I know, I know, it's been forever since I updated. Seriously, you have no
idea how hard it was to write this chapter. I kept writing and deleting.
I swear I wrote this chapter in three different ways before I settled on
this. Anyway, it took a while, but it's here. I hope you guys like it!
Tell me what you think!!!
Chapter 18
Two Months Later.
"That's game," Brady said as he and Fox finished their basketball game.
"Good game," Fox said while he wiped the sweat from his face.
"Yeah, I know. It's always a good game when I kick your ass," Brady said with a smile.
"Whatever, man," Fox said, taking a seat on the floor.
"Can you believe it? Only one month left till you become a married man," Brady said.
"I know," Fox replied with a smile. "Sometimes I still wonder why Theresa chose me over the millions of guys out there in the world."
"You're not the only one," Brady joked.
"Very funny," Fox said sarcastically. Brady continued to laugh.
"Jokes aside, I'm happy for you, man," he said.
"Thanks," Fox replied. "Anyway, what's going with you and my sister? Charity told me about your plans to move in together - that's a big step."
"Yeah, I know. But I love Charity and I really can't see myself taking this step with anyone besides her," Brady said, smiling at the thought of Charity.
"Well, good for you man," Fox said patting Brady on the back. "You guys are really good together."
"Thanks," Brady replied. "So what do you want to do now?" he asked as he stood up and gathered his things.
"Let's go get something to eat from the kitchen," Fox replied.
"Sounds good to me," Brady replied as he followed Fox to the mansion.
Meanwhile in the Mansion.
"You girls look so beautiful," Theresa said with tears in her eyes as she looked at Charity, Whitney, Samantha, and Victoria in their bridesmaid dresses.
"These dresses are really beautiful, Resa," Charity said as she looked in the mirror (click to see the bridesmaid dresses: ).
"I still can't believe that you designed these yourself," Whitney said as she stared at her dress in awe.
"Well, I originally planned to buy the bridesmaid dresses and just design my wedding dress, but as I was designing my dress, I realized how much fun I would have if I just designed everything. I can't take all the credit though, Charity picked out the color of the material, which is beautiful, by the way."
"I love this dress!" Samantha said as she twirled around. "This is going to be the best wedding ever!"
"Let's hope so," Theresa said with a smile.
"Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald, your mother is here to see you," Phyllis said as she walked into the living room with Pilar right behind her.
"Thank you Phyllis, and please call me Theresa," she replied.
"I'll try to remember next time," Phyllis said before walking out of the living room and closing the door.
"Mama, what do you think of the bridesmaid dresses?" Theresa asked.
"Mija, they're absolutely beautiful. Where did you get them?" she asked as she admired the dresses.
"I designed them myself," Theresa said excitedly, happy that her mother liked the dresses.
"Really? Wow, they're amazing. I'm so proud of you and what you have become," Pilar said, getting emotional and letting a few tears well up in her eyes.
"Don't cry Mama, you have to save them for the wedding day," Theresa said, feeling tears well up in her own eyes.
"I know, I'm sorry," Pilar said before grabbing Theresa into a hug. "I love you mija."
"I love you too, Mama."
"Aww," Samantha and Vicky said at the same time.
"You two are so close, I wish I could have had that with my mother," Samantha said sadly.
"Hey, it's Ivy's loss, not yours," Charity said putting her arms around Samantha and Vicky.
"Yeah, believe me, you're better off having Ivy ignore you than have her trying to ruin your life," Theresa said.
"Resa's right," Vicky said. "If Mother chooses to ignore us, then that's fine. God knows that she's nothing but a pain anyway," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, no more gloomy topics - you're all making me sad," Whitney said. The girls laughed at Whitney's statement before lifting their moods once again.
"When is your dress supposed to arrive, Resa?" Charity asked.
"It should be here by today or tomorrow at the latest," Theresa replied as the doorbell rang. "Maybe that's it!" she said as she ran to the door. She returned a few minutes later with a wardrobe bag in her hands.
"It's here!" she said excitedly.
"Well go try it on! I want to see how it looks on you!" Samantha replied anxiously.
"I'll be right back," Theresa said before disappearing through the doors. A few minutes later, she reentered the living room.
"Oh my God," Pilar gasped, gaining the attention of the rest of the ladies. They all turned to the door where Theresa was standing and made gasps of their own.
"Do you guys like it?" Theresa asked nervously.
"You look so.beautiful isn't even good enough to describe that dress," Whitney said.
"Really?" she asked.
"It's amazing," Charity said. "Look in the mirror," she said. Theresa walked to the mirror and looked.
"It's so beautiful," Theresa said, admiring the dress as though she had just seen it for the first time (You what's coming, lol, click to see the wedding dress: ).
"Fox won't know what hit him," Vicky said.
"I hope he likes it," Theresa said.
"He'll love it," Pilar replied.
"Phyllis, are you in here?" Gwen asked as she and Ethan barged into the living room.
"Wow," Ethan said when he looked at Theresa. "You look.wow, Theresa, you look beautiful," he stuttered. Theresa simply lowered her head and turned back to the mirror. It had been two months since Theresa slapped Ethan for the second time and she had refused to speak to him ever since. Ethan had tried to talk to her, but she would simply ignore him and act as though he weren't in the room. On the rare occasions where she acknowledged his presence, it was only to throw some kind of insult his way. It hurt Ethan more than he ever would have thought.
"Well, I think the dress is a little trashy," Gwen said coldly.
"Excuse me?" Theresa asked sharply.
"It's trashy," Gwen said simply. "But then again, given your background, it's probably perfect for you," she said with a smile.
"Gwen," Ethan said in a warning tone.
"What? I'm just being honest," Gwen replied innocently. Theresa glared at Gwen and was about to charge toward her when Pilar rested a hand on her shoulder. Theresa took a deep breath before speaking up.
"I'm not going to grace you with a retort. If I did, then I'd be just like you," Theresa said.
"Good for you, Theresa," Ethan said, adding his unwanted two cents.
"And don't speak to me," Theresa said turning to Ethan. "I've had enough of you. Just stay away from me."
"I'm just trying to apologize," Ethan said, trying to explain.
"Apologize for what?" Gwen exclaimed. "Incase you forgot, Theresa did some horrible things to us, Ethan! She's the reason we had so many complications in our relationship," she said.
"Yeah, go ahead and blame me for you and Ethan's relationship failure," Theresa said as she rolled her eyes. Before Gwen could reply, her cell phone rang.
"This isn't over, Theresa," she said as she headed out of the room with her cell phone by her ear.
"When is it ever?" Theresa muttered to herself. "You might as well go with her," Theresa said looking at Ethan. "You're unwanted here."
"Theresa, just here me out," Ethan begged.
"I think it's best that you leave," Pilar said stepping in front of Ethan.
Looking around the room, Ethan could tell that he was the last person anyone of them wanted to see. He lowered his head and slowly walked out of the room.
"Does he ever give up?" Charity asked exasperatingly after Ethan left the room.
"Doesn't look like it," Theresa replied.
