Chapter 3
"Fox, I'm sorry, I just think that it's time that I head back to Harmony. My son and my family are there. Come on, you knew that this time would come sooner or later." Teresa said.
"Yeah, I know, I just wish you would reconsider and bring Little Ethan here to L.A. and live here permanently. You and I could live here together. Gwen and Ethan are on their way back to Harmony now. Chad and Whitney are looking for a place of their own..."
"You know I can't do that. It's important to me that Little Ethan knows his family. He would be devastated if he couldn't see his grandma on a regular basis. Besides, your father wouldn't even let me leave the grounds with him, do you think he'll let me relocate him to Harmony?"
"Hey, I'm family, too. Do you not think that it's important that he knows his big brother?" Fox asked.
"You are a very important part of his life, Fox, and that won't change no matter where we live. You can come to Harmony to visit us and we'll occasionally fly out for a visit."
"You won't have to work out here, Teresa. I'll take care of you and Little Ethan. You can stay at home and spend all the time you want to with him."
"Please, Fox, you're not going to change my mind. I'll be flying back to Harmony in two days." Fox turned his back on Teresa and walked out on the apartment balcony. Teresa followed closely behind him. She walked up behind him and gently placed her hand on the side of his arm. "Don't be like this, Fox. Under different circumstances I would take you up on your offer, but you know how hard it is to grow up away from all your family. I can't do that to Little Ethan. It's not fair to him."
Fox ran his fingers through his hair and then turned to face Teresa. "You're right. We'll make the most of your last two days here in L.A. Is there anything you would like to do?"
"Maybe we could go to that little club again. That was fun."
"Under one condition." Fox smiled.
"What's that?"
"I get an encore presentation of that little dance."
"That may be a little difficult, you know. I won't have anyone their to try and make jealous." She grinned.
"I've got news for you, Teresa. Ethan wasn't the only jealous man in the room that night. Every man in the club practically had his tongue hanging out."
Teresa playfully shoved him. "You're being ridiculous, Fox."
"It's true, Teresa." Teresa's face blushed. "You don't know how beautiful you truly are, do you?"
"Stop it, Fox." Teresa's face turned an even deeper shade of red.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, Teresa." He placed a finger under her chin and gently lifted it so that she was looking him in the eye. "Teresa, when you walk into a crowded room every man notices you. You're smile could light up even the darkest of nights. You're eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever had the pleasure of looking into." Fox trailed his fingers to her lips and gently traced them. "You have the softest lips, Teresa." He leaned in closer to her. "That night on the beach..."
"Teresa? Teresa? Are you in here?" Whitney yelled, running fractically into the Crane apartment. Fox pulled back away from Teresa just as Whitney stepped out onto the balcony. "Oh, Teresa." Whitney said rushing into her friends arms.
"Whitney, honey, what's wrong?" Teresa asked concerned.
Whitney covered her mouth, "This is the first place he'll come looking for me. We have to get out of here, Teresa."
"Whitney, calm down and tell us what's going on." Fox said.
"Please, I don't want to see him right now. Can we just get out of here?"
"See who, Whit?"
"Chad."
Fox was definitely interested now. "Why don't you want to see Chad?"
"It's along story, Fox, and right now I just want to get out of here."
Teresa turned to face Fox, "Can we borrow your car keys?"
"Sure." Fox pulled them out of his pocket. "You're not putting you two in danger, are you Whitney?"
"Don't be silly, Fox. Chad would never hurt either of us." Teresa scolded him.
Whitney wiped away a tear. "You're right, Teresa. He would never physically hurt either one of us, but Chad has hurt me worse than I ever thought he could." Whitney saw the lights of a car pull into the drive of the apartment complex. "Oh, God, that's his car. Please, Teresa, we have to go now or he'll catch us."
A few minutes later...
Chad burst through the door of the partment. "Whitney! Whitney! I know you're here. Will you please just come out and talk to me?"
Fox came walking into the living area, "Hey! Calm down, Chad. What's going on?"
"Don't play games with me, Fox. I know Whitney's here."
"Actually, Chad, she's not. Take a look around if you'd like. I'd appreciate it though if you would keep your voice down. Teresa's not feeling to well, she's in her room sleeping." Fox lied.
"Damn it! I was sure she would come here first. Her and Teresa tell each other everything."
"Is everything alright, Chad?"
"No, it's not, Fox. I've messed up big time."
"Look, Chad, if you're in some kind of trouble I can probably help you out."
"I don't think you could even help me out now." Chad fell back on the couch.
Fox sat down on the couch beside him, "Care to fill me in?"
"To make a long story short, Fox, I have a past here in L.A. Unfortunately the past has come back to haunt me." Chad rubbed his temples. "I use to run with a pretty tough crowd when I lived here. I was even involved in a gang. I wanted out, but they wouldn't let me. That's how I ended up in Harmony." He got up from the couch and started pacing the room.
"So, Whitney knows you were in a gang. Big deal." Fox shrugged.
"That's not what she's so upset about." Chad sighed
"Then what is it?"
"Her name is LaToya. We met when we were sixteen and by the time we were 19 we were married."
Fox nearly choked on the beer he had been sipping on. "You were married?"
"That's the thing, Fox. Before I left L.A., I handed LaToya divorce papers. She agreed that she would sign them and take care of the rest herself. I thought this whole time we were divorced."
"You mean you're still married?" Fox asked, grinning within himself. This was good. Damn good. Whitney would be his and Chad would be the one that pushed her into his arms. This was going to be easier than he had thought.
