Miguel leaned back in the recliner, happy to relax after a long day of hard labor. It was completely worth it, however, to see his new little home take shape so soon after acquiring it, he was happy to do anything he could to make it look like the house he grew up in... a place he could share with his wife...
A knock sounded on the wooden door, and then the bell rang repeatedly. "Honey?" he called after his wife in the kitchen, "Are you expecting someone?"
"No," replied a female voice, "See who it is."
Miguel grunted as he stood from his seat, finally noticing that his shirt was practically soaked in mud and sweat. He tried to wipe some of the dirt from his face as he opened the door, and gasped in surprise.
"THERESA?!"
"Hey, little brother," Theresa smiled radiantly, seeing Miguel for the first time in two years. Of course, they had written and exchanged pictures. She refused to attend the wedding of Miguel and his wife for the mere fact that meant returning to Harmony and she might run into Ethan. She just decided that it was finally time to tell the truth...
"Hi, Uncle Miguel!" Elizabeth Lopez-Fitzgerald waved a little palm up to Theresa's brother shyly.
"Is that Lizzy?" he asked Theresa, who nodded, "Wow, she's gotten big. Even bigger than from the last photos you sent."
"She's growing so quickly, I don't know what to do with myself."
"Theresa? Is that you?" Miguel's wife asked, exiting the kitchen and standing still in the center of the foyer.
"Jessica!" Theresa exclaimed, running over to her sister-in-law, the former Jessica Bennet (much to the chagrin of Kay), and wrapped her up in a hug, "Oh, it's so good to see you. Come here, Lizzy, and give your aunt a hug!"
Elizabeth stalled for a few moments, her index finger wedged between her lips, until she remembered exactly who Aunt Jessica was and ran to her side. Jessica picked her up in mock pain ("My, Theresa, she's gotten so big!") and smothered her in kisses.
"So what brings you back to Harmony?" Miguel asked, offering his sister a seat on the over-stuffed floral couch. Theresa wondered whatever happened to the teenaged boy she had last seen in person as she looked at the man and husband before her, Jessica happily playing the role of a mother to Lizzy who was begging for something to eat.
"Well, I was reading the paper the other day, and-"
"No, Theresa," Miguel sighed, sitting in a chair opposite her, "Please, please don't tell me you're here to see Ethan and his son. Luis is going to do backflips if that's why you came to visit, and he'll probably kill Ethan, as well."
"Yes, and I know he doesn't need that kind of stress in his life now that he and Sheridan have lost the baby..." Theresa trailed off, remembering her older brother's excited phone call telling her Sheridan was pregnant; and the call a few months later to tell her the baby didn't survive full term... "But Ethan needs to be told. He has a daughter, Miguel. A gorgeous daughter. You can't look at her and deny she's Ethan's child. When was the last time you saw a Lopez-Fitzgerald with curly blonde hair?"
"But Ethan and Gwen have been happily married for the past six years. I mean, of course there was turbulence after you left. He called our house every day looking for you."
"We were in love."
"Yes. Were. Now he's celebrating the birth of his son," Miguel took Theresa's hand in his and looked into her eyes, making a feeble attempt to discourage her, "Look, Theresa. He is in his glory right now. He's a proud father. Let him enjoy it with his wife."
"Exactly, Miguel. And he shall be an even prouder father when he discovers he has a daughter... with the woman he should have married all those years ago."
Jessica re-entered the room, holding Elizabeth by the hand. "Your daughter sure drinks an awful lot, there, Theresa. I don't know how you keep anything edible in your kitchen at home."
"It's a challenging task," Theresa laughed, as Elizabeth hopped up onto her lap.
"So, are you going to visit Luis at all on your stay here?" Jessica asked, "It would really brighten his day, you know. He really wished you would have been here these past few months."
"I think I'll go visit him right now, if that's all right with you," Theresa replied, setting Lizzy down and standing up, "I just wanted to drop in and say hello, which I've done."
"Well, please come back any time," Jessica invited, a bright smile on her face that reminded Theresa a little bit of Kay in one of her sweeter moments, which was quite a rare occasion "back in the day."
"Oh, I will."
"And remember what I said, Theresa," Miguel warned her, "Don't make another dumb mistake with Ethan Crane."