"Is anyone home?" Fox yelled as he and Brady walked in through the front door.
"That's Fox!" Theresa exclaimed. "He can't see me in my dress yet!" she said.
"Hurry up and change," Charity said. "We'll go make sure he stays out there."
"Thanks," Theresa replied as she tried to unzip her dress. After a few seconds, Pilar finally decided to stay and help her.
"I'll stay with her, you go keep them away," Pilar said.
"All right," Whitney replied as the walked out the living room door with Charity, Samantha, and Vicky.
"Wow," Brady said when he saw Charity. "You look amazing," he said.
"Thank you," Charity replied with a smile as she went up to kiss Brady.
"What about us?" Samantha asked. "We're wearing the same exact dress."
"You ladies look beautiful also," Fox said.
"If you think this is beautiful, you should see Theresa in her wedding dress; she looks outstanding," Vicky said.
"Really?" Fox asked with a smile. "Where is she? I want to see it."
"You can't see the dress before the wedding, it's against tradition," Whitney said.
"Well I'm not a traditional guy," Fox replied.
"But Theresa's very traditional, so you'll just have to wait one more month," Whitney said.
"Fine," Fox said with a pout.
"We're done! You can come in now," Theresa yelled from the living room.
"Hello handsome," Theresa said as Fox walked into the room.
"Hey beautiful," Fox replied as he walked over to Theresa and kissed her.
"Eww, you're sweaty," she said.
"We just finished our basketball game," Fox replied.
"Oh, I see," Theresa said as she ran her hands through his sweaty hair.
"Well, since it seems like you two are about to slip into your own little world, I'm going to get going," Whitney said with a smile.
"Me too," Pilar replied.
"I'm going to go change in one of the bathrooms and then I'm going to go home, okay?" Whitney said.
"All right, thanks again for coming by Whit," Theresa said as she hugged Whitney.
"No problem," Whitney replied. "I'll see you all later," she said before leaving the room.
"I'll see you later, Theresa," Pilar said.
"Okay, bye Mama," Theresa said as she hugged her mother before she left.
"We're going to go to the movies, so we'll see you later," Samantha said.
"Don't forget about the dinner tonight," Fox called out.
"We won't," Vicky said as she and Sammy left the room.
"I'm going to go take a shower," Brady said. "Are you coming upstairs?" he asked Charity.
"Yeah," Charity replied. "We'll see you guys tonight," Charity said as she and Brady left the room.
"Looks like it's just you and me," Theresa said, wrapping her arms around Fox's neck.
"I guess it is. What do you suppose we do?" he asked with a grin.
"Well I have a few ideas, but they require a bed, a room, and you, with no clothes on," Theresa replied.
"I like the sound of that," Fox said before lifting Theresa in his arms and carrying her upstairs to their room.
Two hours later, Fox and Theresa lay in their bed, wrapped in each other's arms.
"I want to stay like this forever," Theresa said as she snuggled closer to Fox.
"Me too," Fox replied. "But we can't. We've got to start getting ready for the family dinner," he said. Theresa groaned at Fox's statement.
"Do we really have to go?" she whined.
"Yes, unfortunately. Alistair and Julian have been planning this night for three weeks, we can't ditch it," he said.
"I still don't see why they bothered," Theresa said.
"Well it was kind of necessary. Reporters and journalists have been calling the mansion nonstop lately trying to get information on our wedding. Grandfather decided it'd be easier to have one night where we appear in public and answer a few questions," Fox said as he got out of bed.
"Are they allowing the reporters in the restaurant?" Theresa asked.
"No. We're supposed greet them as soon as we arrive because they'll be waiting outside. Then we'll go in the Seascape Restaurant where only the Cranes and Lopez-Fitzgeralds are allowed," Fox replied.
"I really don't want to do this. I appreciate the fact that Alistair and Julian went through so much trouble, but I've grown to hate formal dinners. I get enough of them in California."
"I do too, but there's nothing we can do about it. So stop complaining and start getting ready," Fox replied as he entered their bathroom. He emerged a few seconds later.
"I though you were going to take a shower," Theresa said.
"I am. Wanna join me?" he asked with a devilish smirk. Theresa smiled at Fox as she headed toward their bathroom.
"There are so many cameras," Theresa said as she looked at the reporters from her seat in the limo.
"What did you expect? One of the country's leading fashion designer is marrying the heir to the Crane Empire," Fox said as he looked at all the reporters.
"Well let's hurry up and get this over with," Theresa said as the chauffeur opened the door on Fox's side. Stepping out, she slipped her hand in Fox's and prepared herself for the questions she knew were coming.
Meanwhile.
"Fox and Theresa are here," Samantha said from her position by the window.
"It'll probably be a while before they're finally able to enter," Charity said. "The media has been waiting months to see those two in public, they're not going to let them go easily."
"Well they better hurry up, because I'm hungry," Brady said.
"You just ate an hour ago," Charity said.
"What's your point?" he asked.
"Men," Charity muttered with a roll of her eyes.
"Are we late?" Jessica asked as she and Miguel entered the restaurant from the back entrance.
"Jessica? What are you doing here?" Charity asked.
"Well I heard about the family dinner and I really wanted to go since I never get to eat at a restaurant as expensive as this. And since Miguel didn't have a date, I made him bring me," she explained.
"Oh, cool. I love your dress by the way," Charity replied.
"Thanks, I like yours too," Jessica replied. "Well I'm going to go talk to Vicky so I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, see you later," Charity said
Twenty minutes later, everyone was still waiting for Fox and Theresa.
"I kind of feel bad for him," Brady said.
"Who?" Charity asked lifting her head from Brady's shoulder.
"Miguel," he replied pointing to where Miguel was sitting. "He looks really sad and desperate."
Charity turned her head in Miguel's direction. She had to admit, Miguel looked like he had just lost his best friend.
"He does look really lonely," Charity said, feeling sorry for him, despite what he had done to her.
"Maybe you should go talk to him," Brady suggested seeing that Charity felt really bad for Miguel.
"Really?" Charity asked surprised by Brady's suggestion.
"Yeah, he looks like he could use a friend," he said.
"He does, doesn't he?" she said. "If you're really sure about it," she said making sure that Brady was fine with her talking to Miguel.
"Yeah, I am. Go ahead," he said.
"You're the best," she said as she kissed him on the lips.
"Well, I try," Brady said with a smile before Charity headed over to Miguel.
"Hi, is this seat taken?" Charity asked as she came up behind Miguel.
"Charity? What are you doing here?" Miguel asked surprised that she was talking to him.
"I came to talk to you. You looked pretty lonely," Charity replied as she took a seat next to Miguel.
"Isn't 'Mr. Hollywood' going to be mad that you're talking to me?" he asked sarcastically.
"This is what I get for trying to be nice. I came over to see if we could have a nice talk like mature adults, but obviously that's too much to ask from you. I won't bother doing this again," Charity said angrily as she stood up and prepared to leave.
"Charity, wait!" Miguel said as he lightly grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving. "I'm sorry, please don't ÿeave," he said, his eyes pleading with her to stay.
