Minutes later, Kristen and Patricia were sitting outside in the gazebo over the koi pond on separate benches, facing one another. Kristen's eyes widened in surprise as Patricia removed a cigar from a pocket inside her shawl, along with a fancy-looking gold lighter. She placed the cigar to her lips and lit it, puffing expertly. She glanced over at Kristen's shocked expression and sheepishly smiled, exhaling smoke from the side of her mouth while she puffed.
"Don't tell my kids," she said. "I told them I'd quit."
Kristen giggled and waved her hand in dismissal. "No, I won't. Of course not."
The two of them sat in comfortable silence for a while, gazing up at the black, star-filled sky, while the fish noisily splashed around in the water beneath them.
"Why doesn't Grace like me?" Kristen abruptly asked, hating the question as soon as it left her lips.
Patricia exhaled smoke and removed the cigar from her mouth, flicking ashes in her hand. "You can't take it personally. Grace is like that with everyone, male or female. Anyone new that tries to break into the impenetrable Dean circle is automatically a suspect. Especially when it comes to her brothers. She's over-protective. I don't blame her. I don't agree with her tactics or the way she handles it, but it's coming from an honest place of love."
Kristen hopelessly looked down at the ground and Patricia tapped her foot against hers, drawing her eyes back to hers. "Out of both of my daughters, Grace has always been the most protective of him. But she'll come around. Cameron just wants him to be happy. He could've invited Minnie Mouse over here and she would've welcomed her with open arms."
"What about you?" Kristen asked, leaning forward on her knees. The vile smoke went up her nose and she sat back, frowning. "You have just as much of a reason to be suspicious of me and you're not."
"I told you," Patricia said, smiling warmly. "I saw the way he looked at you that night. I saw how he looked at you tonight and how you looked at him. That wasn't fake. You're a sweet girl. Polite. Beautiful. Funny. His eyes light up when he looks at you. I've never seen that before. Not even with her."
Darkness clouded Patricia's eyes as she looked away. She put the cigar back in her mouth and puffed hard and long, blowing smoke out her nose and mouth with a scowl on her face.
"Patricia."
Patricia looked back over at her, her face hard.
"I care about Roman very much. Please know that. I know we hardly know one another but I've honestly never been so happy in my life. He makes me happy. He makes me feel beautiful," she lamented, choking up.
"Yes, I've had a schoolgirl crush on him since forever but I've learned so much about him over the past few days, mainly that he's human and he has flaws like the rest of us. That was very refreshing to learn. He's not the easiest guy to get along with sometimes- "
"Don't I know it," Patricia agreed, chuckling.
Kristen laughed too, wiping her eyes. "But even that's endearing to me. Neither of us knows where this thing is going or where it's headed, but... We're having fun. We're having a good time. He's very important to me. I want him in my life for as long as possible. I would never do anything to hurt him. Please know that."
Patricia quietly looked at her for a moment. She stubbed the cigar out on her bench and crossed her legs, running her finger through her hair. "I trust you sweetheart," she earnestly admitted. "I do. You've earned my trust just by sticking by him when he tried to push you away."
Kristen curiously looked at her. How did Roman's mother know about that?
"He told me how rude he was to you when the two of you initially met," Patricia explained. "I got on him hard too. He knows I don't approve of that type of behavior. I don't care what he was going through or dealing with. I have always encouraged my boys to be cordial and respectful when it comes to women. He told me he fought you through and through. But he just couldn't stay away from you. He admitted to me he was intrigued by how hard you fought him back and took up for yourself. He likes that fiery spirit you have."
Kristen wrinkled her nose. "Really?"
"Really." She smiled tenderly. "You are something little Ms. Kristen Farrow, to make a hard-head like Roman fall for you so quick and with little effort. Must be a Southern thing."
The two ladies softly laughed. Kristen hesitantly looked at Patricia, a frown furrowing her arched eyebrows. "Can I ask you a personal question?"
"Of course."
"Did you ever like Carmen? Did you get along with her?"
