"Dina," Katrina Said With A Pleading Edge To Her Voice, Her Daughter Rolling Her Eyes In Response And

"Dina," Katrina said with a pleading edge to her voice, her daughter rolling her eyes in response and ignoring her.

"Why are we leaving so early?", Nina asked, an arch in her brow as she went to grab her school bag.

"I have things to do. I have a prom to plan and we have a meeting before school today.", Dina explained, before she leaned over to kiss her mother on the cheek. "See you after school, Mama."

Katrina noticed the glare on her eldest daughter's face. Dina had always been so protective of her. Ever since their father, Vega, had left them, Dina had always been weary of men and their intentions. She had often told her mother that she could not trust them.

Part of that may have been Katrina's fault, since she had not provided her children with a male role model that they could look up to. Regardless, she hoped with time that if Katrina was to have a future with Don that Dina would warm up to him and give her blessing.

"Bye Mama.", Nina said, following after her elder sister, only looking over her shoulder to stare at Don once more.

Katrina noticed something in her daughter's expression but she tried to ignore it. Katrina knew how easily her youngest became infatuated with the opposite sex. She had already had three "boyfriends" in her high school career, and every "relationship" had ended dramatically. She hoped that she was just seeing things, and she didn't want to read too much into it.

"You should probably go, Don." Katrina said as she placed her fork down on her plate, finding that her own appetite had been lost. "I have to get ready myself."

"Of course, mi amor. May I call on you again tonight?", he asked as he reached for her hand. Katrina smiled, and nodded, "I would like that."

Going to the market every Sunday morning was a tradition for Katrina and her girls. Inviting Don to do something this mundane was a bit of a test, but it was also a testament to how she felt about him. She wouldn't have invited him to be a part of her and the girl's routine if she didn't feel as though he was a good fit for her, and while she could understand her eldest daughter's concerns, she also knew that she couldn't let Dina's opinion rule her whole life.

"Thank you for inviting me.", Don said, as he pulled away from their embrace while sitting on the fountain. "But, I thought you wanted the girls and I to spend some time together."

"I do.", Katrina sighed as she gazed back behind her to the building where she knew the girls were sitting with their coffee.

"Let me go and find them. I will be right back."

"Take you time, mi amor. If they need more encouragement, give it to them, but do not force them. They will get to know me with time."

It was things like that that gave Katrina all the encouragement in the world. Don talked about their life together as if he expected to be around for a long time, and tried to make those plans with her. That made all the difference in the world.

Hi Everyone!

I just wanted to say thank you for all the love I've gotten on my Lovestruck posts! There will be only one post today to finish out the current scene, but Lovestruck will resume Monday afternoon. I hope you're enjoying the story as much as I am writing it! I haven't had this much fun with Sims in quite a while, so I'm happy that it's getting love! ❤️

Dina wasn't really sure why she was getting so emotional about all of this. It wasn't like her to get this angry. Nina was usually the one with the temper. But, she supposed that Don's mere presence in their lives was touching on a nerve that she hadn't had a chance to heal from.

And she didn't like it.

She didn't like that he was making her process all of this that she had always managed so successfully to push away.

"Are you talking about your mother or yourself, senorita?", Don asked coyly, and Dina noticed the smirk on his lips. He was enjoying this whole exchange, and Dina wondered if it was even worth correcting him. He had seen her in a moment of weakness, but she wouldn't let it happen again. She couldn't afford to show this side of herself.

"Is everything okay?" Nina asked as she finally approached them, a raised eyebrow and her arms crossed.

"We're fine.", Dina said curtly, looking away from Don as she tried to calm the storm brewing inside. "He was just telling me about his painting. weren't you, Don?"

Don seemed to entertain her little charade, the very thing that she had just been accusing him of. "Yes. Like I was telling your sister, I am taking a class in school to learn how to paint. My father was artistic, but I'm afraid I didn't pick up the talent myself."

Dina could hear Don and Nina conversing about school and art. She heard her sister's giggle and noticed the way she was twirling her hair around her fingertips. Dina looked at them both with disgust because Don just seemed to be eating it up, and that's when she realized that Nina might just be the key to getting rid of him once and for all.

Dina smirked as her sister so easily took the bait. It was simple. She would encourage her sister's little crush on their mother's boyfriend. If Dina was right about him, and she knew that she was, he wouldn't be able to ignore her sister's attention for long and he would slip. It could be a week from now, or a month, or a year; but he would eventually show his true colors by pursing Nina. And when he did, Dina would make sure that their mother was there to see all of it.

It wasn't that Dina wanted her mother to be hurt; it was quite the opposite. She was convinced that her mother's fascination with this younger playboy was because she was lonely. She couldn't seriously be interested in trying to pursue things further with him. And, in the case that she was, Dina would prevent it from happening by any means necessary; for her mother's protection.

The girls didn't talk about their father leaving them, but they both remembered how it happened and they remember everything that led up to it. Their father had been in and out of their life for as long as she could remember. He never stayed very long, even though her mother begged him to. He made it clear that he felt responsible for the children, but that it wasn't anything more than that. It wasn't love. It was obligation that he visited. But, eventually, the visits stopped, and their mother was left heartbroken over a man that didn't love her.

The last thing that Dina wanted was to see her mother go through that again. She wanted her to find peace within herself.

"I will leave you two alone to discuss the arrangements." Dina said as she hopped up from the chair and made her way back inside the market.

It was then that she spotted someone that she hadn't expected to see there. She smirked to herself as she followed after him down the stairs and into the bottom level of the market where the gaming hall was. She knew that if she didn't take the chance to speak to this person, she would regret it. "Mr. Goth. Do you have a moment?"

It was true. Dina still wasn't happy that her mother was dating Don Lothario. His last name felt like the biggest red flag in the world. But, Dina also felt like maybe it was important to be happy for her mother. ` "That's not true, Mama. I am happy for you.", Dina said softly as she stared down at the floor. "I just don't know if he is right for you."

Katrina paused, unsure of how to proceed to answer her daughter's concerns. She could understand where Dina was coming from, but she just wanted to believe that Don was different. He had already proven that he wouldn't blink at eye at her wanting to wait to have a sexual relationship. Didn't that already prove that he might be worth it? She wasn't sure, but she hated the tension between her and her daughters and she wanted to do something to mend that.

"Tell you what, Mija. It's Sunday. Why don't we go to the flea market with Don? So that you girls can get to know him. "

Dina tried to hide the annoyance on her face as her mother suggested spending more time with her mother's lover, but she knew she was just trying to keep the peace between them.

"Fine, but if he says anything I don't like...", Dina's voice trailed off as Katrina moved to throw her arms around Dina and said shakily, "Thank you."

"You're welcome, Mama. Anything for you."