Rose of Sharon |Courting Trouble BK 2|

CHAPTER 11 (Part 1)

" Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle may not grow. - Frances Hodgson Burnett"

"Wow... That is quite a story you two. You are so young yet you have been through so much apart and together." Mrs Beufont said as she folded her hand to lean over the heavy desk in her small office. "I can only hope and pray that you have learnt something, hopefully onwards things we will be better."

"I cannot promise anything Mrs B. Right now my priority is this baby. Everything else is just secondary."Katrina said as she cast a furtive glance at Ryan who all this time and through her narration had chosen to remain silent. She gathered that he had already opened up to Mrs B before and it made her wonder what was now going through his mind and the plans that he was formulating for his own future and that of his baby.

"Of course Katrina. But don't forget we are called to live for peace. I believe that even the little one longs for that. Right Ryan?"

He nodded.

"I must say that I am ashamed Mrs Beufont. I have been so selfish, I guess I never really thought what it all meant for Katrina. It must have been hard as well and I judged her too harshly. Likewise the circumstances that led to the conception of this baby..." he tried off as his mind went back to Katrina's narration. He had been drunk again and because of that he recalled very little of what had transpired. To say that he was ashamed that that had happened was an understatement and with renewed vigor he vowed a fresh to never touch the drink again. To think of how his relationship with his once good friend had deteriorated to this point haunted him and to think that he had been the main cause of all her misery...
"I am sorry Katrina. I truly am. I can only try and make it up to you and with time I hope I will be truly worthy of that name your husband."

"Sure I get." Katrina told him. "But I am sure that I am ready for that kind of relationship again. I won't keep you from your child's life but I believe it is time that I found myself. For so long I have been living to please others and for others it is the high time that I also did something for and of myself."

"I understand that." Ryan replied and it surprised both himself and Katrina who had been so used to seeing his anger tantrums. Something had changed in him. He was not the same man that she had gotten married to those four years ago and try as she may she could not tell what it was.

"Fine then. Will you continue to insist on taking me wherever I am going or will you let me be now that you have what you came here for?" she asked as they stepped out of the church to walk towards his waiting car.

"it would be irresponsible of me to do so. Your well being matters to me and wherever you are going I will more than gladly take you there."

"Fine." She said as she handed him a piece of paper. It was the same from that envelope. The address to the house that that woman had left her or her Amanda whoever that was. Maybe she would finally find her answers there and with it a place she could call home if only for the time being. That is until she found her roots and established herself the way she wanted to.

"What is here?" he asked as he settled in and went on to put in the GPS coordinates.

"Apparently.... My heritage." she replied offhandedly like it did not matter and he stopped to stare at her. For a moment Ryan did not know what to say to her. Surprisingly their conversation had been cordial up to this moment and despite his growing curiously he did not want to say anything that would jeopardize that newly found peace that was now existing between the two of them.

"I am afraid to ask." he finally decided to go with the truth. Katrina shrugged her shoulders and settled back having fastened her seat belt as she waited for him to drive.

"I am also afraid to know but I have no choice now do I? It's not like I can go back home right now. I already burnt bridges there and the only way now is to go forward and to see where this path leads me."

"But you have the house..." he was referring to their matrimonial home. The present from her father after the two of them got married.

"No. Too many bad memories, plus if I am to prove myself to my father how then can I rely on something that he gifted me. I can live in a house that he has paid for."

"Okay..." A thought formed in his mind and for a moment he hesitated to speak it out for fear of how Katrina would respond to it.

"Oh come on. Spit it out!" we have already said the worst to each other. It can't be that bad."

"I am not sure."he smiled." you may not like it. "

" Try me, although I can already guess what it is you want me to do. "

" Fine. How about my place?" she laughed.

" We maybe married Ryan but us having a child together does not change the fact that this marriage was a sham."

" But we can still try..." she stopped him with a hand.

" Ryan, I do not have the energy for this. Maybe later but not now. There is too much going on in my life and working on a nonexistent relationship is the last thing on my mind right now. I will be cordial. For old times sake and for the sake of this baby but apart from that, I do not think that I have it in me to do more."

"Okay." the man nodded his mind reeling at what she had just told him. It was hard to accept but for now if he did not want to lose her he would have to respect her wishes. Lose her? He laughed. When had all this became about winning her?