There would be many words to describe Roman Cecilio, but one would be: malicious. Don of the Italian Mafia with no remorse, but what happens when he meets a woman and her daughter?
Jasmine Torres shelters her daughter from any and all harm, hiding...
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It's been a while since Jasmine went to answer the door and by a while, I mean three minutes but I can't help but be antsy about it.
I get to the foyer before my body stops and it takes me a minute to actually understand what's in front of me.
Jasmine is sitting on the floor holding a child to her chest as she cries heavily while a man crouched beside her, rubbing her back. Ralph and Ansley but how?
I blink a few times before slowly walking closer to them as if my eyes were deceiving me because they must be. There's no way they'd be here. We got the DNA test, I saw it with my own eyes, it was their DNA that they found.
"Ralph?" My voice sounded so foreign to me as I watch him lift his head before a wide smile reaches his face and he stands, walking towards me.
"Miss me, honey?" He asks, wiggling his eyebrows.
I take a large step towards him as my arms wrap around him. I actually feel his body in my arms, this is real. I'm not hallucinating.
Ralph laughs as he pats my back, returning the hug. I don't know what to do. I want to smile and laugh but I also what to beat his ass.
"Damn, you really did miss me. You know this is the first time you've ever hugged me? Ay, woah! You getting a little touchy feeling now!" He laughs as I pull away from him, my eyes still wide in shock before my eyes lands on Jasmine and Ansley and I feel my chin tremble as my eyes burn.
I'm quick to crouch beside Jasmine, moving her hair off her shoulder so I could see Ansley's face. Her face is free of any scars or cuts. Where have they been? What have they been doing?
"Daddy!" Ansley squeals and puts an arm out of Jasmine's hold for me. I quickly wrap my body around them.
"Oh my god." I breathe out but it's barely heard by Jasmine's sobs.
"My baby. How- Where have you been? I don't- You were- I saw-" Jasmine sobs into Ansley's neck, holding her body so close to her own, there isn't a single space in between them.
There's no telling how long we sat there but we sat there until our cries became slight sniffles before Jasmine finally lifted her head off of Ansley and stared at her as if she'd disappear again.
"Mami, I can't breathe." Ansley groans, trying to push her away.
"Don't even try, I'm never letting you go." Jasmine tells her as her hand runs through Ansley's hair.
"What happened? Where have you been?" I ask, turning towards Ralph, who ended up finding a spot on the floor in front of us.
"Well we were at that house when it exploded but I grabbed Ansley and ran, somehow I managed to protect Ansley with my body. I got some scaring on my back from it, it's pretty gnarly. Um, but when I woke up again, we were in the middle of buck-fuck no where. I mean literally no where, there were trees surrounding us and we probably stayed in that forest for days. I wanted to contact you but I kept seeing the same guys pop up and watch Ansley and me so we had to stay undercover for a while. We ended up in some crappy motel room for a bit until everything was clear but then we were attacked again and had to go back into hiding. Then it happened again so we had to keep moving. Then it took us about a week to actually get here because you would think a five year old would be good at directions. She's not." He finishes, breathing heavily as if he just ran a marathon.
"Hey!" Ansley shouts, pouting towards Ralph. "You were driving me crazy! You wouldn't stop singing! At least, Tanner can sing better than you!"
Ralph gasps. ——————————————————————— Ansley sits in my lap but with Jasmine holding her hands as she tells us her crazy stories of what she's been through.
"I'll tell you one thing though, never let Ralphy sleep with you. I fell off the bed so many times!" Ansley exclaims with wide eyes, making Jasmine smile.
"Were you okay? Did you ever get hurt? Were you scared? Were you sad?" Jasmine fires off question after question.
"I never got hurt but I was sad because I missed you, daddy, Tanner, and Luis. Ralphy kept making me laugh so it was okay. He even let me eat ice cream before bed!" Ansley smiles wildly, making me smile as I nuzzle my face into her hair.
"So you were never scared?" Jasmine asked, kissing Ansley's tiny hands.
"I was for a little bit but Ralphy made it better." Ansley nods.
I thank god for Ralph. I don't even want to think of the possible outcomes that would have happened if he wasn't with her.
The door opens and Luis freezes, his breathing is harsh as his chest rises and falls while his hair is a little tussled. He must've been sleeping.
"Luis! You know, I had this candy that reminded me of you. It was really sour then sweet." Ansley giggles and it breaks his trance. He immediately walks towards Ansley and I help by holding her up to him, watching as his arms wrap around her tiny body.
"I've missed you." I hear him mumble, listening to Ansley complain about all the hugging she's been through.
I look towards Jasmine, seeing her eyes water as she stares at them. I wonder if this would change things once more. Will she feel better? Is she going to try harder to get better? I feel like she stayed in her little bubble because it kept her safe but I wonder if it'll help her branch out.
I pull Jasmine to me, making her flip so her back would rest against my chest. Ansley and Luis immediately started to do what they do best: bicker.
"It's okay, mama." I whisper in her ear.
"I know, she's home." ——————————————————————— People are acting as if nothing has happened, nothing has changed and I can see it messing with Jasmine.
She tenses every time Ansley steps out of her hold, only relaxing when Luis or I touch her. Even with Ansley still in sight, she's still as stiff as a board.
"Tanner! Stop!" Ansley squeals, pushing his face away from her.
"I can't! You have food right here! And here! There too!" He exclaims, poking random spots on her face.
"I do not!" She scrunches her more towards him before looking at me. "Do I gave food on my face, daddy?" She asks quietly.
I chuckle and shake my head.
I focus on Jasmine once more as she watches Ansley intently. I want to take away her worries. They are safe, we haven't had any threats. I understand them, that doesn't mean I have to like them. Especially when she should be spending time with Ansley instead of worrying and letting that hold her back.
I place my hand on top of hers, getting her attention. "You are safe. Ansley is safe. We are all safe. Stop worrying about things that won't happen again." I tell her softly but sternly.
"If it happens once, it can happen again." She mumbles, glancing at Ansley.
"You learn from mistakes. We've learned. This worrying and making scenarios in your head will create another mistake. You are going to focus on the worst and miss the important parts." I tell her, watching as she thinks over my words before giving me a stiff nod.
I hope she grasps onto my words.
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• You guys have officially caught up with all my prewritten chapters so it might take a little longer to post more chapters!!!
