After Evangeline's run in with John, she headed straight home and went right to sleep. She spent most of New Year's Day alone unpacking, settling in to her new home, and trying to think about her life. She managed to get most of her things unpacked, but some of the smaller boxes would have to wait until later.
Today was a new day and she was expecting Layla and her mother at any moment. John had only been the first hurdle to clear. She now had to deal with what would surely be her mother's and sister's disappointment. The situation wasn't ideal, but she was still excited. She was in her final trimester now and looking forward to meeting her little one.
Evangeline thought for a moment about how she could have done things differently. Maybe it would have been better to talk to her mom and Layla separately. It was too late now. The doorbell brought her from her thoughts. She gathered all the strength she could muster and walked confidently to the front door.
"Hey guys come on in." She held the door open for them, but they both just stared at her. She was wearing another form fitting shirt with a pair of her new maternity blue jeans.
"Cookie, oh my god." Lisa put her hands to her mouth, but that didn't stop the tears.
"Wow, and I thought I was good at keeping secrets from mom." Layla looked at her with raised eyebrows before walking inside. Lisa walked in behind Layla and allowed Evangeline to pull the door closed behind her. "And here I was just expecting a tour of the place."
"Mom, are you okay? Do you need to sit?" Evangeline had expected her mother to be emotional, but not like this. She'd prepared for anger, not tears.
"How long have you been keeping this from me and why? Is this why you didn't come home for Christmas? Were you embarrassed?" Lisa put her hands tentatively on Evangeline's stomach.
"I'm guessing it's because she was keeping it a secret from John." Layla felt a little bad for being so insensitive, but it was nice to see her perfect older sister being the screw up for once. "To think that you were just as devious as him."
Evangeline didn't bother butting in. Layla was acting like a bitch, but Evangeline understood. She would need to speak with her sister privately after all.
"That will be quite enough Layla," Lisa gave her a stern look. "Now your sister has been through a lot this year. What she needs right now is family."
"Are you kidding me? You freaked out on me, and all I did was move. Evangeline is knocked up and she's still the golden one." Layla put her hands on her hips and stared at her mother incredulously.
Evangeline took Layla's hands in her own. "Layla, I love you, but know that you are testing my patience. This is my life and I'm not asking for your approval or acceptance. Mom and I are going to go talk. You should take a few minutes to come to your senses and join us when you're ready. If you're not going to be supportive, you need to leave." Layla pulled her hands out of Evangeline's and walked off in a huff.
"That child has always tested my patience." Lisa frowned at her adult daughter who hadn't quite grown up yet. "I'll make sure she apologizes."
Evangeline pulled Lisa away to the living room before she started to harp on Layla's bad behavior. Lisa hadn't pitted them against each other, but she'd created an environment that kept Layla in Evangeline's shadow. It was no surprise that she was so bitter.
Lisa took in the casual look of Evangeline's décor. "This doesn't exactly look like your style, Cookie."
"Yeah, I've heard that high fashion and kids don't exactly mix." Evangeline knew it would be several years before her child was old enough to treat her furniture like a jungle gym, but she decided to go ahead and make the transition to kid friendly furniture.
"Come, let's talk." Lisa sat down on the sofa. "I have to admit that I'm more than a little shocked, Evangeline. To know that you've been keeping this secret and for so long. Were you really that afraid of talking to me?"
"I kept the secret because of John. I only broke the news to him a couple of days ago, New Year's Eve actually. We're not exactly on the best of terms right now and we haven't been for the last few months. Still, I wanted him to be the first person that I told." Evangeline sat down beside her and put her hands on her ever-expanding abdomen.
"Evangeline Williamson, I am surprised at you. How could you have kept that man from his child? I'm not fan of John's, but he had a right to know." Lisa knew it was time to impart her wisdom onto her oldest daughter.
"I haven't kept John from his child." Evangeline was technical as usual. "I'm still pregnant. The only things he's missed are appointments with my doctor. I can give him copies of the sonograms."
