HAZY SHADE OF WINTER - PART EIGHTEEN

PREVIOUSLY

Tomorrow would be the night…for both of them…the night they finally became husband and wife…body and soul.

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Late February 1999,
Boston, Massachusetts…

It was late on a Friday evening when Cameron Alton walked into his estate. He threw his keys on a table in the hall and walked into his living room.
Samantha was sitting on the couch watching a movie. As soon as he walked in, Samantha threw aside the homework she was working on and ran over to him, giving him a warm hug.
“Where’s Shelley?” asked Cameron referring to Samantha’s nanny.
“In the kitchen,” said Samantha, “Did you find her Dad? Did you find my real Mom?” She was clearly excited. Cameron took off his coat and threw it on an adjacent chair.
“Yes, I did,” said Cameron softly.
Samantha’s face lit up, “Is she nice?” She was excited and scared at the same time.
“Yes, she’s nice. Blair and Starr know her,” said Cameron sitting on the couch. This wasn’t easy for him. Samantha sat down next to him and he took her hand.
“Oh,” said Samantha making a face. She thought that was odd.
Cameron took a deep breath, “She’s Starr’s stepmother.”
Samantha’s face perked up, “Really? Starr adores her stepmother!”
Cameron spied a schoolbook on the coffee table, “You’ve got French homework?”
“Yeah…” said Samantha, “Tell me about her. Tell me about my real mom.”
“That’s something you have in common. Your ability to pick up a foreign language. Except your mom is fluent in Spanish,” said Cameron smiling at Samantha, “Not French.”
“Oh,” said Samantha, “I’m learning the wrong language. I guess I never gave much thought to my obvious ethnic background.”
“I don’t think it matters,” said Cameron.
“Is her name really Tee?” asked Samantha.
“No. Her name is Téa. Téa Delgado,” said Cameron softly.
“Is she pretty?” asked Samantha.
“She’s very pretty. You look a lot like her,” said Cameron.
“Do you have a picture of her?” asked Samantha full of curiosity.
Cameron leaned over and dug into his coat, pulling out a copy of the Sun.
He turned to page two and showed Samantha the small black and white picture.
Samantha’s mouth dropped, surprised at the strong physical resemblance between her…and her mother. She read the caption, “ADA Téa Delgado to prosecute popular Llanview doctor.”
Samantha looked up at her father, “What’s an ADA?”

“It stands for Assistant District Attorney. Your mother is a lawyer,” explained Cameron.
“Wow. A lawyer! Cool…” whispered Samantha, “When I can meet her? Did you tell her about me?”
Cameron could see the excitement in his daughter’s eyes.
“I didn’t tell her about you but I called her office before I left Llanview and found out she was going to be away all weekend and she wasn’t due until Sunday evening. So, I made arrangements for us to be in Llanview on Sunday and I left a message on her answering machine telling her I would come by her apartment on Sunday evening after she got home,” explained Cameron.
“Do you like her Dad?” asked Samantha in a hopeful tone of voice, “Did she like you because of your heart or your money?”
“Are you playing matchmaker again?” asked Cameron.
“Maybe,” said Samantha.
“Well, your mother is married Samantha – to Starr’s father,” said Cameron.
“Oh, yeah – I forgot. I can’t wait to meet her. I can’t wait to have a mom,” said Samantha. She smiled at her father, “Thank you Dad. I know this isn’t easy for you.”
“I love you Sam,” said Cameron sincerely.
“I love you too Dad,” said Samantha leaning over and giving her father a warm hug.

That night, Llanview…

Roseanne Delgado sat on the couch in the apartment she used to live in with her…sister. The lights were dim. In her hand was a note from Téa. Téa had left it at the diner for her before she went out of town. Roseanne looked at the note and read it again,
“Roseanne, I don’t know why you’ve moved out or why you’re so angry with me – I can’t fix the problem if you don’t tell me what it is. I thought we were really beginning to feel like family. I’m going away this weekend to NYC with Todd. Things are looking up for us – Todd and I – that is. However, when I get back, I want to see you so we can work out whatever problem is between us. I love you Roseanne. Téa.”
Roseanne took a deep breath. She had done a lot of thinking and had decided to give Téa the benefit of the doubt. She had checked with Téa’s office and Téa was due back on Sunday evening. And Roseanne would be here, waiting for her…waiting to find out...waiting to tell Téa that she had a sister.
Roseanne let her head flop back on the couch, praying she had made the right decision.

