roland with his chicken nuggets and fries, Robin and Regina with roasted chicken, mashed potatoes and baby carrots. Regina took a bite of the chicken and then slowly licked her lips. "Mmm... I hope you can landscape as good as you can cook." Regina said after she had swallowed her mouthful.
Robin had blushed again and once he swallowed his mouthful he gave a light shrug. "I do alright." He said with a small chuckle, "Ruby is going to be by right after dinner so we will do what we have to do, and then come back here to look at what can be done."
"Sounds good to me." Regina said.
Roland frowned as he looked at his father and picked up a nugget. "Where you two going?" Roland asked him.
"Just, for a small drive." Robin said.
"I wanna come!" Roland exclaimed, "Especially if you two are going for ice cream."
"Not tonight, Roland." Robin said, "And we are not going for ice cream. This is an adult drive."
Roland blinked rapidly before slowly looking towards his father again. "Are you going to make out?" Roland asked, which made Regina choke on her food.
Regina quickly went for her glass of water and took a long sip to stop herself from coughing. Robin's jaw was agape as he looked at Roland. "Roland Raphael Locksley!" Robin exclaimed, his eyes hard on his son.
Roland slid down in his seat a little bit. Clearly, this had been something he heard from school and didn't think there was anything wrong with asking it. Regina just thanked God he hadn't heard anything worse from school.
Once dinner had been done, Ruby had come over and let Roland show her the new level in his game as Robin and Regina snuck out and got in to the Jeep. Robin started the Jeep up and pulled out of the driveway as Regina gave him a smile. "Thanks for dinner." Regina said.
Robin smirked towards the brunette as he drove down the dark, dirt road. He gave a wink and chuckle. "No worries." Robin said, "Maybe one day, Roland will be at his grand parents and it can be more a date."
Regina found herself blushing again as she smiled and looked out the passenger side window. She had been alone for years and not a man or woman had caught her attention until now. How did he have such a power over her and so quickly? They just met. "Maybe next time I can make you dinner." Regina said, without taking her eyes off the passenger side scenery.
Robin looked over and smiled, before looking back towards the road. "I would really like that." Robin said before turning down another street.
The houses on this road weren't near as nice as the road Robin and Regina lived on. They were older and not kept up. Potential in all of them if one could afford the renovations on them. "Your house is so cozy." Regina said as she looked back towards Robin.
Robin's smile never left his face but only grew brighter. "Thank you." He said, "Your house is beautiful." Regina cocked a brow at him wondering how he knew that and Robin could sense her confusion so he cleared it up for her, "I have lived here since Marian and I married which was fifteen years ago."
Regina's heart filled up with sorrow as he mentioned Marian, and could see the hurt in his eyes as he spoke of her. Regina reached over and put her hand over his. "I am sorry about her." Regina said.
Robin turned his hand to give hers a squeeze letting her know his thanks for her condolences. "Anyways," Robin continued as he took his hand back and on the steering wheel, "You meet a lot of people that way. We all become like a family. Last people who lived there before you decided this wasn't the life they wanted and moved to the city."
Regina couldn't help the laugh that ushered from her lips as Robin looked at her, an amused look on his face. "Something funny?" He asked.
"No." Regina responded, "Except that I left the city to be here."
"That is usually how it goes." Robin said, as he pulled in to an old farmhouse with the brown pick up in the driveway that had been in Regina's driveway earlier.
The same feeling she had in her stomach earlier came back twice as strong, as Robin went to get out of his Jeep. Regina reached over and grabbed his forearm. "Don't." She whispered.
Robin looked at her. "James is harmless." Robin said, as Regina tilted her head, wondering how he could think that after what she had been through, "Unless, you cross him the wrong way. Like I said, it has to be a misunderstanding. Come on. I will show you." Robin extended his hand to Regina who just looked at it then at him, "I won't let anything happen to you, Regina." Robin's words were pure, and Regina knew he had meant it, but she wasn't only afraid for herself.
Regina sighed, knowing he would go in either way. At least with her there, there was a witness and maybe less of a chance of James hurting him. Regina took his hand as Robin opened his door and got out, not letting go of her hand, afraid she would only cower back in her seat. Regina crawled over the driver seat and jumped out as Robin closed the door. Robin laced his fingers with Regina's, surprised that it had felt so natural but at the same time made the butterflies inside of him grow.
