The Fine Print - Chapter 7
by yhh
"Sign these," TC demanded, as he shoved papers underneath Eve's nose.
"Hello, TC. Thanks I'm fine. How are you?" Eve retorted, as she put aside
her medical journals to read the papers her estranged husband gave to her.
"Eve, I think we are long past pleasantries."
"I'm scum of the earth, but its okay to use the money I made to go to the
Dominican and divorce me?"
"We earned that money together- -"
"Because teaching and coaching at a high school pays extraordinarily well,"
she answered sarcastically. She was no longer going to allow him to make
her feel like crap without fighting back. Yes, she was sorry for the lies,
but that didn't mean he could talk to her however he would like.
TC was taken aback by Eve's feistiness. He saw a gleam in her eye, he had
rarely seen in their marriage. Another side of herself that she kept hidden.
Another lie. When would it end? When would the pain stop?
Eve was surprised to see that he had split all their assets 50/50. It left
her hopeful that maybe one day he could forgive her. Or if not forgive her,
than maybe one day he would at least understand why she did what she did.
Or maybe that was just too much to ask. But her hope quickly faded when
she saw the custody agreement. "You want sole legal and physical custody
of Simone and give me supervised visits once a week. Are you smoking crack?!"
Glancing around, he was glad the park was virtually empty he didn't want
his private business spread all around town. "You're a compulsive liar with
more than twenty years of training, I don't think it's good for any minor
to be in your presence unsupervised, most especially my Sugar Bear."
Laughing bitterly, Eve stared her husband in the eye. She could see he
was dead serious. Not only was he serious, but he believed what he was saying.
He believed her to be a compulsive liar. How did they get to this point?
When the truth came out, she knew it wasn't going to be pretty but she hadn't
known it was going to be this bad. She never could have imagined this. And
the fact that he was saying it in a calm voice was more frightening than
if he had been yelling. "I'm not a compulsive- -"
"Every day since we met, you've lied to me. Nothing that's come out of
your mouth has been truth- -"
"Except that I loved you. I love our daughters. I loved our life together-
-"
"No, no that's a lie. If you ever loved me, you would have told me the
truth," he yelled, turning away from her. He couldn't look at her. He couldn't
take any more lies. "You would have told me the truth."
"When? When you were going on and on about your hatred for the Cranes?
You want to know the ironic part; I was going to tell you."
TC turned to face her with the disbelief evident in his eyes.
"I came over to your apartment after pulling an all nighter at the hospital.
You had had a few beers. You started talking about your past and you asked
me about mine. And in that moment, I knew I was going to do it. I was going
to lay it all on the line. Tell you about everything from my father shipping
me off when his new wife decided I was a nuisance, more like a reminder
of the fact my father had a family before she married him and gave birth
to Liz. I was going to tell you about living with my Aunt Irma, about my
time at the Blue Note, Julian, the child we lost. But before I could utter
a word, you began talking about your father, your disappointment about not
making it to Wimbledon because of that quote 'bastard' Julian Crane. Hearing
Julian's name come out of your mouth killed any chance I ever had to tell
you the truth. I loved you. I was in love with you. I wanted nothing more
than to marry you. Grace had let it slipped that you had taken her ring shopping
to help you choose the right ring. In that moment, I decided I would live
with the lies if it meant I could be Mrs. Thornton Chandler Russell, the
woman you loved enough to want to marry. When I thought Ethan had died, I
never expected nor did I feel I deserved to find happiness ever again. I
didn't deserve love, but you came along and made me hope. You gave me hope
again. There were times I hated you for it, but secretly I was amazed you
loved someone as flawed as me, even if you didn't know all of me. The part
you saw and knew, you loved and for that I vowed to be the perfect wife-
-"
"The perfect wife doesn't lie. She doesn't deceive. She is truthful. Why
didn't you think I could be like Sam? He handled the uncertainties of Grace's
unknown past. You didn't have to tell me Julian's name, but you could have
told me about the situations you had endured." He couldn’t bear to hear
her version of why she lied from the moment they met.
