Thank you to everybody who read or left kudos for the last section. I appreciate every little bit, especially for this sequel since the show has been over for more than a decade, and I've been writing this series just as long. The babies are here. I'm so excited that I made it to this point after working on this series for nearly 15 years.
Chapter 95: Wine and Xanax
Early morning London time September 23, 2010:
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Sorry, it's the middle of the night where you are, but I thought you should know that the twins are here. Mother and children are doing well. I am attaching a screenshot of Marc's welcome text message.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: [eight images attached.]
Ana: It's OK. I'm up because the boss is on the warpath. I'm just grateful it's because of the birth of the twins and not her finding out that a body was discovered in middle of nowhere Pennsylvania. Thankfully that's not being covered here. I think Amanda being in labor has sufficiently distracted her from her evil Austin plots.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Thank the universe she's unable to multitask her evilness. I am not surprised that she's furious. What is she making you do? Hopefully something not illegal.
Ana: Borderline. I need to get access to Alejandra and Marcus' birth certificates to confirm they are legally Daniel Meade's children. The Somers-Suarez name is doing me no favors. My mom will not be happy that Amanda decided to pass along my Tia's stage name. The Suarez name will only make her feel a little better. Do you know why they went with those two names?
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: From what I've been told, Daniel and Amanda did not want their kids to have four last names, so they picked two, and this is what they came up with. Per Candy, Daniel is already in the process of changing his name to Meade-Suarez. How does the witch even know that's the name they're going with? The press release isn't going out until mid morning your time.
Ana: She has a contact at the hospital. However, the contact only gave her their names. I'm the one who's going to have to find a birth certificate.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: That feels outside the responsibilities of an administrative assistant.
Ana: Yes, but she will leave me without my passport if I don't. Or at least she thinks she has my passport.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Even if she did have your real passport, I have friends at the embassy in London that would take care of it. So does your real boss. Vicky still doesn't know you work for Lindsey?
Ana: Nope, and now I'm definitely not going to tell her. Let her incriminate herself.
Ana: I think she asked because, in my fake history, I've dated many cops and city officials.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: That's possible. She forgets that you're in a completely different country.
Ana: I think it's all the wine and Xanax. She drank so much last night that I am shocked she is still conscious.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Country club day drinkers are a different breed. Let me see if I can get you a copy of the birth certificate once it's filed. Tell Vicki your ex knows somebody here and got you a copy.
Ana: Bless you.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: In the meantime, here are pictures of your baby cousins. [8 images attached]
Ana: They're adorable. Wow, they look like Daniel. There's not one bit of Victoria in there. I wouldn't have questioned the paternity of the twins if I wasn't aware of the truth.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Same. I only found out the truth recently when I became your contact. We're all grateful that Betty decided to date Diet Daniel. It makes this charade at least plausible.
Ana: Yep. Nobody is going to question their paternity without another DNA test.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Do you have time to get away from the devil woman this morning to have breakfast with the Dads? Marc is dragging them back to the hotel to sleep for a few hours. Marc needs a break before he crashes.
Ana: Unfortunately, no. I must meet her outside her apartment in 20 minutes and bring her breakfast.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: I hope Lindsey pays you well to be his little spy.
Ana: Very well. I think he's having buyer's remorse after getting into bed with the wicked witch.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Who wouldn't.
Ana: Lindsey blames her for Betty leaving.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Yet not his own horrible treatment of the woman. Of course he's not self-aware at all.
Ana: Not at all. I am free tonight. Victoria is having dinner with a friend and doesn't want me there.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: That's more of a reason for you to be there.
Ana: I was sent on an errand to pick up sex supplies, so I am inclined to think this is just a booty call. I definitely don't want to be there for anything that requires red raspberry delight lube and a riding crop.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Nor should you.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: I just checked with Jerry. He said his team had people in London watching her and could deal with it tonight. They intercepted the flowers you were required to send to the hospital.
