I know—it's been forever since I updated, and right now my only excuse is
writer's block, so I think I'll just go straight to the apology. I'm
really, really sorry!! But this chapter is kind of long, so hopefully that
makes up for something, lol. A special thanks goes out to Talia, aka Sexy
Angel, for helping me so much! You're the best! This chapter's for you!
Chapter 8
Three Months Later...
"NO!" a voice exclaimed loudly into the speaker of the phone. "I specifically asked for five yards of red lace, and you sent me three! How the hell am I supposed to make the dress if I don't have enough material!?"
"Look, miss, as I said before, the lace you requested is a rarity; we did the best we could," a masculine, arrogant voice replied.
"The why did you wait until the last minute to inform me of this?" Theresa asked angrily.
"Well, ma'am, I didn't think that—"
"You didn't think that I'd notice the difference? Or did you think I'd just overlook the entire incident?" Theresa asked sharply.
"Ma'am, try and understand—"
"Oh, I understand, I understand perfectly," Theresa said, interrupting the man. "I understand that for the past month and a half, I have been trying to get you to ship that damn piece of lace and you have repeatedly given me idiotic excuses as to why you could not send it to me. And then when you finally do send it to me, you give me two yards less than what I asked for!"
"Listen, ma'am," the man said, getting slightly annoyed with the female yelling at him. "The lace you requested if very expensive and very rare. This store can't just ship out five yards of that material to some local fashion designer who'll just ruin it after failed attempts of trying to make a so-called dress," he said snobbishly.
"So-called dress? Are you insulting me?" Theresa asked angrily.
"I'm simply stating the truth," the man replied calmly. "You're not the first wannabe designer to call asking for expensive material, and you won't be the last."
"Is that so?" Theresa asked in a surprisingly calm tone. "And tell me Kenneth," she said, remembering his name from the very first conversation they had almost two months ago. "What makes you so sure about the outcome of my career?"
"It's the same with every local designer, Ms. Theresa," Kenneth replied in a bored tone, using the only name he knew Theresa by.
"Tell me something, Kenneth, who's your manager and where is he right now?"
"Mr. Albert Wilmington, ma'am, and he's not here at the moment," Kenneth replied. "If you're thinking about reporting me, I must warn you that you'll be wasting your time. I've been a treasured employee of Mr. Wilmington for almost five years, I highly doubt that he'll fire me due to a complaint from a low-rate designer," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"Well then, Kenneth," Theresa started. "When Mr. Wilmington returns, tell him that Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane would like to talk to him about his disrespectful employees," she said confidently.
"Did...did you say Mrs. Crane?" Kenneth stuttered. "As in Mrs. Nicolas Crane?"
"On second thought," Theresa continued, ignoring Kenneth's inability to form a sentence. "I think I'll call back later and personally talk to Mr. Wilmington myself; I'm sure he'd love to know that his customers are being insulted by his so-called 'treasured' employee. Have a good day Kenneth," she said coolly.
"Wait, Mrs. Crane..." Theresa quickly pushed the button, hanging up on Kenneth before he could say another word.
"Bastard," Theresa muttered to herself.
"Now that wasn't nice," a voice said with amusement from the door. Theresa looked up to see Fox leaning against her doorframe, obviously finding amusement in her agitated mood.
"He's lucky I didn't lash out on him after that statement he made about me being a 'wannabe' designer," Theresa replied. "Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" she asked incredulously. "God, just because he didn't know I was a Crane, he thought he had a right to insult me."
"Yeah, well you sure set him straight," Fox said with a laugh as he made his way into Theresa's office. "Anyway, enough of him—I didn't come by here to talk about some bumbling idiot," he said as he took a seat in front of her desk.
"Oh really?" Theresa asked with a raised eyebrow. "What did you come here for?" she asked with a suggestive smile.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, babe," Fox replied with a smile. "I came here on business," he replied.
"Oh," Theresa replied with a disappointed sigh.
"But as long as I'm here..." he trailed off with a smirk.
Theresa laughed at his statement before coming around her desk to sit on his lap. She leaned down and placed a light kiss on his lips. She pulled away and prepared to get up when Fox brought her closer to him and brought her in a more passionate kiss. Instinctively, Theresa wrapped her arms around Fox's neck, bringing his face closer to hers. In an instant, Fox's hand was traveling under Theresa's shirt. Theresa moaned at the sensations she was getting from Fox's touch. She lightly ran her hands through his hair, smiling slightly when she heard him groan under his breath. It wasn't until Fox began to unbutton her blouse that Theresa registered that they were still at work. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Fox's lips. She laughed lightly at the boyish pout that appeared on Fox's face.
"As much as I would love to continue this, we're still at work and anyone could walk in," Theresa said.
"So lock the door," Fox said dismissively as he began to suck on Theresa's neck. Theresa moaned at the contact before speaking again.
"Come on, we can't do this here, it's not professional," she said. Realizing that Fox wasn't going to let that stop him, she tried again. "I thought you came here for a specific reason," she said.
"It can wait," Fox said, barely taking his lips away from her neck.
"No, come on, stop," she said weakly.
"You really want me to?" Fox asked with a smirk, hearing Theresa moan at their loss of contact.
"No," Theresa said with a sigh. "But we don't have a choice," she said as she got off Fox's lap, knowing it would be the only way she could keep control of herself.
"Fine," Fox said with a pout as he watched Theresa button up her blouse. "But we're going to finish this later," he said.
"Definitely," Theresa replied with a smile. "All right, Mr. Crane, what business did you come here to discuss," she asked, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably.
Fox laughed at Theresa's failed attempt of seriousness before replying. "I actually wanted to talk about the arrangements for the annual Madison dinner party tonight," he said.
"Yeah, about that," Theresa said. "Do you really think we should bring the twins? I know that Mrs. Madison insisted on it, but I really don't think we should. They'll be so bored and restless," she said.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I personally would prefer they spend the evening hanging out with Pilar, but Mrs. Madison really wants to see them. And after all the help James Madison gave us while we were working on Crane Industries in Paris, it's the least we can do," he said.
"I know, I know," Theresa said with a sigh. "I'd just rather not expose them to that lifestyle so early in life; as it is, they're going to be in the public eye because of their parents," she said.
"It won't be that bad," Fox said. "I grew up in the public eye, and I turned out perfectly fine—I'm hot, I'm sweet, I'm irresistible, the list goes on and on," he said with a smile.
"And you're so modest about it too," she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, well, I've never been too big on modesty," Fox said with a shrug. "If you're good, you're good, no point in denying it."
"You've got a point," Theresa said with a shrug. "Anyway, if you give me a few minutes, I can clean up and you and I could head home to get ready," she said as she began to arrange her desk.
"Actually," Fox started. "I didn't tell you what I wanted to say," he said.
"Oh, that's right," Theresa said. "So, what's up?"
"About the driving arrangements...looks like we'll be joined by two unwanted guests," he said, knowing that Theresa would be just as annoyed as he was with this new development.
"Oh no, no, no!" Theresa said. "I refuse to spend a thirty minute drive in the same limousine with Ethan and Gwen. It's bad enough that we've had to deal with them for the past three months, but that was for work. I won't spend my free time with those two," she said adamantly.
"Believe me, Resa, I'm right there with you. As it is, I'm sick of Ethan always throwing you those sad lovesick eyes when he thinks no on is looking; but we're representing Crane Industries and since Ethan and Gwen have agreed to go, it'll look bad on the company if we arrive separately while other company employees arrive together," he explained.
"Your point being?" Theresa asked. "You and I both know that neither one of us care what those uptight businessmen and women say about us," she said.
