Chapter Nine:
Cause you
And I
Could lose it all if you've got no more room
No room inside for me in your life
Whistling, Sheridan walked out of her office. She knew that she was skipping out a bit early, but she knew that Ethan could handle it. She had made him her co-President of Crane Industries a month ago, and he was filling the role nicely.
"Sheridan! Where do you think you're going?" Ethan asked with mock severity.
Sheridan chuckled. "I'm going out with Luis and our beautiful daughter. We'll be back in town in a few hours. If you need me, you have my cell number, ok? Besides, you know you can handle it. Everything will be fine, Ethan."
Ethan smiled. "I know it will, Sher. Have fun."
"I will, Ethan. I always do."
"Just make sure you're here tomorrow, Sheridan Katherine Crane. This company won't run itself, you know," Ethan scolded her.
Sheridan erupted in laughter. "I know, Ethan. I know."
~*~*~*~
"I'm outta here," Luis informed Sam.
"Ok, Luis. Have fun." Sam was glad that Luis was finally realizing that work shouldn't be his life. Luis was taking a lot of time off nowadays, but after all the overtime that he had worked over the last few years, he deserved it.
Luis just looked at Sam. "I'm going out with Sheridan and my wonderful daughter. How could that be anything but fun?"
Sam just laughed. "We'll see you tomorrow, Luis."
~*~*~*~
Minutes later, Luis pulled into Mama's driveway and parked his car. He took the keys out of the ignition and placed them in his pocket.
He froze as he felt the cool metal that was always in his pocket. Slowly, he placed the band in the palm of his hand, and remembered the day that he bought the ring.
~*~*~*~
FLASHBACK:
Luis knew Sheridan was his one true love, his soul mate. Their love was deep and true, and Luis was sure that it would last a lifetime.
He wanted to marry her. He knew that already. It was amazing since they had only been seeing each other for six months. Only six months and he already knew that he would never be able to find a woman that he could love more. A woman who he would rather spend the rest of his life with. He had dated Beth for seven years and never once felt any desire to marry her. It had, rather, taken him seven years to realize that she wasn't the woman for him.
He had taken the day off to go ring shopping. Ring shopping! It was hard to believe that the man who had dedicated his life to being the father his siblings no longer had now wanted another family. He had thought about asking Theresa to come with him, but he knew that this had to be something he did himself.
He pulled into the parking lot in front of Davidson Jewelry in Castleton. He didn't want to run into anyone who might tell Sheridan that he was planning to propose. He wanted it to be a surprise, and he wanted to wait until the time was right.
Luis heard the bells jingle to announce his presence as he entered the store. He was amazed at the amount of jewelry that was just in this one store. With this many options, he wasn't sure how he could ever make a decision.
"Hello, sir," a saleswoman greeted him. "May I help you?"
"Actually, yes. I'm looking for an engagement ring, and I have no idea where to start."
"Our rings are all in these cases over here," the woman replied, motioning towards the right side of the store.
"Thanks."
Luis headed over to the first case. He couldn't believe the selection. There was silver, 18K gold, 24K gold, white gold, and platinum. There were settings with diamonds, emeralds, opals, rubies, sapphires, and more. He didn't know how he would be able to choose the ring that Sheridan would want to wear for the rest of her life.
Then he saw It. The perfect ring. The ring was 24-karat gold with a dazzling diamond set in the center of the ring. On either side of the diamond was a small ruby. It was simple yet elegant.
"Ma'am? I'd like to buy this ring," Luis informed her.
END FLASHBACK
~*~*~*~
But he had never been able to give Sheridan that ring. That night, he brought six white roses to her house for their six-month anniversary and she had ended it between them. The next day, she married Jackson.
Luis looked at the ring. It was a bit tarnished now, and the gems didn't shine quite as brilliantly as they once did.
Despite the extravagant price, Luis had kept it all these years. Luis felt that if he no longer had the ring, he would be giving up on the love that he and Sheridan had once shared. Although Sheridan had married another man, Luis doubted that he could ever spend the rest of his life with anyone but Sheridan.
Dreaming of what might have been, Luis placed the ring back into his pocket. He opened the door of his car and began to walk towards the house, awaiting Sheridan's arrival. While they were nothing more than friends, Luis was willing to accept that. He wanted—no, needed Sheridan in his life and he was willing to take whatever she was willing to give him.
~*~*~*~
Fifteen minutes later, Sheridan, Luis, and Bella were driving to Augusta, Maine. It was the nearest city with a zoo, and they wanted their daughter to see the animals of the world.
During the hour-long drive, Sheridan is amazed at how little she really knows about Luis. While she did know the basics, she had never really taken the time to get to know the man she loved.
Now, she knew that when he was little, he had wanted to become a pro baseball player. His favorite team was the Red Sox, and his position was first base. Sheridan imagined Luis playing first base for the Sox. She knew that he would have been a great baseball player.
