CHAPTER 10
Back Into My Life
"Teresa, want to go for breakfast?"
She tossed in her bed.
"No, thanks."
Chad came and sat beside her.
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Not really."
He felt sorry for her.
"You can't keep doing this. It has been over a month since you got here. You can't stay inside during the day and wander out at night. This is not Harmony. It's dangerous, you know."
"Maybe someone will kill me and everything will be better."
"Don't say that, you have a son who adores you and family who cared about you. Without mentioning your friends. You can't think like that."
"Sometimes I wonder how things would be for everyone if Ethan hadn't jumped after me into the ocean."
"I personally think it would be a very sad world if you weren't around to make it better. Or at least, my life would be really sad."
"Fox!"
She jumped out of her bed and ran to him. They embraced for a while.
"What is it I hear about you been cooked up here?"
"How's my son?"
"He is doing very well. I brought you tons of pictures of him."
"Really? Can I see them?"
"Not a chance."
"Why?" "Because you can take a look at them when we go out for breakfast."
"Fine, I'll go."
"That's my girl!"
She went into his arms again, feeling warmth and security.
"Paloma told you where I was, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did but only because she knew I was on my way here."
She pulled away from him.
"Why are you here?"
"For business."
She smiled.
"Makes sense."
She went to her closet and started to look for something to wear. Chad went up to Fox.
"Looks like you're just what the doctor ordered. I've been trying to get her out of this room since we got here and nothing. You're here for 5 minutes and she's ready to take on the world."
Fox was looking at Teresa as she went in her bathroom to shower.
"I'm the last real tie she has to her son. Of course she will react this way."
They both left the room and sat in the nicely furnished living room.
"Looks like you've done well for yourself Chad."
"Thanks man. When opportunity knocks, you can't exactly ignore it."
Fox had a smile.
"Tell me about it."
**********************************
Ethan had just gotten back from Crane Industries. He had to go to LA for a few months and wasn't sure how Gwen would react to it. He walked inside their bedroom and found her lying down flipping through a magazine. Somewhere deep inside of him he hoped that she would throw a fit and threaten him with divorce. This time he wouldn't refuse he thought.
"Ethan, you're home."
She got up and kissed him on the cheek.
"How was your day at work?"
He was getting out of his suit, pulling his tie over his head.
"Same as usual."
He faced her.
"There's something we have to discuss."
"Oh, alright. What is it?"
"Alistair wants me to head to LA for a few months."
"Did you say LA?"
He nodded, watching her reaction. He was hoping she would get upset.
"Really?"
He nodded again, feeling a bit apprehensive. She shrieked and started jumping up and down.
"Oh my God, we're going to LA!!! Ah aaaah! Sacks, Barney's, Channel. All the shopping. Rodeo Drive! Are we going to live in Beverly Hills? We have to live there."
"Glad that you're happy. I didn't think you would be that thrilled."
"Are you for real? It's LA, where the sun is always shining."
"We are not going to live in Beverly Hills."
"Malibu?"
"No, Manhattan Beach. As a matter of fact, Chad also lives there. For the time been, we will shack up with him."
"What? We have to have our own place."
"I know, but this has to do with the music business and Alistair is insisting."
"For how long?"
"A couple of months at the most."
"What about the baby?"
"It will come out when it's good and ready."
She looked at him feeling disappointed of the way he had spoken of their child. He went to her and kissed her and started walking out of the room.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to check on little Ethan."
He left and she let herself fall on a chair.
"I guess it would be a thousand time worst if he knew he was the biological father."
******************************
Paloma sat in the nursery with her nephew in her lap. She looked at him, trying to figure out how to go about things.
"We need to get you back to your mommy. She misses you so much. She told me to tell you that she loved more than anyone. You are such a handsome little man, yes you are. Too bad your father......"
"Is Julian?"
She recognized the voice coming from behind her.
"Your mother never told you that eavesdropping was a bad thing, Ethan?"
He came around and stood in front of her.
"Why do you hate me so much, Paloma?"
"Because of what you did to my sister."
"She brought all of it on herself."
Paloma got up from the chair and put the baby in his crib.
"How dare you say something like that? You are nothing but a loser Ethan. A loser."
He watched her stunned by the way she felt about him.
"I never did anything to you. You are conceiving ideas of me based on what Teresa told you."
"No, all Teresa ever said was that you were a great guy. She never said anything bad about you. I wish she had."
"She still loves me."
"Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself. What the hell is wrong with you? You are nothing but an egotistic jerk. Did it feel good for your ego that you dangled two women the way you did?"
"I don't have to listen to you. I have enough of Fox who is always on my case."
"Did you stop to think that maybe he was right?"
He starred at her.
"You should get off your high horses. You are nothing but an idiot. You let the best thing in your life slip away from you because you were too blind to see past her faults. Because it never occurred to you that maybe someone else was behind everything that happened."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. I just don't understand how you could be so blind to see what is staring you in the face."
She leaned inside the crib and kissed her nephew and then left the mansion. Ethan watched her still not understanding what she was talking about. He picked up his Godson and sat down at the window.
"I wish you were my son."
"Teresa, want to go for breakfast?"
She tossed in her bed.
