“Coming!” Paloma yelled out as she sprinted to the door. Once she opened it, a look of shock instantly replaced the smile she had on her face. “Ethan. What are you doing here?”

“I’m here to see Theresa and Jane.”

“Theresa and Jane? They’re not here. She left town this morning.” Paloma fumbled as she tried to make sure that he didn’t try to take her daughter away from her again.

“Paloma, nice try, but I know she’s here. The car’s still parked in front of the house. Don’t worry. I don’t have the cops around here or anything. I would just like to see my daughter.” Ethan smirked before making his way into the house despite Paloma’s objection.

“I don’t know if Theresa or Luis would want you here. After all, you and Gwen are the reason why she’s in hiding with her children.” Paloma replied as she closed the door.

“I understand that, Paloma, but I’m not going to hurt her or her children. Gwen doesn’t know that I’m here.” Ethan retorted as he made himself comfortable on their couch.

“But…”

“Paloma, it’s okay.” Theresa said as she stepped into the living room. She still maintained that look of caution as she watched him Ethan stand up from the couch to face her. “Jane’s in the kitchen probably filling herself with cookies. EJ is spending the day with Miguel.”

“Ahhh. I see. I can understand Paloma being protective of you, but I guarantee I won’t do anything to hurt you, Jane, or EJ.” Ethan smiled as he slowly walked over to her. He wished he could take away that hurt in her eyes, but he knew that he was responsible for putting it there. “Does Jane know?”

“No. She asked me this morning, but I couldn’t tell her. She’s young, so she wouldn’t understand. I just told her that you were an old friend of mine.” Theresa shrugged before looking over at a picture of her with Jane and EJ that they took before they fled Harmony.

Before Ethan could open his mouth to berate Theresa, Jane stepped into the living room her eyes suddenly going wide at the man that she saw at the church. She instinctively walked over to her mother and hid behind her while those big blue eyes stared at him.

“Mommy, that’s the man at the church yesterday.”

“Yes, he is sweetheart. Don’t worry, honey. He wants to say hi, so don’t be shy.” She replied as she bent down to wipe some chocolate from her daughter’s chin.

Despite looking exactly like her mother, she had his blue eyes. That was his beautiful little girl standing there, and she didn’t know who he was. When she was a baby, he thought about her first walk, her first talk, watching her dance like a little princess in the ballet. He didn’t have those opportunities like he should have. He lost those moments he wanted to experience with Jane and… “Hi, Jane. My name is Ethan. You’re very pretty. You’re pretty like your mommy.”

Almost instantly Jane warmed up to him, completely forgetting the fact that he was the man who did hurt her mother. Theresa smiled at both of them as they bonded and thought about what could’ve been and how as much as she tried to picture the fantasy the reality will always smack her in the face and she had to live with that for the rest of her life.

Gwen paced frantically around her bedroom wondering where Ethan could’ve gone. It was so late, and still he wasn’t home. Where is he, Gwen thought to herself as she looked out of the window.

Rebecca soon entered her room and made herself comfortable on the bed. “Gwen, honey, relax. All of this frowning about will give you premature wrinkles and I don’t think the salon can squeeze you in for botox.”

“Mother, this is no time for games. He said that he was going to be gone for a couple of hours but he’s been gone all day and for most of the night. I’ve been trying to call his cell phone I hope he’s alright.” Gwen anxiously ran her hand through her hair as she continued pacing around the room.

“Gwennie, don’t worry. It’s not as if Theresa was back in town and she sunk her little claws in him again. Besides, he knows who he has in his heart and his loins. You. Theresa wouldn’t dare set foot in this town because if she does, we would make sure that she was arrested for kidnapping your daughter.” Rebecca replied as she patted her daughter’s hand. “If she set foot here again, we will make her wish that she had never been born, but don’t you worry about Theresa because she is not here.”

“I know, Mother. Sometimes I worry that Ethan may still have feelings for her even when we know that she’s not here. He would sit in Jane’s room in the dark and say nothing. Don’t you think that’s a little strange?”

“Well, yes, but that’s because that little tramp kidnapped your daughter and fled the country with her. Honey, don’t worry so much. He loves you, and he always will.”

“I hope so, Mother. I really hope so.”