Part Seventeen
"Luis.Mijo, I wasn't expecting you," Pilar said, pulling her son into a quick hug as soon as he entered the Mansion. "Sheridan," Pilar acknowledged Sheridan with a kiss to her cheek and a smile. "Where's Catherine?" she asked, looking over Sheridan's shoulder. "She's at home with Gwen." "Gwen?" Pilar questioned. Confused. "What's going on here?" "We'll explain everything later, Mama," Luis told her distractedly. "Mama? Where's Theresa?" "She's upstairs helping Ethan with some paperwork."
The look that passed between Sheridan and Luis was enough to raise Pilar's suspicions. "Theresita's done something foolish again, hasn't she?" she said. Her words more a statement than a question. "I told her." Pilar sighed worriedly, wringing her hands. "But does she listen? No. Your sister's stubborn, Luis. She does not heed my warnings. What has she done this time?" "Pilar," Sheridan took Pilar's restless hands in hers and gave her a friendly smile. "We don't know the whole story yet. It wouldn't be fair to say.Luis.tell Ethan I want to speak with him." Luis gave her a slight nod of his head and continued up the stairs.
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Gwen laughed softly as she watched Catherine turn cartwheels in the lush green grass of the backyard. Her yellow sundress flying over her head each time, exposing her little brown legs and stomach, and. "Little Mermaid panties, too? You're a Little Mermaid junkie," she grinned as Catherine fell to an undignified heap on the ground, giggling her pretty dark head off. "I'm not a junkie. What's a junkie?" "Little Mermaid junkie," Gwen reminded her, dropping to the ground beside her and letting her pull her back into the grass. "Well." Catherine rolled her emerald eyes at her, propping herself up on an elbow. "What's a Little Mermaid junkie?" "YOU," Gwen touched her index finger to Catherine's nose.
"I'm a junkie! I'm a junkie!" Catherine squealed, kicking her legs in the air. Gwen groaned. What Catherine didn't know. "Little Mer.do you want some lemonade?" "No," Catherine shook her curly dark head, grinning down into Gwen's brown eyes. "Gwen?" her voice took on a pleading edge. "Yes?" Gwen answered, completely amused. This kid could charm her way into getting whatever she wanted. "Will you push me on the swing? Please?" Gwen didn't think she'd ever seen a child that had pouting down to such an art form. She climbed to her feet unsteadily, a bit dizzy from the head rush. "Sheri and Luis spoil you, don't they?" Catherine giggled and took her offered hand. "You do, too." Gwen laughed. She had a point.
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"Aunt Sheridan," Ethan smiled, opening his arms and drawing her into a hug. "Ethan," Sheridan said, pulling herself out of his arms. "Aunt Sheridan?" Sheridan groaned softly at the slightly hurt, mightily confused expression on her nephew's face. "Oh, Ethan," she sighed, giving him a quick hug. "I love you, Dumbass. I just can't help myself." Ethan stared back at her with his infamous 'DUH' look. "Do you have any, ANY idea what you have done?" Sheridan asked. "Ethan," she said, crossing her arms across her chest with a frown. "Where's Gwen?" Realization dawned on him slowly, and Sheridan was relieved to see guilt flash in those blue eyes if only for a fraction of a second. "She's gone." "Where?" Sheridan prodded, knowing full well where, but Ethan had no idea. She wanted to make him squirm a little bit. He deserved it. "I don't know," Ethan shrugged. "You don't know?" Sheridan scoffed. "You don't know or you don't care? Which is it?"
"Aunt Sheridan." "Don't Aunt Sheridan me, Ethan," she warned, resisting the urge to rap her knuckles against his forehead and ask if anyone were home. "Why did she leave, Ethan? Why? There must be some reason. A really good reason." "I don't know," Ethan offered, cringing when he saw the angry flash of her blue eyes. "Not the right answer, is it?" his voice came out in a tiny whisper. "What do you think?" Sheridan rolled her eyes, giving him a pointed glare. "I.she saw me kiss Theresa.I don't know what the big deal is. We're just friends." "Oh my God, Ethan! Do you hear yourself?" Sheridan groaned loudly. "Friends, Ethan? You've kissed friends in front of Gwen before. Has she ever reacted this way?" "I don't know," Ethan shrugged his shoulders again. "You're hopeless," Sheridan shook her head, stalking toward the Mansion again and leaving her bewildered nephew standing by the pool.