"Yeah, I know, and normally, I wouldn't give a damn about what they thought, but Grandfather insisted we arrive together to 'further promote the Crane's new image'" he said, ending with a roll of his eyes.
"Alistair is quickly becoming my least favorite person," Theresa muttered under her breath. Fox laughed at her statement.
"Yeah, he isn't exactly number one on my list either," he said. "But it doesn't matter, either way, we're arriving at that party with Ethan and Gwen. Anyway, once we get there, we'll just ditch them," he said with a grin.
"Works for me," Theresa replied with a smile.
"Good, now hurry up and clean up so we can get out of here," he said, rising from the seat.
"Give me a few minutes," Theresa replied as she began to clean her desk again.
"All right, I'm going to go fax over the contracts for the Olsen deal and I'll come back and get you," Fox said as he made his way over to Theresa.
"All right," Theresa said as she reached up and kissed Fox on his lips. "Love you," she added.
"Ditto," Fox said with a smile before making his way to the door. Before leaving he turned around and said, "Don't forget, tonight, we're going to finish what we started in this office." With a wink, he turned and left before Theresa could say anything more.
A few hours later...
"This is ridiculous," Gwen muttered. "I still don't see why we have to arrive with them," she said.
"Because, we're representing Crane Industries and Alistair insisted we do it," Ethan said as he continued fixing his tie.
"Well why couldn't Fox and Theresa go by themselves?" Gwen challenged. "It's not like you absolutely have to be there," she said as she put on her earrings.
"Many of the country's leading businessmen are going to be at that party tonight, Gwen, and I'd really like to get to know all of them. It'll be good for my career," he explained, hiding the fact that he wanted to spend as much time with Theresa as possible.
"Yeah, sure," Gwen replied with a roll of her eyes. "You're the vice president of Crane Industries, how much better could your career possibly get?"
"Gwen," Ethan said with an exasperated sigh. "Can we please not continue to argue about this? I'm going to that dinner party, and if you're really opposed to it, I can go alone. Either way, this party is too important to miss," he said, barely concealing his agitation.
"You're right," Gwen said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I guess I just don't want to spend too much time with Theresa. It's bad enough working with her and watching her constantly giving you orders, but to have to spend my night with her? It just annoys me so much," she said angrily.
"Theresa doesn't give me orders, Gwen. She's is just doing her job by making sure I do mine," Ethan said, defending Theresa.
"Of course, because Theresa's such a good person," she said sarcastically.
"That's enough, Gwen," Ethan said as he put his suit jacket on. "Now come on, the limousine is probably waiting for us."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Gwen muttered before grabbing her bag and heading out of the bedroom with Ethan.
Meanwhile...
"Resa, come on, we're going to be late!" Fox called out from his position on Theresa's old bed.
"I can't find my red shoes," Theresa replied from deep inside her closet.
"You have like a hundred pairs of red shoes, just pick one," he said as he continued to fumble with his tie.
"I do not!" Theresa cried out indignantly as she made her way out of the closet, complete with a pair of red, strapped sandals.
"Wow," Fox said as soon as he saw Theresa enter the room.
She was wearing a long, deep red dress. It was a halter-top style dress, so the top-half of her back was left bare. Her hair was left out, with only a few strands tied in a red hair clip. She had on a simple diamond necklace on her neck and matching earrings on her ears. She wore a diamond studded bracelet and her wedding ring shine brightly off her ring finger. To finish it off, Theresa wore a dark shade of red lipstick, topped with lip-gloss. Fox had never seen anything more beautiful.
"You look...wow," he said, unable to find any words.
"I must be if it rendered you speechless," Theresa said, loving the effect she was having on Fox. "It's nice to know that after almost five years of marriage, I still have the power to amaze and astound you with my beauty," she joked with a smile.
"And you always will," Fox said seriously as he stood and brought Theresa into his arms. "You'll always have the power amaze me with your beauty," he said before kissing her lightly.
"Well, you sure know how to make a girl swoon," Theresa joked. "You seem to have that power too," she said as she pulled back and admired Fox's suit. "You look good, Crane," she said.
"Just good?" Fox asked with a raised eyebrow. "Now, come on, Resa, you and I both know that you think I look a little better than just 'good'" he said. Theresa laughed at his statement and hit Fox lightly on his shoulder.
"You look absolutely perfect, Nicky," she said, addressing Fox with her personal nickname for him. "In fact, if you're not careful, I may just have to have my way with you before we leave," she said with a mischievous smile.
"Is that so?" Fox asked with a smirk. And before Theresa could reply, he lifted her in his arms and placed her on her bed, hovering above her. He quickly descended his lips on her neck, sucking and nibbling, while his hands began to search for the zipper on her dress.
"Fox!" Theresa shrieked in surprise.
"What?" he asked, not stopping what he was doing.
"The limousine will be here in any minute, we can't do this," she said.
"I thought this was your idea," he said with a smile as he pulled away from her neck and looked into her eyes.
"It was, but still..." she said, trailing off at the sound of a knock on the door.
"Theresa? Fox? Are you two ready? I wanted to see you two before I left," Pilar said from the other side of the door.
With a loud sigh, Fox separated himself from Theresa and allowed her to answer the door.
"Hi, Mama," Theresa said after she opened the door.
"Theresita, you look so beautiful," Pilar said in admiration.
"Thank you, Mama," Theresa said with a small smile.
"And you look very handsome, Fox," Pilar said, looking over Theresa at Fox.
"Thank you, Pilar," Fox said with a boyish smile. "Where are you going?" he asked, noticing the bag and jacket in Pilar's hands.
"Oh, Luis is doing a stakeout tonight, and I told Sheridan I'd sleep over to keep her company," Pilar explained.
"Oh, well I hope you have fun, Mama," Theresa said as he reached over and hugged Pilar.
"I will," Pilar replied. "What about you two? Are you almost ready to leave?" she asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Theresa replied. "We've already dressed the twins so we're just waiting for the limousine to arrive," she explained.
"Really? Where are they?" Pilar asked with excitement. "I want to see how my grandchildren look in a suit and dress,"
"They're playing with their toys in Antonio's old room," Theresa replied with a laugh at Pilar's excitement.
"All right, well I'm going to go see them and then I'll leave," she said before leaning to kiss Theresa's cheeks. "Have fun tonight."
"We will," she replied before Pilar left the room. She turned around to see Fox lying back on her bed.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Resa, but we seriously need to get out of here," he said with a sigh.
"I know, I know," Theresa said. "I love Mama and I appreciate her letting us live here, but I'd prefer to be in home of our own."
"I'll talk to the contractor tomorrow and see if I can get him to speed up the process on our house," he said as he sat up.
"Good," Theresa said as she took a seat on Fox's lap. Before she could lean down to kiss him, Pilar's voice interrupted them.
"Fox, Theresa, Ethan and Gwen have arrived," she called from the hallway.
"We're coming, Mama," Theresa said with a sigh as she got off Fox's lap.
"Ready for the car ride from hell?" he asked with a smirk.
"Can't wait," Theresa muttered unenthusiastically. "Let's get out of here," she said before taking his hand in hers and leading him out of the room. They stopped by Antonio's room to get Jessica and Justin before making their way to the living room to greet Ethan and Gwen.
"Where are they going?" Gwen asked as she saw Fox and Theresa walk into the living room with a formally dressed Jessica and Justin and a stylish baby bag.
"They're coming with us," Theresa replied. "Hence the reason why they're dressed up," she added under her breath.
"You can't be serious," Gwen said incredulously. "You're going to bring a couple of toddlers to a formal dinner party?"
"Yes, not that it's any of your business what we do with our children," Theresa replied curtly.
"Theresa, you can't just bring them to the Madison party," Ethan said. "It's not professional," he said in an almost scolding tone.