"Evangeline, you know what I mean. You've already had several months to prepare for the arrival of your child, and it seems as though you have a few more to go. That man needs all the time he can get to start adjusting to the idea of becoming a father. That isn't something you just spring on someone." Lisa spoke lovingly and tried to be the voice of reason. She was not a fan of John's, but she wouldn't let her daughter's poor decision go unchecked.
"Since when do you feel the need to stick up for John? You couldn't tear him down fast enough when I brought him home for the funeral." Evangeline changed the topic seamlessly. She couldn't disagree with what her mother said, and she wasn't ready to admit that she was wrong.
"That was then, Cookie, and this is now. John isn't just some guy you brought home for your family's approval. He's the father of your child. Like it or not he is always going to be a part of your life now. The past needs to stay the past, and all needs to be forgiven. For the sake of your baby, you have to make peace with him." She wouldn't say it, but Lisa had already prepared this speech. Only it was intended for Layla. Layla had a worse track record with men that Evangeline did. She wore her heart on her sleeve and she'd had it stomped on more than once.
"I can't even believe this is you. I can't just forgive him, mom. You don't even know what he put me through." Evangeline knew Layla had been feeding her information, so her last statement hadn't been correct. "He made me trust him, and then he lied to me. Right to my face. Like it was nothing."
"That doesn't have anything to do with him being a father to this child, and you know it. Is it really so surprising that he lied to you? When you brought him home, you told me how much he cared about you, and even though he couldn't say those simple words you fell in love with him."
"The heart wants what it wants." Evangeline interrupted.
"And love is blind. I heard about John's involvement with that man in prison and the man's wife. Nothing that Layla has told me about John has surprised me." Lisa swatted at Evangeline's arm to stop her from rolling her eyes.
"Layla is giving you biased secondhand information. I love her mom, but you can't count on her to give a fair account of what's going on." Evangeline was annoyed that Lisa just couldn't be on her side. She'd been without her mother's guidance, and right now she just wanted to be babied.
"I can't count on a fair account from you either. Tell me, how many times did you have to look the other way to keep loving John? How many times did you find yourself defending his actions?"
Evangeline dropped her head into her hands. "Why are you focusing on this?"
"Because it isn't what you expected. I know you were thinking that I would be upset and disappointed. I am, but that's beside the point. You wanted me to argue, yell, and fuss about the adult choice that you made. You wanted me to be outraged at John for being the one who put you in such a precarious state. You wanted to hear me bash John for the things he's done since you've been apart." Lisa put her hand under Evangeline's chin and made Evangeline look at her.
"I didn't dislike John as a person. I disliked the way you covered for him. I really did not think he was good enough for you. When you told me you broke up with John, I couldn't have been happier."
"I remember. You were very vocal." Lisa had been abrasive because she didn't want Evangeline making the same mistake with her next partner. "You didn't see what I saw in him. John was a good man."
"You say that like something has changed. I've heard the story." Lisa again focused on Cristian. She'd been disgusted and appalled by Layla's revelation, but that was her kneejerk reaction. "I don't know John like you do, but I do know that he seemed decent. Do you really think he let that man go to jail so that he could be with his wife?"
Evangeline just shrugged her shoulders. Lisa grabbed her hand and squeezed it. "Don't let your emotions get the best of you. You are a well-educated and highly successful attorney who is more than capable of expressing herself. Tell me the facts."
"The facts? John has been borderline obsessed with protecting Natalie from herself. He felt guilty for getting her involved a mess that ended with her husband's disappearance. That guilt clouded his judgment and interfered with his moral compass. He compromised his integrity."
"And what about you, Cookie? What role did you play in all of this?"
Evangeline looked over at her confused. She thought for a moment then let out a deep sigh. "I went right along with him. I also compromised my integrity. I never should have been involved with proving Cristian's identity, but I did it because I wanted to be close to John. We were fighting all the time, and always being on opposite sides was starting to take its toll on our relationship." Evangeline hated how pathetic that sounded. "John really did think that Cris was an impostor." Evangeline stood and started to pace.
