~8~
Sheridan pressed the heels of her hands to her eyes, trying to stem the flow of her tears, but it was no use. Luis's words hurt her, to the very core. When she removed her hands and reached for her forgotten glass of water to ease the ache in her throat, there were black mascara smudges on them, and she stared at them because there was nowhere else safe to look. Her voice was rough around the edges, wobbly, when she finally replied to Luis's charge. "I never got the chance to be his mother."
"Don't," Luis warned. "Don't blame Beth. You got a second chance. *I* gave you a second chance. You threw it away. You threw our son, and me, away like we were yesterday's trash."
Sheridan saw red at the mention of Beth and her mind briefly revisited the months of agony when no one, not even Luis, had believed in her and the strong bond she had felt whenever she and Marty crossed paths. She latched onto the anger those memories dredged up and took strength from it, drying her tears with her sleeve and drawing herself up to stand in front of Luis, to meet him face on. "I do blame Beth. Luis, she cost me so much. She put me through hell," she grit out.
"And you never forgave me for that," Luis snapped back, stalking across the room and putting distance between them. He braced his forearms against the wall, hanging his head. "I destroyed your faith in me." His hands clenched and unclenched in fists until he finally slapped his palms against the wall in frustration. "By the time I brought Marty back to you, I was too ***damn late."
"Luis," Sheridan tried to speak, but Luis wouldn't let her.
"No," Luis cut her off. "No. It WAS too late. For God's sake, Sheridan," he growled. "You were at the altar. Ready to marry *him.* Ready to play mommy to his kid. How do you think that made me feel?"
"The same way it made me feel to find out you'd moved on with Beth," Sheridan hit him where it hurt. "Luis, I thought you were dead. And Christopher and James…they kept me going when I wanted to give up. Don't you see, Luis?" she pleaded thickly, her emotions getting the better of her again. "I thought I'd lost you and that I'd never see my baby again, and I had no one else. No one. I was drowning, and I needed someone to cling to, someone to care for again. I never loved him, Luis."
"If that's true, tell me something," Luis demanded.
With only the slightest hesitation, Sheridan nodded.
"Why weren't you the one to call off the wedding?"
Neither one of them are holding back, huh?
Can you tell I enjoy angst?
LOL!
Thanks for reading!
Feedback much appreciated.