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How does Sheridan keep up with you, Gwen wondered as she slumped down on the sofa beside her giggling little charge. She'd kept her word and pushed Catherine on the swing. Higher and higher until she was afraid the little girl would topple out, and she'd have the unenviable job of telling Sheridan and Luis it was her fault. She did not have one iota of willpower when it came to resisting those big, sparkling green eyes. And when Catherine's full pink lips had that adorable pout on them, and she twirled a black curl around her finger, looking up at her expectantly.she turned into mush. She was going to be a terrible mother. "Let me guess," she laughed as Catherine pointed the remote at the television. "The Little Mermaid." "Non," Catherine shook her dark head with another giggle. What was with this tiny girl today? She'd laughed, and she'd laughed, and she'd laughed. Gwen'd never heard so much laughter in such a short time from one person. "Blue's Clues," Gwen grimaced.
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"Theresa, use your head," Luis told his little sister. Theresa's brown eyes were staring off dreamily into space, and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Luis, you say that too much," she said. "I'd rather use my heart." Pilar lifted her eyes to the heavens and sent a silent prayer God's way. Hoping he might give her the patience to guide her willful daughter. "Theresa," Luis bit out in exasperation. "Luis, why aren't you happy for me? Fate led me to Ethan, and Fate made me so irresistible to him, he didn't pull back when I kissed him." "Wait a minute," Luis's jaw set in a hard line. "I thought Ethan kissed you." Theresa's mouth formed an 'O' when she realized she'd totally said something she shouldn't have. "He wanted to kiss me, Luis. I could see it all over his face."
"YOU kissed HIM. Theresa, did you ever stop to think about Gwen?" "What about her?" Theresa shrugged her slim shoulders. "She's just an obstacle in my way to Ethan." "Theresita!" Pilar gasped at her daughter's bluntness. "It's true, Mama," Theresa insisted. "Ethan doesn't love her the way he loves me." "Has Ethan told you he loves you?" Luis questioned her. "No," Theresa admitted reluctantly. "But he would have if Gwen hadn't shown up and started crying. That was so selfish of her, ruining mine and Ethan's first kiss like that." "Dios Mio!" Pilar exclaimed, holding a hand to her heart. "My daughter," she shook her head sadly. Luis met Sheridan's blue eyes across the foyer and heaved a heavy sigh at the emotions so clear there. His little sister's obsession with making Ethan hers was a wrench in their relationship that obviously wasn't going to go away soon.
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Blue's Clues finally went off, and Gwen had never experienced more relief in her life. She'd take Ariel any day, she thought, yawning slightly as she stretched against the pillows. Catherine offered her a bite of the enormous red apple she held with both her hands, and Gwen refused with an amused smile, reaching forward and wiping the juice that dribbled down her little chin away with her thumb. "That apple's all yours," she laughed. "You're a mess. What is Sheri going to say?" Catherine's green eyes twinkled at her, but she didn't say anything. "Sheri's better at this than I am, isn't she? Catherine," she sighed as the little girl climbed into her lap and made herself comfortable. "You're the expert.what makes someone a good mommy?" Catherine gazed at her for several seconds then she lay her half-eaten apple in her lap. Gwen had serious doubts the pretty yellow sundress was going to survive the day.
"Hugs," Catherine giggled, looping her arms around her neck and squeezing hard. "Hugs," Gwen laughed with her, brushing her dark curls from her face. "That's not too hard. What else?" "Mommies have to make us brush our teeth. Even if we don't want to," Catherine informed her, with a serious look on her face. "No cavities," Gwen muttered under her breath. "Got it." "Mommies have to watch cartoons, and tuck us in, and play, and sing us goodnight." "I have a terrible voice." Catherine's fingers flexed and relaxed against her own. "It doesn't matter," she told Gwen. "Read stories to us at bedtime," she continued her list. "Make sure we take our baths." "What about making breakfast?" "Luis does that, but mommies can too," Catherine told her matter-of-factly. Gwen bit her lip to keep from laughing. "What do you think is the most important thing all good mommies do?" she asked the little girl. "Say 'I love you', Silly," Catherine rolled her green eyes at her. "Is that all?" Gwen teased her, tickling her stomach and sides and causing her to giggle uncontrollably. "Hugs!" Catherine squealed as she squirmed to get away from her. "No tickling!"