"No, thanks."
Chad came and sat beside her.
"Did you get any sleep last night?"
"Not really."
He felt sorry for her.
"You can't keep doing this. It has been over a month since you got here. You can't stay inside during the day and wander out at night. This is not Harmony. It's dangerous, you know."
"Maybe someone will kill me and everything will be better."
"Don't say that, you have a son who adores you and family who cared about you. Without mentioning your friends. You can't think like that."
"Sometimes I wonder how things would be for everyone if Ethan hadn't jumped after me into the ocean."
"I personally think it would be a very sad world if you weren't around to make it better. Or at least, my life would be really sad."
"Fox!"
She jumped out of her bed and ran to him. They embraced for a while.
"What is it I hear about you been cooked up here?"
"How's my son?"
"He is doing very well. I brought you tons of pictures of him."
"Really? Can I see them?"
"Not a chance."
"Why?" "Because you can take a look at them when we go out for breakfast."
"Fine, I'll go."
"That's my girl!"
She went into his arms again, feeling warmth and security.
"Paloma told you where I was, didn't she?"
"Yes, she did but only because she knew I was on my way here."
She pulled away from him.
"Why are you here?"
"For business."
She smiled.
"Makes sense."
She went to her closet and started to look for something to wear. Chad went up to Fox.
"Looks like you're just what the doctor ordered. I've been trying to get her out of this room since we got here and nothing. You're here for 5 minutes and she's ready to take on the world."
Fox was looking at Teresa as she went in her bathroom to shower.
"I'm the last real tie she has to her son. Of course she will react this way."
They both left the room and sat in the nicely furnished living room.
"Looks like you've done well for yourself Chad."
"Thanks man. When opportunity knocks, you can't exactly ignore it."
Fox had a smile.
"Tell me about it."
**********************************
Ethan had just gotten back from Crane Industries. He had to go to LA for a few months and wasn't sure how Gwen would react to it. He walked inside their bedroom and found her lying down flipping through a magazine. Somewhere deep inside of him he hoped that she would throw a fit and threaten him with divorce. This time he wouldn't refuse he thought.
"Ethan, you're home."
She got up and kissed him on the cheek.
"How was your day at work?"
He was getting out of his suit, pulling his tie over his head.
"Same as usual."
He faced her.
"There's something we have to discuss."
"Oh, alright. What is it?"
"Alistair wants me to head to LA for a few months."
"Did you say LA?"
He nodded, watching her reaction. He was hoping she would get upset.
"Really?"
He nodded again, feeling a bit apprehensive. She shrieked and started jumping up and down.
"Oh my God, we're going to LA!!! Ah aaaah! Sacks, Barney's, Channel. All the shopping. Rodeo Drive! Are we going to live in Beverly Hills? We have to live there."
"Glad that you're happy. I didn't think you would be that thrilled."
"Are you for real? It's LA, where the sun is always shining."
"We are not going to live in Beverly Hills."
"Malibu?"
"No, Manhattan Beach. As a matter of fact, Chad also lives there. For the time been, we will shack up with him."
"What? We have to have our own place."
"I know, but this has to do with the music business and Alistair is insisting."
"For how long?"
"A couple of months at the most."
"What about the baby?"
"It will come out when it's good and ready."
She looked at him feeling disappointed of the way he had spoken of their child. He went to her and kissed her and started walking out of the room.
"Where are you going?"
"I'm going to check on little Ethan."
He left and she let herself fall on a chair.
"I guess it would be a thousand time worst if he knew he was the biological father."
******************************
Paloma sat in the nursery with her nephew in her lap. She looked at him, trying to figure out how to go about things.
"We need to get you back to your mommy. She misses you so much. She told me to tell you that she loved more than anyone. You are such a handsome little man, yes you are. Too bad your father......"
"Is Julian?"
She recognized the voice coming from behind her.
"Your mother never told you that eavesdropping was a bad thing, Ethan?"
He came around and stood in front of her.
"Why do you hate me so much, Paloma?"
"Because of what you did to my sister."
"She brought all of it on herself."
Paloma got up from the chair and put the baby in his crib.
"How dare you say something like that? You are nothing but a loser Ethan. A loser."
He watched her stunned by the way she felt about him.
"I never did anything to you. You are conceiving ideas of me based on what Teresa told you."
"No, all Teresa ever said was that you were a great guy. She never said anything bad about you. I wish she had."
"She still loves me."
"Oh, please. Don't flatter yourself. What the hell is wrong with you? You are nothing but an egotistic jerk. Did it feel good for your ego that you dangled two women the way you did?"
"I don't have to listen to you. I have enough of Fox who is always on my case."
"Did you stop to think that maybe he was right?"
He starred at her.
"You should get off your high horses. You are nothing but an idiot. You let the best thing in your life slip away from you because you were too blind to see past her faults. Because it never occurred to you that maybe someone else was behind everything that happened."
"What are you talking about?"
"Nothing. I just don't understand how you could be so blind to see what is staring you in the face."
She leaned inside the crib and kissed her nephew and then left the mansion. Ethan watched her still not understanding what she was talking about. He picked up his Godson and sat down at the window.
"I wish you were my son."
