~A Beautiful Mess~ Chapter 5 Chadresa/Kaguel
by Faith81
 
 
 

"Miguel." Kay whispered. "What is all of this?"
"This." Miguel smiled. "Is our date."
Kay wiped a tear from her eye. "I was kind of expecting dinner and a movie."
"Would you prefer dinner and a movie?" Miguel questioned walking toward her rose in hand.
"No, No this is perfect." Kay smiled. "But I’m a mess."
Miguel handed Kay the rose. "You’re not a mess." He spoke.
"How did you do all this? And where did you get this stuff? Its December."
Miguel’s gentle smile cause Kay’s stomach to turn as he took her hand. "I got it at the youth center. I remembered when we were little and you talked about Valentines Day, you’d say that it should be everyday."
"I can’t believe you remembered that." Kay whispered. "That was so long ago."
Miguel shrugged. "Good memory I guess."
"Yeah, I guess so." Kay nodded. "So you did all this yourself? And where’s Beth?"
"Beth gave me the key and told me to lock up." Miguel smiled. "Luis helped me with some of it, but it was my idea."
"Why did you do all of this Miguel?" Kay questioned looking around the room. "Its beautiful, but why?"
"Why?" Miguel spoke. "Kay its the least I could do. You’re giving me a child." He smiled as he suddenly kneeled on one knee. "And I wanted to give you something in return."
"Miggs?" Kay questioned as Miguel pulled out the black box and opened it. Kay’s eyes fell on the small teardrop shaped ring inside.
"When I asked you to marry me in your bedroom, I went about it all wrong." He sighed. "I’ve always been good at messing things like that up. So now I want to do it right. Kay Bennett, you’ve been my best friend for as long as I can remember. We’ve laughed together, and cried together. Now will you do be the honor of spending the rest of your life with me? Will you marry me?" He questioned.
Kay swallowed trying to get the word out of her mouth. Her hands were shaky as she looked down at Miguel. One word, all she needed was one word, yet it hung in her throat. "Only if you love me." She whispered finally shocked at her own words. ‘What’s happening to me.’ Her mind whirled. "What am I doing?’
"What did you just say?" Miguel questioned.
Tears rolled down Kay’s soft cheeks. "Do you love me Miguel?"
"Kay." He frowned.
Kay swallowed praying the tears would go away. Why couldn’t she say yes? She loved Miguel, she had worked so hard to get him. This moment was what she had dreamed of and yet her heart wouldn’t let that one word slip from her mouth. "Do you know where I was before I came here?" She questioned. "I was at home, listening to my mother tell me she loved David Hastings more than my father. My mother was leaving daddy, Miguel. She was going to walk out the door with that man, until I spoke up."
"Kay, what happened?"
"David isn’t mother’s husband, and John isn’t her son. I’ve known for awhile now but refused to say anything. I just figured mom deserved to sink herself, but today that changed. Today I touched my stomach and realized I was a mother, and my child deserved to have a loving family, a real family." She sighed. "I told mom everything, and then daddy heard me and kicked her out." She cried. "My parents marriage may be over Miguel."
"You knew all along?" Miguel questioned standing. "Kay, how could you keep that information to yourself?"
Kay frowned. "My mother has hurt me for so long." She admitted. "And I wanted to see her hurt too. I didn’t care if my parents split up Miguel, because until today I didn’t realize what marriage really meant."
"Kay I can’t believe this. You’re parents won’t split up, they belong together."
"Like you belong with Charity? Like Ethan and Theresa belong together?" Kay whimpered.
"That’s not what I said." Miguel frowned. "I belong with you and our child." He spoke taking her hand.
"Because you love me? Or because its the right thing to do?" Kay asked lowering her head.
Miguel smiled. "Because for the first time in a very long time, I’m seeing the real Kay Bennett." Touching her face he wiped the tears from her cheek. "This is the person I’ve missed Kay. The real you, she’s standing in front of me, and I know I can love her."
"But you don’t love me now?" Kay asked.
"Kay, when you told me you were pregnant I was planning a life with Charity. I won’t lie to you and tell you my feelings for you are as strong as yours are for me. I do love you Kay, but if you want me to say I’m in love with you, I can’t." He frowned.
"I see." Kay swallowed. "So I’m still just the best friend?" She asked. "Or do you think we can make a marriage work? I’m talking forever Miguel, can you stay with me forever?"
Miguel found himself staring deep into Kay’s eyes. He had missed the person in front of him. This wasn’t the petty girl he had been dealing with for the last while. No, this was a woman, it was his Kay. "This is the you I was falling for so long ago." He smiled. "Kay, you changed after Charity came to town. You were so different, almost like a stranger. The truth is I had no idea who you were, but right now I know exactly."
Kay felt a lump grow in her throat. There were so many things Miguel didn’t know. She had vowed never to tell him the horrible things she had done to get him, yet she felt in her heart he needed to know. "Miguel, there’s still so much you don’t know. Things I’ve done." Kay frowned.
"Things? What things?" Miguel questioned. "Kay you can tell me anything, best friends remember?"
"Anything?" Kay asked touching her stomach, as years of mistakes ran through her head.
"Of course, but I’m sure its not that bad. I’m mean you didn’t try to kill anyone." He laughed.
Stepping back Kay lowered her head. No, she couldn’t do it. She wouldn’t loose Miguel now, not when he was really falling for her. She’d just forget the past and start fresh. A new life with the man she loved.
"You know what?" Kay questioned looking up at him. "Its nothing. I guess my hormones are just getting the best of me." She laughed nervously.
"Yeah Theresa was a mess when she was pregnant, crying all the time." Miguel spoke, then sighing he frowned. "What am I saying, Theresa has always cried. Its who she is." Then with a small Miguel touched Kay’s face. "Now about my question?"
Kay couldn’t help but laugh. "Miguel if you really want to marry me, then my answer is yes." She finally spoke. "My answer has always been yes when it came to you."
"So we’re getting married?" Miguel questioned.
"Looks that way." Kay nodded holding his hand tight.
"Then we have a lot of planning to do." Miguel smiled. "Because I want to be married as soon as possible."
Kay pushed her guilt from her mind as she looked up at Miguel. "I want that too." She whispered. "You have no idea how much I want that."
~*~*~*~*~

