Letters to Isabella

ten.

Ross' POV

The sound of the front door slamming shut pulled me out of my horrifying nightmare. I was being chased by a stack of pancakes that had been covered in blueberry sauce and although I kept screaming for someone to help me nobody could.

Our electronic fire was glowing from beside me and as I slowly sat up from the uncomfortable position I'd been sprawled out in I realised I'd slept on the couch all night. I groaned in exhaustion. My neck ached, my legs felt numb and my mouth was dry.

"Good morning princess." Rocky's voice muttered out to me. He chuckled and entered the living room with two mugs in his hand. He handed one to me with a smile and sat down opposite me on one of the armchairs. "Laura just left with the kids. You've been passed out for hours man."

I frowned and took a sip from the mug he'd handed to me. I almost spat the drink out when I realised what he'd given to me. "Green tea? Dude you know I hate this stuff!"

He smirked and stirred his spoon around his own mug before revealing his fresh mug of coffee to me. "Caffeine for me, detox tea for you."

I rolled my eyes and heavily placed the mug down on the small coffee table beside me. I wasn't going to drink that stuff in a million years; detox or not, green tea would never be consumed by me. "Is she still mad at me?" I asked, gesturing to the front door. Rocky nodded. "Damn it."

"You can't blame her, Ross. You lost her trust once before, how is she supposed to know that you won't do that again?"

I knew that Rocky was right. After all, he was always right about everything. But I couldn't help but feel a little bit hurt in this circumstance. I know that I'd been a cheating scumbag in the past and fortunately for me the universe had decided to give me another chance to redeem myself by having a family with the girl of my dreams and being somewhat successful all at the same time. But things were different now. I wasn't the same jock that I used to be. I was a man, with a family and a beautiful wife. I'd be a fool to give that up for someone I hadn't spoken to in years.

"Courtney will never come between me and my family again, Rocky." I confidently explained. I ran my hands through my greasy blonde hair. I was in desperate need of a shower. "I know I messed up in the past but I'm an adult now. I won't allow myself to repeat my mistakes, especially a mistake like that."

My older brother nodded his head up and down respectfully at me before taking a long sip from his coffee. "I trust you." He murmured. "But my opinion doesn't matter. What matters is how your wife feels and how she perceives you right now. You two need to have a night out together, talk a little, be young again! You both work so hard man and you're so busy raising this family that you forget how any of this even came to be."

I sat with my knees hunched up to my chest and in that moment I knew that Rocky was right. "I never thought of it like that before."

"I mean look at mom and dad, dude. I really don't want to see you and Laura end up that way." Rocky sighed and stared down at his lap, shaking his head slowly back and forth. "For once I'd like to see a family actually succeed and radiate their happiness to others. It's so rare these days, Ross. Please don't mess it up... not when you've come so far."

I smiled at him and held my pinky finger out. In turn, he did the same. We linked them together and I exhaled gently. "I promise I won't let my family down, Rocky. I love my kids, my wife, you and the rest of our dysfunctional family to ever hurt any of you like that."

Rocky nodded at me and smiled back. "Good." We unliked our fingers and sat back from one another. "Now... let's make a plan of action."

"A plan of action?" I asked.