When Hate Turns to Love

Ch. 35

Kourt pulled up in front of Nini's apartment building. Nini exited the car quietly and headed for the stairs.

"Nins." Kourt called out the window.

Nini turned back.

"What Kourt?" she asked tiredly.

"This isn't your fault." Kourtney said gently. "Brookelynn is not your fault."

"I know that up here," she pointed to her head, and then put a hand over her heart, "but not in here."

She unlocked her door. Ricky had been babysitting, so her kids were insane.

"Hi mommy!" Connor yelled.

"Indoor voice." she reminded him absently.

"Hey baby." Ricky greeted, Charlotte clinging to his back.

"I'll be in my room." Nini said moodily.

"What's wrong with mommy?" Charlotte asked as Nini's bedroom door slammed.

"I'm not sure Princess." Ricky said, setting the little girl down, "Can you and Connor play quietly in your room while I go talk to her?"

The twins nodded.

"Come on Con." Charlotte said.

Ricky knocked on Nini's door.

"Nini?"

He got no response.

"Can I come in Nins?" he tried again.

He didn't wait for an answer when he heard soft crying. He opened the door to see Nini curled up on her bed, hugging a pillow. He wordlessly joined her on the bed and put his arms around her. She didn't pull away, thankfully, just leaned into him, her head on his chest and cried. He didn't know what was wrong, but he just held her.

And that was all she needed.

LINE BREAK

Once Nini had cried herself out, she started to talk.

"I feel so guilty Ricky." she said, rubbing her red eyes.

"About what?" he asked.

"I should have warned her." Nini said, "I could have stopped this."

Ricky was confused.

"You're getting ahead of me, babe. Who?"

"Brookelynn."

"EJ's wife?"

"Yes." Nini sighed, "I knew when he got married. Why didn't I even think that he would do what he did to me all over again?"

Now Ricky was beginning to catch on.

"What brought all this on?" he asked.

Nini realized she had asked him to watch the kids and didn't even tell him where she was going. How was she so lucky? She recapped the visit to Brookelynn's parents.

"That was risky Nins." he said.

"I know, I know. Mr. Mazzara already read me the riot act." she said bitterly, "But Brookelynn is the key to keeping my children. I just wish I had thought more of it when he married her."

"You had two toddlers to worry about Nini. This isn't your fault." he said.

"It sure feels like it is." she said.

"Well you are doing it now." Ricky said firmly.

"Doing what?" she asked.

"You're stopping it. You are saving that girl. You are fixing things." he said, pulling away to look his girlfriend in the eyes, "You are an incredible woman. And you can do anything."

Nini gave him a small smile before kissing him breathless. He let out a laugh as they pulled apart.

"Well thank you." he said.

"No, thank you." she said.

Her bedroom door opened a crack, two sets of eyes peeking in.

"Yessss?" Ricky asked cheekily.

"Is mommy ok?" Connor asked.

"Mommy's just fine." Nini answered, "You guys can come in."

Charlotte and Connor burst into the room and jumped on the bed. Ricky caught Connor before the little boy nearly flew through the headboard.

"Whoa Little Man."

Connor giggled the way he did when he avoided near catastrophes. Charlotte rolled her eyes and sat carefully at the end of the bed.

"You aren't sad anymore mommy?" Charlotte asked.

Nini smiled and squeezed Ricky's hand.

"No Char. Not anymore." she said, "Come here sweetie."

Charlotte joined them at the head of the bed.

"Should we watch a movie?" she asked, reaching over onto her side table for her TV remote.

"Yeah!" the twins and Ricky chorus.

They selected a movie on Netflix. Nini loved that she could afford that now.