Theresa held her son tight in her arms. She took the scent of baby powder in as she kissed his cheek. "Mommy has been very bad." She whispered in his ear. "I’m sorry I didn’t realize sooner just how important you are." Touching Ethan Martin’s face she smiled. "But I’m going to make up for it, yes I am." She grinned. "Your going to have a real mommy from now on baby, I promise."
Walking outside of her mother’s house Theresa smiled as the snow fell gently against her. She knew as she looked down at her son that she had a second chance.
"Your stuff is all packed up." Chad’s voice spoke from behind. Smiling she turned around and saw him standing there his hands in his pockets. "I have most of it in the car already."
"Is mama still yelling?" Theresa questioned with a frown.
"Yeah, but I ain’t about to repeat it. She did say at least I was the good Crane." He snickered. "I guess that’s a small victory."
"Victory?" Theresa laughed. "Just wait until I tell my brother. Luis is going to go off the deep end."
"Should I be prepared to duck?" Chad questioned.
"Nah, he won’t hit you, he’ll just yell at me. I’m use to that though, Luis has been yelling at me my whole life."
"Only ‘cause he loves ya though." Chad smiled.
"Yeah, my brother has always loved me." Theresa agreed. "No matter what he has given me the best life possible."
"Brother? Did I hear the word brother?" Luis’s voice rang out as he walked up the street. "Chad good to see you man." He smiled as she looked over at his sister. "What are you two doing out here?"
Theresa swallowed. "Luis, I need to tell you something."
"Theresa, can it wait? The patriots are about to play. Chad you wanta come in and watch? New England’s gonna sling those Dolphins all over the field."
"Patriots? As in Tom Brady?" Theresa asked with wide eyes. "Oh, he’s cute, very cute." She giggled.
"Theresa!" Luis spoke with a smirk. "Football isn’t about cute guys in tights, its about so much more."
"Yeah, but I’m afraid I have to disagree on one thing Luis." Chad frowned. "Dolphins will pull this one out. They have a tight team this year."
"Chad I’m disappointed in you, you’ve gotta believe in the team." Luis laughed. "They’re going all the way again this year."
Theresa smiled. "I’ll watch as long as Brady is playing."
Rolling his eye Luis turned his back. "She’s all yours Chad, I’m not even gonna try." Luis laughed as the front door slammed shut.
Winking Theresa took Chad’s arm. "Did ya hear that?" She asked with gleam in her eyes. "I’m all yours."
"Oh your funny T." Chad spoke with a smug grin. "Because if you were actually all mine girl, I can think of a few things." He winked as she playfully smacked him.
"You really are a Crane." She laughed resting her hand on her son’s head. "You know I need to get Martin out of this weather." She frowned.
"Martin?" Chad questioned.
"I’m NOT calling him Ethan, I just can’t do it." She shuddered. "I keep seeing him in the future with that blank look on his face. I can’t let him turn out like that man."
"Theresa, Ethan is a highly educated lawyer." Chad frowned. "He’s not that bad."
"Highly educated? Chad I did a little research while I was VP. I found out that Julian basically bought Ethan’s degree. He could barely make it through his first year of college. He flunked out Chad, but the Cranes built a nice library, a nice science lab, and Ethan was a lawyer, simple as that." She shrugged.
"But what about the bar?" Chad questioned.
"That was bought off too." She smiled. "Ethan has always been a dimwit, only before the Cranes helped him along. Poor Gwen, she’s stuck with him for life." Then with a wicked grin she looked up at Chad, "Looks like I got lucky doesn’t it?
"Yeah, you got stuck with me instead." Chad smiled.
"You I can deal with." Theresa laughed. "Just have to keep my eyes on the goal at hand. Pay back darling, that is what we’re after."
"And that." Chad smiled. "Is what we’ll get."