Ana: Thank God. What was message six?
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Nothing connecting her to the other death threat roses, mostly congratulating Daniel on his kids. The message also contains a poorly concealed insult directed at Claire. They hate each other despite the fact it was a spouse swap situation.
Ana: I am this close to spitting in her latte. I hate the woman.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: I'm sure the staff already did that.
Ana: Probably.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: I'm working with Marc to schedule drinks with the dads tonight before he passes out for the day.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: He says bless you. They're driving him crazy.
Ana: I can understand that.
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Anyway, I'm going to bed. Have a good day, and keep us posted on Victoria's shenanigans.
Ana: Will do. Will I be running into Marc at any shows today?
Assistant to Ms. West-Hartley: Thankfully, not today because he needs sleep. It could happen tomorrow because Marc agreed to do a few shows to get more time away from Amanda's parents.
Ana: That would be unsurprising.
Xxx
Ex's new boyfriend: I'm sure you're probably recovering from the long birth, but when you wake up, we would love to know how Amanda and the twins are doing. If we don't get an update soon, I may be unable to keep Matt from jumping on a plane.
Betty: Tell him not to think about coming until his mom leaves the country. Amanda is doing surprisingly well for someone who gave birth this morning. She's currently working with the lactation counselor.
Ex's new boyfriend: I assume that means things are going well with the babies?
Betty: They're doing very well.
Betty: [12 pictures attached]
Betty: Alejandra and Marcus may only be here a couple of days. Technically, Amanda will be discharged tomorrow, but since it's a fancy private hospital, we get to stay in the suite as long as another family does not need it. We have rooms at the nearby hotel, just in case.
Ex's new boyfriend: That makes sense. I doubt Daniel or Amanda want to be that far from the twins.
Betty: None of us do. Daniel spent most of his time with the twins in the step-down unit. He took Amanda there earlier and only brought her back because she needed to meet with the lactation counselor.
Ex's new boyfriend: What about you?
Betty: I've been spending a lot of time with the twins. They're so tiny and cute. I didn't expect I would feel like this about them. I am not looking forward to visiting the lawyers tomorrow because I don't want to leave them behind.
Betty: [three pictures attached]
Ex's new boyfriend: You look so cute with the babies. Maybe it's a good thing you are getting your accidental parental leave. I'm sure you're sad about leaving your magazine, but it may be a good thing in the long run.
Betty: Maybe. I think I'll have a new project soon. Matt's aunt is trying to get me to help her set up a Hartley Foundation branch in the UK. Daniel is trying to get me to send the children's books I write for the kids for fun to a publisher. He even asked his sister for advice since she is a book editor now. I'll go with whatever keeps me in the UK.
Ex's new boyfriend: I'm sure you'll find something. My sister's company has offices in London. I am happy to ask her if she has any openings. She can put you in touch with her London HR reps.
Betty: I'll keep that in mind. The only job I'm qualified for at your sister's company is admin assistant. I prefer not to go backwards.
Ex's new boyfriend: I don't know if I would really consider it going backwards. An excellent corporate administrative assistant is difficult to find. My sister has had nine assistants in the last five years, including the one who slept with her husband and the one who slept with my then-boyfriend and then married him.
Betty: Yes, I only slept with my ex-boss after I no longer worked for him.
Ex's new boyfriend: [snickering emoji]
Betty: We're going back up to do skin-to-skin contact. The doctors said the babies were ready for it, so we are going upstairs.
Ex's new boyfriend: I want pictures of that.
Betty: Amanda said I could send a few untouched but most of them will probably be of Daniel.
Ex's new boyfriend: Matt will be happy with any pictures of the twins, even if they contain Daniel. I suggest sending him only a few of those. I think it hurts him.
Betty: I'm sure it would. How's Matt doing with all of this? We are unable to talk to him directly. Even his gifts had your name on them. Which Amanda loved, by the way. Anything in a Tiffany's box is automatically her favorite.