"Why don't you let us decide what is and isn't professional for us," Fox said. "And for your information, Mrs. Madison personally requested that we bring Jessie and Justin."
"That's got to be a lie," Gwen said, not convinced by Fox's statement.
"Call it what you want, Gwen," Theresa said as she adjusted Jessica on her hip. "We're bringing them with us, so deal with it."
"You never stop being a bitch, do you?" Gwen asked with glare.
"Watch your mouth around my children" Theresa said agitatedly, not even letting Gwen's insult affect her. Gwen opened her mouth to say something else when Fox's voice stopped her.
"Christ, Gwen," he said while rubbing her forehead with his free hand. "Can you possibly go one day without wasting our time with some petty argument?"
"Why you little..."
"Watch your mouth," Fox warned before Gwen could say anything else.
"What right do you have to insult Gwen?" Ethan asked Fox angrily.
"What right did she have to insult Theresa?" he challenged.
"Listen you bastard..." Gwen started only to be cut off by Jessica.
"Bassard!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Bassard! Bassard!" she repeated while clapping her hands excitedly.
"Look what you did!" Theresa said furiously before turning her attention to Jessica. "No, Jessie," she said in a babyish tone. "Bastard is a bad word, very bad," she said, trying to make Jessica understand.
"Bad!" Jessica repeated.
"Yes, very bad," Theresa said. "Never say it again," she said before turning her attention to Gwen. She glared at Gwen heatedly before speaking up. "Look Gwen, this is going to be the last time I tell you or Ethan to monitor your use of curses around my children. You should both be smart enough to know that not every parent wants their child to grow up hearing every curse word know to mankind. Don't let it happen again," she said in a warning tone. Before either Gwen or Ethan could say anything else, Fox spoke up.
"And with that said," he said. "Let's get out of here; the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get away from each other," he said with smile.
"That's the smartest thing you've said since we got here," Gwen muttered.
"Go to hell, Gwen," Fox said before walking towards the front door. Before leaving the living room, he turned around and said, "And that was the smartest thing I've said since you got here," he said with a smug smirk before walking out of the house, Theresa not too far behind him. With an irritated sigh, Ethan and Gwen followed.
Once all six occupants were situated in the limo, the chauffer began to drive. There was a silence of five whole minutes before anyone said anything. Ironically, Justin was the one that finally broke the silence when he started to jump on Fox's lap and play with his tie while babbling baby words.
"Hey little guy," Fox said to Justin. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with your old man's tie? Or is it the color? Because if it is, then it's your mommy's fault; she picked my outfit for tonight," he said, talking as though Justin could understand everything he was saying.
"I'll have you know that I have great taste in clothing, Nicolas Crane" Theresa said confidently from her seat next to Fox. "And Justin loves it, don't you sweetheart?" she asked, leaning down to face Justin. Justin laughed and clapped his hands before turning back to Fox.
"Love it," he repeated with a small laugh. "Daddy nice!" he exclaimed.
"Why, thank you little guy," Fox said with a smile. "You're looking pretty sharp yourself," he said as he looked down at Justin's suit. "Guess it's a family trait," he joked. "You know, your mom and little sister look beautiful tonight also," he added while turning Justin to Theresa and Jessica. Justin crawled over to Theresa and grabbed her face before replying.
"Mommy nice too," he said. "Jecca too," he said while grabbing Jessica's hand.
"Thank you, little guy," Theresa said before placing Jessica on the seat next to Justin so that they could entertain each other. She leaned back, along with Fox, and watched at Justin and Jessica began to play with the toy trains that they brought in the baby bag.
Across from them, Ethan watched with envy as Justin showed off his trains to Fox while Fox watched attentively. He watched as Justin started to use Fox's leg as a train track; and he watched as Fox unexpectedly grabbed Justin and started to tickle him, causing Justin to shriek with glee. Turning to Theresa, he watched as her face broke out into a huge grin as Fox played with Justin. He saw her happily fix Jessica's rumpled dress while playing with her.
Angrily, jealously, he watched all of this. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Fox wasn't supposed to be Theresa's husband. And he definitely wasn't supposed to be the father of her children. 'He doesn't deserve anything he has,' Ethan though angrily. He should've been with Theresa. He should've been the only man to touch her and make love to her. Him and him alone. Turning to Gwen, Ethan was only half surprised to realize he didn't even feel guilty about having thoughts of Theresa with Gwen right next to him.
'Gwen,' Ethan thought with a sigh. Sometimes he wondered why he was still with Gwen. He knew he didn't love Gwen. Hell, he knew that even before Theresa left for Paris. But he constantly lied to himself, wanting to make himself believe and wanting to make Theresa believe it. If he were really honest with himself, Ethan would admit that the only reason he really married Gwen was to make Theresa feel the same pain he felt at all of her lies. 'What the hell was I thinking?' he thought. 'God, if I just listened to Theresa that day she came to the Crane mansion, none of this would have happened.' Turning back to Gwen, Ethan saw her glaring daggers at an uncaring Theresa.
That was another thing bothering him. Gwen had never liked Theresa—he knew that—but she had always somehow made sure she never stooped too low because of her dislike. In his eyes, Gwen had always tried to be the bigger person in her confrontations with Theresa. But since Theresa came back to Harmony, Gwen had been more and more candidly obvious with her hatred for Theresa. There were many nights since Theresa and Fox returned to Harmony that Gwen would spend hours complaining and insulting Theresa. It made Ethan wonder why he never saw such a dark side of Gwen before they got married. Ethan also wondered why he stupidly hired Gwen as his personal assistant. Since he and Gwen had been working together, Gwen had become more and more possessive of him, especially around Theresa. Not that Ethan could really blame her. He couldn't guarantee that he'd have stayed away from Theresa if Gwen weren't around.
God, when did his life become so dissatisfying? When did he get to a point where his marriage had as much love as Ivy and Julian's marriage did? Better yet, when did he get to a point where he had to sit back and watch his half-brother live the life he always wanted, complete with the love of his life and the children he never got the chance to conceive? When did all of this happen? And why did he let it?
Ethan pondered all of this, losing himself in his thoughts. It wasn't until Gwen shook his shoulders that Ethan realized they had already made it to the Madison mansion.
"We're here already?" he asked with surprise.
"Already?" Gwen asked confused. "We've been driving for about forty-five minutes. Where have you been?" she asked.
"Nowhere," Ethan replied quickly. "I was just thinking about some contracts that I need to look over when we get back home," he lied.
"All right, well, come on," Gwen said with a shrug. "Fox and Theresa are waiting by the door for us," she said as the chauffer opened the door for them. Ethan stepped out and held his hand out for Gwen. Together they walked to the front door to see Fox and Theresa standing there with Jessica and Justin in their arms.
"What happened to you? You were pretty out of it in the car," Fox asked Ethan inquisitively.
"None of your damn business," Ethan replied bitterly.
"Fair enough," Fox said curtly, refusing to let Ethan get to him. "Let's just hurry up and get this charade over with," he said.
"Fine by me," Gwen said as Theresa knocked on the door. A butler dressed in a formal suit greeted them and ushered them into the house.
"Good evening," the butler said. "The party is being held in the room down the hall to the left," he said. "Thank you for joining us tonight and have a good night," he added before leaving them in the hallway and heading back to the door to greet the newest guests.
"Well," Fox said after the butler left. "Let's go," he said before slipping Theresa's free hand in his and walking into room, Gwen and Ethan following right behind. They barely made two steps into the room before a well-dressed middle-aged man came to greet them.
"Fox! Theresa! It's so good to see you two," James Madison said with a smile as he shook hands with Fox and gave Theresa a light kiss on the cheeks.
