Fox paused at the hall mirror to make sure that every hair on his head was in place. He smiled at himself and fixed his jacket. He hoped Theresa would like the flowers he had bought her. He stopped when he got to the hotel room and did a double check on the room number on the door and the number Theresa had written.
"Yup, room 279." he said as he knocked on the door.
To his suprise a man about his age answered the door. The man looked from Fox to the flowers. "My wife's not here."
"Oh, I..I must have the wrong room." Fox said quickly.
The man grumbled and shut the door.
'Theresa's married?' Fox thought to himself. He walked away in disappointment and trashed the flowers in the nearby trashcan. He felt crush. He really thought he had a chance with her. Just then he heard the sound of a womans heels against the carpet.
"Fox?" the voice said.
Fox turned around to see Theresa with a bag of groceries.
"Oh, hey." he said unenthusiastically.
"What's wrong?" she asked concerned.
"I just ran into your husband." Fox answered looking down at the floor.
"My husband." she repeated smiling.
"Yeah, look...I'm really happy for you. That's good that you've moved on." he congratulated her.
Theresa just threw her head back and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Fox asked confused.
"I don't have a husband." she giggled.
"You...you don't?" he said beginning to loosen up.
"No. What room did you go to?"
Fox looked down at the paper, "I went to room 279 like you said on the paper."
"There enlies the problem." she grinned as she walked over to him. "That 9 is a 4."
Fox squinted at her handwriting. "Oh. I thought it was a 9." he said embarassed.
Theresa shook her head.
"Well," Fox said running over to the trash can, "these are for you." he said thrusting the crooked flowers at Theresa.
Theresa smiled at the withering flowers. "Thank you." she said as she took them from him. She walked over to her hotel room and paused. "274." she said as she opened the door.
Fox laughed and followed her into the spacious suite.
"She's sleeping Mrs. L-F." a woman said suddenly appearing.
"Oh thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." she said as the lady disappeared.
Fox stood confused as to who the lady was talking about. Before he could ask any questions Theresa began to talk.
"It's so weird being back in Harmony. I ran into Miguel and Kay today. Never thought that Miguel would see anyone higher than Charity." she said as she put her groceries away.
"Never would have thought so either." Fox repeated.
"It's also weird to see Sheridan and Antonio together. I could have sworn that she would be with Luis forever." she rambled. "Gaw, I feel like I'm getting old. Everyone's growing up. Maria is like 4 now. Geez, time flys!"
"I always knew you would come back someday." Fox said randomly.
Theresa stopped and turned around to face him. "How'd you figure that?"
"You love your family too much to be gone for a long time."
"Yeah." Theresa replied. "I missed them a lot." she paused as she looked down at her hands. "I missed you too."
Fox slowly walked over to her. "Gawd, I missed you too. The first few months that you were gone I couldn't get any sleep. All I could think about was what I was going to do since you were gone. I even kept a picture of you in my wallet to remind myself that good things can happen to a guy like me." he paused and took her face in his hands. "You were the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Theresa put her hand on his hand as her eyes began to fill with tears. She closed her eyes as his hands caressed her face. His hot breath against her cheek felt so comforting.
"Mommy!" a voice said interuppting them.
Theresa immediately moved away from Fox as a little girl ran into the room.
"Mommy, how come you didn't tell me you were home." the girl asked as Theresa gave her a hug.
"Because you were sleep and I know how you feel about getting your sleep." Theresa answered as she crouched down so her face was at the same level as the girl's.
"Who's he?" the girl said looking at Fox.
"Um," Theresa said standing up, "that's Fox. He's an old friend of Mommy's."
"That's the guy from the pictures!" she exclaimed as she stared at him.
"Yeah..look, why don't you go in the room and I'll be there in a second, ok?"
"Alright." the girl turned around and ran to her room.
Theresa sighed and turned to face Fox.
"Mommy?" he repeated, confused from what the little girl had said. "Man from the pictures?"
"That's um...that's my daughter Hadley." she said nervously as she scratched her head.
"Oh." Fox said trying not to sound as shocked as he really was. "Did you and her dad divorce?"
"No." she said shaking her head.