Ex's new boyfriend: He is happy the twins are here. However, Matt is sad he can't be there. He is also angry at himself for letting things get so awful with Amanda that she doesn't want him there. He's working out of my office this morning, so I can keep an eye on him. I'm pretty sure everybody thinks we're fucking right now because the blinds are closed, but I don't care. If people see how edgy he is, they will know something is off.
Betty: Probably. If Victoria weren't causing chaos at London Fashion Week, Amanda would be OK with him being here. Unfortunately, it's not safe. Amanda still cares about his safety and well-being despite their relationship falling apart. None of us trust Victoria not to do something dangerous, especially after she hit you last week.
Ex's new boyfriend: I know. I almost regret not pressing charges. That may have kept her from going to London. Matt is convinced he could sneak in without her knowing. Since last night, I've been trying to convince him it's a bad idea.
Betty: It is definitely a bad idea. Victoria has an informant on staff. Amanda's cousin knew about the twins being safely delivered before Tamika contacted her. Victoria forced the woman to get her a copy of the birth certificate while bringing her breakfast.
Ex's new boyfriend: Which I'm sure consisted of a latte and Xanax with just a hint of vodka.
Betty: Possibly. Victoria even knew their names already. We have yet to release that to the press. We're not planning to. If Matt showed up at the hospital, she would know in minutes.
Ex's new boyfriend: Matt agrees with you. Neither of us is surprised that Victoria has her assistant do her dirty work. We are also unsurprised that she has an informant. Matt says she's had people watching him before, including a private investigator.
Betty: I knew about the private investigator. The last assistant was completely uninvolved with her scheming. It seems odd that she's using the new one to cause chaos.
Ex's new boyfriend: Matt says her other assistant worked for the foundation, not her. Even then, they did some questionable things.
Betty: That is unsurprising.
Ex's new boyfriend: What does the birth certificate say?
Betty: We put Daniel's name. That's what the fake DNA test says. After Victoria's no longer a problem, we can look into making everything legal and making sure Matt still has some parental rights. Amanda doesn't want to take the twins away from him entirely.
Ex's new boyfriend: Matt hopes it won't be necessary after Victoria is dealt with, but even I realize that Daniel is in for the long haul. I'm working on getting him to accept Daniel as Amanda's platonic co-parent.
Betty: Bless you for doing that. Daniel is all in, and so am I. That's not going to change once Victoria is hopefully behind bars.
Ex's new boyfriend: I think Matt realizes that, too. I hope so, anyway.
Betty: I have to go. I have babies to cuddle.
Betty: [Six images attached]
Xxx
Cory passes the phone over to Matt. He was currently using Cory's meeting table as a makeshift desk. Despite another low-sleep night, his boyfriend looks perfectly put together. Cory will blame this on his fashion designer aunt, responsible for half of Matt's wardrobe.
"I am surprised Betty was able to get pictures of Amanda with the twins," Matt remarked.
"I think heavy negotiations were involved to get me the ones she sent. Besides, I don't think you would appreciate pictures of Daniel cuddling the twins right now. Which is why I haven't shown you any of those." Cory will keep those pictures to himself for now.
"Thank you for at least being considerate in that regard. Although I wish I didn't know about the birth certificate."
"Are you upset about Daniel being on the birth certificate? It's necessary with your mom forcing her assistant to get a copy." Cory asked his boyfriend.
"Yes, but I'm resigned to it. I hate that Victoria is getting what she wanted." Matt acknowledged dejectedly.
"Does Victoria actually have what she wants? Betty and Daniel are still together. Amanda still wants you in the babies' lives. You're also not engaged to one of the country club princesses of Manhattan. This is no victory for her," Cory pointed out.
"From her last email that she sent me, Victoria was trying to set me up with your sister. She's OK with me being with a Malick, just a female Malick. I forward that to Jerry's team without even reading all of it." Matt explained to his boyfriend.