"James, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," Theresa said happily. "Paris just wasn't the same without you," she added.
"Aw, why thank you, Theresa," James replied with a smile. "I'm sure Fox kept you entertained," he added with a sly wink, causing Theresa to blush.
"Well, I did my best," Fox said with a devilish smirk. "Anyway, James, how have you been?" he asked.
"Great," James replied. "The company's doing great, I'm healthy, my family's healthy—I couldn't ask for anything more."
"Well that's good," Theresa said.
"Yes, it is," he replied. "And what about these two," he said leaning down to become eye level with Jessica and Justin. "The last time I saw them, they were barely three months old; they've grown so much," he said as he cooed at Jessica and Justin.
"These little ones are great," Fox said as he began to bounce Jessica in his arms. "Especially this one—she's as active and energetic as her mother," he joked.
"Well, I personally think she gets it from her father," Theresa replied with a fake pout, causing James and Fox to laugh.
"I'm sure she gets it from both of you," James replied with a smile. "Something tells me that you were both handfuls when you were young," he joked.
"Moi?" Fox asked in an innocent voice. "Never, I was an angel."
"Ha!" Theresa said. "I don't believe that for a second," she said with a laugh. Before Fox could say anything else, a shriek of delight caught their attention.
"Oh! Look at them!" a female squealed as she headed toward them. Upon reaching them, she immediately bent down and started to admire Jessica and Justin. "Aren't you two the cutest little things ever," she gushed.
"And you are?" Theresa asked in a confused tone.
"My over enthusiastic wife," James answered with a smile. "Emily, this is Fox and Theresa Crane; Fox, Theresa, this is my wife Emily," he explained.
"Oh," Theresa said with a smile. "I've heard so much about you," she said as she held out her hand to Emily.
"James talks highly of you and Fox too," Emily said with a smile. "I've wanted to meet you two for years," she gushed.
"Same here," Theresa replied. "Whenever James isn't talking about figures or contracts, he's talking about you."
"That's why he's so wonderful," Emily said with a large smile before turning her attention back to the twins. "I've been wanting to meet these two since the first time James told me about them; they're so adorable."
"Thank you," Fox replied as Emily continued to gush over the twins.
"Can I hold her?" she asked enthusiastically.
"Yeah, sure," Fox said as he handed a willing Jessica to Emily. It wasn't until Jessica was out of his arms and he had turned around that Fox remembered that Ethan and Gwen were still with them. James seemed to notice them at the exact same time.
"And you two would be?" he asked Ethan and Gwen.
"This is Ethan Winthrop and his wife, Gwen," Fox said. "Ethan is the vice president of Crane Industries, and Gwen works very closely by his side," he explained.
"Well, it's nice to meet you," James said as he shook hands with Ethan and Gwen.
"You too, Mr. Madison," Ethan replied.
"James, where are your manners?" Emily asked. "Stop making them stand here and find them a table," she said in an almost scolding tone.
"Oh, yes of course," James said in an apologetic tone. "Follow me, and I'll find you a good table," he said before turning and heading further into the large room.
"The room looks lovely," Theresa commented as she admired the marble floors and decorative ceilings.
"Thank you," Emily replied. "It was actually James's idea to make this a ballroom; I wanted to expand it a little more and make an indoor pool," she added as James came to a stop in front of them.
"I'd prefer it if you sat near Emily and I," James said as he stopped by a table. "This is the closest table to us, so you four will have to share, but I'm sure you don't mind, right?" he asked.
"Actually..." Fox started only to be cut off.
"No, Mr. Madison, this table is perfect," Ethan cut in, ignoring the glares that Fox, Theresa, and Gwen sent his way.
"Good," James said. "Well, we've got to go greet more guests, so just relax and enjoy yourselves."
"And I'll be back as soon as I can to spend more time with the little darlings," she said as she handed Jessica back to Justin. "I'll send over someone to bring you baby chairs for them," she added before smiling and walking away with James.
Less than five minutes later, a maid arrived with two cherry wood baby chairs. Fox and Theresa carefully placed Jessica and Justin in the chairs before settling down themselves. They were seated for less than a few seconds before Ethan pounced on them.
"Why the hell are you two so chummy with Mr. Madison?" he asked in an almost envious voice.
"Why the hell is it any of your business?" Fox snapped back.
"I—I just think that as vice president of Crane Industries, I have a right to know of all our business connections," he explained.
"Oh, you feel you have a right to know?" Fox asked with a raise eyebrow. "At the risk of like my grandfather, Ethan, the reality is, you only have a right to know whatever it is I or Theresa want you to know about Crane Industries. Nothing more, nothing less," he said before settling back in his chair.
Ethan glared coldly at Fox, furious that his younger brother had talked to him that way. He was about to snap at him when Theresa spoke up.
"But to settle your curiosity, Fox and I worked very closely with James in Paris," she said easily. "When we were getting the Paris division started, we met James and he helped us; he had a lot of business connections in Europe so he would always put in the good word for us. He basically had a big part in getting us recognized during our first year in business. After the first year, he used to always stop by and visit us whenever he happened to be in town on business—which was quite often," she explained.
"So you guys are like old buddies?" Gwen asked unbelievingly.
"I guess you could say that," Theresa said with a shrug. "He's a great guy, and a respectable businessman," she added.
"Well, he seems like a nice guy, and he's been known to never lose a contract; it's good that you two are friends with him, it'll be good for Crane Industries," Ethan said.
"I'm glad we have your approval," Fox said sarcastically.
"Do you have to be so rude?" Gwen asked disgustedly. Before Fox could give a sarcastic remark, Theresa stopped him.
"We're not going to get into one of your infamous, but idiotic, verbal spats, Gwen," Theresa said sternly. "We're in the middle of a dinner party, so for once, just try and act mature and keep your remarks to yourself."
"Who do you think—"
"Theresa's right, Gwen," Ethan interrupted, causing Gwen to turn her glare towards him. "Let's just try and get along, please," he said.
"Why do you always take her side?" she asked angrily.
"I'm not taking a side, I'm just saying that we need to keep our feelings in check tonight before we cause a scene," he explained.
"Yeah, that includes you too, Golden Boy," Fox said. "For once, try to not make it unbelievably obvious that you're still in love with my wife," he said, barely hiding his smirk at Gwen's outraged look and Ethan's tightened jaw.
"How dare you say a thing like that to Ethan, and in front of me no less!" Gwen said in a harsh whisper. "I'll have you know that my husband wants absolutely nothing to do with that scheming wife of yours," she said, throwing a disgusted look at Theresa for a stronger effect.
"Because we're in a public place, and because I seem to have more class and integrity than you, I'm going to ignore that last remark," Theresa said curtly before turning to Ethan. "And, Ethan, I suggest you heed to Fox's warnings and keep your eyes off me. Now we're stuck together for the rest of the night, so let's try and behave like adults and leave the immaturity to Jessica and Justin," she said firmly before settling in her chair and looking out into the dance floor.
Fox smirked slightly at Theresa's authorative behavior before turning his attention to Jessica and Justin. While Jessica was busy staring at all the guests with amazement and interest, Justin was busy staring at Fox, as though he were waiting for something. Fox lightly ruffled Justin's hair and leaned lower until he was eye level with Justin before whispering lightly into his ear.
"Be ready little guy, it's going to be a long night."
TBC...
I wanted to include more scenes in this chapter, but I didn't want it to becoming annoyingly long, so the next chapter will probably pick up with everyone still at the party, unless I come up with a better idea. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and please leave feedback!!!
Chapter 8
Three Months Later...