"Fine, but you have to promise to leave Brady alone," she said.
"I promise," Miguel said.
"Okay," she said, sitting down again. "So how have you been?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.
"I've been better," Miguel replied sadly.
"What happened to you Miguel?" Charity asked. "You're not the same person I fell in love with."
"Having your heart broken tends to make you a little bitter," he replied sarcastically.
"I know. I've been there," Charity said. Miguel stayed silent at her statement. "I don't understand why you're being so unreasonable. You cheated on me."
"I know and that's what pisses me off," Miguel said in frustration. "You have no idea how much it hurts to realize that all of this is my fault. I put myself in this situation with my own stupidity and hormones," he said in anguish.
"But I forgave you for that," Charity said.
"But I haven't. I haven't been able to forgive myself for hurting you, myself, or our entire relationship. I don't think I ever will," he said.
"Of course you will. Miguel, what's done is done. There's no point in crying over it. Everything happens for a reason. Sure, you made a stupid decision by sleeping with Kay while you were with me. And yes, it did hurt me more than you'd ever know, but I don't regret what you did for one second. I'm happy with my life right now and I'd go through the pain all over again if it meant I'd end with the same results," she said.
"So even if there were some way that you and I could be together, you wouldn't try it?" he asked with hurt evident in his voice.
"No, I wouldn't. You were my first love Miguel, and I'll never forget or deny our relationship, but it was young love. I've fallen in love again and I know that you will too."
"So it's really over between us?" he asked sadly.
"It was over a long time ago, Miguel," she replied.
"I don't think I'll ever love anyone the way I loved you. Thank you for letting me in your life and letting me love you," he said.
"What's with the goodbye speech?" Charity asked.
"I- I thought that was why you came over - to close all ties with me," he said confused.
"Now why would I do that? Miguel, you and I weren't just boyfriend and girlfriend, we were friends. Just because we aren't dating doesn't mean that we can't be friends," she said.
"Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah. Obviously things won't be exactly the same, but we could still give it a try. After all, everyone could use a friend."
"I'd really like that," Miguel said, smiling for the first time in months.
"Good. So we're friends," she said with a smile.
"Yeah. So seriously, Brady doesn't mind you being here?" he asked.
"Actually, he was the one who suggested I come talk to you," Charity replied.
"Really?" he asked with surprise.
"Yeah. He really is a great guy. I think you'd like him," she said.
"As long as he treats you right. You deserve the best," Miguel replied.
"Thanks, so do you," she said. "Now what do you say we stop being sad and depressed and join in on the celebration of your sister and my brother's upcoming wedding?"
"Sound good to me," Miguel said as he and Charity headed off to talk with the other residents in the room.
Thirty minutes later Fox and Theresa had finally been able to get away from the reporters and make their way into the restaurant.
"Finally!" Vicky said. "We've been waiting almost an hour for you guys to finish talking to them," she said as Fox and Theresa entered the restaurant.
"I know, those guys wouldn't let us leave," Theresa said.
"Well, maybe now they'll stop calling the mansion," Julian said as he came over to them. "You look beautiful, Theresa," he said.
"Thank you Julian," Theresa said as she reached up to hug him. "And I want to thank you and Alistair for putting this together for Fox and I. It was really nice of you two."
"Don't even bother thanking us," Alistair said as he also made his way over. "After all, nothing but the best for the Cranes."
"Exactly," Julian said.
"Thank you anyway," Theresa said. "Well I'm going to go talk to my family so I'll talk to you later," she said turning to Fox.
"All right," Fox replied before reaching down and kissing her cheeks.
"I'll see you two later, I have someone to talk to," Alistair said before walking away from Julian and Fox.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Fox asked pointing to Ethan and Gwen.
"I don't know. Ethan used his position as your brother to get himself in here," Julian replied.
"Bastard," Fox muttered under his breath.
"Ignore them. They really aren't worth wasting a minute of your life on," Julian said as he heading over to the bar. "Join me for a drink," he said.
"Fine," Fox said, glaring at Ethan one more time before following Julian to the bar.
Meanwhile.
"I want you out of the mansion," Alistair said sternly.
"What are you talking about?" Rebecca asked shocked by Alistair's statement.
"I want you out of the mansion by tomorrow morning," he said.
"But- why?" she asked flabbergasted.
"The Cranes have now become a name that has earned respect, and the last thing we need is a whore taking up residence in the mansion," he said coldly. "I happen to know that Julian and you haven't shared a bed for almost a year, so there really is no reason for you to stay there."
"But- but, where will I go?" she asked with a worried expression.
"I really don't give a damn, just go somewhere else," he said.
"You can't do this to me!" she exclaimed.
"I'm Alistair Crane. I can do whatever the hell I want," he said.
"But Gwen - she won't let you kick me to the streets. She'll defend me," she said smugly.
"She can try. But before you go to her, let me warn you. If you get her involved, she and Ethan will also be kicked out of the mansion. And if Ivy tries to get involved, she'll be gone too. After all, all of you are nothing but guests, unwanted guests at that," he replied emotionlessly.
"Damnit Alistair! You don't want to do this! Think it over," she pleaded.
"This is not up for discussion. You will leave by tomorrow morning or you will be thrown out. It's your decision," Alistair said steely before turning and walking away before Rebecca could say another word.
"Attention, attention," Alistair said trying to grab everyone's attention. Once he had it, he continued talking. "I want to thank you for coming to celebrate to upcoming wedding of my handsome grandson and his lovely fiancée. On behalf of the Cranes and Lopez-Fitzgeralds, congratulations you two," he said.
"Thank you, Grandfather," Fox said from his position behind Theresa.
"You're welcome. Next, I have just been informed that dinner is ready, so I'd like everyone to take a seat at the table so we can begin eating," he said.
Everyone soon gathered at the large table and sat down with Julian and Alistair at the head of both sides of the table. Fox took a seat next to Julian with Theresa next to him.
"This looks delicious," Luis said looking at all the food laid out across the rectangular table.
"Yes it does," Sheridan agreed.
"Well, let's eat then," Julian said before they all began dig in.
"So, Theresa, have you and Fox found a place to live once you're married?" Beth asked, starting a conversation.
"Well since Charity is moving in with Brady, we're just going to stay in our house," Theresa replied. The table suddenly got silent.
"What's wrong?" Fox asked wondering why everyone was quiet.
"You're going back to California?" Pilar asked.
"Well of course, Mama. Why wouldn't we?" she asked confused by everyone's reaction.
"We just thought that you all planned on moving back here. This is your hometown after all," Luis said.
"Oh," Theresa replied. "I'm really sorry but we can't stay here. Our lives and careers are in California," she said.
"But couldn't you just move everything over here?" Pilar asked.
"It's not possible, mama. We've built our lives in California, we can't just up and leave our home like that," she said.
"You did it once before," Ethan muttered to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"With good reason," Charity said glaring at Ethan.
"None of that matters," Fox said. "Theresa and I, along with Charity and Brady, are going back to California. We never planned on staying here, I'm sorry if this is a surprise to any of you."