Part Eighteen
Gwen took the offered glass of ice water from Sheridan's outstretched hand gratefully and lifted it to her lips. The cushions of the sofa shifted under Sheridan's additional weight, and Gwen rest her blond head against Sheridan's shoulder with a shaky sigh, her fingertips tracing the rim of the glass nervously. Tiny beads of condensation formed on the outside, and Gwen fixed her golden brown eyes on one bead in particular, watching it zig and zag down the glass and make a tiny wet patch against the soft fabric of her white pants. She rubbed the patch absently with the pad of her thumb as her voice escaped her lips in a soft murmur. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, Sher."
"I know," Sheridan answered her in a soft whisper. "I know. But Gwen, waiting is only going to make it harder. You do realize that, don't you? I know you're overwhelmed and even a little frightened, but you don't have to do this alone. Ignoring his.behavior of the last few weeks, Ethan has always been a good guy. He deserves to know he's going to be a father." Gwen removed her head from Sheridan's shoulder, leaning forward and setting the glass in her hands on a coaster on the coffee table. "I don't want him coming back to me out of some sense of obligation," she muttered, refusing to meet Sheridan's blue eyes. "Obviously, he doesn't consider ten years of our lives a meaningful relationship. He couldn't even come to me and tell me he wanted to end things. He took the coward's way out, and now he's dating her. I'm sorry, Sheridan, but Ethan hasn't exactly been racking up any good guy points with me lately. I'm not even sure if I want him in MY life anymore."
"I'm disappointed too," Sheridan admitted with a frown, standing up and walking toward the window to check on Catherine and Luis. She could barely see their figures outlined against the dusky horizon. "But," she sighed, grasping Gwen's hand in hers when she came to stand beside her, watching Catherine and Luis at play, "I still don't think he should be denied the chance of being a father to this baby. And I don't think you do either. Gwen?" she questioned softly, giving Gwen's hand a gentle squeeze. "I could stay." "You and Catherine haven't seen much of Luis since he went back to work, Sher. Go. I'll be fine. This is something Ethan and I are going to have to work out by ourselves anyway. I know where to find you if I need you. Now go. Ethan should be here any minute." "You're going to be okay," Sheridan smiled, letting herself out the front door, "whatever happens, you have us."
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"Luis! Luis! I caught one. Look," Catherine said excitedly, holding her cupped little hands up higher so Luis could get a better look. Slowly, she opened her hands, and the firefly's blinking yellow light illuminated the expression of awe on her face and the amazement so evident in her sparkling green eyes. "Tres belle," Catherine breathed, smiling up at Luis. "Non, non, non," she fretted when the firefly flitted away. "Sheri," she pouted the moment she felt Sheridan's presence just steps away, "it flew away." "I know, Catherine," Sheridan said softly, kneeling and opening her arms to the little girl, "that's what wild things do." "But I wasn't hurting it, Sheri. I was soft."
Sheridan combed her fingers through the tangle of black curls, lifting one silky end to tickle it against Catherine's scrunched up nose and making her smile. "Sheri!" "C'mere," Sheridan laughed, grabbing Catherine close and twirling her around until they were both breathless with laughter. "We'll catch another one if you want." Catherine's green eyes darted from Sheridan's face to Luis and back, and she held out her little hand for Luis to take. "Non, je veux regarder les etoiles." "Mama's star?" Sheridan asked quietly as Catherine tugged Luis closer to them, placing his hand on Sheridan's cheek. "Mama's star," Catherine nodded. "Luis, kiss Sheri." "Catherine," Sheridan laughed, ducking her blond head in embarrassment. "If Luis wants to." the rest of Sheridan's protest was forgotten as Luis lifted her chin and kissed her sweetly. "Luis wants to," Luis chuckled, caressing Sheridan's jaw with the pad of his thumb. "Now what Catherine?" Sheridan laughed at Catherine's proud smile. "Hugs!" Catherine giggled, looping an arm around Luis's neck. "Kisses!" she squealed when Luis placed loud kisses on each of her cheeks, wrestling her from Sheridan's arms. "Sheri! Sheri, help!"
