CH 35- With or Without Them

"Paloma Lopez-Fitzgerald, will you marry me?"

The strange words still floated in Theresa's memory as she blankly kept her eyes on Fox and her sister.

"Why?" She whispered, as though she were in a trance. "Why?"

"Why what, Theresa?" Ethan's faint voice suddenly sounded in her head.

"W-what?" She stammered, as the sound slowly returned to the room. "W-what are you talking about Ethan?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing." He looked at her concerned. "First you crouched over in pain and then just a few seconds ago you kept repeating the word 'why'."

"I did?" She mumbled in confusion. "I-I don't even remember saying that. I guess all the excitement is getting to my head."

She slowly stared back at an overjoyed Fox and Paloma and closed her eyes.

"Actually, I'm suddenly not feeling so well." She murmured, placing a hand to her forehead.

"Do you want me to take you to the washroom?" Ethan offered.

Not able to say another word, she slowly nodded in response as Ethan helped her up the stairs.

Once in the bathroom, Theresa splashed cold water on her face and took slow deep breaths.

"Feeling any better?" He worriedly asked her.

"Yeah, a bit. Thank you." She sighed, trying to block out the events of earlier.

"Well good because you scared me half to death." Ethan looked at her worried. "I was afraid that something was wrong with the twins when you crouched down like that."

Theresa placed a hand to her tummy as she remembered the strange intense kicking she felt earlier.

"Yeah, that was weird. The twins were kicking so much." She told him. "But I'm fine now. I guess the twins were just really happy that their Uncle Fox was getting married."

She slowly looked up at her reflection in the mirror, as tears started to swell in her eyes.

"Yeah, that was quite a shock." Ethan sat at the edge of the tub. "I didn't even know that Fox and Paloma were that close."

"Neither did I." She softly whispered.

"What was that?" Ethan asked her.

"Nothing." She quickly answered. "I'm just really surprised, that's all."

As she stared back at her reflection, her mind began to wander back to what had happened earlier. She still couldn't understand why Fox would make such a drastic decision to propose to her sister. She knew that they were dating but it never crossed her mind that they were that serious. Something just didn't add up.

Why would he just propose to her like that? She thought to herself. How could he, after everything that's happened it the past week. I mean, I know we agreed to be friends but this is just so sudden.

"What are you thinking about?" Ethan suddenly asked her. "You have that look in your eyes."

"What look?" Theresa smiled at him.

"That look that you get whenever something's bothering you." He stared at her.

"Nothing's bothering me Ethan." She lied. "I'm just trying to make sense of this whole thing with Fox and Paloma. It's so strange how he made this decision on his own without telling anyone."

"Well maybe he wanted it to be a surprise."

"I don't think so." She shook her head in disbelief.

Ethan slowly stood up and came over to her, wrapping his arms around her tummy.

"Well maybe Fox just got a bit jealous." He simply said.

"What do you mean?" Theresa looked at him through the mirror.

"Well he probably saw how happy we were, planning for the arrival of our beautiful babies and he wanted to start a family of his own, with Paloma." He replied.

Theresa let out a deep sigh as everything began to make sense.

Oh my god, why didn't I think of this before? She thought to herself. That's it! That's why he proposed to her. He was desperate. He probably couldn't bear the thought of Ethan and me starting a family because of everything we've been through.

Instant tears came to her eyes as a huge feeling of guilt swept over her.

How could I have been so insensitive? She silently cried. I practically rubbed my relationship with Ethan in his face. We always used to talk about the twins in front of him without ever thinking about how much pain it must have been causing him. No wonder he jumped into this proposal. He probably just came to a point where he couldn't take it anymore.

Theresa closed her eyes as she realized her regretful mistakes.

Suddenly her thoughts were interrupted by the loud sounds of yelling coming from downstairs.

"What was that?" Ethan looked at her. "I wonder what's going on down there."

"I don't know. But that sounded like Luis." She replied. "Come on let's go see."

As they headed back down the stairs, they were surprised to see that most of the guests had left and in the once crowded room stood only Fox, Paloma, Whitney, Chad, Pilar, Luis and Sheridan.

"This is not going to happen! I forbid it!" Luis' voice boomed through the mansion.

"You can't do that!" Paloma shot back. "I am old enough to make my own decisions and I am going to marry Fox!"

"Like hell you are!" Luis looked at her seriously.

Theresa and Ethan rushed to the living room to try and calm everyone down.

"What is going on in here?" She asked, standing next to Sheridan.

"Your brother is trying to convince Paloma that marrying Fox is a bad idea." Pilar explained to her daughter.

"It is a bad idea!" Luis insisted.

"But we love each other!" Paloma yelled.

Theresa stared at Fox and he continued to remain silent.

"Paloma, you are too young to know anything about love!" Luis looked at her.

"How dare you!" Paloma cried in anger. "You don't know what I feel!"

"I know that you are only nineteen years old, and therefore you are too young to get married!"

"I don't believe this!" She threw her hands up. "Theresa was just about my age when she got married to Ethan and nobody said anything about that!"

"That was different." Luis simply said.

"How?" Paloma challenged him. "You know what? Save it, because I already know the answer. There was no difference! You guys are just acting like this because I am the baby of the family!"

"Mija that is not true." Pilar tried to convince her.

"Yes it is, Mama!" She interrupted. "But I don't care! You can't tell me what to do! I'm old enough to make my own decisions. Like for example, I would like Theresa to be my bridesmaid."

Theresa's heart skipped a beat as Paloma looked at her.

"Please say you will do it." She smiled at her. "You're the only one who I know will support me on this."

"Um, I'm sorry Paloma but I can't." She awkwardly looked at her.

"Why not?" Paloma sadly asked.

Theresa knew that the real reason why she didn't want to be Paloma's bridesmaid was because of her feelings for Fox. There was no way that she could stand by and watch the man that she loved marry her sister. It would be too unbearable.

"Because," she fumbled. "I agree with Luis. You're way too young to get married."

"I don't believe this!" Paloma cried. "My own sister!"

"Paloma, you don't understand—" Theresa tried to explain.

"Yes I do!" She interrupted her. "My own family has turned their back on me when I need them the most! All I am asking is for you to come to my wedding and none of you can do that."

"Paloma, your family is not turning their back on you." Fox placed a comforting hand on her shoulder.

"No, it's ok Fox. You don't have to defend them." She smiled up at him, before turning a hateful glare to the rest of them. "I understand exactly what is going on here. But I don't care because I don't need any of you. I have gone 18 years by myself so I certainly don't need you now. I love Fox and he loves me and I am going to marry him with or without my family!"