"You guys can come visit us, and we'll come down here whenever we can," Theresa said.
"I guess there's no point in arguing, Theresa always finds a way to win," Antonio said with a small smile.
"You're damn right I do," she replied with a bright smile.
"So Charity, when do you plan on making another album?" Sheridan asked.
"Well." Charity said as she proceeded to lead the conversation.
"Can we go down?" Theresa asked an hour later from her position on Fox's lap.
"Are you really that bored?" he asked with a laugh.
"It's not that I'm bored, because I had more fun than I thought I would. I just want to go home, change into my pajamas, and fall asleep in bed," she said with a pout.
"Don't pout at me, you know what that does to me," he said. Theresa continued to pout. "Oh, fine, we'll just say goodbye and leave," he said finally giving in.
"Yay!" Theresa said with a smile as she got off of Fox's lap and prepared to leave. However before Fox could even stand up Ivy had made her way over to them.
"Leaving so soon?" Ivy asked coolly.
"Not anymore," Theresa muttered with a sigh as she sat back on Fox's lap and prepared herself for Ivy.
"What do you want, Mother," Fox asked with an annoyed expression.
"Can't a mother come over and congratulate her son on his engagement?" she asked innocently, or as innocent as she could muster.
"A mother can, you can't," Fox replied.
"Fox, I'm hurt that you think so little of me," she said with fake pain.
"Forgive me," Fox said sarcastically.
"What do you want, Ivy?" Theresa asked, wanting to hurry up and go home.
"I want you away from my son," Ivy said coldly.
"And I want you to go to hell. Guess we don't always get what we want," Theresa replied with a smirk.
"Why you little."
"Watch what you say about her," Fox said seriously.
"Fox, think about this," Ivy pleaded. "You can't seriously want to marry this woman. Look at what she did to your brother. She is nothing but trouble!"
"How dare you!" Theresa exclaimed.
"Relax," Fox said trying to placate Theresa. "She's not worth it," he said.
"Fox, I am only trying to help. I'm your mother, I know what's best for you," Ivy said.
"My mother? Mother!?!" Fox exclaimed. "News flash - you haven't been a mother to me a day in your life."
"Fox, I-"
"No! I'm not finished yet!" he yelled attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
"All my life, I've been nothing but second best to you. You made Ethan your whole life and barely acknowledge the existence of Sammy, Vicky, or myself. And you know something? I actually let it affect me. I actually used to sit in my room and shed tears over the fact that you never cared about me. But then I realized it wasn't my fault; it was yours. You're a sad excuse for a mother. What kind of mother loves one child unconditionally but then treats another like the dirt beneath her shoes?"
"I did try to show love toward you. You were always so closed off from me," Ivy said.
"Shut up!" Fox exclaimed. "Don't you even try to make yourself look like the victim! You were, and still are, a cruel and vindictive woman. You didn't give a damn about anyone besides yourself and Ethan. And now you think you have the right to tell me whom I can and can't marry?! Who the hell do you think you are!?"
"Fox, that's enough. I won't have you talk to Mother like that," Ethan said, cutting in.
"Thank you Ethan, but I can handle Fox," Ivy said.
"There you go again! Once again Ethan is the good guy and Fox is the unwanted rebel," Fox said. "But you know what, I don't care anymore. You and Ethan deserve each other. I guess I should thank God that you didn't raise me, otherwise I'd be just like golden boy over there," he said as rose from his chair.
"Fox, please listen to me," Ivy pleaded.
"Why should I? You never once listened to me. Or Sammy and Vicky. Why the hell should I waste a second of my life listening to anything you have to say?"
"Please stop this Fox, you're embarrassing me," Ivy said looking at all the eyes that were watching her and Fox.
"Just answer one question for me - was it worth it?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I'm talking about the way you treated Vicky, Sammy, and I. You devoted all of your attention to Ethan and look at where he is now. He's an ungrateful fool who is married to one woman but craves for another. You're an old bitter woman with four children, and three of them hate your guts. Hell, the only reason you were even invited to our wedding was because Julian felt bad for you and begged us to include you on the guest list. Isn't that sad? Your own son had to be convinced to invite you to his wedding. What does that tell you about yourself?"
"I'm- I'm sorry," Ivy said sadly realizing how true Fox's words were.
"Yeah, you really are," Fox said coldly. "I said all I had to say to you, Ivy. Stay the hell out of my life," he said. He then took Theresa's hand and walked out of the restaurant with her without a backwards glance to Ivy.
Ivy stood in the restaurant, hurt and embarrassed by Fox's harsh words to her. 'What kind of woman am I? My son hates me,' she thought to herself as she felt tears slide down her face. She looked around the room and saw that everyone's eyes were on her. Some eyes held pity, some held amusement, and some held hatred. Her eyes landed on Victoria and Samantha who were standing only a few feet away from her. 'Maybe I still have a chance with them,' she thought. She wiped the tears from her face and prepared to talk to them.
"Vicky, Sammy," she started.
"My name is Victoria,"
"And mine is Samantha," they said icily.
"Oh, yes of course. It's just that I always hear people call you by your nicknames," Ivy said nervously.
"Yeah, people that love and care about us," Sammy said.
"In others words, people that aren't you," Vicky said coldly. Ivy gasped at the cold words her daughters were saying to her.
"What's the matter, Mother? Are we hurting your feelings?" Samantha asked with mock pity.
"Doubtful," Vicky cut in. "She'd have to have something other than a black heart for us to hurt her."
"Samantha, Victoria, stop this right now," Ethan said sternly.
"Stay out of this, golden boy," Vicky said to a shocked Ethan. "What? You thought Fox was the only one that was annoyed with you? Think again, you pissed us off as much as you did him," she said.
"Samantha, Victoria," Ivy said. "I know I've been a horrible mother to you, but I would like you make up for that. I know it took me longer than Julian to do this, but it's better late than never, right?" she asked hopefully.
"Wrong," Vicky said flatly. "See, unlike you, Julian decided to apologize to us on his own free will. He didn't have to wait for us to humiliate him in public before he finally realized how badly he treated us. Don't think you can compare the two of you," she said.
"Please, just give me a chance," Ivy pleaded.
"You had eighteen years to take a chance, but you never bothered. It's too late now," Vicky said. "Like Fox said, 'stay the hell out of my life,'" she said before walking away.
"Samantha?" Ivy asked hopefully.
"I won't even bother wasting my oxygen on you. Vicky said it all," Sammy replied with a glare as she headed over to Vicky.
"What have I done?" Ivy asked herself quietly.
"You just lost three of the best children anyone could ever ask for," Julian said to her. "I hope it was worth it."
One by one everyone started to go to their own part of the restaurant, leaving Ivy still standing alone in the same spot.
"Mother, we're leaving," Ethan said to her almost an hour later. "Are you coming with us?" he asked. Ivy snapped out of her daze and looked at Ethan before replying.
"Yes, I am," she said taking his hand. 'After all, I have no where else to go.'
TBC.
Please leave feedback!!!!!
