Chapter 20
"Daddy!"
Matthew's entire face lit up.
Ethan's blue eyes shone with love for their son. Love that was pure. Without complications.
But when he looked at her.There was a wariness in his eyes.
He was the one that had broken their marriage vows.
Why then did she feel the weight of some of the blame on her shoulders?
"Theresa," Paloma said in a low voice. "Do you."
She lay a calming hand on her sister's shoulder.
"But Theresa."
"Go. Just go, Paloma. Ethan and I need to talk."
"What about Matthew?" Paloma asked. Arms crossed about her middle. Dark eyes boring into Ethan.
She felt a small thrill of pleasure when Ethan looked away from her sister's unwavering stare. "Matthew
needs to see his father."
"Daddy! I'm so glad you're home," Matthew cried. Giving his father an exuberant hug.
Paloma stalked past her brother-in-law.
"She knows."
"Of course, she knows. Ethan.she's my sister. I had.I had to tell somebody."
"I'm not.that's okay. I understand," he assured her.
"Matthew's missed you," she said softly.
"I've missed him," Ethan smiled.
Matthew's tiny fingers twined with her own. And with his father's.
Tears welled up in her eyes when he whispered. "You and Mommy love each other. Right, Daddy?"
Ethan pulled her into his arms. "Right."
"It won't ever happen again?"
"Never," he breathed. "On my life.I promise."
She closed her eyes.
Weak.
Ethan was her weakness.
But not this time.
"Matthew.do Mommy a favor."
"Okay," Matthew smiled.
"Go outside and pick a pretty bouquet for Aunt Sheridan. Do you think you can do that?"
Matthew's brown head bobbed up and down.
Ethan cupped her face in the palms of his hands. "Thank you."
"For what, Ethan?" she said tonelessly.
Ethan's brow furrowed in confusion. "For forgiving me."
"Ethan.I may forgive you. But I'll never forget. You hurt me, Ethan. But as much as I would like to.I'm doing this for Matthew, Ethan. Our son doesn't deserve the hurt it would cause if I didn't give you one more chance."
"O-Okay."
"It's good we understand each other."
Ethan waved at his son as Theresa's car pulled out of the driveway.
How was he ever going to make this up to her?
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Ahem.
"Is Dr. Johnson in?"
Alice peered at the man over the rim of her eyeglasses. "She's seeing a patient at this moment. Is this an emergency?"
Julian tugged at the sleeves of his ill-fitting suit self-consciously. Glancing around at his surroundings. A far cry from Harmony Hospital. "No. Not an emergency," he finally answered.
He was halfway down the hall when he heard her voice.
"Julian! What are you doing here? I thought."
He drank in the sight of her with a sardonic smile on his lips. "Good behavior."
"Really?" she asked suspiciously. "I find that hard to believe."
"My beautiful Eve."
"I'm not 'your' Eve," she interrupted.
"Eve.you forget so easily. Us Cranes have connections. Far-reaching connections."
She frowned at him. What would this do to Sheridan? She was already in a bad state."You stay away from her. She's suffered too much already."
He dropped his hand to his side. "Your worry is for nothing. I won't hurt her anymore than I already have."
"Good." She turned to leave.
"How is he? Our son?"
"Chad?"
"He visited me a few times. The inside of a prison is not exactly a good place to strike up some sort of relationship with your long-lost son."
There were so many things she could have said. But.she sensed genuine regret in his voice. His manner. She held up a hand.
And he watched as she whispered something to the nurse at the front desk.
She slipped the purse on her shoulder and walked ahead of him.
"Eve?"
"Are you coming or not?"
He nodded his head and hurried to hold the door open for her. "Lead the way."
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"Amanda! Amanda! Have you seen."
Amanda stared at the picture in her hands. Her blue eyes sad.
Lauren smiled at the image of her aunt Sheridan. Just a baby on her brother's knee.
"How could he? How could he? To his own sister?"
"I don't know," Lauren murmured. Slipping an arm around her older sister's shoulders. "But I think he
DOES love her. See? It's there in his eyes. Somewhere along the way.he just took the wrong road. That's all."
Amanda tucked a strand of her sister's ash-blond hair behind her ear with a smile. "You always see the good in things. People. Don't you?"
Lauren shrugged her shoulders. "Who wants to be depressed all the time?"
"Certainly not me," Amanda agreed. "Although.Grandfather's idea of a welcome home party for Father is rather upsetting. I'm sure Father wouldn't want a celebration. But Grandfather's adamant. He's even insisting Aunt Sheridan and her family come."
"No!" Lauren gasped. "That's.that's too."
"Cruel?"
Lauren lowered her head in her hands. "Yeah. That's the word I was looking for."
"I don't think we'll have to worry, Sweetie," Amanda patted her sister's back. "Luis will probably kick Adam out of the house as soon as he opens his mouth," she laughed.
Lauren smiled slightly. "I'm glad she has him."
"Me, too," Amanda smiled back. "Our dear brother's due for a good..."
"Amanda! He IS our brother."
"Dear, sweet Lauren...in blood only. Remember that. Blood is the only tie that binds us. Adam has an agenda. I'm just not sure what it is yet," she said worriedly.
"You don't think he..."
"I don't know. I don't know with him anymore."
