Toma una Foto (A Prince Royce Fan Fiction)

Chapter 17- See Ya in Two Weeks

"Adrienne, I hope you two fall in love. Like, imagine me being the bridesmaid at Prince Royce's wedding...", said Ermelinda dreamily as I finished packing the last of my suitcases.

I laughed a bit. She was a typical hopeless romantic. "Erme, let's get back to reality. This a business trip, he's my boss and I'm going to make sure nothing happens. That's unprofessional...we work together." I immediately thought of myself as a hypocrite when Antonio came to mind. 

Erme pretended to pout. "Crush a girl's hopes and dreams, why don't you." She got off my bed and picked up one of my bags. "Now, let's get these downstairs."

When we got down,  Abuela was busy getting Marylin ready to go with Richie. That was the hardest part of leaving today and now I understood why Royce was so worried about asking me to come in the first place. But, at the end off the day,  I had to remember I was doing this for her.

As if on cue, the buzzer rang. Abuela opened the door, revealing Richie on the other side. "Hello, Ms. Munoz. Hey, Adrienne." he said to us. 

"Hello, Richie.", Abuela said with a smile. I gave a wave. She had a soft spot for him and I knew she never agreed with us breaking up...even though she never actually came out and said it. I could see why. Richie was a nice guy but we just weren't working as a couple. Our break-up was definetly for the better.

"Come inside.", offered Abuela.

He gave a grateful smile and stepped inside. He looked over at Erme. "Oh, hey there, Erme." All three of us had known each other since high school, so nothing was really awkward.

"Daddy!", squealed Marylin  excitedly. She ran up to Richie and gave him a hug. He smiled happily as he hugged her back.

"Hey, Marylin. Daddy missed you.", he said softly.

I felt a little relieved because I knew Marylin would have just as much fun with him.

He looked down at her. "We'll get going in a bit." He stood and turned to me. "I have to talk to your mother for a minute."

"Okay...alone or...?", I asked.

"Yeah.", he said, opening the door. "We'll be back in a minute,  guys."

"Is everything alright? ", I questioned once we got outside.

"Yeah, everything is just fine...I just... I wanted to ask you something. "

"Okay, go ahead."

"Well, lemme start by saying,  I've been talking to this girl lately..."

"Oh, well, I'm happy for you. That's good to hear.", I said in all honesty.

"Yeah, well, I was just wondering if it was okay if I had her over while Marylin was there. I don't want her not to know about the fact I have a kid and...I just...I really care about her, ya know?"

"I understand completely, Richie. I have absolutely no problem with that.", I told him.

"Thanks for understanding, Adrienne.", he said with a smile. He went to go open the door but then turned back to me, studying me for a moment. "Somethings wrong."

"What do you mean? ", I asked.

"Adrienne,  I've known you long enough to know something is up...it's in your eyes..."

I sighed. "I-I don't know. I guess this is just all new to me...I mean,  I've never even been outside of New York before..."

"Well, why do you want to do this then?", he asked, concerned.

"For our daughter.", I said, choking up a little. Dammit, now was not the time to get emotional.

Richie was silent for a moment. "You know,  you're probably one of the strongest women I know. And one of the most caring. Like, you're not selfish at all and always putting others people's needs before your own."