Chapter 18
Two Months Later.
"That's game," Brady said as he and Fox finished their basketball game.
"Good game," Fox said while he wiped the sweat from his face.
"Yeah, I know. It's always a good game when I kick your ass," Brady said with a smile.
"Whatever, man," Fox said, taking a seat on the floor.
"Can you believe it? Only one month left till you become a married man," Brady said.
"I know," Fox replied with a smile. "Sometimes I still wonder why Theresa chose me over the millions of guys out there in the world."
"You're not the only one," Brady joked.
"Very funny," Fox said sarcastically. Brady continued to laugh.
"Jokes aside, I'm happy for you, man," he said.
"Thanks," Fox replied. "Anyway, what's going with you and my sister? Charity told me about your plans to move in together - that's a big step."
"Yeah, I know. But I love Charity and I really can't see myself taking this step with anyone besides her," Brady said, smiling at the thought of Charity.
"Well, good for you man," Fox said patting Brady on the back. "You guys are really good together."
"Thanks," Brady replied. "So what do you want to do now?" he asked as he stood up and gathered his things.
"Let's go get something to eat from the kitchen," Fox replied.
"Sounds good to me," Brady replied as he followed Fox to the mansion.
Meanwhile in the Mansion.
"You girls look so beautiful," Theresa said with tears in her eyes as she looked at Charity, Whitney, Samantha, and Victoria in their bridesmaid dresses.
"These dresses are really beautiful, Resa," Charity said as she looked in the mirror (click to see the bridesmaid dresses: ).
"I still can't believe that you designed these yourself," Whitney said as she stared at her dress in awe.
"Well, I originally planned to buy the bridesmaid dresses and just design my wedding dress, but as I was designing my dress, I realized how much fun I would have if I just designed everything. I can't take all the credit though, Charity picked out the color of the material, which is beautiful, by the way."
"I love this dress!" Samantha said as she twirled around. "This is going to be the best wedding ever!"
"Let's hope so," Theresa said with a smile.
"Ms. Lopez-Fitzgerald, your mother is here to see you," Phyllis said as she walked into the living room with Pilar right behind her.
"Thank you Phyllis, and please call me Theresa," she replied.
"I'll try to remember next time," Phyllis said before walking out of the living room and closing the door.
"Mama, what do you think of the bridesmaid dresses?" Theresa asked.
"Mija, they're absolutely beautiful. Where did you get them?" she asked as she admired the dresses.
"I designed them myself," Theresa said excitedly, happy that her mother liked the dresses.
"Really? Wow, they're amazing. I'm so proud of you and what you have become," Pilar said, getting emotional and letting a few tears well up in her eyes.
"Don't cry Mama, you have to save them for the wedding day," Theresa said, feeling tears well up in her own eyes.
"I know, I'm sorry," Pilar said before grabbing Theresa into a hug. "I love you mija."
"I love you too, Mama."
"Aww," Samantha and Vicky said at the same time.
"You two are so close, I wish I could have had that with my mother," Samantha said sadly.
"Hey, it's Ivy's loss, not yours," Charity said putting her arms around Samantha and Vicky.
"Yeah, believe me, you're better off having Ivy ignore you than have her trying to ruin your life," Theresa said.
"Resa's right," Vicky said. "If Mother chooses to ignore us, then that's fine. God knows that she's nothing but a pain anyway," she said with a roll of her eyes.
"Okay, no more gloomy topics - you're all making me sad," Whitney said. The girls laughed at Whitney's statement before lifting their moods once again.
"When is your dress supposed to arrive, Resa?" Charity asked.
"It should be here by today or tomorrow at the latest," Theresa replied as the doorbell rang. "Maybe that's it!" she said as she ran to the door. She returned a few minutes later with a wardrobe bag in her hands.
"It's here!" she said excitedly.
"Well go try it on! I want to see how it looks on you!" Samantha replied anxiously.
"I'll be right back," Theresa said before disappearing through the doors. A few minutes later, she reentered the living room.
"Oh my God," Pilar gasped, gaining the attention of the rest of the ladies. They all turned to the door where Theresa was standing and made gasps of their own.
"Do you guys like it?" Theresa asked nervously.
"You look so.beautiful isn't even good enough to describe that dress," Whitney said.
"Really?" she asked.
"It's amazing," Charity said. "Look in the mirror," she said. Theresa walked to the mirror and looked.
"It's so beautiful," Theresa said, admiring the dress as though she had just seen it for the first time (You what's coming, lol, click to see the wedding dress: ).
"Fox won't know what hit him," Vicky said.
"I hope he likes it," Theresa said.
"He'll love it," Pilar replied.
"Phyllis, are you in here?" Gwen asked as she and Ethan barged into the living room.
"Wow," Ethan said when he looked at Theresa. "You look.wow, Theresa, you look beautiful," he stuttered. Theresa simply lowered her head and turned back to the mirror. It had been two months since Theresa slapped Ethan for the second time and she had refused to speak to him ever since. Ethan had tried to talk to her, but she would simply ignore him and act as though he weren't in the room. On the rare occasions where she acknowledged his presence, it was only to throw some kind of insult his way. It hurt Ethan more than he ever would have thought.
"Well, I think the dress is a little trashy," Gwen said coldly.
"Excuse me?" Theresa asked sharply.
"It's trashy," Gwen said simply. "But then again, given your background, it's probably perfect for you," she said with a smile.
"Gwen," Ethan said in a warning tone.
"What? I'm just being honest," Gwen replied innocently. Theresa glared at Gwen and was about to charge toward her when Pilar rested a hand on her shoulder. Theresa took a deep breath before speaking up.
"I'm not going to grace you with a retort. If I did, then I'd be just like you," Theresa said.
"Good for you, Theresa," Ethan said, adding his unwanted two cents.
"And don't speak to me," Theresa said turning to Ethan. "I've had enough of you. Just stay away from me."
"I'm just trying to apologize," Ethan said, trying to explain.
"Apologize for what?" Gwen exclaimed. "Incase you forgot, Theresa did some horrible things to us, Ethan! She's the reason we had so many complications in our relationship," she said.
"Yeah, go ahead and blame me for you and Ethan's relationship failure," Theresa said as she rolled her eyes. Before Gwen could reply, her cell phone rang.
"This isn't over, Theresa," she said as she headed out of the room with her cell phone by her ear.
"When is it ever?" Theresa muttered to herself. "You might as well go with her," Theresa said looking at Ethan. "You're unwanted here."
"Theresa, just here me out," Ethan begged.
"I think it's best that you leave," Pilar said stepping in front of Ethan.
Looking around the room, Ethan could tell that he was the last person anyone of them wanted to see. He lowered his head and slowly walked out of the room.
"Does he ever give up?" Charity asked exasperatingly after Ethan left the room.
"Doesn't look like it," Theresa replied.
"Is anyone home?" Fox yelled as he and Brady walked in through the front door.
"That's Fox!" Theresa exclaimed. "He can't see me in my dress yet!" she said.
"Hurry up and change," Charity said. "We'll go make sure he stays out there."
