Chapter Twelve

Making Up Is Hard To Do

Precisely like they had arranged, Maria had all of the children ready to go early at 8 o'clock in the morning. Michael picked them up and took them back to Miguel's house as planned. They decided to meet up with the angered parties around two. That way it would give Michael time to get the men ready with their apologizes. And the women ready to talk and discuss what happened. That was the plan. But, as usual where the opposite sex is concerned the plan went out the window.

Maria inwardly sighed as she surveyed the living room in the Lopez-Fitzgerald house. They had been here since two-thirty and no one had spoken a word to each other. Except of course for herself, Michael, and the children who were happily sitting on the floor in front of the television watching the cartoons after eating their lunch. This is a complete mess. Maria thought as she looked at the room. They were divided by the sexes, the men (Max, Miguel, and Philip) on one side and the women (Chloe and Kay) on the other. Michael and her were neutral standing by the doorway from the kitchen observing.

"Okay guys, we have new game plan." Maria said as everyone but the children looked up at her. "Chloe and Kay, you are going to go back to Liz's house with the children and then I will be there shortly. I have to go check in today with Theresa on some plans. But, later I think that we are going to make some plans of our own for the weekend. We'll talk about that later. So whenever you two are ready to leave we can go." Maria said as she walked over to her son and daughter who were on the floor with Gabriel.

"Will we need any clothes or any thing?" Kay asked.

Maria looked up from her children to look at the men sitting adjacent from her. She frowned at them, "Yeah, you better bring some clothes for at least 4 or 5 days." Kay left the room. "Chloe, honey why don't you go pack a bag too." Chloe followed Kay out of the living room. When they were out of earshot Maria turned to Miguel and Philip. "Okay, Twiddle Dee and Twiddle Dum why didn't you say anything? And this had better be good."

Philip and Miguel had blank looks on their faces as they looked at each other. "We thought that they were going to speak first, but when they didn't neither did we." Philip responded.

"Okay, that is just about the dumbest thing I have ever heard. You aren't in third grade anymore, you can speak first." She sighed again. "This is going to be harder than I thought. Man is this weekend going to be tough. Look, you two are starting to make my husband seem like the smartest man alive. I have never heard anything so ridiculous. Philip lets try not to make us blondes seem so stupid. And Miguel, muchacho, I really think that you need to stop being so dense. I swear, why is it that I always have to be the one to save the idiots." She said as smoothed down her son's hair.

"Hey, don't you think you should stop calling them names..." Max said from his spot on the couch only to have Maria's emerald eyes go death-ray on him.

"You shouldn't be speaking to me unless I speak to you. I'm trying to help the idiot twins over there. Besides that I could be calling them worse names than that. You should be happy that I have some self-control. Now back to you two," Maria bypassed Max giving him an 'I'll deal with you later' look. And returned to Miguel and Philip. "Don't you think that it would have been smart to speak, considering that it is your own faults that you are in this situation?"

"I was going to but," Miguel started to say.

"But what?" Maria interrupted.

"I thought that," Philip started to say as Maria looked over to him.

"You thought what?" She waited for him to finish his statement. "Listen, I am only going to give you guys one piece of advice and I suggest that you take it. I hope that you can figure out what to do with it. Because, if you don't than you two are more hopeless than I thought." She paused. "Tell them exactly how you honestly feel and don't let them leave this house without knowing exactly how you feel." And with that Miguel and Philip both rose from their seats and ran upstairs in the direction that their wives went in.

Kay was in her bedroom packing a bag when she heard someone come into the room. "Do you think that I should pack this outfit?" She asked as she pointed to a skirt and top 2-piece suit that was on the bed.

"I wish that you wouldn't pack anything." Miguel said from the doorway; Kay turned around surprised to see him.

"Well that really isn't an option for me. Because, I'd rather not walk around the girls naked considering that I am pregnant." She said as she continued to pack. "Why did you come up here Miguel?"

"Look Kay, I don't know how to tell you that I am so sorry about what I said to you. I was wrong and I want you to know that."

"No actually Miguel, you were right. I shouldn't have lied to you. I should have told you the truth. As a matter of fact everything you said was true. I am a liar and never should have expected you to forget all of the things that I used to do." She said as she went around and started to put things in her bag. Only stopping when Miguel grasped her arms. "Miguel, let me go. I still need to pack."