"I hardly consider Lizzy a dumb mistake," Theresa angrily retorted, grabbing her daughter by the hand and storming from the house.
A knock sounded on the wooden door, and then the bell rang repeatedly. "Honey?" he called after his wife in the kitchen, "Are you expecting someone?"
"No," replied a female voice, "See who it is."
Miguel grunted as he stood from his seat, finally noticing that his shirt was practically soaked in mud and sweat. He tried to wipe some of the dirt from his face as he opened the door, and gasped in surprise.
"THERESA?!"
"Hey, little brother," Theresa smiled radiantly, seeing Miguel for the first time in two years. Of course, they had written and exchanged pictures. She refused to attend the wedding of Miguel and his wife for the mere fact that meant returning to Harmony and she might run into Ethan. She just decided that it was finally time to tell the truth...
"Hi, Uncle Miguel!" Elizabeth Lopez-Fitzgerald waved a little palm up to Theresa's brother shyly.
"Is that Lizzy?" he asked Theresa, who nodded, "Wow, she's gotten big. Even bigger than from the last photos you sent."
"She's growing so quickly, I don't know what to do with myself."
"Theresa? Is that you?" Miguel's wife asked, exiting the kitchen and standing still in the center of the foyer.
"Jessica!" Theresa exclaimed, running over to her sister-in-law, the former Jessica Bennet (much to the chagrin of Kay), and wrapped her up in a hug, "Oh, it's so good to see you. Come here, Lizzy, and give your aunt a hug!"
Elizabeth stalled for a few moments, her index finger wedged between her lips, until she remembered exactly who Aunt Jessica was and ran to her side. Jessica picked her up in mock pain ("My, Theresa, she's gotten so big!") and smothered her in kisses.
"So what brings you back to Harmony?" Miguel asked, offering his sister a seat on the over-stuffed floral couch. Theresa wondered whatever happened to the teenaged boy she had last seen in person as she looked at the man and husband before her, Jessica happily playing the role of a mother to Lizzy who was begging for something to eat.
"Well, I was reading the paper the other day, and-"
"No, Theresa," Miguel sighed, sitting in a chair opposite her, "Please, please don't tell me you're here to see Ethan and his son. Luis is going to do backflips if that's why you came to visit, and he'll probably kill Ethan, as well."
"Yes, and I know he doesn't need that kind of stress in his life now that he and Sheridan have lost the baby..." Theresa trailed off, remembering her older brother's excited phone call telling her Sheridan was pregnant; and the call a few months later to tell her the baby didn't survive full term... "But Ethan needs to be told. He has a daughter, Miguel. A gorgeous daughter. You can't look at her and deny she's Ethan's child. When was the last time you saw a Lopez-Fitzgerald with curly blonde hair?"
"But Ethan and Gwen have been happily married for the past six years. I mean, of course there was turbulence after you left. He called our house every day looking for you."
"We were in love."
"Yes. Were. Now he's celebrating the birth of his son," Miguel took Theresa's hand in his and looked into her eyes, making a feeble attempt to discourage her, "Look, Theresa. He is in his glory right now. He's a proud father. Let him enjoy it with his wife."
"Exactly, Miguel. And he shall be an even prouder father when he discovers he has a daughter... with the woman he should have married all those years ago."
Jessica re-entered the room, holding Elizabeth by the hand. "Your daughter sure drinks an awful lot, there, Theresa. I don't know how you keep anything edible in your kitchen at home."
"It's a challenging task," Theresa laughed, as Elizabeth hopped up onto her lap.
"So, are you going to visit Luis at all on your stay here?" Jessica asked, "It would really brighten his day, you know. He really wished you would have been here these past few months."
"I think I'll go visit him right now, if that's all right with you," Theresa replied, setting Lizzy down and standing up, "I just wanted to drop in and say hello, which I've done."
"Well, please come back any time," Jessica invited, a bright smile on her face that reminded Theresa a little bit of Kay in one of her sweeter moments, which was quite a rare occasion "back in the day."
"Oh, I will."
"And remember what I said, Theresa," Miguel warned her, "Don't make another dumb mistake with Ethan Crane."
"I hardly consider Lizzy a dumb mistake," Theresa angrily retorted, grabbing her daughter by the hand and storming from the house.