"Thanks," Theresa replied as she tried to unzip her dress. After a few seconds, Pilar finally decided to stay and help her.
"I'll stay with her, you go keep them away," Pilar said.
"All right," Whitney replied as the walked out the living room door with Charity, Samantha, and Vicky.
"Wow," Brady said when he saw Charity. "You look amazing," he said.
"Thank you," Charity replied with a smile as she went up to kiss Brady.
"What about us?" Samantha asked. "We're wearing the same exact dress."
"You ladies look beautiful also," Fox said.
"If you think this is beautiful, you should see Theresa in her wedding dress; she looks outstanding," Vicky said.
"Really?" Fox asked with a smile. "Where is she? I want to see it."
"You can't see the dress before the wedding, it's against tradition," Whitney said.
"Well I'm not a traditional guy," Fox replied.
"But Theresa's very traditional, so you'll just have to wait one more month," Whitney said.
"Fine," Fox said with a pout.
"We're done! You can come in now," Theresa yelled from the living room.
"Hello handsome," Theresa said as Fox walked into the room.
"Hey beautiful," Fox replied as he walked over to Theresa and kissed her.
"Eww, you're sweaty," she said.
"We just finished our basketball game," Fox replied.
"Oh, I see," Theresa said as she ran her hands through his sweaty hair.
"Well, since it seems like you two are about to slip into your own little world, I'm going to get going," Whitney said with a smile.
"Me too," Pilar replied.
"I'm going to go change in one of the bathrooms and then I'm going to go home, okay?" Whitney said.
"All right, thanks again for coming by Whit," Theresa said as she hugged Whitney.
"No problem," Whitney replied. "I'll see you all later," she said before leaving the room.
"I'll see you later, Theresa," Pilar said.
"Okay, bye Mama," Theresa said as she hugged her mother before she left.
"We're going to go to the movies, so we'll see you later," Samantha said.
"Don't forget about the dinner tonight," Fox called out.
"We won't," Vicky said as she and Sammy left the room.
"I'm going to go take a shower," Brady said. "Are you coming upstairs?" he asked Charity.
"Yeah," Charity replied. "We'll see you guys tonight," Charity said as she and Brady left the room.
"Looks like it's just you and me," Theresa said, wrapping her arms around Fox's neck.
"I guess it is. What do you suppose we do?" he asked with a grin.
"Well I have a few ideas, but they require a bed, a room, and you, with no clothes on," Theresa replied.
"I like the sound of that," Fox said before lifting Theresa in his arms and carrying her upstairs to their room.
Two hours later, Fox and Theresa lay in their bed, wrapped in each other's arms.
"I want to stay like this forever," Theresa said as she snuggled closer to Fox.
"Me too," Fox replied. "But we can't. We've got to start getting ready for the family dinner," he said. Theresa groaned at Fox's statement.
"Do we really have to go?" she whined.
"Yes, unfortunately. Alistair and Julian have been planning this night for three weeks, we can't ditch it," he said.
"I still don't see why they bothered," Theresa said.
"Well it was kind of necessary. Reporters and journalists have been calling the mansion nonstop lately trying to get information on our wedding. Grandfather decided it'd be easier to have one night where we appear in public and answer a few questions," Fox said as he got out of bed.
"Are they allowing the reporters in the restaurant?" Theresa asked.
"No. We're supposed greet them as soon as we arrive because they'll be waiting outside. Then we'll go in the Seascape Restaurant where only the Cranes and Lopez-Fitzgeralds are allowed," Fox replied.
"I really don't want to do this. I appreciate the fact that Alistair and Julian went through so much trouble, but I've grown to hate formal dinners. I get enough of them in California."
"I do too, but there's nothing we can do about it. So stop complaining and start getting ready," Fox replied as he entered their bathroom. He emerged a few seconds later.
"I though you were going to take a shower," Theresa said.
"I am. Wanna join me?" he asked with a devilish smirk. Theresa smiled at Fox as she headed toward their bathroom.
"There are so many cameras," Theresa said as she looked at the reporters from her seat in the limo.
"What did you expect? One of the country's leading fashion designer is marrying the heir to the Crane Empire," Fox said as he looked at all the reporters.
"Well let's hurry up and get this over with," Theresa said as the chauffeur opened the door on Fox's side. Stepping out, she slipped her hand in Fox's and prepared herself for the questions she knew were coming.
Meanwhile.
"Fox and Theresa are here," Samantha said from her position by the window.
"It'll probably be a while before they're finally able to enter," Charity said. "The media has been waiting months to see those two in public, they're not going to let them go easily."
"Well they better hurry up, because I'm hungry," Brady said.
"You just ate an hour ago," Charity said.
"What's your point?" he asked.
"Men," Charity muttered with a roll of her eyes.
"Are we late?" Jessica asked as she and Miguel entered the restaurant from the back entrance.
"Jessica? What are you doing here?" Charity asked.
"Well I heard about the family dinner and I really wanted to go since I never get to eat at a restaurant as expensive as this. And since Miguel didn't have a date, I made him bring me," she explained.
"Oh, cool. I love your dress by the way," Charity replied.
"Thanks, I like yours too," Jessica replied. "Well I'm going to go talk to Vicky so I'll talk to you later."
"Okay, see you later," Charity said
Twenty minutes later, everyone was still waiting for Fox and Theresa.
"I kind of feel bad for him," Brady said.
"Who?" Charity asked lifting her head from Brady's shoulder.
"Miguel," he replied pointing to where Miguel was sitting. "He looks really sad and desperate."
Charity turned her head in Miguel's direction. She had to admit, Miguel looked like he had just lost his best friend.
"He does look really lonely," Charity said, feeling sorry for him, despite what he had done to her.
"Maybe you should go talk to him," Brady suggested seeing that Charity felt really bad for Miguel.
"Really?" Charity asked surprised by Brady's suggestion.
"Yeah, he looks like he could use a friend," he said.
"He does, doesn't he?" she said. "If you're really sure about it," she said making sure that Brady was fine with her talking to Miguel.
"Yeah, I am. Go ahead," he said.
"You're the best," she said as she kissed him on the lips.
"Well, I try," Brady said with a smile before Charity headed over to Miguel.
"Hi, is this seat taken?" Charity asked as she came up behind Miguel.
"Charity? What are you doing here?" Miguel asked surprised that she was talking to him.
"I came to talk to you. You looked pretty lonely," Charity replied as she took a seat next to Miguel.
"Isn't 'Mr. Hollywood' going to be mad that you're talking to me?" he asked sarcastically.
"This is what I get for trying to be nice. I came over to see if we could have a nice talk like mature adults, but obviously that's too much to ask from you. I won't bother doing this again," Charity said angrily as she stood up and prepared to leave.
"Charity, wait!" Miguel said as he lightly grabbed her arm to prevent her from leaving. "I'm sorry, please don't ÿeave," he said, his eyes pleading with her to stay.
"Fine, but you have to promise to leave Brady alone," she said.
"I promise," Miguel said.
"Okay," she said, sitting down again. "So how have you been?" she asked, not knowing what else to say.