"Mama's star," Catherine whispered later as they lay on their backs with the velvety grass and fragrant flowers surrounding them, her black curls spilling over Luis's shoulder as she pointed to a twinkling star lighting up the night sky with its brilliance. "It's beautiful," Luis murmured, gathering Sheridan closer to him. Her blue eyes sparkled with the crystal sheen of tears in the darkness. Luis slid his hand beneath the pale yellow cotton of the shirt she wore, tracing lazy circles along the warm skin he found there and offering her his silent comfort for what she couldn't change. "She watches me," Catherine said softly, twirling a slender blade of grass between her thumb and forefinger. "She does," Sheridan agreed, covering the tiny hand that rest over Luis's steadily beating heart with her own. "I miss Mama, Sheri," Catherine said somberly, tickling the blade of grass along the features of Sheridan's face then moving onto Luis's chin. "I do too, Sweetie," Sheridan replied, "It's okay to miss her. We're doing okay though, aren't we?" "Oui," Catherine nodded, lacing her much smaller fingers through Sheridan's fingers, " because we have Luis, and he's going to stay with us forever and ever." Sheridan held Luis's gaze in silence as the sounds of the night surrounded them, and Catherine's natural curiosity led her to get up and investigate. Forever and ever, Luis, she asked him with her eyes. "Sheri! Sheri!" Catherine's cry and the twin beams of Ethan's approaching headlights shattered the moment, and Sheridan could only laugh when Luis discovered the source of her excitement. "Sheri! The bugs! Ils chantent!"
"Luis.Mijo, I wasn't expecting you," Pilar said, pulling her son into a quick hug as soon as he entered the Mansion. "Sheridan," Pilar acknowledged Sheridan with a kiss to her cheek and a smile. "Where's Catherine?" she asked, looking over Sheridan's shoulder. "She's at home with Gwen." "Gwen?" Pilar questioned. Confused. "What's going on here?" "We'll explain everything later, Mama," Luis told her distractedly. "Mama? Where's Theresa?" "She's upstairs helping Ethan with some paperwork."
The look that passed between Sheridan and Luis was enough to raise Pilar's suspicions. "Theresita's done something foolish again, hasn't she?" she said. Her words more a statement than a question. "I told her." Pilar sighed worriedly, wringing her hands. "But does she listen? No. Your sister's stubborn, Luis. She does not heed my warnings. What has she done this time?" "Pilar," Sheridan took Pilar's restless hands in hers and gave her a friendly smile. "We don't know the whole story yet. It wouldn't be fair to say.Luis.tell Ethan I want to speak with him." Luis gave her a slight nod of his head and continued up the stairs.
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Gwen laughed softly as she watched Catherine turn cartwheels in the lush green grass of the backyard. Her yellow sundress flying over her head each time, exposing her little brown legs and stomach, and. "Little Mermaid panties, too? You're a Little Mermaid junkie," she grinned as Catherine fell to an undignified heap on the ground, giggling her pretty dark head off. "I'm not a junkie. What's a junkie?" "Little Mermaid junkie," Gwen reminded her, dropping to the ground beside her and letting her pull her back into the grass. "Well." Catherine rolled her emerald eyes at her, propping herself up on an elbow. "What's a Little Mermaid junkie?" "YOU," Gwen touched her index finger to Catherine's nose.