"Come, sit." Lisa patted the cushion beside her and waited while Evangeline sat down and got comfortable. "I love you, Cookie. I want what's best for you," she put her hand tenderly on Evangeline's abdomen, "and my grandchild. I don't want you to make the same mistake that I made"
"Please mom, can we not," Evangeline didn't want to rehash the unpleasantness of her parents' separation.
"We need to, Evangeline. I was wrong for what I did. Your father made a mistake that I couldn't forgive. It destroyed our marriage. I was angry with him, and I punished him by making it difficult for him to see you and your sister. My anger should not have interfered with his rights as a father." Lisa quickly wiped away a tear that started to form in the corner of her eye. "I don't have to tell you how that affected my relationship with your sister. There is no amount of apologizing that will ever make up for the time that she missed with your father."
Layla appeared suddenly in the doorway. She glanced over at her mom then over at Evangeline. She walked over to the sofa sat on the opposite side of the sofa leaving Evangeline in the middle. "I'm sorry about earlier." Layla leaned against Evangeline with her head on Evangeline's shoulder. "Look, I'm not siding with mom just so that we can gang up on you. I agree because I'm the one who lost out on all that time with dad, so think of me as your kid in the future. You will have your reasons for keeping John away, but all your kid will know is that she has a dad and he's barely around. Then someday she'll realize that you were the one who kept her from her father. You'll try to justify your actions, but she won't understand. She'll grow to resent you. She might even hate you. Then all she'll have is a strained relationship with her mother and a weak bond with her father."
Evangeline didn't bother to interject. She was now painfully aware of how poor her choice was. "I'm just supposed to forget all the pain he's caused me."
"For the sake of your child, yes." Lisa wrapped her arms around Evangeline and Layla.
"What if I'm not strong enough to forgive him?" Evangeline felt bad for wanting to hold on to her anger, but she was tired of always doing the right thing.
"Then you can count on me for strength. You've gotten too used to bottling things up and dealing with things on your own. You have me. You have family. You have friends. Don't let your pride stand in the way of getting help that you need. I love you, Evangeline." Layla smiled. Evangeline had once bailed Layla out of trouble and had given her a near identical speech. She was glad that she could finally return the favor.
Lisa didn't bother to wipe her tears away this time. "In spite of what I did, you two turned out to be wonderful young women. I couldn't be more proud of you two."
"Yeah, a single mother and a failure at life. We are a great pair." Layla joked.
"A selfless, self-made woman who happens to be single and pregnant and a fiercely loyal, kind hearted aspiring actress who is well on her way to finding her own success. I wouldn't have it any other way." Lisa knew that people in the family would talk, and it wouldn't be kind. She wouldn't have any of it, though. These were her girls and she loved them more than her own life.
"I'm just lucky to have you guys. Thank you." Evangeline smiled and felt as though a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. For the first time in a long time, she felt as if things were going to be okay.
John leaned back into the sofa cushions with his beer in hand. These last few days had sucked, and there didn't seem to be an end in sight. Time had not been on his side. He'd read enough of the paperwork that Evangeline had given him to know that court was just a few days away. If that wasn't stressful enough, he also had to go to his mandatory appointment with the IA shrink. He had been fully prepared to go in there and tell the shrink where he could stick his therapy, but Evangeline's revelation had changed things. He knew well enough that it would hurt is cause if he was deemed unstable and that caused him to be unemployed.
John pulled out his phone and set it down on the table in front of him. He needed to call his mom. It had been a couple of days since he'd fought with Michael, and his mother hadn't called. For the second time in his life, Michael was able to keep his mouth shut. John knew better than to press his luck. He thought that he might need her as a character witness, so he wanted her to hear his side of the story first.
He looked down at his hands and shook his head. His knuckles were bruised and sore. After his altercation with Michael, he'd gone to the gym and worked the heavy bag until his hands went numb. He imagined this would look great in court. "Nothing you can do about it now."