"Would that have satisfied you? I know you TC. You would have wanted names.
You would have wanted to go beat up the man who hurt me. And more than that,
you would have been hurt and I would have lost a part of you forever because
of my past. You would have never gotten over it. You loved the past I created,
a child who lost her parents at a young age raised in a group home. I was
like Grace. I had a blank slate and you loved it. You loved it."
He didn't want to hear this. This wasn't about him. They didn't arrive
at this point in their marriage because of his lies. She created this nightmare
and destroyed their family, not him.
"Oh, that's right. You're not guilty of anything. You are the paragon of
virtue." She shook her head. Why did she think she could help him see reason
or at least understand where she was coming from?
He remained silent.
Tucking her hair behind her ear, Eve sighed and refocused. She was done,
trying to explain herself. The man she once loved and part of her still
did, didn't want to hear her out then she would no longer volunteer the
information. If TC wanted the truth than he would have to come to her and
ask. "I'm not giving you sole custody of my daughter. Joint legal and physical
custody- -"
"I am not letting my daughter join you up at that place while you shack
up with the spawn of Satan," TC thundered.
She wouldn't even remind him that she was living at the Harmony Inn and
had been since he had kicked her out of their house. "Because it's better
for her to live in the house where her aunt is sleeping in the bed her mother
once slept in. Did you even get a new mattress?" She held up her hand. "Forget
I asked I don't want to know. I want joint custody or we will go to court
and I will stand in front of every camera that I can there and tell the
world how my husband couldn't forgive me for the past I led years before
I met him so instead he's divorcing me and on top of that, he's sleeping
with my sister. My baby sister," she informed TC with steel in her eyes.
"How long do you think the Harmony School District will want you teaching
their children? A coach who can't forgive, but worse yet is sleeping with
his sister-in-law. His sister-in-law. Do you think anyone will care that
you just met her?"
TC stared at the Eve he had never seen or heard before. She was ruthless
and he knew beyond a shadow of a doubt she would destroy his career, the
same way her lover had years before. The two of them deserved each other.
"Fine. Where should I have the new papers sent?"
"To the mansion." Gathering her items, Eve left him standing alone without
another word. As she walked away, she felt the door permanently closed on
any hopes of salvaging any type of relationship with TC and her heart ached
at that.
Walking back to his truck with tears welling in his eyes, TC took out his
cell phone and dialed. "Momma," he cried.
"Oh, baby," Michaela Russell comforted. "The pain is going to continue
until you forgive her."
"Momma, I don't know if I can," he answered honestly.
"Thornton Chandler Russell, you can do anything you set your mind to. Now
start from the beginning and tell Momma everything."
"Darling, what's wrong?" Julian asked as his love threw herself in his
arms. He loved the feel of her in his arms, but not with tears in her eyes.
"Just hold me," she whispered.
"For eternity," he assured her.
In the security and comfort of his arms, Eve was able to recognize the
truth she had been hiding for a long time. She loved this man. She loved
Julian Linus Crane. She had never stopped. Even when she was madly in love
with TC, it was never as intense, as consuming, as passionate, as she what
she had felt for Julian. When she first started dating TC, he took her rafting.
The first time they went, rarely a wave hit their raft. But as time progressed
and she became more confident and more proficient, they hit the rivers that
had waves constantly hitting their raft. That was how her love for the only
two men she had ever loved.
Her love for TC was calm, soothing. Her love for Julian was a scary and
exciting ride, never a dull moment. Their love scared the hell out of her,
but she was a better person because of it. She was stronger because of Julian
and their relationship and with him. With Julian, she could be her true self
and never be ashamed of anything she had ever done, which wasn't always
a good thing. Between them, there were no boundaries. Nothing was off-limits.
If only TC knew where she learned to give hand and blow jobs on planes without
anyone noticing.