"NO!" a voice exclaimed loudly into the speaker of the phone. "I specifically asked for five yards of red lace, and you sent me three! How the hell am I supposed to make the dress if I don't have enough material!?"
"Look, miss, as I said before, the lace you requested is a rarity; we did the best we could," a masculine, arrogant voice replied.
"The why did you wait until the last minute to inform me of this?" Theresa asked angrily.
"Well, ma'am, I didn't think that—"
"You didn't think that I'd notice the difference? Or did you think I'd just overlook the entire incident?" Theresa asked sharply.
"Ma'am, try and understand—"
"Oh, I understand, I understand perfectly," Theresa said, interrupting the man. "I understand that for the past month and a half, I have been trying to get you to ship that damn piece of lace and you have repeatedly given me idiotic excuses as to why you could not send it to me. And then when you finally do send it to me, you give me two yards less than what I asked for!"
"Listen, ma'am," the man said, getting slightly annoyed with the female yelling at him. "The lace you requested if very expensive and very rare. This store can't just ship out five yards of that material to some local fashion designer who'll just ruin it after failed attempts of trying to make a so-called dress," he said snobbishly.
"So-called dress? Are you insulting me?" Theresa asked angrily.
"I'm simply stating the truth," the man replied calmly. "You're not the first wannabe designer to call asking for expensive material, and you won't be the last."
"Is that so?" Theresa asked in a surprisingly calm tone. "And tell me Kenneth," she said, remembering his name from the very first conversation they had almost two months ago. "What makes you so sure about the outcome of my career?"
"It's the same with every local designer, Ms. Theresa," Kenneth replied in a bored tone, using the only name he knew Theresa by.
"Tell me something, Kenneth, who's your manager and where is he right now?"
"Mr. Albert Wilmington, ma'am, and he's not here at the moment," Kenneth replied. "If you're thinking about reporting me, I must warn you that you'll be wasting your time. I've been a treasured employee of Mr. Wilmington for almost five years, I highly doubt that he'll fire me due to a complaint from a low-rate designer," he said with a roll of his eyes.
"Well then, Kenneth," Theresa started. "When Mr. Wilmington returns, tell him that Mrs. Lopez-Fitzgerald Crane would like to talk to him about his disrespectful employees," she said confidently.
"Did...did you say Mrs. Crane?" Kenneth stuttered. "As in Mrs. Nicolas Crane?"
"On second thought," Theresa continued, ignoring Kenneth's inability to form a sentence. "I think I'll call back later and personally talk to Mr. Wilmington myself; I'm sure he'd love to know that his customers are being insulted by his so-called 'treasured' employee. Have a good day Kenneth," she said coolly.
"Wait, Mrs. Crane..." Theresa quickly pushed the button, hanging up on Kenneth before he could say another word.
"Bastard," Theresa muttered to herself.
"Now that wasn't nice," a voice said with amusement from the door. Theresa looked up to see Fox leaning against her doorframe, obviously finding amusement in her agitated mood.
"He's lucky I didn't lash out on him after that statement he made about me being a 'wannabe' designer," Theresa replied. "Can you believe the nerve of that guy?" she asked incredulously. "God, just because he didn't know I was a Crane, he thought he had a right to insult me."
"Yeah, well you sure set him straight," Fox said with a laugh as he made his way into Theresa's office. "Anyway, enough of him—I didn't come by here to talk about some bumbling idiot," he said as he took a seat in front of her desk.
"Oh really?" Theresa asked with a raised eyebrow. "What did you come here for?" she asked with a suggestive smile.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, babe," Fox replied with a smile. "I came here on business," he replied.
"Oh," Theresa replied with a disappointed sigh.
"But as long as I'm here..." he trailed off with a smirk.
Theresa laughed at his statement before coming around her desk to sit on his lap. She leaned down and placed a light kiss on his lips. She pulled away and prepared to get up when Fox brought her closer to him and brought her in a more passionate kiss. Instinctively, Theresa wrapped her arms around Fox's neck, bringing his face closer to hers. In an instant, Fox's hand was traveling under Theresa's shirt. Theresa moaned at the sensations she was getting from Fox's touch. She lightly ran her hands through his hair, smiling slightly when she heard him groan under his breath. It wasn't until Fox began to unbutton her blouse that Theresa registered that they were still at work. Reluctantly, she pulled away from Fox's lips. She laughed lightly at the boyish pout that appeared on Fox's face.
"As much as I would love to continue this, we're still at work and anyone could walk in," Theresa said.
"So lock the door," Fox said dismissively as he began to suck on Theresa's neck. Theresa moaned at the contact before speaking again.
"Come on, we can't do this here, it's not professional," she said. Realizing that Fox wasn't going to let that stop him, she tried again. "I thought you came here for a specific reason," she said.
"It can wait," Fox said, barely taking his lips away from her neck.
"No, come on, stop," she said weakly.
"You really want me to?" Fox asked with a smirk, hearing Theresa moan at their loss of contact.
"No," Theresa said with a sigh. "But we don't have a choice," she said as she got off Fox's lap, knowing it would be the only way she could keep control of herself.
"Fine," Fox said with a pout as he watched Theresa button up her blouse. "But we're going to finish this later," he said.
"Definitely," Theresa replied with a smile. "All right, Mr. Crane, what business did you come here to discuss," she asked, trying to sound serious, but failing miserably.
Fox laughed at Theresa's failed attempt of seriousness before replying. "I actually wanted to talk about the arrangements for the annual Madison dinner party tonight," he said.
"Yeah, about that," Theresa said. "Do you really think we should bring the twins? I know that Mrs. Madison insisted on it, but I really don't think we should. They'll be so bored and restless," she said.
"Yeah, I know what you mean. I personally would prefer they spend the evening hanging out with Pilar, but Mrs. Madison really wants to see them. And after all the help James Madison gave us while we were working on Crane Industries in Paris, it's the least we can do," he said.
"I know, I know," Theresa said with a sigh. "I'd just rather not expose them to that lifestyle so early in life; as it is, they're going to be in the public eye because of their parents," she said.
"It won't be that bad," Fox said. "I grew up in the public eye, and I turned out perfectly fine—I'm hot, I'm sweet, I'm irresistible, the list goes on and on," he said with a smile.
"And you're so modest about it too," she said sarcastically.
"Yeah, well, I've never been too big on modesty," Fox said with a shrug. "If you're good, you're good, no point in denying it."
"You've got a point," Theresa said with a shrug. "Anyway, if you give me a few minutes, I can clean up and you and I could head home to get ready," she said as she began to arrange her desk.
"Actually," Fox started. "I didn't tell you what I wanted to say," he said.
"Oh, that's right," Theresa said. "So, what's up?"
"About the driving arrangements...looks like we'll be joined by two unwanted guests," he said, knowing that Theresa would be just as annoyed as he was with this new development.
"Oh no, no, no!" Theresa said. "I refuse to spend a thirty minute drive in the same limousine with Ethan and Gwen. It's bad enough that we've had to deal with them for the past three months, but that was for work. I won't spend my free time with those two," she said adamantly.
"Believe me, Resa, I'm right there with you. As it is, I'm sick of Ethan always throwing you those sad lovesick eyes when he thinks no on is looking; but we're representing Crane Industries and since Ethan and Gwen have agreed to go, it'll look bad on the company if we arrive separately while other company employees arrive together," he explained.
"Your point being?" Theresa asked. "You and I both know that neither one of us care what those uptight businessmen and women say about us," she said.
"Yeah, I know, and normally, I wouldn't give a damn about what they thought, but Grandfather insisted we arrive together to 'further promote the Crane's new image'" he said, ending with a roll of his eyes.
"Alistair is quickly becoming my least favorite person," Theresa muttered under her breath. Fox laughed at her statement.