She also discovered that Luis had hated social studies when he was little. He claimed that when he was in elementary school he believed that since history was over and done with he shouldn't have to learn about it. Now he loved history since so many past lawsuits were helpful in prosecuting criminals.
He claimed that he was a nerd and had never had a girlfriend until high school. Sheridan had problems believing that—especially with looks like his. But when he made varsity soccer freshman year, he got his first girlfriend—Beth Wallace.
Sheridan, in turn, told Luis about her horrendous home life growing up. How after her mother died, she never saw her father and was sent off to boarding school. He taught her to keep her emotions inside and to never disgrace the family name.
Luis couldn't believe how much he had never known about Sheridan. How much she had never shared with him. Maybe this whole friends this was ok after all—now they could really get to know each other. Now he understood why she hadn't told him that Bella was his. She hadn't wanted to disgrace the Crane name and suffer the wrath of her father. Now that he was gone, she was in charge of the company and the family. She was the only one who could punish herself, so she no longer had anyone to fear.
~*~*~*~
Hours later, they were stuck in traffic. The zoo had been wonderful. Bella loved the animals—especially the monkeys. She had been making monkey noises the entire ride back, but, luckily, she had fallen asleep.
Now it was seven, and there weren't even out of the Augusta city limits yet. The cars were crawling down the freeway. At this rate, it would take them at least two more hours to get back to Harmony.
Sheridan knew that Jack would be worried if she didn't get home soon. She picked up her cell phone to let Jack know what was going on.
~*~*~*~
Jack snatched the ringing phone on the first ring. It was seven o'clock, and Sheridan and Bella still weren't home.
"Hello?" he asked frantically.
"Jack," Sheridan's voice said apologetically. "I'm sorry. We're stuck in horrible traffic outside of Augusta right now. We probably won't be home for a couple more hours."
Jack sighed with relief. They were ok. Thank God. "Ok, Sheridan. I'll see you two later. Drive safely."
"Luis always does Jack. Bye." Sheridan disconnected.
Luis. Jack had almost forgotten that Luis was on this expedition to Augusta with them. Ever since Sheridan had told him about Bella's true paternity, the three of them had been taking day trips at least two or three times a week. They had taken boat rides and hay rides. They had built sandcastles on the beach and went swimming at a waterpark.
Jack hated to admit it, but he didn't really feel like he was a part of Sheridan and Bella's lives anymore. True, they were a family, but that was simply a legal technicality. Sheridan, Luis, and Bella were a family. They spent so much time together, and even when they were apart Sheridan was always thinking of Luis and Bella—never of himself and Bella.
Jack sighed and sat down on their bed. He knew that there was only one thing that he could do. He picked up the phone and made a phone call that would change his life.
~*~*~*~
Sheridan and Bella didn't get home until 9:30. When she got home Jack was waiting for her in the front hall.
"Sheridan, could we talk for a moment?" he asked.
"One minute, Jack. I just want to put Bella to bed."
Jack anxiously awaited Sheridan's return. He was going to do something that he had hoped to avoid at all costs. He now realized that he had no choice.
"Ok, Jack," Sheridan said as she walked down the stairs. "What did you want to talk about?"
He led her into his office, and motioned for her to have a seat. "Sheridan, it is obvious that you don't love me—at least not the way you love Luis. The two of you seem to be together every day. Sheridan, you are my wife, and you're spending all of your time with another man. Since I cannot continue to live my life like this, I believe I have a solution."
Sheridan couldn't believe how weird Jack was acting. He knew that she loved Luis more than him. She had made that clear from the day of their wedding. She watched him reach down and open one of his desk drawers to solve their problem. Scared, Sheridan wondered what he was reaching for.
Jack took what he wanted from the drawer and placed them on the desk. "Sheridan, we need to get an annulment. I love you—you know that, but I can't be with you if you want to be with Luis. I had hoped that your love for him would fade with time, but it is obvious that it hasn't. If you want to be with Luis, you shouldn't have to be stuck with me."
"Jack, I—I can't. Something would happen to Luis—and maybe to Bella. I can't do that to them. I can't risk their lives so that I can be happy for a few moments."
"Sheridan, I know that Alistair forced you into this marriage—apparently through threats—but he's dead. He can't carry out those threats anymore. You are the sole executor of Crane Industries. Only you have that power now—not Julian, not Alistair, but you. Now you can live the life that you've always dreamed of. I can't stand in your way any longer."
Sheridan thought about what Jack had just said. He was right. No one could take Luis or Bella away from her. Julian was penniless, and Father had died. She, Bella, and Luis could be a family!
She threw herself into Jack's arms. "Oh, thank you, Jack! Thank you so much!"
Jack couldn't help but smile at Sheridan's joy. "You're welcome, Sheridan."
