Chapter Five:
There are times it seems to me
I'm sharing you with memories
I feel it in my heart
But I don't show it, show it
Sheridan waited excitedly inside the church for the wedding to start. She was so happy for Ethan and Gwen. She knew that after Ethan discovered he was a Bennett, they had had some opposition from Gwen's parents—her mother in particular. If Ethan wasn't a Crane, Rebecca didn't feel that Gwen should marry him. But somehow, they had found a way to get past that and stay together.
Sheridan sighed softly. If only she and Luis had been that fortunate. She had a good life though, and Jack loved her. She had a beautiful daughter who didn't go a day without reminding her of Luis.
Suddenly, the music started, and Sheridan quickly turned towards the doors. Surprisingly, instead of the college friends of Gwen and Ethan that she had expected to see, she saw Kay and Miguel, Jessica and Noah, and Whitney and Chad. Sheridan supposed that it was only right for Ethan to include his new brother and sisters, but Miguel? And Whitney and Chad?
Whatever, Sheridan thought, dismissing the thought. They had probably become friends after Ethan learned the truth about his paternity.
As the wedding march began, she smiled in excitement, anxious to see Gwen and her father walk down the aisle. To her surprise, it wasn't Gwen and Jonathan that passed through those doors. She instead saw Theresa in her pristine, flowing wedding gown. Sheridan panicked. Luis had to be here—somewhere. She scanned the crowd, looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found.
Yet there was a magnetic attraction that seemed to pull her eyes towards the aisle. It was there that her gaze met Luis's. It was there that she knew for a fact that she was still in love with him, that she would always be in love with him.
~*~*~*~
Luis's heart stopped. Sheridan. She was here. How would he handle this? Would he be able to survive seeing her and knowing she could never be his?
He met her eyes, and saw something surprising. Love. Quickly, he dismissed it, knowing that it must have been love for Ethan or her husband that was there. It could never be love for him. He realized that now—but at least she was happy.
Theresa gave a sudden stop, which jerked Luis out of his trance-like state. They had reached the altar. He kissed his baby sister on the cheek and reluctantly gave Ethan her hand.
"Te amo, Teresita (I love you, Theresa)," Luis whispered before he left the altar to join Mama in the front pew.
As he walked there, he whispered under his breath, "Y te amo, Sheridan. (And I love you, Sheridan.)"
~*~*~*~
At the reception, Sheridan sought out Ethan and gave him a huge hug. She had missed him so much during the past two years.
"Sheridan! It's great to see you! This is such a surprise!" Ethan told her, still in shock over her appearance.
"I know, Ethan. I decided that I couldn't miss this big day in your life. You're one of my best friends, Ethan. I couldn't be happier for you and Theresa. But, I have to admit, I was a bit surprised to see you marrying Theresa, rather than Gwen. I had no idea that you two were dating—let along engaged!" Sheridan confessed.
"I'm sorry, Sher. I forget that you don't hear the Harmony gossip like most people do," Ethan apologized.
"It's ok, Ethan. Just as long as you're happy."
Ethan flashed his million-dollar grin. "I am, Sheridan. She is the most intelligent, interesting, beautiful woman that I have ever met. Sheridan, she's my everything."
"Who's your everything, Ethan?" Theresa Bennett asked with raised eyebrows as she gave her new husband a kiss on the cheek.
Ethan quickly returned the kiss. "You, of course, Reesa."
"Isn't he the sweetest?" Theresa asked Sheridan with a dazzling smile brightening the room.
"Ethan is a wonderful guy, Theresa. You're both very lucky," Sheridan said, before leaving the happy couple alone to find Bella and Jack.
Sheridan had no idea that Ethan's wedding would be so difficult to bear. While it was difficult to see Luis, it wasn't quite as bad as she had imagined that it would be. The problem was her realization that the happiness and love that Ethan and Theresa shared could have been hers and Luis's. But, with urging and threatening from Alistair, she had ruined any chance of that joy ever being shared between the two of them.
~*~*~*~
Soon afterwards, Luis walked over to his sister and brother-in-law. He saw their ear-to-ear grins, and found it hard to believe that anyone could be that happy. He hadn't been that happy in a long time—not since Sheridan had left Harmony and his dreams crashed and burned. While the ashes of his love still burned, he knew that Sheridan's had long since been extinguished.
"Ethan," Luis said as he approached the happy couple. "I want you to know that as happy as I am to have you as a brother, you had better treat my baby sister right. Otherwise, you'll have some explaining to do, ok?"
Ethan's grin seemed to widen—if that was at all possible. "Ok, Luis. But don't worry, Theresa will have everything her little heart desires. You have my word."
"Oh, Ethan!" Theresa gushed. "I already have everything that I want—I have you." She reached for Ethan, and the two shared a passionate, yet chaste, kiss.
"Oh!" Theresa exclaimed. "I have the greatest idea!"
She quickly whispered it into Ethan's ear, and he nodded in agreement. "Sound like a great plan."
Theresa ran off to carry out her plan, and moments later, the DJ made an announcement. "Well, this is an interesting request. Could Sheridan Crane and Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald please come up here?"
Curiously, Sheridan handed Bella to Jack and met Luis in front of the DJ.
"Nice to see you, Sheridan," Luis greeted her, drinking in every breathtaking curve of her gorgeous, voluptuous body.
"Likewise, Luis," Sheridan returned, wondering how a man could be that irresistibly sexy.
"Now, Sheridan and Luis, the bride and groom would like to see you two demonstrate one of your famous tangos."
Luis looked at Sheridan with a question mark written all over his face. He wanted nothing more than to hold Sheridan in his arms again and be able to pretend—at least temporarily—that she was still his. But Sheridan was married and may not want to get that close to an old flame.
Sheridan shrugged in response to Luis's questioning eyes. "I'm game if you are, officer." She couldn't let on how much she wanted—no, needed to feel his arms around her. It had been so long—too long.
Luis couldn't believe Sheridan's cool demeanor towards something that would fill his dreams for nights to come. As the music began, Luis gathered her into his arms and whispered into her ear, "Actually, that's detective now, Sher."
"Congratulations," Sheridan whispered in response as she felt a smile fill her face. Luis had finally gotten the career recognition he had deserved for so long.
But now it was time for their bodies to continue the conversation. Luis pulled Sheridan close to him and ran his hands up and down the silky, baby blue material. He gave Sheridan a sultry stare, just as he had always done. Sheridan returned his stare with a sexy grin of her own. The sexual tension between the two was quickly filling the air around them. It was obvious to everyone how much they wanted each other. Obvious to everyone but themselves.
It was obvious to Jack as well. As he watched their dance, he saw the instinctual motions that they followed. The action made by one was followed by an instantaneous reaction by the other. It was then that Jack realized that Sheridan and Luis had a deep love. A love that they both felt in the depths of their soul. Jack had known that Sheridan was still in love with Luis, but he never imagined that Luis would still feel the same way—or that they had so much chemistry between them. Jack knew instantly that Sheridan would never get over Luis. Sparks were flying everywhere, and Jack feared that he would be burned.
