Her Shelter

17. Where Is She?

Roman POV

Throwing my gloves into my bag slump down onto the bench in the locker room. I had had yet another shambles of a match, since Ry disappeared I couldn't focus, I kept messing up and I was going out of my mind. I needed to know where she was, if she was OK, what I don't wrong.

More than anything I wanted to hold her and hear her say she loves me. I don't want to believe that I have lost her, I have to believe that whatever Sasha has done can be fixed.

"Roman do you have a moment?" Stephanie asks as she enters my locker room

"Sure but I think I know what your going to say" I sigh "I'm sorry, I just can't focus, have you heard from Ryleigh at all?"

"Roman you need to focus or you are going to injure some one or yourself" she says "As for Ryleigh I thought you two were an item?"

"She's not answering my calls or texts, it's been three weeks" I say "I don't know why and I was hoping you had heard from her or knew where she was"

"I have heard from her, she called yesterday" she says "she informed me that she wouldn't be coming back for at least 18 months"

"18 months! For a fractured ankle? Steph what don't I know?" I ask and she shifts awkwardly

"Honestly Roman it's something you need to hear from her, I shouldn't be the one to tell you" she says "what I can tell you is that she is staying with Lacey, why don't you take a few days off and go see her"

"What am I going to find when I get there?" I ask "can't you tell me anything?"

"I'm sorry" she says shaking her head "she should be the one to tell you. And I suggest you try to sort things out because if you keep messing up I'll have to suspend you"

"Understood, and thanks for telling me where she is" I say "I'm going to get her back Steph, I have to"

Ryleigh POV

How was it possible that after he had hurt me so badly that I still loved him so much? No matter what I do he's always on my mind, at times I find myself mindlessly scrolling through the photos of us on my phone, and then that one appears and it's another stab to my heart.

I have no idea why I've kept that picture but something is stopping me from deleting it. I never thought there would ever be a day where I would keep a secret from him and yet that is exactly what I was doing. I know it's wrong of me but I just don't want to talk to him.

"Ry you've been holed up in that bathroom for ages are you alright?" Lacey asks

"Yeah I'm fine" I say "Lace I need some advice"

"Well I ain't giving advice through a door so you'd better open up" she says and I unlock the door "that's better now what's going on?"

"I spoke to Stephanie yesterday, I uh I'm not going back for while" I say nervously "seems I have more than a fractured ankle to deal with"

"What? Did they find something else? Are you sick?" She asks and I shake my head

"I'm pregnant" I say and her eyes widen "that's why I need advice, it's been three weeks I can't just call Roman and dump this on him"

"Well you sure as hell can't keep it from him" she says "like it or not you need to talk to him, even if you're not together he should have the chance to be involved"

"You're right but I can't just blurt it out, how do I tell him?" I ask

"You call him, invite him up here and the two of you talk through everything" she says "I'm going to keep telling you that you are wrong about that picture, and about him. He's a good man, a good man who loves you, don't throw that away"

"I love him too and I miss him but what if I'm not wrong? How do we get passed that?" I sigh "I have a baby to think about now, our baby, god this is such a mess"

"Becuase you made it a mess! Instead of talking to him you ran away. That poor man doesn't have a clue why you just up and left and now he has no clue that he's going to be a father" she says "Ry you need to do right by him, give him the chance to explain. Invite him here, look in his eyes and I guarantee you will see nothing but love there becuase that man is loyal to a fault and i know in your heart you know that, this is one of those times when you need to listen with your heart because it knows the truth"