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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"Maybe I'm being too harsh on her." I mumble, looking at the fork in my hand as my jaw rolls.
"No, she can't let this thing hold her back. I'd understand if she was really gone but Ansley is here and alive and happy. Jasmine needs to wake up and see that before she misses it." Tanner says as he swings the spatula around carelessly. Since when did he become such a therapist?
"I just don't know how to help her. I mean, I did the best I could when that happened and just let her do what she thought she needed but, this? I don't know how to get her to understand." I continue to rant.
"Maybe just keep letting her do what she needs to do. Whether or not she comes to the realization, she shouldn't hold you back as well. I know you guys are like one person but you have kids now and they should be one of you first priority's." He says, glancing at me.
As much as I hate hearing it, he's right. There's only so much I can do for Jasmine and when we have Ansley and Luis, I can't do everything. I can't spend time with Ansley, then Luis. I can't spend the time trying with Jasmine. I can't take care of my mafia and my soldiers. I can't do the things that I need to do.
"A couple months without Ansley and we're losing our minds." I mumble, looking down once more.
"Tell me about it, I can barely keep a relationship but yet, I'm here giving you advice." He chuckles, making me roll my eyes.
"Speak of this to anyone and I'll kill you." I threaten, pointing my fork towards him.
"First off, you wouldn't kill your best friend. Second, I'm telling everyone. This is like a solar eclipse, it only happens every 18 months." ——————————————————————— I walk into what is supposed to be Jasmine's and mines room, but stop shortly when I see all of Jasmine's stuff missing and taken out of said room.
So I do the only logical thing there is; ask Ansley.
"Where is your Mami?" I ask, raising an eyebrow to her as she looks at me out of the corner of her eyes while her mouth drops open and her hands freeze in mid air.
"I don't know." Ansley says in a high pitch tone, which was adorable but I won't admit it right now.
"Ansley." I deadpan, watching as she huffs and drops whatever was in her hands before she gives me a look while crossing her arms.
"Daddy, I don't know. Last time I saw her was when she was moving stuff into her old room by her- oops." Ansley winces when she said the thing I wanted to hear.
"Thank you, baby. I won't tell her you told me." I say as I kiss her forehead and rush towards Jasmine's old bedroom.
So many questions run through my head but Logan's words do as well. 'Just keep letting her do what she needs to do.' Is this something she needs or is it because she wants space? Maybe she's finally gotten tired of me.
"What are you doing, Jasmine?" I ask the moment I open the door, she jumps slightly before putting something on the desk.
"I took your words into consideration and you're right. I do need to get better." She mumbles, glancing towards me before picking up something else.
"Okay but why do you need to move out of our room?" I ask, furrowing my eyebrows.
"I just think that I need to be by myself, I don't need to be dependent on someone." She says, shrugging her shoulders slightly.
"Okay." I say slowly as I take in the room as if it was foreign to me. "What does this mean for us then?" I ask, looking at her as my heart beats inside of my chest rapidly, waiting for the news as if at any moment it'll be ripped into two.
"I don't know, Roman." She says quietly as she takes a seat on her bed, looking at me with a frown. "It doesn't mean anything with us. You told me that I needed to get better and that's what I'm trying to do." She shrugs.
I want to say more. I want to tell her to move her shit back into our room. I want to tell her that I am here for her. I want to tell her not to let this get in between us.
And selfishly, I want to tell her that she is not the only one trying to get better.
But I don't.
Instead, I take a few calming breaths as the hole in chest becomes larger as the fear of the unknown settles into my mind.
"Okay." I say once more before leaving the room. ——————————————————————— "Daddy?"
"Yeah?" I mumble, glancing towards her. Her head peaks into my office before she fully comes in and I lower my legs for her to get on my lap.
"Did you and Mami have a fight?" She asks as a pout rests on her face.
"No, baby. We are just going to be separated for a bit." I tell her, clearing my throat as my jaw clenches.
I thought I was doing the best I could for Jasmine and maybe it wasn't enough but I thought that it was. I am not Ansley's biological father but it doesn't change the way I love her as if I was so when she 'died', it felt like a piece of my died with her. I spent my time and energy trying to fix Jasmine instead of letting myself grieve or maybe I just didn't want to believe it.
I do know that Ansley coming back, alive and happy, has made those feelings catch up but also made me realize how much I need them. I don't need to hide away my feelings because maybe if I was more honest about them towards Jasmine, then maybe she wouldn't feel as if she was so alone. Maybe she wouldn't feel like she has to move out of our room just to get better.
But now, I feel like I am standing on a cliff. Is Jasmine going to push me or pull me away?
"D-Did you break up?" Ansley's small voice cracks as a frown stays on her pouting face and tears rims her eyes.
I'm stuck with being honest with this child or lying just to make her feel better?
"I don't know." I sigh, rubbing my eyes.
I freeze when a sob comes out of her mouth and I see her full on crying. Maybe I should've lied, sometimes I forget that she's still a child.
"Does this mean you can't be my daddy anymore?" She cries as she fists my shirt in her hands as if someone would pull her away from me.
"No, baby." I sit up, pulling her closer to me. "I will be your daddy until you don't want me too and even then I'll still be him. You're not getting rid of me that easily." I joke, poking her side. I get a weak laugh from her before she buries her face into my chest.
"You know I'll always love you, baby." I whisper against her head as my hand rubs her back.
"I'll always love you too, daddy."
•••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• My daddy issues kicked in😭😭