"Fox, I'm sorry, I just think that it's time that I head back to Harmony. My son and my family are there. Come on, you knew that this time would come sooner or later." Teresa said.
"Yeah, I know, I just wish you would reconsider and bring Little Ethan here to L.A. and live here permanently. You and I could live here together. Gwen and Ethan are on their way back to Harmony now. Chad and Whitney are looking for a place of their own..."
"You know I can't do that. It's important to me that Little Ethan knows his family. He would be devastated if he couldn't see his grandma on a regular basis. Besides, your father wouldn't even let me leave the grounds with him, do you think he'll let me relocate him to Harmony?"
"Hey, I'm family, too. Do you not think that it's important that he knows his big brother?" Fox asked.
"You are a very important part of his life, Fox, and that won't change no matter where we live. You can come to Harmony to visit us and we'll occasionally fly out for a visit."
"You won't have to work out here, Teresa. I'll take care of you and Little Ethan. You can stay at home and spend all the time you want to with him."
"Please, Fox, you're not going to change my mind. I'll be flying back to Harmony in two days." Fox turned his back on Teresa and walked out on the apartment balcony. Teresa followed closely behind him. She walked up behind him and gently placed her hand on the side of his arm. "Don't be like this, Fox. Under different circumstances I would take you up on your offer, but you know how hard it is to grow up away from all your family. I can't do that to Little Ethan. It's not fair to him."
Fox ran his fingers through his hair and then turned to face Teresa. "You're right. We'll make the most of your last two days here in L.A. Is there anything you would like to do?"
"Maybe we could go to that little club again. That was fun."
"Under one condition." Fox smiled.
"What's that?"
"I get an encore presentation of that little dance."
"That may be a little difficult, you know. I won't have anyone their to try and make jealous." She grinned.
"I've got news for you, Teresa. Ethan wasn't the only jealous man in the room that night. Every man in the club practically had his tongue hanging out."
Teresa playfully shoved him. "You're being ridiculous, Fox."
"It's true, Teresa." Teresa's face blushed. "You don't know how beautiful you truly are, do you?"
"Stop it, Fox." Teresa's face turned an even deeper shade of red.
"You're the most beautiful woman I've ever met, Teresa." He placed a finger under her chin and gently lifted it so that she was looking him in the eye. "Teresa, when you walk into a crowded room every man notices you. You're smile could light up even the darkest of nights. You're eyes are the most beautiful eyes I've ever had the pleasure of looking into." Fox trailed his fingers to her lips and gently traced them. "You have the softest lips, Teresa." He leaned in closer to her. "That night on the beach..."
"Teresa? Teresa? Are you in here?" Whitney yelled, running fractically into the Crane apartment. Fox pulled back away from Teresa just as Whitney stepped out onto the balcony. "Oh, Teresa." Whitney said rushing into her friends arms.
"Whitney, honey, what's wrong?" Teresa asked concerned.
Whitney covered her mouth, "This is the first place he'll come looking for me. We have to get out of here, Teresa."
"Whitney, calm down and tell us what's going on." Fox said.
"Please, I don't want to see him right now. Can we just get out of here?"
"See who, Whit?"
"Chad."
Fox was definitely interested now. "Why don't you want to see Chad?"
"It's along story, Fox, and right now I just want to get out of here."
Teresa turned to face Fox, "Can we borrow your car keys?"
"Sure." Fox pulled them out of his pocket. "You're not putting you two in danger, are you Whitney?"
"Don't be silly, Fox. Chad would never hurt either of us." Teresa scolded him.
Whitney wiped away a tear. "You're right, Teresa. He would never physically hurt either one of us, but Chad has hurt me worse than I ever thought he could." Whitney saw the lights of a car pull into the drive of the apartment complex. "Oh, God, that's his car. Please, Teresa, we have to go now or he'll catch us."
A few minutes later...
Chad burst through the door of the partment. "Whitney! Whitney! I know you're here. Will you please just come out and talk to me?"
Fox came walking into the living area, "Hey! Calm down, Chad. What's going on?"
"Don't play games with me, Fox. I know Whitney's here."
"Actually, Chad, she's not. Take a look around if you'd like. I'd appreciate it though if you would keep your voice down. Teresa's not feeling to well, she's in her room sleeping." Fox lied.
"Damn it! I was sure she would come here first. Her and Teresa tell each other everything."
"Is everything alright, Chad?"
"No, it's not, Fox. I've messed up big time."
"Look, Chad, if you're in some kind of trouble I can probably help you out."
"I don't think you could even help me out now." Chad fell back on the couch.
Fox sat down on the couch beside him, "Care to fill me in?"
"To make a long story short, Fox, I have a past here in L.A. Unfortunately the past has come back to haunt me." Chad rubbed his temples. "I use to run with a pretty tough crowd when I lived here. I was even involved in a gang. I wanted out, but they wouldn't let me. That's how I ended up in Harmony." He got up from the couch and started pacing the room.
"So, Whitney knows you were in a gang. Big deal." Fox shrugged.
"That's not what she's so upset about." Chad sighed
"Then what is it?"
"Her name is LaToya. We met when we were sixteen and by the time we were 19 we were married."
Fox nearly choked on the beer he had been sipping on. "You were married?"
"That's the thing, Fox. Before I left L.A., I handed LaToya divorce papers. She agreed that she would sign them and take care of the rest herself. I thought this whole time we were divorced."
"You mean you're still married?" Fox asked, grinning within himself. This was good. Damn good. Whitney would be his and Chad would be the one that pushed her into his arms. This was going to be easier than he had thought.