John picked up his phone and quickly dialed his mother's number. He half hoped to get her voicemail, but she answered right away.
"John! What a wonderful surprise to hear from you." Eve spoke over the noise in the background. She was getting ready to go on stage for her next performance. She spent most of her days traveling as an entertainer for a cruise line. It kept her busy, so she didn't have time to think about how lonely she was. She'd wanted to stay in Llanview to be close to her sons, but she knew them both too well. They led busy lives and would have little time to spend with her. "How are things in Llanview? How is Natalie?"
John felt sick to his stomach. "We're still not on speaking terms." The last time he'd spoken to Eve she'd pressed him to reach out to Natalie. She knew John had one tough breakup already. She didn't want Natalie to slip away if she was someone that John cared about.
"Well, have you tried talking to her?" Eve sighed inwardly. She felt guilty for John's disposition. She was an emotional wreck after her husband's murder. Instead of dealing with his feelings, John tended to everyone else's needs. John grew up quick trying to fill his father's shoes. Eve knew better than to let him take on so much, but she couldn't help herself. At a young age he'd closed himself off emotionally and he'd never really opened back up.
"Right now, I've got more important things to worry about." John thought of the best way to break the news.
"Keeping your job is important too, John. I understand that." Eve had heard from Michael about the IA shrink evaluation. "Love is also important, John. Some might say that love is the most important thing, or do you care to disagree."
"In this case, I'm agreeing and disagreeing with you. I have to have my priorities in order." The word love hung in the air and left and uncomfortable silence. "I've got someone to protect."
Eve shook her head. He son was ever the hero. "If not Natalie, then who?"
"I don't know yet. I haven't met him or her yet." John danced masterfully around the subject.
"Then who could be," Eve's words trailed off at the end as she thought of what he left unsaid.
"You never met her, but do you remember Evangeline Williamson?" Just saying her name was enough to upset him.
"Yes, your brother talks about her very highly. I believe he thought she was the one for you. He still talks about her on occasion. I think he has a crush on her." Eve spoke candidly. She assumed John already knew as much.
"She's pregnant." John interjected quickly. "Six months along. I just found out a couple of days ago." He didn't want Eve to think too highly of her.
Eve sat in stunned silence. In a million years, she wouldn't have guessed this. "I'm assuming this wasn't planned on your part." Mike had mentioned to her a couple of times that John's friendship with Natalie was interfering with his relationship with Evangeline. She thought Evangeline wouldn't be the first woman to get pregnant to save a relationship. Though, it would seem that it backfired if John ended up with Natalie.
John swallowed hard. He didn't plan on impregnating her, but he knew the risks and enjoyed taking them. "We were both careless. What's done is done. She's due in three months."
"And if it could be undone?" Eve pushed her son for an honest answer.
"No." John snapped. Things were messed up now, but he didn't regret anything.
"Well, okay then." Eve wasn't sure if she should be celebrating or not. John was always hard to read.
"Look, I know it's short notice, but like I said I just found out a couple of days ago. Anyway, we've got a hearing on Wednesday. I know you're busy, but if you could fly out, you know, just to be there. I can pay for your ticket."
"John," Eve sighed and resisted the urge to lecture him. She could imagine that he had enough on his plate right now, "we're not anywhere near a port. I doubt that I would make it in time. I'm sure Michael would be happy to stand up for you in my place." She would have mentioned Bo, but she could imagine that their relationship was strained due to recent events.
John clenched his fist but didn't let his disappointment show. "No, yeah, I understand. Look, I know you're busy, so I'll let you go. I just wanted you to hear it from me."
Eve knew she would get the full scoop from Michael later. "Well, I didn't say it before, but congratulations. You'll have to find out her due date so I can be there when the baby is born. To think that I'm going to be a grandmother."
"I'll, uh, I'll let you know." John hung up without any sweet goodbyes. Without his mother, he didn't have anyone to count on. He worked hard to keep people at arm's length, and now he was paying for it.