"Oh. So he's your boyfriend?" he asked looking down at the ground.
"No."
"Then who is he?"
"Fox....Hadley's yours." she said quietly.
"What did you say?" Fox choked.
"I said Hadley's yours." she answered a little louder
Fox looked in shock from Theresa to the hallway. "You mean to tell me, that's like, my daughter? Your daughter? Our daughter?"
Theresa nodded, wishing she could sink into a hole.
"Why didn't you tell me? How old is she?"
"3." she replied covering her face.
"3!" Fox yelled angrily. "You kept this from me for 3 years?"
"Look, I didn't find out until I was in L.A." she defended herself.
"Gawd Theresa! You could have told me I was a father! I would think that would be your first instinct!"
"I knew that if I told you, you would insist on coming to California and I didn't want that to happen because my reason for moving there in the first place was to distance myself from everyone here." she said trying to tell her side of the story.
"When were you going to tell me? What, when she was 10 or something? What were you going to say to her when she asked who her father was? Were you going to tell her that he was some jerk who dumped you when he found out that you were pregnant because that is NOT what happened!" he exploded.
"She knows who you are, Fox!" she screamed back at him. "Didn't you hear her when she called you the man from the pictures?"
"Oh, so that's all I am to her." he continued. "I'm just a man from a picture shes seen."
"You are more than that." Theresa said holding back her tears.
"How can I be when you won't let me?"
Theresa just closed her eyes without responding. This was the was worst way Fox could take her news, and he was taking it hard.
"Now you don't have anything to say, huh?" he grabbed his keys and waited for her to say something. "Fine, I'll leave the way I entered." he angrily walked towards the door and slammed it behind him.
"Mommy?" Hadley asked running into the room.
"Yes sweetie?" Theresa asked silently.
"Why did Daddy leave?" she replied innocently.
Theresa tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall down her face. It broke her heart for Hadley to call Fox Daddy for the first time and he couldn't hear her. "Um," she began as she looked down at her daughter, "Daddy's just a little angry with Mommy that's all. He'll be back though, I promise."
Hadley looked up at her mother and smiled. "Good. And when he comes back I want him to stay forever."
"Yup, room 279." he said as he knocked on the door.
To his suprise a man about his age answered the door. The man looked from Fox to the flowers. "My wife's not here."
"Oh, I..I must have the wrong room." Fox said quickly.
The man grumbled and shut the door.
'Theresa's married?' Fox thought to himself. He walked away in disappointment and trashed the flowers in the nearby trashcan. He felt crush. He really thought he had a chance with her. Just then he heard the sound of a womans heels against the carpet.
"Fox?" the voice said.
Fox turned around to see Theresa with a bag of groceries.
"Oh, hey." he said unenthusiastically.
"What's wrong?" she asked concerned.
"I just ran into your husband." Fox answered looking down at the floor.
"My husband." she repeated smiling.
"Yeah, look...I'm really happy for you. That's good that you've moved on." he congratulated her.
Theresa just threw her head back and laughed.
"What's so funny?" Fox asked confused.
"I don't have a husband." she giggled.
"You...you don't?" he said beginning to loosen up.
"No. What room did you go to?"
Fox looked down at the paper, "I went to room 279 like you said on the paper."
"There enlies the problem." she grinned as she walked over to him. "That 9 is a 4."
Fox squinted at her handwriting. "Oh. I thought it was a 9." he said embarassed.
Theresa shook her head.
"Well," Fox said running over to the trash can, "these are for you." he said thrusting the crooked flowers at Theresa.
Theresa smiled at the withering flowers. "Thank you." she said as she took them from him. She walked over to her hotel room and paused. "274." she said as she opened the door.
Fox laughed and followed her into the spacious suite.
"She's sleeping Mrs. L-F." a woman said suddenly appearing.
"Oh thanks. I'll see you tomorrow." she said as the lady disappeared.
Fox stood confused as to who the lady was talking about. Before he could ask any questions Theresa began to talk.
"It's so weird being back in Harmony. I ran into Miguel and Kay today. Never thought that Miguel would see anyone higher than Charity." she said as she put her groceries away.