"I'm a junkie! I'm a junkie!" Catherine squealed, kicking her legs in the air. Gwen groaned. What Catherine didn't know. "Little Mer.do you want some lemonade?" "No," Catherine shook her curly dark head, grinning down into Gwen's brown eyes. "Gwen?" her voice took on a pleading edge. "Yes?" Gwen answered, completely amused. This kid could charm her way into getting whatever she wanted. "Will you push me on the swing? Please?" Gwen didn't think she'd ever seen a child that had pouting down to such an art form. She climbed to her feet unsteadily, a bit dizzy from the head rush. "Sheri and Luis spoil you, don't they?" Catherine giggled and took her offered hand. "You do, too." Gwen laughed. She had a point.
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"Aunt Sheridan," Ethan smiled, opening his arms and drawing her into a hug. "Ethan," Sheridan said, pulling herself out of his arms. "Aunt Sheridan?" Sheridan groaned softly at the slightly hurt, mightily confused expression on her nephew's face. "Oh, Ethan," she sighed, giving him a quick hug. "I love you, Dumbass. I just can't help myself." Ethan stared back at her with his infamous 'DUH' look. "Do you have any, ANY idea what you have done?" Sheridan asked. "Ethan," she said, crossing her arms across her chest with a frown. "Where's Gwen?" Realization dawned on him slowly, and Sheridan was relieved to see guilt flash in those blue eyes if only for a fraction of a second. "She's gone." "Where?" Sheridan prodded, knowing full well where, but Ethan had no idea. She wanted to make him squirm a little bit. He deserved it. "I don't know," Ethan shrugged. "You don't know?" Sheridan scoffed. "You don't know or you don't care? Which is it?"
"Aunt Sheridan." "Don't Aunt Sheridan me, Ethan," she warned, resisting the urge to rap her knuckles against his forehead and ask if anyone were home. "Why did she leave, Ethan? Why? There must be some reason. A really good reason." "I don't know," Ethan offered, cringing when he saw the angry flash of her blue eyes. "Not the right answer, is it?" his voice came out in a tiny whisper. "What do you think?" Sheridan rolled her eyes, giving him a pointed glare. "I.she saw me kiss Theresa.I don't know what the big deal is. We're just friends." "Oh my God, Ethan! Do you hear yourself?" Sheridan groaned loudly. "Friends, Ethan? You've kissed friends in front of Gwen before. Has she ever reacted this way?" "I don't know," Ethan shrugged his shoulders again. "You're hopeless," Sheridan shook her head, stalking toward the Mansion again and leaving her bewildered nephew standing by the pool.
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How does Sheridan keep up with you, Gwen wondered as she slumped down on the sofa beside her giggling little charge. She'd kept her word and pushed Catherine on the swing. Higher and higher until she was afraid the little girl would topple out, and she'd have the unenviable job of telling Sheridan and Luis it was her fault. She did not have one iota of willpower when it came to resisting those big, sparkling green eyes. And when Catherine's full pink lips had that adorable pout on them, and she twirled a black curl around her finger, looking up at her expectantly.she turned into mush. She was going to be a terrible mother. "Let me guess," she laughed as Catherine pointed the remote at the television. "The Little Mermaid." "Non," Catherine shook her dark head with another giggle. What was with this tiny girl today? She'd laughed, and she'd laughed, and she'd laughed. Gwen'd never heard so much laughter in such a short time from one person. "Blue's Clues," Gwen grimaced.
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"Theresa, use your head," Luis told his little sister. Theresa's brown eyes were staring off dreamily into space, and she clasped her hands in front of her. "Luis, you say that too much," she said. "I'd rather use my heart." Pilar lifted her eyes to the heavens and sent a silent prayer God's way. Hoping he might give her the patience to guide her willful daughter. "Theresa," Luis bit out in exasperation. "Luis, why aren't you happy for me? Fate led me to Ethan, and Fate made me so irresistible to him, he didn't pull back when I kissed him." "Wait a minute," Luis's jaw set in a hard line. "I thought Ethan kissed you." Theresa's mouth formed an 'O' when she realized she'd totally said something she shouldn't have. "He wanted to kiss me, Luis. I could see it all over his face."