TC had moved on, not just physically with Liz, but mentally also. They
could never go back to where they used to be. It wasn't in TC to be that
forgiving of a person, it simply wasn't. She had always known that. TC's
mother had warned her about that awful trait in her son, but secretly she
had hoped either he would change or he would never discover her past. Both
proved to be false. If he had moved on, then it was time for her to do the
same. It was time for her to reveal the truth. It was time for the first
time in over two decades for her to throw caution at the window and do what
she really wanted to do.
Stepping out of Julian's embrace, she cradled his face between her hands.
"Julian Linus Crane, I love you. I adore you. You own my soul as I own yours
and I'm sick of denying it. I want to shout it from the mountaintop, I love
you. And I always will."
Only Eve could surprise him and catch him off guard. She said all the words
he had longed to hear since he left her in their apartment in Boston. But
there was too much at stake for her to be saying these words to get back
at TC for divorcing her, for taking up with that hideous Liz. Her heart and
soul were at stake, along with those of her children. "Eve, are you- -"
Pulling him into her arms, she kissed him with all the passion she had
stored for over twenty years. She used every bit of her learned knowledge
about his turn ons to convince him of what he knew was true. Slowly she licked
his bottom lip and lightly nibbled on it until he opened his mouth. Her tongue
snaked in and touched every single corner of his mouth. No spot was left
untouched, un-caressed. She felt his moans and his excitement against her.
Instinctively, she knew next his hands would leave their safe spot on her
back and move towards her bottom to grind her against him. And she was more
than ready for it. She needed it, craved it. This kiss was hotter than anything
she had ever experienced. She could still feel his resistance so she took
it upon herself to grind against him. As she ground against him, she threw
her head back and groaned. She was on fire. She felt like she was burning
from the inside out. Then Julian grabbed her hair and took control of the
kiss before he stepped away from her in time to swoop Endora in his arms.
What the hell happened? Eve was about to let out a string of curses that
would have made a sailor blush, but not Julian since he was the one who
had taught her the words, when she finally noticed Endora. Then suddenly
Julian was pulling her quickly towards the car and out of the rain.
Throwing open the car door, ever the gentleman, Julian assisted she and
Endora into the car before getting in himself.
"Daddy, what were you and Aunt Evie doing?" Endora asked innocently.
"We were kissing," he answered as he started the car and pulled off.
"Why?"
"Because Aunt Eve has agreed to go out with me."
Go out with him, Eve mouthed. She almost said it out loud, until she saw
the look in Julian's eyes.
"I am going to court Aunt Evie in front of the whole town, so everyone
will know how much I cherish, respect, admire, adore, and love her. Never
will there be a doubt in anyone's mind that she is my soul mate whom I will
be with until I take my last breath. And when I am sure the world knows,
than we will stand in front of you, your siblings, and God and repeat our
sacred vows."
"Can I be a flower girl?" the toddler asked eagerly.
"Of course, Endora," Julian assured her. Turning towards Eve, he saw the
tears in her eyes. "I love, Eve Johnson Russell."
"Eve Crane. I love the sound of that."
"So do I, love. So do I."
Eve turned to check on Endora to find her asleep in her car seat. "I am
not waiting for months on end to be with you. We've wasted too many years.
I don't want to be apart from you- -"
Placing a finger against his beloved's lips, he silenced her. "Before our
love was a secret, it was hidden. You deserve better than that. I want you
at my side at the boring dinner parties I must attend. I want you in my
bed when I have to travel for business, if your schedule allows. I want
every man and woman to know you are mine when we walk into the Lobster Shack.
At the annual hospital ball, I want you by my side as we greet everyone.
So you will be courted while you live in a three bedroom cottage on the other
side of Sheridan's. There's enough room for you, Simone, and Whitney, if
Fox can let go of her. It's far enough away from Sheridan and the main house
to insure your privacy, but close enough for late night rendezvous."
With tears running down her face, she leaned over and kissed him. "Thank
you."
"There's nothing to thank me for. It should be I thanking you for giving
me, us, a second chance."
"No, thank you for knowing Eve Johnson warts and all and still loving her
and wanting her to be your wife."
"My love knows no bounds. No limits. I will always be with you."
Leaning her head against his shoulder, she happily held onto him as he
drove them home.