"Never would have thought so either." Fox repeated.
"It's also weird to see Sheridan and Antonio together. I could have sworn that she would be with Luis forever." she rambled. "Gaw, I feel like I'm getting old. Everyone's growing up. Maria is like 4 now. Geez, time flys!"
"I always knew you would come back someday." Fox said randomly.
Theresa stopped and turned around to face him. "How'd you figure that?"
"You love your family too much to be gone for a long time."
"Yeah." Theresa replied. "I missed them a lot." she paused as she looked down at her hands. "I missed you too."
Fox slowly walked over to her. "Gawd, I missed you too. The first few months that you were gone I couldn't get any sleep. All I could think about was what I was going to do since you were gone. I even kept a picture of you in my wallet to remind myself that good things can happen to a guy like me." he paused and took her face in his hands. "You were the best thing that has ever happened to me."
Theresa put her hand on his hand as her eyes began to fill with tears. She closed her eyes as his hands caressed her face. His hot breath against her cheek felt so comforting.
"Mommy!" a voice said interuppting them.
Theresa immediately moved away from Fox as a little girl ran into the room.
"Mommy, how come you didn't tell me you were home." the girl asked as Theresa gave her a hug.
"Because you were sleep and I know how you feel about getting your sleep." Theresa answered as she crouched down so her face was at the same level as the girl's.
"Who's he?" the girl said looking at Fox.
"Um," Theresa said standing up, "that's Fox. He's an old friend of Mommy's."
"That's the guy from the pictures!" she exclaimed as she stared at him.
"Yeah..look, why don't you go in the room and I'll be there in a second, ok?"
"Alright." the girl turned around and ran to her room.
Theresa sighed and turned to face Fox.
"Mommy?" he repeated, confused from what the little girl had said. "Man from the pictures?"
"That's um...that's my daughter Hadley." she said nervously as she scratched her head.
"Oh." Fox said trying not to sound as shocked as he really was. "Did you and her dad divorce?"
"No." she said shaking her head.
"Oh. So he's your boyfriend?" he asked looking down at the ground.
"No."
"Then who is he?"
"Fox....Hadley's yours." she said quietly.
"What did you say?" Fox choked.
"I said Hadley's yours." she answered a little louder
Fox looked in shock from Theresa to the hallway. "You mean to tell me, that's like, my daughter? Your daughter? Our daughter?"
Theresa nodded, wishing she could sink into a hole.
"Why didn't you tell me? How old is she?"
"3." she replied covering her face.
"3!" Fox yelled angrily. "You kept this from me for 3 years?"
"Look, I didn't find out until I was in L.A." she defended herself.
"Gawd Theresa! You could have told me I was a father! I would think that would be your first instinct!"
"I knew that if I told you, you would insist on coming to California and I didn't want that to happen because my reason for moving there in the first place was to distance myself from everyone here." she said trying to tell her side of the story.
"When were you going to tell me? What, when she was 10 or something? What were you going to say to her when she asked who her father was? Were you going to tell her that he was some jerk who dumped you when he found out that you were pregnant because that is NOT what happened!" he exploded.
"She knows who you are, Fox!" she screamed back at him. "Didn't you hear her when she called you the man from the pictures?"
"Oh, so that's all I am to her." he continued. "I'm just a man from a picture shes seen."
"You are more than that." Theresa said holding back her tears.
"How can I be when you won't let me?"
Theresa just closed her eyes without responding. This was the was worst way Fox could take her news, and he was taking it hard.
"Now you don't have anything to say, huh?" he grabbed his keys and waited for her to say something. "Fine, I'll leave the way I entered." he angrily walked towards the door and slammed it behind him.
"Mommy?" Hadley asked running into the room.
"Yes sweetie?" Theresa asked silently.
"Why did Daddy leave?" she replied innocently.
Theresa tried to hold back the tears that threatened to fall down her face. It broke her heart for Hadley to call Fox Daddy for the first time and he couldn't hear her. "Um," she began as she looked down at her daughter, "Daddy's just a little angry with Mommy that's all. He'll be back though, I promise."
Hadley looked up at her mother and smiled. "Good. And when he comes back I want him to stay forever."