Disclaimer: I don't own it or get paid for it : ) I don't own the characters and therefore have no hope of making any money off this.

End of Chapter 25

When Terri looked through the peep hole and saw Kara, a hundred thoughts went through her mind. 'Did she figure out who I really am? Did Stiles tell her what happened? Is he with her?'

Chapter 26

Terri opened the door slowly. "May I help you?"

Kara thought the woman looked slightly familiar, but didn't think much of it. She was on a mission.

"Hi, my name is Kara Matthews. I have business to conduct on the island from time-to-time and I haven't been able to find a suitable place to stay."

Terri chuckled. Kara had no idea who she was. "I'm sorry, this isn't a hotel; it is a private residence."

"Oh no, I don't want to stay here, I want to live here. How much do you want for it?"

Great, Terri thought, she has my husband and now she wants my house.

"The house isn't for sale."

Kara laughed. "I assumed you'd say that, but I had to try. Can you tell me about the architect, I'd love to have something similar built."

Terri wasn't being particularly friendly. This was the woman who was planning to marry HER husband, and he was still her husband.

"I don't have any information on the architect or the builder." Terri was about to ask Kara to leave then thought better of it. "Would you like a tour?"

"Oh, that would be fantastic. Thank you."

Kara thought the house was magnificent. She started wandering around before Terri could stop her. When she got to the living room, she stopped to look at the photos on the bookshelf and saw a picture of Jack.

"He looks like a little guy I met on the beach yesterday. I think he said his name is Jack. He's adorable Do you know Lyn Johnson?"

"She's my partner. How do you know Lyn?"

"Oh, I don't really. I just met her and her kids yesterday. My fiancé and I were touring the island. He fell in love with this house the last time he was here and he told me about it. I dragged him down to the beach to show it to me. That's when we ran into Lyn. Her little boy is so friendly. He ran right up to us."

"He's mine." Terri said with a little too much passion. "Jack I mean. He's my son."

"I'm sorry. I just assumed he was Lyn's. Anyway, he is quite a cutie. I just love those curls. I told A.B, my fiancé, that I wanted a son with those gorgeous curls; A.B. has curly hair, but he keeps it short. I'm trying to talk him into letting it grow." Kara stopped talking suddenly when she realized how she was carrying on. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to go on like that."

Terri hated the idea that her son had been with THAT woman, but she wanted to dig a little.

"Lyn told me she met a couple on the beach yesterday. She said Jack seemed to have really liked your fiancé. I think he is so drawn to men because he misses his father."

"Well, A.B. really liked him too. He seems like a sweet kid. A.B. and I are going to start a family right away. His wife was pregnant when she got killed. His daughter would probably be about your son's age. How old was he when his father died?

"He isn't dead. He's just not living with us; he has a new girlfriend." Then with a little venom, Terri added, "Apparently, she's more important to him than we are."

"That's awful. You poor thing. What kind of woman would keep a child away from his father? What kind of woman would want a man who didn't take care of his kid? If I were you, I'd confront her and put the screws to him! How on earth did he end up leaving you and that adorable little boy?"

'Ha!' Terri thought. 'You home wrecker!' "Be careful what you wish for." Terri said out loud.

"What?"

"Oh, nothing."

Terri wanted to know more about this woman who had been sleeping with her husband. She was sure that she'd dropped her locket in Stiles' hotel suite, yet he hadn't seen it. If Kara found it, she had to know that it was Terri in the hotel.

She got a little creative. "I was in an accident and the new girlfriend was one of my nurses. They thought I was dying and ended up together. As a matter of fact they were away on vacation when I came out of the coma. They'd left my mother to baby sit. When I was better, I took him to court and got full custody."

"That's horrible. Well, you're his wife; he should have come back to you."

"I found out later that nurse Betty didn't even tell him I was alive when she found out. She agreed to marry him knowing I was alive! Can you believe that?"

Kara spoke without really thinking.

"You should show up, Jack in tow. If she doesn't get the point then, well you should just punch her lights out." Kara laughed at her own advice. Little did she know she was prescribing her own medicine!

'Funny, Terri thought, you don't seem to feel that way about your fiancé.' Kara didn't like the gleam in Terri's eye. She didn't know exactly why, but she was getting very uncomfortable.

"Thanks for the advice. What about you? When are you getting married?"

Terri wanted to know if Stiles told her the truth about not picking a wedding date. He obviously hadn't told Kara that he knew Terri was alive.

A huge grin formed on Kara's face. "A.B. and I are getting married tomorrow, on the island."

Terri's jaw practically hit the floor. "You're getting married tomorrow, where?"

"We haven't decided." For some reason, Kara decided to confide in Terri. "This is my first marriage. I wanted a big wedding, but A.B can't seem to get over his first wife. She died FOUR years ago, for crying out loud! He'd only known her three years and they were married only four months! She's been dead longer than he knew her. I've known him three and ½ years—two months longer than she did! Anyway, I followed him down here and convinced him to get married before we go home!" she added, proud of her efforts.

"Wow, I can't believe how good it feels to get that off my chest."
Kara looked up to see a disgusted but almost sad look on Terri's face.

"Is something wrong?"

Terri's blood was boiling. She suddenly felt the urge to defend Stiles—and herself; how dare this tramp dismiss Stiles' and her relationship like that!

"Maybe he loved his wife. What happened to her?"

"She was murdered."

"It sounds like he hasn't gotten over the trauma of losing her." Then Terri decided to dig in a little, "Or maybe you two aren't right for each other and he hasn't been able to tell you. They say that people often don't get over their first true love." She had a hard time containing her smile when she saw the look of horror on Kara's face.

"I doubt that. He did agree to get married tomorrow."

"Right, but it was your idea, not his, wasn't it?"

Kara was getting upset. She didn't want to talk about Terri anymore. A.B. was going to be her husband in less than 24 hours, period!

"Yes, it was my idea, but that doesn't matter. He agreed. He wants me to be his wife." Kara picked up her purse and headed for the door.

"Well, before you drag yourself down the aisle, maybe you should ask yourself: If given the choice, whom would he choose you or her?"

Kara was halfway out the door when Terri finished speaking, but she stopped in her tracks when she heard the question; she'd been asking herself the same thing for three years.

Terri slammed the door shut as Kara walked down the path. She wanted her husband back and she was ready to play hardball to get him.