"YOU kissed HIM. Theresa, did you ever stop to think about Gwen?" "What about her?" Theresa shrugged her slim shoulders. "She's just an obstacle in my way to Ethan." "Theresita!" Pilar gasped at her daughter's bluntness. "It's true, Mama," Theresa insisted. "Ethan doesn't love her the way he loves me." "Has Ethan told you he loves you?" Luis questioned her. "No," Theresa admitted reluctantly. "But he would have if Gwen hadn't shown up and started crying. That was so selfish of her, ruining mine and Ethan's first kiss like that." "Dios Mio!" Pilar exclaimed, holding a hand to her heart. "My daughter," she shook her head sadly. Luis met Sheridan's blue eyes across the foyer and heaved a heavy sigh at the emotions so clear there. His little sister's obsession with making Ethan hers was a wrench in their relationship that obviously wasn't going to go away soon.
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Blue's Clues finally went off, and Gwen had never experienced more relief in her life. She'd take Ariel any day, she thought, yawning slightly as she stretched against the pillows. Catherine offered her a bite of the enormous red apple she held with both her hands, and Gwen refused with an amused smile, reaching forward and wiping the juice that dribbled down her little chin away with her thumb. "That apple's all yours," she laughed. "You're a mess. What is Sheri going to say?" Catherine's green eyes twinkled at her, but she didn't say anything. "Sheri's better at this than I am, isn't she? Catherine," she sighed as the little girl climbed into her lap and made herself comfortable. "You're the expert.what makes someone a good mommy?" Catherine gazed at her for several seconds then she lay her half-eaten apple in her lap. Gwen had serious doubts the pretty yellow sundress was going to survive the day.
"Hugs," Catherine giggled, looping her arms around her neck and squeezing hard. "Hugs," Gwen laughed with her, brushing her dark curls from her face. "That's not too hard. What else?" "Mommies have to make us brush our teeth. Even if we don't want to," Catherine informed her, with a serious look on her face. "No cavities," Gwen muttered under her breath. "Got it." "Mommies have to watch cartoons, and tuck us in, and play, and sing us goodnight." "I have a terrible voice." Catherine's fingers flexed and relaxed against her own. "It doesn't matter," she told Gwen. "Read stories to us at bedtime," she continued her list. "Make sure we take our baths." "What about making breakfast?" "Luis does that, but mommies can too," Catherine told her matter-of-factly. Gwen bit her lip to keep from laughing. "What do you think is the most important thing all good mommies do?" she asked the little girl. "Say 'I love you', Silly," Catherine rolled her green eyes at her. "Is that all?" Gwen teased her, tickling her stomach and sides and causing her to giggle uncontrollably. "Hugs!" Catherine squealed as she squirmed to get away from her. "No tickling!"
Part Eighteen
Gwen took the offered glass of ice water from Sheridan's outstretched hand gratefully and lifted it to her lips. The cushions of the sofa shifted under Sheridan's additional weight, and Gwen rest her blond head against Sheridan's shoulder with a shaky sigh, her fingertips tracing the rim of the glass nervously. Tiny beads of condensation formed on the outside, and Gwen fixed her golden brown eyes on one bead in particular, watching it zig and zag down the glass and make a tiny wet patch against the soft fabric of her white pants. She rubbed the patch absently with the pad of her thumb as her voice escaped her lips in a soft murmur. "I don't know if I'm ready for this, Sher."
"I know," Sheridan answered her in a soft whisper. "I know. But Gwen, waiting is only going to make it harder. You do realize that, don't you? I know you're overwhelmed and even a little frightened, but you don't have to do this alone. Ignoring his.behavior of the last few weeks, Ethan has always been a good guy. He deserves to know he's going to be a father." Gwen removed her head from Sheridan's shoulder, leaning forward and setting the glass in her hands on a coaster on the coffee table. "I don't want him coming back to me out of some sense of obligation," she muttered, refusing to meet Sheridan's blue eyes. "Obviously, he doesn't consider ten years of our lives a meaningful relationship. He couldn't even come to me and tell me he wanted to end things. He took the coward's way out, and now he's dating her. I'm sorry, Sheridan, but Ethan hasn't exactly been racking up any good guy points with me lately. I'm not even sure if I want him in MY life anymore."