"Yeah, he isn't exactly number one on my list either," he said. "But it doesn't matter, either way, we're arriving at that party with Ethan and Gwen. Anyway, once we get there, we'll just ditch them," he said with a grin.
"Works for me," Theresa replied with a smile.
"Good, now hurry up and clean up so we can get out of here," he said, rising from the seat.
"Give me a few minutes," Theresa replied as she began to clean her desk again.
"All right, I'm going to go fax over the contracts for the Olsen deal and I'll come back and get you," Fox said as he made his way over to Theresa.
"All right," Theresa said as she reached up and kissed Fox on his lips. "Love you," she added.
"Ditto," Fox said with a smile before making his way to the door. Before leaving he turned around and said, "Don't forget, tonight, we're going to finish what we started in this office." With a wink, he turned and left before Theresa could say anything more.
A few hours later...
"This is ridiculous," Gwen muttered. "I still don't see why we have to arrive with them," she said.
"Because, we're representing Crane Industries and Alistair insisted we do it," Ethan said as he continued fixing his tie.
"Well why couldn't Fox and Theresa go by themselves?" Gwen challenged. "It's not like you absolutely have to be there," she said as she put on her earrings.
"Many of the country's leading businessmen are going to be at that party tonight, Gwen, and I'd really like to get to know all of them. It'll be good for my career," he explained, hiding the fact that he wanted to spend as much time with Theresa as possible.
"Yeah, sure," Gwen replied with a roll of her eyes. "You're the vice president of Crane Industries, how much better could your career possibly get?"
"Gwen," Ethan said with an exasperated sigh. "Can we please not continue to argue about this? I'm going to that dinner party, and if you're really opposed to it, I can go alone. Either way, this party is too important to miss," he said, barely concealing his agitation.
"You're right," Gwen said with a sigh. "I'm sorry, I guess I just don't want to spend too much time with Theresa. It's bad enough working with her and watching her constantly giving you orders, but to have to spend my night with her? It just annoys me so much," she said angrily.
"Theresa doesn't give me orders, Gwen. She's is just doing her job by making sure I do mine," Ethan said, defending Theresa.
"Of course, because Theresa's such a good person," she said sarcastically.
"That's enough, Gwen," Ethan said as he put his suit jacket on. "Now come on, the limousine is probably waiting for us."
"Yeah, yeah, I'm coming," Gwen muttered before grabbing her bag and heading out of the bedroom with Ethan.
Meanwhile...
"Resa, come on, we're going to be late!" Fox called out from his position on Theresa's old bed.
"I can't find my red shoes," Theresa replied from deep inside her closet.
"You have like a hundred pairs of red shoes, just pick one," he said as he continued to fumble with his tie.
"I do not!" Theresa cried out indignantly as she made her way out of the closet, complete with a pair of red, strapped sandals.
"Wow," Fox said as soon as he saw Theresa enter the room.
She was wearing a long, deep red dress. It was a halter-top style dress, so the top-half of her back was left bare. Her hair was left out, with only a few strands tied in a red hair clip. She had on a simple diamond necklace on her neck and matching earrings on her ears. She wore a diamond studded bracelet and her wedding ring shine brightly off her ring finger. To finish it off, Theresa wore a dark shade of red lipstick, topped with lip-gloss. Fox had never seen anything more beautiful.
"You look...wow," he said, unable to find any words.
"I must be if it rendered you speechless," Theresa said, loving the effect she was having on Fox. "It's nice to know that after almost five years of marriage, I still have the power to amaze and astound you with my beauty," she joked with a smile.
"And you always will," Fox said seriously as he stood and brought Theresa into his arms. "You'll always have the power amaze me with your beauty," he said before kissing her lightly.
"Well, you sure know how to make a girl swoon," Theresa joked. "You seem to have that power too," she said as she pulled back and admired Fox's suit. "You look good, Crane," she said.
"Just good?" Fox asked with a raised eyebrow. "Now, come on, Resa, you and I both know that you think I look a little better than just 'good'" he said. Theresa laughed at his statement and hit Fox lightly on his shoulder.
"You look absolutely perfect, Nicky," she said, addressing Fox with her personal nickname for him. "In fact, if you're not careful, I may just have to have my way with you before we leave," she said with a mischievous smile.
"Is that so?" Fox asked with a smirk. And before Theresa could reply, he lifted her in his arms and placed her on her bed, hovering above her. He quickly descended his lips on her neck, sucking and nibbling, while his hands began to search for the zipper on her dress.
"Fox!" Theresa shrieked in surprise.
"What?" he asked, not stopping what he was doing.
"The limousine will be here in any minute, we can't do this," she said.
"I thought this was your idea," he said with a smile as he pulled away from her neck and looked into her eyes.
"It was, but still..." she said, trailing off at the sound of a knock on the door.
"Theresa? Fox? Are you two ready? I wanted to see you two before I left," Pilar said from the other side of the door.
With a loud sigh, Fox separated himself from Theresa and allowed her to answer the door.
"Hi, Mama," Theresa said after she opened the door.
"Theresita, you look so beautiful," Pilar said in admiration.
"Thank you, Mama," Theresa said with a small smile.
"And you look very handsome, Fox," Pilar said, looking over Theresa at Fox.
"Thank you, Pilar," Fox said with a boyish smile. "Where are you going?" he asked, noticing the bag and jacket in Pilar's hands.
"Oh, Luis is doing a stakeout tonight, and I told Sheridan I'd sleep over to keep her company," Pilar explained.
"Oh, well I hope you have fun, Mama," Theresa said as he reached over and hugged Pilar.
"I will," Pilar replied. "What about you two? Are you almost ready to leave?" she asked.
"Yeah, pretty much," Theresa replied. "We've already dressed the twins so we're just waiting for the limousine to arrive," she explained.
"Really? Where are they?" Pilar asked with excitement. "I want to see how my grandchildren look in a suit and dress,"
"They're playing with their toys in Antonio's old room," Theresa replied with a laugh at Pilar's excitement.
"All right, well I'm going to go see them and then I'll leave," she said before leaning to kiss Theresa's cheeks. "Have fun tonight."
"We will," she replied before Pilar left the room. She turned around to see Fox lying back on her bed.
"Don't take this the wrong way, Resa, but we seriously need to get out of here," he said with a sigh.
"I know, I know," Theresa said. "I love Mama and I appreciate her letting us live here, but I'd prefer to be in home of our own."
"I'll talk to the contractor tomorrow and see if I can get him to speed up the process on our house," he said as he sat up.
"Good," Theresa said as she took a seat on Fox's lap. Before she could lean down to kiss him, Pilar's voice interrupted them.
"Fox, Theresa, Ethan and Gwen have arrived," she called from the hallway.
"We're coming, Mama," Theresa said with a sigh as she got off Fox's lap.
"Ready for the car ride from hell?" he asked with a smirk.
"Can't wait," Theresa muttered unenthusiastically. "Let's get out of here," she said before taking his hand in hers and leading him out of the room. They stopped by Antonio's room to get Jessica and Justin before making their way to the living room to greet Ethan and Gwen.
"Where are they going?" Gwen asked as she saw Fox and Theresa walk into the living room with a formally dressed Jessica and Justin and a stylish baby bag.
"They're coming with us," Theresa replied. "Hence the reason why they're dressed up," she added under her breath.
"You can't be serious," Gwen said incredulously. "You're going to bring a couple of toddlers to a formal dinner party?"
"Yes, not that it's any of your business what we do with our children," Theresa replied curtly.
"Theresa, you can't just bring them to the Madison party," Ethan said. "It's not professional," he said in an almost scolding tone.