"I've been better," Miguel replied sadly.
"What happened to you Miguel?" Charity asked. "You're not the same person I fell in love with."
"Having your heart broken tends to make you a little bitter," he replied sarcastically.
"I know. I've been there," Charity said. Miguel stayed silent at her statement. "I don't understand why you're being so unreasonable. You cheated on me."
"I know and that's what pisses me off," Miguel said in frustration. "You have no idea how much it hurts to realize that all of this is my fault. I put myself in this situation with my own stupidity and hormones," he said in anguish.
"But I forgave you for that," Charity said.
"But I haven't. I haven't been able to forgive myself for hurting you, myself, or our entire relationship. I don't think I ever will," he said.
"Of course you will. Miguel, what's done is done. There's no point in crying over it. Everything happens for a reason. Sure, you made a stupid decision by sleeping with Kay while you were with me. And yes, it did hurt me more than you'd ever know, but I don't regret what you did for one second. I'm happy with my life right now and I'd go through the pain all over again if it meant I'd end with the same results," she said.
"So even if there were some way that you and I could be together, you wouldn't try it?" he asked with hurt evident in his voice.
"No, I wouldn't. You were my first love Miguel, and I'll never forget or deny our relationship, but it was young love. I've fallen in love again and I know that you will too."
"So it's really over between us?" he asked sadly.
"It was over a long time ago, Miguel," she replied.
"I don't think I'll ever love anyone the way I loved you. Thank you for letting me in your life and letting me love you," he said.
"What's with the goodbye speech?" Charity asked.
"I- I thought that was why you came over - to close all ties with me," he said confused.
"Now why would I do that? Miguel, you and I weren't just boyfriend and girlfriend, we were friends. Just because we aren't dating doesn't mean that we can't be friends," she said.
"Really?" he asked hopefully.
"Yeah. Obviously things won't be exactly the same, but we could still give it a try. After all, everyone could use a friend."
"I'd really like that," Miguel said, smiling for the first time in months.
"Good. So we're friends," she said with a smile.
"Yeah. So seriously, Brady doesn't mind you being here?" he asked.
"Actually, he was the one who suggested I come talk to you," Charity replied.
"Really?" he asked with surprise.
"Yeah. He really is a great guy. I think you'd like him," she said.
"As long as he treats you right. You deserve the best," Miguel replied.
"Thanks, so do you," she said. "Now what do you say we stop being sad and depressed and join in on the celebration of your sister and my brother's upcoming wedding?"
"Sound good to me," Miguel said as he and Charity headed off to talk with the other residents in the room.
Thirty minutes later Fox and Theresa had finally been able to get away from the reporters and make their way into the restaurant.
"Finally!" Vicky said. "We've been waiting almost an hour for you guys to finish talking to them," she said as Fox and Theresa entered the restaurant.
"I know, those guys wouldn't let us leave," Theresa said.
"Well, maybe now they'll stop calling the mansion," Julian said as he came over to them. "You look beautiful, Theresa," he said.
"Thank you Julian," Theresa said as she reached up to hug him. "And I want to thank you and Alistair for putting this together for Fox and I. It was really nice of you two."
"Don't even bother thanking us," Alistair said as he also made his way over. "After all, nothing but the best for the Cranes."
"Exactly," Julian said.
"Thank you anyway," Theresa said. "Well I'm going to go talk to my family so I'll talk to you later," she said turning to Fox.
"All right," Fox replied before reaching down and kissing her cheeks.
"I'll see you two later, I have someone to talk to," Alistair said before walking away from Julian and Fox.
"What the hell are they doing here?" Fox asked pointing to Ethan and Gwen.
"I don't know. Ethan used his position as your brother to get himself in here," Julian replied.
"Bastard," Fox muttered under his breath.
"Ignore them. They really aren't worth wasting a minute of your life on," Julian said as he heading over to the bar. "Join me for a drink," he said.
"Fine," Fox said, glaring at Ethan one more time before following Julian to the bar.
Meanwhile.
"I want you out of the mansion," Alistair said sternly.
"What are you talking about?" Rebecca asked shocked by Alistair's statement.
"I want you out of the mansion by tomorrow morning," he said.
"But- why?" she asked flabbergasted.
"The Cranes have now become a name that has earned respect, and the last thing we need is a whore taking up residence in the mansion," he said coldly. "I happen to know that Julian and you haven't shared a bed for almost a year, so there really is no reason for you to stay there."
"But- but, where will I go?" she asked with a worried expression.
"I really don't give a damn, just go somewhere else," he said.
"You can't do this to me!" she exclaimed.
"I'm Alistair Crane. I can do whatever the hell I want," he said.
"But Gwen - she won't let you kick me to the streets. She'll defend me," she said smugly.
"She can try. But before you go to her, let me warn you. If you get her involved, she and Ethan will also be kicked out of the mansion. And if Ivy tries to get involved, she'll be gone too. After all, all of you are nothing but guests, unwanted guests at that," he replied emotionlessly.
"Damnit Alistair! You don't want to do this! Think it over," she pleaded.
"This is not up for discussion. You will leave by tomorrow morning or you will be thrown out. It's your decision," Alistair said steely before turning and walking away before Rebecca could say another word.
"Attention, attention," Alistair said trying to grab everyone's attention. Once he had it, he continued talking. "I want to thank you for coming to celebrate to upcoming wedding of my handsome grandson and his lovely fiancée. On behalf of the Cranes and Lopez-Fitzgeralds, congratulations you two," he said.
"Thank you, Grandfather," Fox said from his position behind Theresa.
"You're welcome. Next, I have just been informed that dinner is ready, so I'd like everyone to take a seat at the table so we can begin eating," he said.
Everyone soon gathered at the large table and sat down with Julian and Alistair at the head of both sides of the table. Fox took a seat next to Julian with Theresa next to him.
"This looks delicious," Luis said looking at all the food laid out across the rectangular table.
"Yes it does," Sheridan agreed.
"Well, let's eat then," Julian said before they all began dig in.
"So, Theresa, have you and Fox found a place to live once you're married?" Beth asked, starting a conversation.
"Well since Charity is moving in with Brady, we're just going to stay in our house," Theresa replied. The table suddenly got silent.
"What's wrong?" Fox asked wondering why everyone was quiet.
"You're going back to California?" Pilar asked.
"Well of course, Mama. Why wouldn't we?" she asked confused by everyone's reaction.
"We just thought that you all planned on moving back here. This is your hometown after all," Luis said.
"Oh," Theresa replied. "I'm really sorry but we can't stay here. Our lives and careers are in California," she said.
"But couldn't you just move everything over here?" Pilar asked.
"It's not possible, mama. We've built our lives in California, we can't just up and leave our home like that," she said.
"You did it once before," Ethan muttered to himself but loud enough for everyone to hear.
"With good reason," Charity said glaring at Ethan.
"None of that matters," Fox said. "Theresa and I, along with Charity and Brady, are going back to California. We never planned on staying here, I'm sorry if this is a surprise to any of you."