Robin approached the door with Regina as he knocked on James' front door. A dog in the distance barking and howling to the skies, which made Regina jump. The porch light flicked on and the door swung open. James stood there with an unimpressed expression on his face as his vision had first fell on Regina. She felt the anger and hatred he had for her, just through his glare. When James' eyes went towards Robin, his expression softened. "Robin." James said, "What can I do for you?"
Robin must have caught the expression James had given Regina because now the look in his eyes wasn't 'find out the truth' but 'protection mode, on'. "I heard you were at Regina's door today." Robin said, bluntly, puffing his chest out a bit. Ready for a fight that may or may not happen.
James looked at Regina again and then back at Robin as he shook his head. "You have something you want to say to me, Locksley?" James asked as he folded his arms over his chest.
"All I have to say to you is, stay away from her." Robin said, "Whatever you are thinking she did or didn't do just keep away."
James blinked slowly and then let a cocky grin take over his features. "Big words coming from a man who let his wife die." James said, "Did you tell her that? That you could have saved her life but you took the easy way out."
Robin shook his head as Regina looked towards him now. Robin made a swing for James who dodged it and then jabbed Robin in the jaw sending him back off the deck and to the gravel below him. Regina ran down the steps and down beside Robin, helping him up. "You come on to my property and command me?" James asked as he shook his head, "You have no idea who you are dealing with and if I ever see either one of you assholes again, I won't be so easy on you!"
With those words, James slammed his door and shut off his porch light. Regina helped Robin to his feet who held on to his bottom lip. Regina moved his hand and looked at Robin's bottom lip with a slight hiss. "He opened you up pretty good." Regina said, "You won't need stitches but I would stay away from salty foods for a while."
Robin immediately put his hand back to his lip as he looked at Regina. "I hope this doesn't frighten you." Robin said, his voice lightly muffled, "We are usually quite quiet around here."
Robin handed Regina his keys as he walked to his Jeep and got in to the passenger side. Regina got in to the drivers side and started the Jeep up. She had questions but she was getting the hell out of here before she would ask them. Once they were on the road and the Jeep in drive, "So, what was all that about?" Regina asked Robin as he looked towards her, "Letting your wife die?"
Robin sighed and shook his head. "When Roland was born she hemorrhaged and was put on life support. They told me she had little chances of making it and when I went in to talk to her, she wanted to be taken off of it. She knew she wasn't getting any better. So, I told them to take her off it. Her mother never forgave me for it. Said I wanted her dead and that's what got around. Not that she was suffering, or that she didn't want to anymore. Just that I took her off the support and let her die. That I wanted her to." Robin explained.
Tears ran down Regina's cheeks as she listened to the story. Hearing the pain in his words. She could tell by the look in his eyes and the sound of his voice that he never wanted to do it. Tears escaped Robin's eyes as well but he quickly wiped them away, "The only one who believes me, that I never let her die, is Roland. And that's all I care about." Robin said.
Regina reached across and laid her hand to his lap as she turned down their road. "I believe you." Regina said.
"You barely know me." Robin said, "Why do you believe me?"
"I may be new here, and new to your life." Regina said, "But, the way you treat your son, you love him. If you killed his mother you wouldn't be looking at him with pure love and joy in your eyes. You would avoid him and it would only be guilt in your eyes whenever you looked at him."
Robin smiled now as he set his hand on top of hers and held it yet again. Regina passed Robin's home as Robin looked towards her. "You missed it." Robin said.
"You are not going home looking like that." Regina said, "You are coming to my place and getting cleaned up before going home to your son." Regina pulled in to her driveway.
"Thank you." Robin said with a softness to his voice that made shivers roll up Regina's spine.
"Don't mention it." Regina said as she turned the engine off, "Anyone with a heart would do it."
Robin shook his head. "No they wouldn't." Robin said before getting out of the Jeep.
Regina only sat there for a second, watching him walk towards her deck but a million thoughts had seemed to pass her by. She just met this man but Regina felt she knew Robin better then anyone in the world. Even more then her own sister and mother. Regina got out of the driver's side of the Jeep and went towards her door and though this may be the best thing that was happening so far in her life by this one move, James was about to be the worst thing.