"Why don't you let us decide what is and isn't professional for us," Fox said. "And for your information, Mrs. Madison personally requested that we bring Jessie and Justin."
"That's got to be a lie," Gwen said, not convinced by Fox's statement.
"Call it what you want, Gwen," Theresa said as she adjusted Jessica on her hip. "We're bringing them with us, so deal with it."
"You never stop being a bitch, do you?" Gwen asked with glare.
"Watch your mouth around my children" Theresa said agitatedly, not even letting Gwen's insult affect her. Gwen opened her mouth to say something else when Fox's voice stopped her.
"Christ, Gwen," he said while rubbing her forehead with his free hand. "Can you possibly go one day without wasting our time with some petty argument?"
"Why you little..."
"Watch your mouth," Fox warned before Gwen could say anything else.
"What right do you have to insult Gwen?" Ethan asked Fox angrily.
"What right did she have to insult Theresa?" he challenged.
"Listen you bastard..." Gwen started only to be cut off by Jessica.
"Bassard!" she exclaimed with a smile. "Bassard! Bassard!" she repeated while clapping her hands excitedly.
"Look what you did!" Theresa said furiously before turning her attention to Jessica. "No, Jessie," she said in a babyish tone. "Bastard is a bad word, very bad," she said, trying to make Jessica understand.
"Bad!" Jessica repeated.
"Yes, very bad," Theresa said. "Never say it again," she said before turning her attention to Gwen. She glared at Gwen heatedly before speaking up. "Look Gwen, this is going to be the last time I tell you or Ethan to monitor your use of curses around my children. You should both be smart enough to know that not every parent wants their child to grow up hearing every curse word know to mankind. Don't let it happen again," she said in a warning tone. Before either Gwen or Ethan could say anything else, Fox spoke up.
"And with that said," he said. "Let's get out of here; the sooner we get there, the sooner we can get away from each other," he said with smile.
"That's the smartest thing you've said since we got here," Gwen muttered.
"Go to hell, Gwen," Fox said before walking towards the front door. Before leaving the living room, he turned around and said, "And that was the smartest thing I've said since you got here," he said with a smug smirk before walking out of the house, Theresa not too far behind him. With an irritated sigh, Ethan and Gwen followed.
Once all six occupants were situated in the limo, the chauffer began to drive. There was a silence of five whole minutes before anyone said anything. Ironically, Justin was the one that finally broke the silence when he started to jump on Fox's lap and play with his tie while babbling baby words.
"Hey little guy," Fox said to Justin. "What's wrong? Is something wrong with your old man's tie? Or is it the color? Because if it is, then it's your mommy's fault; she picked my outfit for tonight," he said, talking as though Justin could understand everything he was saying.
"I'll have you know that I have great taste in clothing, Nicolas Crane" Theresa said confidently from her seat next to Fox. "And Justin loves it, don't you sweetheart?" she asked, leaning down to face Justin. Justin laughed and clapped his hands before turning back to Fox.
"Love it," he repeated with a small laugh. "Daddy nice!" he exclaimed.
"Why, thank you little guy," Fox said with a smile. "You're looking pretty sharp yourself," he said as he looked down at Justin's suit. "Guess it's a family trait," he joked. "You know, your mom and little sister look beautiful tonight also," he added while turning Justin to Theresa and Jessica. Justin crawled over to Theresa and grabbed her face before replying.
"Mommy nice too," he said. "Jecca too," he said while grabbing Jessica's hand.
"Thank you, little guy," Theresa said before placing Jessica on the seat next to Justin so that they could entertain each other. She leaned back, along with Fox, and watched at Justin and Jessica began to play with the toy trains that they brought in the baby bag.
Across from them, Ethan watched with envy as Justin showed off his trains to Fox while Fox watched attentively. He watched as Justin started to use Fox's leg as a train track; and he watched as Fox unexpectedly grabbed Justin and started to tickle him, causing Justin to shriek with glee. Turning to Theresa, he watched as her face broke out into a huge grin as Fox played with Justin. He saw her happily fix Jessica's rumpled dress while playing with her.
Angrily, jealously, he watched all of this. This wasn't how it was supposed to be. Fox wasn't supposed to be Theresa's husband. And he definitely wasn't supposed to be the father of her children. 'He doesn't deserve anything he has,' Ethan though angrily. He should've been with Theresa. He should've been the only man to touch her and make love to her. Him and him alone. Turning to Gwen, Ethan was only half surprised to realize he didn't even feel guilty about having thoughts of Theresa with Gwen right next to him.
'Gwen,' Ethan thought with a sigh. Sometimes he wondered why he was still with Gwen. He knew he didn't love Gwen. Hell, he knew that even before Theresa left for Paris. But he constantly lied to himself, wanting to make himself believe and wanting to make Theresa believe it. If he were really honest with himself, Ethan would admit that the only reason he really married Gwen was to make Theresa feel the same pain he felt at all of her lies. 'What the hell was I thinking?' he thought. 'God, if I just listened to Theresa that day she came to the Crane mansion, none of this would have happened.' Turning back to Gwen, Ethan saw her glaring daggers at an uncaring Theresa.
That was another thing bothering him. Gwen had never liked Theresa—he knew that—but she had always somehow made sure she never stooped too low because of her dislike. In his eyes, Gwen had always tried to be the bigger person in her confrontations with Theresa. But since Theresa came back to Harmony, Gwen had been more and more candidly obvious with her hatred for Theresa. There were many nights since Theresa and Fox returned to Harmony that Gwen would spend hours complaining and insulting Theresa. It made Ethan wonder why he never saw such a dark side of Gwen before they got married. Ethan also wondered why he stupidly hired Gwen as his personal assistant. Since he and Gwen had been working together, Gwen had become more and more possessive of him, especially around Theresa. Not that Ethan could really blame her. He couldn't guarantee that he'd have stayed away from Theresa if Gwen weren't around.
God, when did his life become so dissatisfying? When did he get to a point where his marriage had as much love as Ivy and Julian's marriage did? Better yet, when did he get to a point where he had to sit back and watch his half-brother live the life he always wanted, complete with the love of his life and the children he never got the chance to conceive? When did all of this happen? And why did he let it?
Ethan pondered all of this, losing himself in his thoughts. It wasn't until Gwen shook his shoulders that Ethan realized they had already made it to the Madison mansion.
"We're here already?" he asked with surprise.
"Already?" Gwen asked confused. "We've been driving for about forty-five minutes. Where have you been?" she asked.
"Nowhere," Ethan replied quickly. "I was just thinking about some contracts that I need to look over when we get back home," he lied.
"All right, well, come on," Gwen said with a shrug. "Fox and Theresa are waiting by the door for us," she said as the chauffer opened the door for them. Ethan stepped out and held his hand out for Gwen. Together they walked to the front door to see Fox and Theresa standing there with Jessica and Justin in their arms.
"What happened to you? You were pretty out of it in the car," Fox asked Ethan inquisitively.
"None of your damn business," Ethan replied bitterly.
"Fair enough," Fox said curtly, refusing to let Ethan get to him. "Let's just hurry up and get this charade over with," he said.
"Fine by me," Gwen said as Theresa knocked on the door. A butler dressed in a formal suit greeted them and ushered them into the house.
"Good evening," the butler said. "The party is being held in the room down the hall to the left," he said. "Thank you for joining us tonight and have a good night," he added before leaving them in the hallway and heading back to the door to greet the newest guests.
"Well," Fox said after the butler left. "Let's go," he said before slipping Theresa's free hand in his and walking into room, Gwen and Ethan following right behind. They barely made two steps into the room before a well-dressed middle-aged man came to greet them.