"Also, a White one at that," Cory added.
"I am so done with Victoria Hartley bull shit. I really want to be cuddling the babies right now." Matt sunk into his seat.
"Soon," Cory reached over and kissed his boyfriend. "The kids' trip to London and Paris is only a week away. Your mom isn't going to Paris Fashion Week, is she?"
"Amanda's cousin hasn't heard anything, but she didn't know about London Fashion Week until the plane landed in the wrong country," Matt answered.
"This is very true."
"Aunt Brianna is already working on an excuse to get me into London more often. Something about opening a foundation office there."
"Betty mentioned that your aunt mentioned something about her helping open a London branch of the foundation. It would be a good cover to get you into the country regularly. If Betty also works there, it would give you an easy means to stay in contact." Cory suggested.
"That would be something she would do. Aunt Brianna also plans to drag me to all Meade-Suarez family holidays as her 1. She can't in good conscience keep Alexis Junior from her big brother," Matt explained.
"See, you'll be with the kids a lot," Cory said, trying to be positive.
"More often than my father was, but still not as often as I would like to be there."
"I know. You care, though, and sometimes that's enough." Cory explains.
"Not enough to me. I want to get through this day," Matt puts his head on the table.
"You will. For now, concentrate on that article you've been trying to write for the last two hours. You only have two more days and then we go on our mini vacation. Vivian's assistant has informed me that hotel rooms are booked, and tickets have been purchased. She even made arrangements for a minibus to drive us there." Cory told him.
"I think the minibus will make it harder for us to sneak out and visit Rebecca while Cliff keeps the kids distracted."
"I'll see if my sister will let me borrow her convertible. The husband got to keep the house, but she got to keep the midlife crisis vehicles." Cory joked.
"I'm looking forward to a drive with you."
Xxx
"If you're done texting, it's your turn to cuddle with the babies." Betty heard Amanda say as she placed her cell phone in her bag. She's mostly been taking pictures in between messages with Cory.
"Who are you texting anyway?" Daniel asked as one nurse helped her prepare for baby cuddle time. That involved a lot of washing and sanitizing.
"Cory. He wanted a baby update mostly to keep his boyfriend from showing up," Betty said as she slid in next to Daniel. After discovering about Victoria's informant at the hospital, they were careful not to say Matt's name. Who knew what was being fed to her? They needed to keep up the pretense that Daniel was the twins' father, which wasn't hard because it was evident to everybody that Daniel loved those kids.
"I appreciate your sacrifice." Daniel remarked as he handed Alejandra over to her but not before pressing a kiss to her forehead. Amanda had Marcus in the chair beside them.
"She's perfect," Betty stated as Alejandra cuddled into her chest. Betty already loves holding the twins. She genuinely cared about them which was very different than her feelings towards Henry's son. Maybe it was because Alejandra and baby Marc needed her protection. Or maybe taking care of DJ this summer taught her that being a parent would not keep her from her goals. (Of course, Betty is still trying to figure out what she wants to do now that she left her dream job because it was a nightmare, but she'll figure that out once she's no longer dealing with premature newborns.)
"She really is. I am so happy you're letting me be part of this." Daniel told Amanda.
"I'm just grateful I don't have to do this alone. I was afraid of that when I first found out I was pregnant." Amanda explained.
"I promised I would be here no matter what, and I mean that. I'm not leaving you or the twins." Daniel promised. "Even if I weren't here, Marc would help you with the twins. He also has experience with taking care of babies now." Betty snorted at Daniel's words.
"I still can't believe we both ended up parents within six months of each other. Neither one of us thought we would ever have kids." Amanda told the group.
"None of us can, but at least Marc and Cliff got back together." Betty smiled.
"I am grateful one of us gets a happily ever after," Amanda said softly.
"It's a different happily ever after, but I'm still happy." She snuggled the baby closer to her. "I have to find a different job, but I'm still happy."