"You guys can come visit us, and we'll come down here whenever we can," Theresa said.
"I guess there's no point in arguing, Theresa always finds a way to win," Antonio said with a small smile.
"You're damn right I do," she replied with a bright smile.
"So Charity, when do you plan on making another album?" Sheridan asked.
"Well." Charity said as she proceeded to lead the conversation.
"Can we go down?" Theresa asked an hour later from her position on Fox's lap.
"Are you really that bored?" he asked with a laugh.
"It's not that I'm bored, because I had more fun than I thought I would. I just want to go home, change into my pajamas, and fall asleep in bed," she said with a pout.
"Don't pout at me, you know what that does to me," he said. Theresa continued to pout. "Oh, fine, we'll just say goodbye and leave," he said finally giving in.
"Yay!" Theresa said with a smile as she got off of Fox's lap and prepared to leave. However before Fox could even stand up Ivy had made her way over to them.
"Leaving so soon?" Ivy asked coolly.
"Not anymore," Theresa muttered with a sigh as she sat back on Fox's lap and prepared herself for Ivy.
"What do you want, Mother," Fox asked with an annoyed expression.
"Can't a mother come over and congratulate her son on his engagement?" she asked innocently, or as innocent as she could muster.
"A mother can, you can't," Fox replied.
"Fox, I'm hurt that you think so little of me," she said with fake pain.
"Forgive me," Fox said sarcastically.
"What do you want, Ivy?" Theresa asked, wanting to hurry up and go home.
"I want you away from my son," Ivy said coldly.
"And I want you to go to hell. Guess we don't always get what we want," Theresa replied with a smirk.
"Why you little."
"Watch what you say about her," Fox said seriously.
"Fox, think about this," Ivy pleaded. "You can't seriously want to marry this woman. Look at what she did to your brother. She is nothing but trouble!"
"How dare you!" Theresa exclaimed.
"Relax," Fox said trying to placate Theresa. "She's not worth it," he said.
"Fox, I am only trying to help. I'm your mother, I know what's best for you," Ivy said.
"My mother? Mother!?!" Fox exclaimed. "News flash - you haven't been a mother to me a day in your life."
"Fox, I-"
"No! I'm not finished yet!" he yelled attracting the attention of everyone in the room.
"All my life, I've been nothing but second best to you. You made Ethan your whole life and barely acknowledge the existence of Sammy, Vicky, or myself. And you know something? I actually let it affect me. I actually used to sit in my room and shed tears over the fact that you never cared about me. But then I realized it wasn't my fault; it was yours. You're a sad excuse for a mother. What kind of mother loves one child unconditionally but then treats another like the dirt beneath her shoes?"
"I did try to show love toward you. You were always so closed off from me," Ivy said.
"Shut up!" Fox exclaimed. "Don't you even try to make yourself look like the victim! You were, and still are, a cruel and vindictive woman. You didn't give a damn about anyone besides yourself and Ethan. And now you think you have the right to tell me whom I can and can't marry?! Who the hell do you think you are!?"
"Fox, that's enough. I won't have you talk to Mother like that," Ethan said, cutting in.
"Thank you Ethan, but I can handle Fox," Ivy said.
"There you go again! Once again Ethan is the good guy and Fox is the unwanted rebel," Fox said. "But you know what, I don't care anymore. You and Ethan deserve each other. I guess I should thank God that you didn't raise me, otherwise I'd be just like golden boy over there," he said as rose from his chair.
"Fox, please listen to me," Ivy pleaded.
"Why should I? You never once listened to me. Or Sammy and Vicky. Why the hell should I waste a second of my life listening to anything you have to say?"
"Please stop this Fox, you're embarrassing me," Ivy said looking at all the eyes that were watching her and Fox.
"Just answer one question for me - was it worth it?" he asked.
"What are you talking about?" she asked.
"I'm talking about the way you treated Vicky, Sammy, and I. You devoted all of your attention to Ethan and look at where he is now. He's an ungrateful fool who is married to one woman but craves for another. You're an old bitter woman with four children, and three of them hate your guts. Hell, the only reason you were even invited to our wedding was because Julian felt bad for you and begged us to include you on the guest list. Isn't that sad? Your own son had to be convinced to invite you to his wedding. What does that tell you about yourself?"
"I'm- I'm sorry," Ivy said sadly realizing how true Fox's words were.
"Yeah, you really are," Fox said coldly. "I said all I had to say to you, Ivy. Stay the hell out of my life," he said. He then took Theresa's hand and walked out of the restaurant with her without a backwards glance to Ivy.
Ivy stood in the restaurant, hurt and embarrassed by Fox's harsh words to her. 'What kind of woman am I? My son hates me,' she thought to herself as she felt tears slide down her face. She looked around the room and saw that everyone's eyes were on her. Some eyes held pity, some held amusement, and some held hatred. Her eyes landed on Victoria and Samantha who were standing only a few feet away from her. 'Maybe I still have a chance with them,' she thought. She wiped the tears from her face and prepared to talk to them.
"Vicky, Sammy," she started.
"My name is Victoria,"
"And mine is Samantha," they said icily.
"Oh, yes of course. It's just that I always hear people call you by your nicknames," Ivy said nervously.
"Yeah, people that love and care about us," Sammy said.
"In others words, people that aren't you," Vicky said coldly. Ivy gasped at the cold words her daughters were saying to her.
"What's the matter, Mother? Are we hurting your feelings?" Samantha asked with mock pity.
"Doubtful," Vicky cut in. "She'd have to have something other than a black heart for us to hurt her."
"Samantha, Victoria, stop this right now," Ethan said sternly.
"Stay out of this, golden boy," Vicky said to a shocked Ethan. "What? You thought Fox was the only one that was annoyed with you? Think again, you pissed us off as much as you did him," she said.
"Samantha, Victoria," Ivy said. "I know I've been a horrible mother to you, but I would like you make up for that. I know it took me longer than Julian to do this, but it's better late than never, right?" she asked hopefully.
"Wrong," Vicky said flatly. "See, unlike you, Julian decided to apologize to us on his own free will. He didn't have to wait for us to humiliate him in public before he finally realized how badly he treated us. Don't think you can compare the two of you," she said.
"Please, just give me a chance," Ivy pleaded.
"You had eighteen years to take a chance, but you never bothered. It's too late now," Vicky said. "Like Fox said, 'stay the hell out of my life,'" she said before walking away.
"Samantha?" Ivy asked hopefully.
"I won't even bother wasting my oxygen on you. Vicky said it all," Sammy replied with a glare as she headed over to Vicky.
"What have I done?" Ivy asked herself quietly.
"You just lost three of the best children anyone could ever ask for," Julian said to her. "I hope it was worth it."
One by one everyone started to go to their own part of the restaurant, leaving Ivy still standing alone in the same spot.
"Mother, we're leaving," Ethan said to her almost an hour later. "Are you coming with us?" he asked. Ivy snapped out of her daze and looked at Ethan before replying.
"Yes, I am," she said taking his hand. 'After all, I have no where else to go.'
TBC.
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