"I never liked her from the start," Patricia readily admitted, without an ounce of hesitation. "We got along okay but I didn't like her. I didn't trust her. It was just a feeling I had. But I knew how my son felt about her so I pushed past it and made an effort to get to know her. When they got engaged, I had hope. He wasn't going to leave her alone, no matter how much we warned him about her. You know the saying: The heart wants what it wants."
"So, he did love her."
"You want me to be honest?"
Kristen nodded.
"He loved her, yes. He loved her very much. So much that it scared me as his mother. She was truly his first love. I loved my kids' father very much so I know how that feels. But loving him didn't stop him from hurting me. And it didn't stop her. "
Crestfallen, Kristen looked down at her wringing hands in her lap. She bit her lip so hard she was afraid it would start bleeding. If Roman loved Carmen so much how could his feelings for her develop into something real? How could he give himself over to her completely? Allow himself to love her, if it came to that? She knew she loved him. She knew she was in love with him. But she knew better than to tell anyone that. What if his feelings for her never became that deep?
She looked up when she felt Patricia touch her hand. "Don't let that frighten you," she lovingly said. "The fact that he loved her. Don't let that make you pull away from him. It's been a year since they ended and I've seen that love dwindle away to nothing. Believe me when I say, there is no there there anymore. So don't let that intimidate you. If you want him, fight for him. I'm going to be honest with you about something else.
"I never fought for my husband or my marriage and I regret it to this day. Being married is not the same as the two of you growing into a relationship but I'm saying that because I don't want you to let fear of the unknown stop you from going after what you want."
She pat Kristen's hand and leaned back against the gazebo, staring thoughtfully at the water below.
"When that girl broke my son's heart, it almost killed me. I almost lost my son. I had never seen him that broken before. Most days I didn't even recognize him. It's like he just gave up on life. Having his heart broken broke mine as well. As a mother, it's hard to watch your child go through something so horrific, knowing you can't do anything about it. But in the matter of a few days, I've seen all of that pain go away. My son has his smile again. His laughter is full of life again."
She fondly looked at Kristen. "That's why I knew you were something special. And I know that now. But, make no mistake. This thing won't be easy. There's a lot that comes with loving someone in his position. I've seen it for myself. Women have been after my son for years and it's not going to stop just because you like one another."
Kristen soberly nodded, twisting her lips. "I know."
"Think you can handle that?"
"Being honest with you, Patricia, I've never been in a real relationship before. I mean, I had a boyfriend but it was so superficial compared to this. I was sad about it ending when I came but the minute I looked into Roman's eyes, it was all gone. I don't know anything about how to sustain a relationship. But I'm willing to learn. I want to try. I want to see where it leads us. I'm not afraid."
Patricia cocked her head at Kristen, smiling. "So young. So confident. So unlike how I was at your age."
Kristen laughed good-naturedly.
"I don't think you'll have to work too hard to stick around for a while Kristen. He's smitten. And between you and me? I'm on your side. I'm honestly pulling for this one."
Kristen thankfully smiled at her; then grew serious again, her tone sober as she talked. "What about my parents? They don't approve of what I'm doing and I'm more than convinced they won't even try to give Roman a chance, especially because he's 'famous' and all that. I can't blame them. I'm sure what I'm doing looks foolish."
"So what? We've all been foolish at least once in our lives. You only live once. It's better to live and regret than to slumber through life and wonder about what might've been." She reflectively looked at Kristen. "I understand your parents' position. I do. I'm not trying to be blip about it. I have two daughters, I've been there. I'd never tell them this but I admire the fact that they're willing to take chances, even at the risk of getting hurt.
"Us parents don't always handle things well or with diplomacy but at the end of the day, all we really want is to see our children happy. Your parents will come around. And even if they don't, as long as they still love you and are there for you when you need them, everything else will be okay and fall into place. I know that for a fact. Because I'm looking at it."
She reached over and squeezed Kristen's hand again. Kristen put her hand over hers and gleefully grinned back, grateful and hopeful. They say if you can win the heart of a man's mother, you're already halfway there. She hoped "they" were right.