"Julian, are you sure that you don't want to leave?" Katherine asked. "I know it must be hard to watch Eve with her husband."
"I can't say I'm enjoying it," Julian admitted, "but I need to give Eve the space she needs."
Straightening his back, Julian turned to his mother and forced himself to look directly at her. "I know how special this night is to you—I can pull myself together and stay here with you."
Katherine cupped his cheek and smiled at him. "Oh, Julian—you're such a good son. Eve is lucky to have you."
Julian laughed nervously. "Yes, well, let's just hope she feels the same way."
"Oh, darling, I'm sure she does."
"Well, I don't know about that." Julian's heart sank. "I blew it when I actually had a chance with her years ago. Most of the time, I don't feel like I even deserve her forgiveness—never mind her love."
"Julian, that was your past," Katherine reassured him. "You can still have a different future."
Julian swallowed hard. A knot tightened in his stomach as he watched Eve interact with TC. "I just hope you're right about that, Mother."
Gwen hugged her arms to her chest and bit down on her lip as the Lopez-Fitzgerald family exchanged hugs.
"Pilar, may I talk to you for a minute?" she asked, touching Pilar on the shoulder.
Pilar looked up, her expression a little bit startled. "Yes, of course. What did you want to speak to me about?"
Gwen pulled Pilar off to the side and lowered her voice. "It's about Sheridan's shower."
Gwen's heart swelled as she glanced over at Sheridan—at the tender way Sheridan was cradling her belly while talking with Martin and Paloma. Sheridan had certainly fought hard to be this happy; seeing her beaming the way she was right now made Gwen feel like almost anything was possible.
Taking in a deep breath, Gwen turned back to Pilar. "Listen, I know I'm probably not your favorite person—considering everything that's happened over the course of the last year or so. But I was hoping to throw Sheridan a baby shower or, at the very least, help you, if you're already planning one."
"I see . . ." Pilar said.
"I'm not meaning to put you on the spot or make you feel uncomfortable . . ." Gwen stammered.
"No, that's not it at all," Pilar said. "I think it's a wonderful idea—as long as it won't cause any more fighting between you and my Theresa."
"Believe me, Pilar—I have no interest in fighting with Theresa at all . . ."
Pilar glanced over at Martin, Sheridan, and Paloma and then looked back at Gwen. "I believe you, Gwen." Pilar smiled, her expression softening. "And this may just work out. After all, Sheridan's mother is back, and I'm sure she'll want to help, too. Maybe if the four of us work together, the tension between you and Theresa can be kept to a minimum."
Gwen released a breath. "Thank you for including me. I really appreciate it."
Pilar squeezed one of Gwen's hands. "You're my granddaughter's godmother and my daughter-in-law's best friend. You belong at Sheridan's shower just as much as the rest of us do."
A lump formed in Gwen's throat. "Thank you so much, Pilar."
"Merry Christmas, Gwen," Pilar smiled.
Tears springing to her eyes, Gwen hugged Pilar. "Merry Christmas to you, too."
Eve took a deep breath in and hugged her arms to her chest. "I thought you didn't want anything to do with me, TC."
TC hung his head. "I thought that, too, but I didn't count on how much I'd miss you."
"We've been married for almost half of our lives . . ."
"That's why I was so upset, Eve." TC took a deep breath in. "Just thinking about you with Julian, thinking about him touching you . . ."
Her forehead creasing, Eve's eyes wandered over to Julian and Katherine.
TC's eyes darted across the snow and landed on the same scene. "Are you and Julian a couple now?"
Her heart clenching, Eve raised one hand to her lips. "I don't know how to answer that."
TC's face fell. "Well, that says a lot."
Eve burst into tears, her hand shaking. "You served me with divorce papers, TC!"
TC ran his hands over his face; his eyes glistened with unshed tears. "I didn't think you'd sign them, Eve."
"What?" Eve's heart stopped. "You mean you didn't want to divorce me?"
"Yes . . . no . . . I don't know." TC hugged his arms to his chest. "All I know is that when my lawyer told me you were ready to move ahead with the proceedings, it completely gutted me."
Eve's breath caught in her throat. "What . . . what are you saying, TC?"
"I'm saying that letting you go was the biggest mistake I've ever made." His face creased with pain, TC looked up. "I can't live without you, Eve."