"Fox! Theresa! It's so good to see you two," James Madison said with a smile as he shook hands with Fox and gave Theresa a light kiss on the cheeks.
"James, you have no idea how happy I am to see you," Theresa said happily. "Paris just wasn't the same without you," she added.
"Aw, why thank you, Theresa," James replied with a smile. "I'm sure Fox kept you entertained," he added with a sly wink, causing Theresa to blush.
"Well, I did my best," Fox said with a devilish smirk. "Anyway, James, how have you been?" he asked.
"Great," James replied. "The company's doing great, I'm healthy, my family's healthy—I couldn't ask for anything more."
"Well that's good," Theresa said.
"Yes, it is," he replied. "And what about these two," he said leaning down to become eye level with Jessica and Justin. "The last time I saw them, they were barely three months old; they've grown so much," he said as he cooed at Jessica and Justin.
"These little ones are great," Fox said as he began to bounce Jessica in his arms. "Especially this one—she's as active and energetic as her mother," he joked.
"Well, I personally think she gets it from her father," Theresa replied with a fake pout, causing James and Fox to laugh.
"I'm sure she gets it from both of you," James replied with a smile. "Something tells me that you were both handfuls when you were young," he joked.
"Moi?" Fox asked in an innocent voice. "Never, I was an angel."
"Ha!" Theresa said. "I don't believe that for a second," she said with a laugh. Before Fox could say anything else, a shriek of delight caught their attention.
"Oh! Look at them!" a female squealed as she headed toward them. Upon reaching them, she immediately bent down and started to admire Jessica and Justin. "Aren't you two the cutest little things ever," she gushed.
"And you are?" Theresa asked in a confused tone.
"My over enthusiastic wife," James answered with a smile. "Emily, this is Fox and Theresa Crane; Fox, Theresa, this is my wife Emily," he explained.
"Oh," Theresa said with a smile. "I've heard so much about you," she said as she held out her hand to Emily.
"James talks highly of you and Fox too," Emily said with a smile. "I've wanted to meet you two for years," she gushed.
"Same here," Theresa replied. "Whenever James isn't talking about figures or contracts, he's talking about you."
"That's why he's so wonderful," Emily said with a large smile before turning her attention back to the twins. "I've been wanting to meet these two since the first time James told me about them; they're so adorable."
"Thank you," Fox replied as Emily continued to gush over the twins.
"Can I hold her?" she asked enthusiastically.
"Yeah, sure," Fox said as he handed a willing Jessica to Emily. It wasn't until Jessica was out of his arms and he had turned around that Fox remembered that Ethan and Gwen were still with them. James seemed to notice them at the exact same time.
"And you two would be?" he asked Ethan and Gwen.
"This is Ethan Winthrop and his wife, Gwen," Fox said. "Ethan is the vice president of Crane Industries, and Gwen works very closely by his side," he explained.
"Well, it's nice to meet you," James said as he shook hands with Ethan and Gwen.
"You too, Mr. Madison," Ethan replied.
"James, where are your manners?" Emily asked. "Stop making them stand here and find them a table," she said in an almost scolding tone.
"Oh, yes of course," James said in an apologetic tone. "Follow me, and I'll find you a good table," he said before turning and heading further into the large room.
"The room looks lovely," Theresa commented as she admired the marble floors and decorative ceilings.
"Thank you," Emily replied. "It was actually James's idea to make this a ballroom; I wanted to expand it a little more and make an indoor pool," she added as James came to a stop in front of them.
"I'd prefer it if you sat near Emily and I," James said as he stopped by a table. "This is the closest table to us, so you four will have to share, but I'm sure you don't mind, right?" he asked.
"Actually..." Fox started only to be cut off.
"No, Mr. Madison, this table is perfect," Ethan cut in, ignoring the glares that Fox, Theresa, and Gwen sent his way.
"Good," James said. "Well, we've got to go greet more guests, so just relax and enjoy yourselves."
"And I'll be back as soon as I can to spend more time with the little darlings," she said as she handed Jessica back to Justin. "I'll send over someone to bring you baby chairs for them," she added before smiling and walking away with James.
Less than five minutes later, a maid arrived with two cherry wood baby chairs. Fox and Theresa carefully placed Jessica and Justin in the chairs before settling down themselves. They were seated for less than a few seconds before Ethan pounced on them.
"Why the hell are you two so chummy with Mr. Madison?" he asked in an almost envious voice.
"Why the hell is it any of your business?" Fox snapped back.
"I—I just think that as vice president of Crane Industries, I have a right to know of all our business connections," he explained.
"Oh, you feel you have a right to know?" Fox asked with a raise eyebrow. "At the risk of like my grandfather, Ethan, the reality is, you only have a right to know whatever it is I or Theresa want you to know about Crane Industries. Nothing more, nothing less," he said before settling back in his chair.
Ethan glared coldly at Fox, furious that his younger brother had talked to him that way. He was about to snap at him when Theresa spoke up.
"But to settle your curiosity, Fox and I worked very closely with James in Paris," she said easily. "When we were getting the Paris division started, we met James and he helped us; he had a lot of business connections in Europe so he would always put in the good word for us. He basically had a big part in getting us recognized during our first year in business. After the first year, he used to always stop by and visit us whenever he happened to be in town on business—which was quite often," she explained.
"So you guys are like old buddies?" Gwen asked unbelievingly.
"I guess you could say that," Theresa said with a shrug. "He's a great guy, and a respectable businessman," she added.
"Well, he seems like a nice guy, and he's been known to never lose a contract; it's good that you two are friends with him, it'll be good for Crane Industries," Ethan said.
"I'm glad we have your approval," Fox said sarcastically.
"Do you have to be so rude?" Gwen asked disgustedly. Before Fox could give a sarcastic remark, Theresa stopped him.
"We're not going to get into one of your infamous, but idiotic, verbal spats, Gwen," Theresa said sternly. "We're in the middle of a dinner party, so for once, just try and act mature and keep your remarks to yourself."
"Who do you think—"
"Theresa's right, Gwen," Ethan interrupted, causing Gwen to turn her glare towards him. "Let's just try and get along, please," he said.
"Why do you always take her side?" she asked angrily.
"I'm not taking a side, I'm just saying that we need to keep our feelings in check tonight before we cause a scene," he explained.
"Yeah, that includes you too, Golden Boy," Fox said. "For once, try to not make it unbelievably obvious that you're still in love with my wife," he said, barely hiding his smirk at Gwen's outraged look and Ethan's tightened jaw.
"How dare you say a thing like that to Ethan, and in front of me no less!" Gwen said in a harsh whisper. "I'll have you know that my husband wants absolutely nothing to do with that scheming wife of yours," she said, throwing a disgusted look at Theresa for a stronger effect.
"Because we're in a public place, and because I seem to have more class and integrity than you, I'm going to ignore that last remark," Theresa said curtly before turning to Ethan. "And, Ethan, I suggest you heed to Fox's warnings and keep your eyes off me. Now we're stuck together for the rest of the night, so let's try and behave like adults and leave the immaturity to Jessica and Justin," she said firmly before settling in her chair and looking out into the dance floor.
Fox smirked slightly at Theresa's authorative behavior before turning his attention to Jessica and Justin. While Jessica was busy staring at all the guests with amazement and interest, Justin was busy staring at Fox, as though he were waiting for something. Fox lightly ruffled Justin's hair and leaned lower until he was eye level with Justin before whispering lightly into his ear.
"Be ready little guy, it's going to be a long night."
TBC...
I wanted to include more scenes in this chapter, but I didn't want it to becoming annoyingly long, so the next chapter will probably pick up with everyone still at the party, unless I come up with a better idea. Anyway, I hope you guys liked it and please leave feedback!!!