"You're going to become a famous children's book writer. I'm just happy you don't hate me. I was terrified this would break you two up, but you're both disgustingly sweet with all the kissing." At that, Daniel purposely leaned over to kiss Betty. Amanda smiles.
"I'm glad you're still disgustingly sweet because you know who wanted to break you two apart," Amanda said vaguely, but they both knew she was talking about Victoria. Betty was also convinced at this point that Victoria switched the paternity test to make her life as miserable as possible. Thankfully, it backfired.
"I'm always happy to make her miserable. Is it in poor taste to send her son a thank-you gift basket for not bringing enough condoms?" Daniel joked from beside her.
"Yes, because you weren't the one in labor for a day and a half. Baby Marc, you're adorable, but everything still hurts." Amanda said as she kissed the baby on the forehead.
"OK, no gift baskets. But I'm still glad your ex's mom did not get what she wanted."
"Me too," Betty said, going back to cuddling Alejandra.
Xxx
Excerpts from the diary of Amanda Tanen Somers
September 23, 2010
Dear diary:
I'm sorry it's been a few days. My last update was after I learned about the great DNA test swap. I can't believe that was just this weekend. It feels like I found out months ago, not days ago.
I am now officially a mom. Alejandra Molly Sommers-Suarez and Marcus Hayden Sommers-Suarez have arrived. I'm happy I convinced Daniel to go with Molly as our daughter's middle name. It wasn't just for him but also for Monique. I wouldn't have gotten through the first few months of the pregnancy or the last few months without her. Gio told me she cried when she discovered Alejandra's middle name, so I'm happy Daniel gave in.
I miss Monique. I'm sad she couldn't come for the birth, but she promises to visit soon. In the meantime, she sent me all of Jamie's old baby clothes via Marc. I didn't know there were that many designer baby clothes, but I appreciate it since my kids will be the best dressed.
I was scared that I would regret my decision to co-parent with Daniel once the twins arrived, but I'm glad I did it. He's a natural, and he's much better at feeding the twins than I am. I think I flunked lactation 101, but they love Daddy bottled time. Daniel is a great dad.
Also, Betty is getting the handle of being a stepmom. It's better than with the whole Henry fiasco. I'm sad Betty had to quit her job because her boss was a jackass, but I'm glad she's going to be with me for a little while, at least until she starts the next big thing. She still isn't sure what that is, but she'll figure it out.
I'm pushing her to write the book. She read excerpts to me while I was in labor and succeeded in keeping me distracted, which is hard to do when you're pushing a porky pine out of your kitty cat. Besides children's book writing is better than being a philanthropist or a magazine editor.
Everything still hurts, and I mean everything. I am starting to wonder if I should have had a cesarean. That recovery time would've been worse. I also doubt that my doctor would have let me have one without actually needing it.
I wish the babies could be here with me, but they're still in the step-down unit. I can spend most of my time upstairs once I'm discharged officially tomorrow. Hopefully, the twins will be going home soon.
I love them so much, and despite the chaos, heartache, and death threats am so glad I decided to have the twins. I love the babies from the first ultrasound, but getting to hold them for the first time made it matter so much more.
I am even more confused about why Faye gave me away. I could never do it. Did she not love me? But I know that Claire loves Tyler. She knew that he would have a chance of a better life if he wasn't with her as her marriage crumbled around her.
I wonder if I'm making the right decision co-parenting Alejandra and baby Marc with Daniel. I know it's the best decision to keep the twins safe, and I'm glad Matt respects that. At least I know he cares about the babies. However, I still think Daniel will make a better dad than Matt—at least for now. Maybe he'll get better.
I don't think Faye would've been a good mom. Obviously, she realized that and made sure I was happy. I just wish I knew who she was to me. I promise they will get to know Matt, especially once Victoria is gone. I hope that happens soon. We can't even say her name out loud because somebody at the hospital is spying on us. I can't wait to take the twins home and be done with this place.
To be continued…