Sheridan began to run towards the door but stopped suddenly. "What if he can't forgive me? What if he doesn't love me anymore?"
"Sheridan, calm down. You won't know how he feels until you ask him. So go." He gently pushed her towards the door.
Sheridan took a deep breath. "You're right, Jack—as usual. Thanks." She gave him a small kiss on the cheek and headed out the door.
Jack watched her go and felt his heart break in two. He knew that he had done the right thing, but it was going to be awfully difficult to bear.
~*~*~*~
Luis was sitting at his kitchen table, going over a case when he heard knock on his door.
Curious at to who it could be so late at night, he opened the door and saw Sheridan standing in front of him with a huge bouquet of white roses.
"Sheridan?" Luis asked in a daze. "What are you doing here? Are you ok? Is Bella ok?"
Sheridan gave him a slight smile, despite her extreme nervousness. His first thought was of her and Bella's safety, not of what all the roses were for.
"Yes, Luis," she replied. "We're both fine. Can I come in?"
"Yes, yes, of course." He ushered her into his small apartment. He had moved out of Pilar's house not long after Sheridan had left. He hadn't wanted to disturb Pilar when he got home late after a long shift or if he stayed up late working on a case. His apartment was small, but he had plenty of room for everything that he needed.
"What's going on, Sheridan?" Luis asked once they were seated inside.
"I need to talk to you," Sheridan informed him as she gave him the bouquet of roses.
"Ok…" Luis replied, accepting the roses with a curious glance.
"There are 42 roses there—one for each month that has passed since I left you to marry Jack. Do you remember that night? You came to my cottage with six white roses—one for each month that we'd been together. Luis, that night I said a lot of things to you…a lot of lies. Oh, Luis, I could see the hurt in your eyes as you walked away, and I wanted nothing more than to tell you that I was lying to you. That I did love you—with all of my heart."
Now Luis was even more confused. "Then why didn't you? Why did you marry Jack? Why didn't you stay here with me and tell me that you were carrying my baby?"
"Because I was scared. Because I wanted to protect you—and Bella."
"Wh—what?"
"Father told me that I had to break up with you and marry Jack, unless I wanted something to happen to you and Bella. Oh, Luis, I loved you so much, but I couldn't let anything happen to you. Your family needed you. I had to let you believe that I had never loved you so that you would move on with your life and get over me."
"Sheridan, I could never get over you. I love you too much. You were my life, and after you left work became my life. Honestly, Sam had to force me to go home most days."
"I know that now, but I knew that I couldn't live my life knowing that I had caused you or your family pain. Father was so powerful, Luis. So ruthless. He didn't care who he hurt, just so he got what he wanted. The Crane name was all that mattered. Not my feelings, or your life. Just the Crane name and power."
Sheridan took a deep breath before she continued. "So I did it," she said between sobs. "I broke up with you, Luis. And after you left, I lay down on my bed and cried myself to sleep. I couldn't believe that a day that had started out with realizing that I was pregnant with your child could end so horribly."
Luis took Sheridan into his arms and smoothed her hair. "It's ok, Sher. I'm ok, and Bella's ok. Everyone's fine, Sheridan."
"No, Luis, everyone's not fine. I'm not fine. Luis, I love you so much, but I doubt that you can ever forgive me for what I did. But, Luis, I'm sorry. So sorry."
"Sheridan, I forgive you. It's ok. I forgive you, Sheridan."
"You may forgive me, Luis, but could you ever love me again?"
"Sheridan, you're married. I can't love you again—not like that."
"Luis, Jack offered me an annulment when I got home tonight. He said that no one can hurt you or Bella, so I shouldn't have to give up on what I want."
"What do you want, Sheridan?" Luis asked cautiously.
"Luis, I want to be with the man that I love more than life itself. I want you."
Luis couldn't believe it. Sheridan loved him. Sheridan wanted him. He gave her a big hug, but suddenly pulled back and stood up.
Where is he going? Doesn't he love me anymore? Sheridan panicked. She wanted to cry out to him, to beg him to stay, but she knew that she couldn't. She couldn't control his feelings, and she was wrong to even hope that their friendship could ever escalate to love.
In the next moment, Luis was taking something from his pocket and kneeling on the floor in front of her. The moment that he held out a ring, she began to cry.
"Sheridan, I love you with my whole heart and soul, and I have loved you for ever since I met you. When you left me, I felt as if I had lost the best part of my life—you and our love. Now, you've returned and you've given me so much—our daughter, your love, and a chance for us to finally be together. Sheridan, there is nothing that I want more in this world than for you, Bella, and I to become a family. Sheridan Katherine Crane, will you marry me?"
Sheridan was so overcome with emotion that she couldn't speak. Instead, she just nodded, with tears streaming down her face. Luis gently slipped the ring onto her finger, and gave her a passionate, heart-stopping kiss.