"No, not until you listen to me, really listen to me," he placed her on the bed and then bent down in front of her so that he was eye level with her. "Kay," when she didn't meet his gaze, he placed a finger under her chin to raise her face so that she was looking at him. "I love you. Everything I said before was wrong. Chloe asked you not to tell me that Philip didn't know about the baby. So I have no right to be mad at you for doing as you promised Chloe you would. I seem to have forgotten everything that made me love you. You've changed and shall never know how much I've wished that I had kept my mouth shut. Please, Kay I'm sorry about what I did to you. Forgive me." Miguel asked as he saw twin tears leak from Kay's eyes. "Oh baby," Miguel said as he stood up and picked Kay up to her on his lap as he sat back down on the bed.

As Kay cried Miguel hugged her to him. When the tears finally stopped, he looked down at her. "Did you really mean everything that you said?"

"Yes, I did. I promise that I will never say anything like that to you again." He said as she smiled down at her before his gaze moved to her lips. He lifted her chin and bright his lips down on the hers, to kiss her.

She broke away from him. "Well, if you ever do something like that I might go back to my old ways to get you back. I might have to get back at you without the tears."

"How would you do that?"

"Well, for starters I have the law on my side. I am related to the head of police so I can tell him what you did. Or I'll just let my brothers handle you." She answered jokingly.

"Oh really," she nodded. "Well then I guess I'd better be on my best behavior." Miguel said as she smiled down at his wife again. Only to have her pull him down into a kiss with her a few minutes later.

Chloe went to the room she staying in and began placing things from out of her dresser into her own smaller bag. She was folding a skirt and top when Philip walked into the room. She turned around when she heard someone enter the room. Once she saw whom it was she returned to folding her clothes that she was going to put into the bag. "Did you want something?"

"No... I mean yes."

"Well which is it, do you or don't you want something?"

"Yes, I wanted to speak to you," he walked closer into the room.

"Speak, I'm listening." She said as sat down on the bed and placed some clothes into the bag.

"I know that I can't take back what I said to you yesterday."

"That's right, you can't."

"But, I wanted to let you know that I am sorry. I shouldn't have said any of those things to you. Especially about the baby not being mine. That was the stupidest thing that I've ever said."

"Oh, I don't know about that Philip. Besides, this child might not be yours after all. I might have been mistaken." Chloe said as she watched his expression change to one of shock and bewilderment, then hurt. "As a matter of fact, it might be Brady's child," his expression changed to one of anger. "Or maybe Shawn's. Or you know what it could even be Austin's what do you think about that."

"What the hell are you talking about? That baby is mine and no one else's!" He replied angrily.

"Really, Philip how do you know that?" She asked innocently knowing that she was baiting him.

"I know because you would never cheat on me."

"Exactly, my point. I would never cheat on you. I suggest that you remember that the next time you want to make accusations." Philip still had his face frowned up, so she stopped folding clothes and went to stand by him. When she got near him and he still hadn't moved she pulled him to her. Her hands moved to his face, in an attempt to sooth the frown on his face. "Don't frown," she said softly before placing her mouth on his. Her kiss surprised Philip but it wore off a few seconds later when he took over the kiss. His hand grasped her hips and propelled her body into his. Her hands moved from his face and slid into his blonde hair.

They kissed until they were both out of breath. As they pulled apart they took a deep breath. Chloe's hands now rested on the back of Philip's neck. She took another deep breath before she started to move completely away from her husband and continued to pack. "Am I to assume that this means you aren't mad at me anymore. But, you're not ready to go home with me yet?" He asked as her reluctantly released her.

"No, I'm not mad. But, I don't think that I was really mad at you. It was more like the fact that my feelings were hurt that you could even think that this child wasn't yours." Her hand automatically went to her stomach. Philip's eyes moved down to her stomach. "You know you can touch my stomach, if you want. This child is half yours. I- I haven't felt any movement or anything yet. But, I was told that at this stage it was too soon to tell." Philip's eyes widen in amazement when Chloe grasped his hand and put it on her stomach. He couldn't feel anything moving. Yet, the intense feeling of knowing that he and Chloe had created another life was the most amazing feeling in the world.

It was a great feeling. With his hand still covering Chloe's stomach, he moved and kissed her gently in the lips. Then ever so slowly he kneeled down and lifted the shirt from Chloe's stomach and kissed to smooth skin on the slightly rounded belly. "Thank you for this, Chloe. Hello baby. I'm your daddy and I just wanted you to know that I love you and can't wait to see you," he whispered. Chloe's eyes filled with tears as she listened to Philip speak to his unborn child.

Then she put her hands in his hair to make him look up at her. After he did, she pulled him up to hug her until all of her tears were gone.