Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Forty Four

Rafael sighed as he laid next to Katherine, rolled to his back and then sighed again. Katherine quietly shifted to her side to watch him, smiling when he rotated her direction and their eyes met.

"Nervous about something?" His mood lightened at the humor behind her eyes, but only slightly.

"I keep thinking about how to bring MJ up with my mom... then rethinking it. Nothing sounds quite right."

"You don't think she'll take it well?"

"I have no idea how she'll take it..."

"Lucia has to take it better than my mom," Katherine chuckled. "She's going to think we've made the worst mistake imaginable... she'll come around though. It's always the initial shock with her, then she figures out a way to spin it so she somehow looks good and she's happy again."

"So you plan to tell her over the phone." Rafael laughed.

"Yep."

"I should call mine... she'll want to meet MJ."

"She should meet her."

"I know..." Rafael exhaled, pulling Katherine into his arms in an attempt to prolong their morning together. "I talked to the head of the Catholic School I attended. He said he could meet with MJ the week after school lets out. I told him I'd schedule a time after discussing it with you."

"We should talk to MJ then, make sure it's what she wants."

"Probably."

"I'll talk to her while you call your mom."

"Ok..." Rafael smiled, while pulling her beneath him.

Katherine chuckled as he planted kisses along her neck. "Rafael Barba," she playfully scolded, "are you using sex to avoid calling your mother?"

"No," he smirked up at her from above her chest where he had shifted in his efforts to remove the bottoms she had slept in.

Katherine bit back a chuckle and pulled him to her lips, helping in the removal of their clothing.

MJ was reading on the couch when Katherine ventured to the living room. Her hair was still wet from the shower she had shared with Rafael, but had dressed in what she planned to wear for the day.

"Morning Ms. Mor... I mean Kate." MJ smiled, setting her book down when Katherine sat next to her.

"Morning MJ. I wanted to ask you something."

"Ok..." MJ cut her eyes up curiously.

"How would you feel about possibly switching to Catholic School next year?"

"I'm not Catholic."

"You don't have to be," Katherine smiled, "but it would be more challenging for you than public school. I think you'd enjoy that."

"It would be nice to start fresh with kids who don't know anything about me." MJ sighed.

Katherine knew the other students talked about her... especially as they grew closer to middle school and those oh so fun adolescent changes happened, turning her formerly sweet students into hormone charged little brats. They didn't know much about her mom, just what they'd overheard other teachers say, but it was enough to make it hard for MJ to make friends. The fact that MJ was more intelligent than her peers didn't exactly help either.

"You'd have to meet with the head of the school, an interview of sorts. Raf sent your grades to him last week and he's set aside time for you the week after school lets out."