"Daddy!"
Matthew's entire face lit up.
Ethan's blue eyes shone with love for their son. Love that was pure. Without complications.
But when he looked at her.There was a wariness in his eyes.
He was the one that had broken their marriage vows.
Why then did she feel the weight of some of the blame on her shoulders?
"Theresa," Paloma said in a low voice. "Do you."
She lay a calming hand on her sister's shoulder.
"But Theresa."
"Go. Just go, Paloma. Ethan and I need to talk."
"What about Matthew?" Paloma asked. Arms crossed about her middle. Dark eyes boring into Ethan.
She felt a small thrill of pleasure when Ethan looked away from her sister's unwavering stare. "Matthew
needs to see his father."
"Daddy! I'm so glad you're home," Matthew cried. Giving his father an exuberant hug.
Paloma stalked past her brother-in-law.
"She knows."
"Of course, she knows. Ethan.she's my sister. I had.I had to tell somebody."
"I'm not.that's okay. I understand," he assured her.
"Matthew's missed you," she said softly.
"I've missed him," Ethan smiled.
Matthew's tiny fingers twined with her own. And with his father's.
Tears welled up in her eyes when he whispered. "You and Mommy love each other. Right, Daddy?"
Ethan pulled her into his arms. "Right."
"It won't ever happen again?"
"Never," he breathed. "On my life.I promise."
She closed her eyes.
Weak.
Ethan was her weakness.
But not this time.
"Matthew.do Mommy a favor."
"Okay," Matthew smiled.
"Go outside and pick a pretty bouquet for Aunt Sheridan. Do you think you can do that?"
Matthew's brown head bobbed up and down.
Ethan cupped her face in the palms of his hands. "Thank you."
"For what, Ethan?" she said tonelessly.
Ethan's brow furrowed in confusion. "For forgiving me."
"Ethan.I may forgive you. But I'll never forget. You hurt me, Ethan. But as much as I would like to.I'm doing this for Matthew, Ethan. Our son doesn't deserve the hurt it would cause if I didn't give you one more chance."
"O-Okay."
"It's good we understand each other."
Ethan waved at his son as Theresa's car pulled out of the driveway.
How was he ever going to make this up to her?
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Ahem.
"Is Dr. Johnson in?"
Alice peered at the man over the rim of her eyeglasses. "She's seeing a patient at this moment. Is this an emergency?"
Julian tugged at the sleeves of his ill-fitting suit self-consciously. Glancing around at his surroundings. A far cry from Harmony Hospital. "No. Not an emergency," he finally answered.
He was halfway down the hall when he heard her voice.
"Julian! What are you doing here? I thought."
He drank in the sight of her with a sardonic smile on his lips. "Good behavior."
"Really?" she asked suspiciously. "I find that hard to believe."
"My beautiful Eve."
"I'm not 'your' Eve," she interrupted.
"Eve.you forget so easily. Us Cranes have connections. Far-reaching connections."
She frowned at him. What would this do to Sheridan? She was already in a bad state."You stay away from her. She's suffered too much already."
He dropped his hand to his side. "Your worry is for nothing. I won't hurt her anymore than I already have."
"Good." She turned to leave.
"How is he? Our son?"
"Chad?"
"He visited me a few times. The inside of a prison is not exactly a good place to strike up some sort of relationship with your long-lost son."
There were so many things she could have said. But.she sensed genuine regret in his voice. His manner. She held up a hand.
And he watched as she whispered something to the nurse at the front desk.
She slipped the purse on her shoulder and walked ahead of him.
"Eve?"
"Are you coming or not?"
He nodded his head and hurried to hold the door open for her. "Lead the way."
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"Amanda! Amanda! Have you seen."
Amanda stared at the picture in her hands. Her blue eyes sad.
Lauren smiled at the image of her aunt Sheridan. Just a baby on her brother's knee.
"How could he? How could he? To his own sister?"
"I don't know," Lauren murmured. Slipping an arm around her older sister's shoulders. "But I think he
DOES love her. See? It's there in his eyes. Somewhere along the way.he just took the wrong road. That's all."
Amanda tucked a strand of her sister's ash-blond hair behind her ear with a smile. "You always see the good in things. People. Don't you?"
Lauren shrugged her shoulders. "Who wants to be depressed all the time?"
"Certainly not me," Amanda agreed. "Although.Grandfather's idea of a welcome home party for Father is rather upsetting. I'm sure Father wouldn't want a celebration. But Grandfather's adamant. He's even insisting Aunt Sheridan and her family come."
"No!" Lauren gasped. "That's.that's too."
"Cruel?"
Lauren lowered her head in her hands. "Yeah. That's the word I was looking for."
"I don't think we'll have to worry, Sweetie," Amanda patted her sister's back. "Luis will probably kick Adam out of the house as soon as he opens his mouth," she laughed.
Lauren smiled slightly. "I'm glad she has him."
"Me, too," Amanda smiled back. "Our dear brother's due for a good..."
"Amanda! He IS our brother."
"Dear, sweet Lauren...in blood only. Remember that. Blood is the only tie that binds us. Adam has an agenda. I'm just not sure what it is yet," she said worriedly.
"You don't think he..."
"I don't know. I don't know with him anymore."