2
Various serenades from the birds twittering outside the window awakened Fox from his pleasant dreams. He blinked his eyes slowly as his vision became accustomed to the light streaming into the room. The golden rays of the risen sun spread its warming rays across Theresa's skin giving her an angelic glow that Fox could only admire. In his eyes, Theresa possessed the type of beauty that effortlessly took the breath out of any living man.
Fox reached over to smooth away the strands of hair that settled over Theresa's eyes. 'She looks so peaceful,' Fox thought to himself as he kissed Theresa on the forehead. Even though Theresa appeared peaceful, Fox knew that on the inside she felt raw and broken. He wished that he possessed the power to take away the bars of hurt that entrapped Theresa's soul in an unnecessary cell of torture, but unfortunately Fox was only human. He compensated for his lack of supernatural power through giving Theresa his undying love and support.
Theresa was entirely different from any person Fox had ever encountered in his life, and was so far the only person that truly understood Fox. Although Dylan Banning was one of his oldest friends, there were things that Fox divulged to Theresa that he would never dare to reveal to Dylan. Instead of bedding her like he did with other women to escape the emptiness of his life, Fox instead became her friend. Theresa in turn became his friend, and from there their relationship bloomed into a rare treasure that both deeply cherished.
As a child, Fox was deemed the bad seed, the 'black sheep' of the family, due to his tendency to incite trouble. However, Fox had reasons as for his unruly nature. Fox merely wanted attention from his mother and father. He craved for the love that his mother willingly bestowed upon his half- brother Ethan, but the only thing Fox received from his mother was harsh reprimanding or looks of utter disappointment and disbelief. Julian Crane on the other hand, flaunted his affairs before his son, not caring if his sexual escapades affected his son. Even Julian did his share of reprimanding. Not a word of encouragement or approval left his lips to Fox's dismay. The only child in the Crane family that received praise and adoration was Ethan. Ever since he was a baby, Ethan was regarded as though he were royalty. All of his life, Fox abhorred being compared to his older half-brother and did everything in his power to act exactly the opposite.
Although Ethan was older, Fox took every opportunity to work Ethan's nerves. He constantly teased him, and oftentimes made Ethan cry. Of course Ivy Crane would run to Ethan's side whenever he began to cry, and Fox would stand off to the side while a mixture jealousy and resentment stirred within him.
As he grew older, Fox kept his desire for love and appreciation buried in the depths of his troubled soul and acted in the way that his family expected. He was continually kicked out of every boarding school he attended and gambled away Crane money as a way to spite his cold-hearted family. Fox rarely came home and rarely kept in touch with his family in Harmony.
Fox heard from his sisters once in awhile, but they too resented Ivy, Julian, and Ethan and refused to return home. Although his sisters knew how it felt to be rejected by flesh and blood, they did not act out like Fox did. Instead they distracted themselves with their studies. As far as he knew, Fox's sisters were still in a boarding school in London both at the top of their classes.
After getting kicked out of yet another boarding school and gambling himself into debt, Fox returned to Harmony much to the surprise of Harmony residents. The one person that probably received the shock of her life the day Fox returned was Theresa Lopez-Fitzgerald. As Fox watched Theresa sleep, a smile formed on his lips. He distinctly remembered the blood- curling scream that escaped Theresa as he crawled half-naked into her bed.
Ever since that night, Fox and Theresa formed a strong bond that bloomed into a beautiful friendship. Theresa immediately saw through Fox's witty sarcasm and knew Fox was concealing a resentful and lonely man underneath. She surprised him with her insightful comments, and made him yearn for her companionship. Fox spent as much time as he could with Theresa. Unfortunately, Theresa still had one man on her brain and out of habit continually talked about winning his heart back. Even though Ethan Winthrop had married his childhood sweetheart Gwen, there was nothing that would stop Theresa from attempting to win him back.
Fox knew that Ethan had been a major part of Theresa's life. As a lovesick teenager, she dreamed of one day marrying the heir to the Crane billions. When she became a personal assistant for Ivy Crane, Theresa's dreams came true. She was giving access to Ethan Crane and eventually swept him off his feet. In the process, Gwen was tossed aside and resented Theresa with every fiber of her being.
From then on, it was a rocky journey for both Theresa and Ethan. They believed they were meant to be together, but it seemed as though Fate were doing everything in its power to keep them apart. Fox heard bits and pieces of Ethan and Theresa's relationship through the tabloids. Theresa had always intrigued him whenever he read about her in the papers, and when he met her in person, Theresa never failed to stir curiosity within Fox.
However, Fox was clearly not interested in hearing of constantly hearing of his half-brother. Because Theresa was blatantly absorbed with Ethan Winthrop, Fox buried any feelings he had for her and concentrated on being her friend. Deep down Fox wanted to be more than friends with Theresa Lopez- Fitzgerald, but at the beginning of their relationship, there was no potential for that as long as she was consumed with a love she had lost.
Theresa instilled ideas about love in Fox, and he was left wondering about what true love felt like. There were many nights when Fox lay awake in bed ruminating over what Theresa had told him about true love. Soon afterward, Fox became acquainted with Theresa's best friend Whitney Russell and eventually came to believe that he was in love with her.
Fox remembered the night he thought he had fallen in love. He had visited the Blue Note and remembered hearing Whitney singing. At the time he was infatuated with her voice, and the bartender told Fox that the look on his face was the look of a man in love. Now that he thought about it, Fox thought the bartender was a complete idiot and laughed at the bartender and his own foolishness. Theresa slightly stirred at the sound, but instead of awakening she snuggled closer to Fox.
Fox had eventually come to realize that what he and Theresa shared was true love, and it was unlike any other feeling Fox had ever experienced. It was exciting yet scary at the same time, and although Fox was not sure of what to expect, he was glad that he and Theresa chose to become more than friends.
And now, Fox was lying beside the woman who held the key to his heart, and wished that he could spend every moment with the woman he loved all along. Fox kissed Theresa on the forehead once more before gently moving away from her to get out of bed. He decided that he would prepare Theresa breakfast in bed in order to begin her day on a cheerful note. Theresa needed all the cheering up Fox could offer, and there was nothing that would stop Fox from making the woman he loved happy.
As he put on his robe, Fox's eyes were centered on Theresa. Before he left the room he blew her a kiss and closed the door softly. Due to his uplifted spirit Fox himself grinning from ear to ear and feeling as though he were on top of the world. However, as he rounded the corner, Fox's mood immediately soured. "Uh- morning," He heard.
"Ethan." Fox responded tersely.