"I'm disappointed too," Sheridan admitted with a frown, standing up and walking toward the window to check on Catherine and Luis. She could barely see their figures outlined against the dusky horizon. "But," she sighed, grasping Gwen's hand in hers when she came to stand beside her, watching Catherine and Luis at play, "I still don't think he should be denied the chance of being a father to this baby. And I don't think you do either. Gwen?" she questioned softly, giving Gwen's hand a gentle squeeze. "I could stay." "You and Catherine haven't seen much of Luis since he went back to work, Sher. Go. I'll be fine. This is something Ethan and I are going to have to work out by ourselves anyway. I know where to find you if I need you. Now go. Ethan should be here any minute." "You're going to be okay," Sheridan smiled, letting herself out the front door, "whatever happens, you have us."
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"Luis! Luis! I caught one. Look," Catherine said excitedly, holding her cupped little hands up higher so Luis could get a better look. Slowly, she opened her hands, and the firefly's blinking yellow light illuminated the expression of awe on her face and the amazement so evident in her sparkling green eyes. "Tres belle," Catherine breathed, smiling up at Luis. "Non, non, non," she fretted when the firefly flitted away. "Sheri," she pouted the moment she felt Sheridan's presence just steps away, "it flew away." "I know, Catherine," Sheridan said softly, kneeling and opening her arms to the little girl, "that's what wild things do." "But I wasn't hurting it, Sheri. I was soft."
Sheridan combed her fingers through the tangle of black curls, lifting one silky end to tickle it against Catherine's scrunched up nose and making her smile. "Sheri!" "C'mere," Sheridan laughed, grabbing Catherine close and twirling her around until they were both breathless with laughter. "We'll catch another one if you want." Catherine's green eyes darted from Sheridan's face to Luis and back, and she held out her little hand for Luis to take. "Non, je veux regarder les etoiles." "Mama's star?" Sheridan asked quietly as Catherine tugged Luis closer to them, placing his hand on Sheridan's cheek. "Mama's star," Catherine nodded. "Luis, kiss Sheri." "Catherine," Sheridan laughed, ducking her blond head in embarrassment. "If Luis wants to." the rest of Sheridan's protest was forgotten as Luis lifted her chin and kissed her sweetly. "Luis wants to," Luis chuckled, caressing Sheridan's jaw with the pad of his thumb. "Now what Catherine?" Sheridan laughed at Catherine's proud smile. "Hugs!" Catherine giggled, looping an arm around Luis's neck. "Kisses!" she squealed when Luis placed loud kisses on each of her cheeks, wrestling her from Sheridan's arms. "Sheri! Sheri, help!"
"Mama's star," Catherine whispered later as they lay on their backs with the velvety grass and fragrant flowers surrounding them, her black curls spilling over Luis's shoulder as she pointed to a twinkling star lighting up the night sky with its brilliance. "It's beautiful," Luis murmured, gathering Sheridan closer to him. Her blue eyes sparkled with the crystal sheen of tears in the darkness. Luis slid his hand beneath the pale yellow cotton of the shirt she wore, tracing lazy circles along the warm skin he found there and offering her his silent comfort for what she couldn't change. "She watches me," Catherine said softly, twirling a slender blade of grass between her thumb and forefinger. "She does," Sheridan agreed, covering the tiny hand that rest over Luis's steadily beating heart with her own. "I miss Mama, Sheri," Catherine said somberly, tickling the blade of grass along the features of Sheridan's face then moving onto Luis's chin. "I do too, Sweetie," Sheridan replied, "It's okay to miss her. We're doing okay though, aren't we?" "Oui," Catherine nodded, lacing her much smaller fingers through Sheridan's fingers, " because we have Luis, and he's going to stay with us forever and ever." Sheridan held Luis's gaze in silence as the sounds of the night surrounded them, and Catherine's natural curiosity led her to get up and investigate. Forever and ever, Luis, she asked him with her eyes. "Sheri! Sheri!" Catherine's cry and the twin beams of Ethan's approaching headlights shattered the moment, and Sheridan could only laugh when Luis discovered the source of her excitement. "Sheri! The bugs! Ils chantent!"