Port Washington, New York…

“A marina, Todd?” questioned Téa as Todd pulled up to the marina’s parking garage.
“Well, ah, I wanted something a little different,” he said softly.
They had just come from a magical evening. They had seen a Broadway play, “The Lion in Winter” and had an intimate meal at a romantic restaurant.
Todd parked the car and Téa reached for the door. Todd grabbed her hand, “Ah, let me get it.”
She blushed and nodded her head. Todd got out, opened her door, and helped her out. She draped her evening shawl over her shoulders and Todd put her coat on. His winter coat was all ready on. Téa slid her arm under his and they briskly walked down the docks.
“See that yacht,” said Todd pointing to the biggest one on the dock, “That’ s ours.”
“Wow. It’s nice Todd,” she whispered. As they approached the yacht, they were greeted by a dockhand.
“Mr. Manning? I’m Jerry. The yacht is prepared according to your instructions,” he said.
“Ah, thanks,” said Todd. He left Téa and took Jerry aside, “Look, my wife…and I want our privacy so ah, why don’t you take the weekend off?” he whispered.
“No problem,” said Jerry, “Just let me collect my things.”
Todd nodded his head and took Téa inside into the hall while Jerry quickly collected his things. Jerry left.
Téa marveled at how spacious the yacht was. Todd took off her coat.
“Have you been here before, Todd?” asked Téa.
“Nope.” He poked his head in a door, “Ah, that’s the kitchen.” She nodded her head in acknowledgement.
He walked back over to her side and put his hand in the small of her back. They walked down the hall until they came to a door at the end of the hall. Todd opened it up and peered inside, “Ah – that’s our bedroom,” he said shyly.
Téa blushed.
Todd escorted her in. The room was huge with a large king sized bed in the middle of the room. On the bed were silk peach colored sheets. A bay window overlooking the harbor was off to the side. A walk-in bathroom was on the other side of the big room. Two dressers were next to the bay window and a small two seat loveseat was in the middle of the room. A coffee table was in front of the loveseat. A chilled bottle of champagne and a bucket of strawberries were on the table. His and hers matching bathrobes lay draped across the back of the loveseat. On the nightstand next to the bed was a dozen peach roses.
“You’ve thought of everything Todd,” whispered Téa, overwhelmed.
“I can be romantic when I want to be,” replied Todd.
He walked over to the roses and grabbed two. He lay one rose down on the center of the bed and then he presented the other rose to her while giving her a hot, smoldering look of desire. She hesitantly reached for the rose.
“Don’t worry, there’s no thorns. I had all the thorns trimmed,” said Todd softly, not losing eye contact.
“Oh,” said Téa. She took the rose and smelled it.
“Now what?” she whispered.
“Let me seduce you,” he replied.
Téa took a small breath, never expecting to hear those words from him. He broke their connection and went to the coffee table, pouring them each a glass of champagne. Téa took a seat on the couch, removing her evening shawl, revealing her bare shoulders. He sat down next to her, ensuring his legs were touching hers. He picked up a strawberry and fed it to her – first teasing her lips before he allowed her to take a bite out of it.
Then, he held up a glass of champagne and allowed her to drink a sip from the glass. A little champagne spilled on her chin and he gently kissed it away. She was enraptured by his attention and slowly she did the same to him, feeding him a strawberry and giving him a sip of champagne. He took his hand and cupped her chin in it, rubbing his thumb on her face. His lips were inches from hers and she could see the desire in his eyes.
“Wow. That was pretty intense Téa,” he whispered.
“Uh-huh,” she confirmed, “Ah, Todd, I just want to make sure your ready for this…” she whispered.
“Oh, I’m ready. I’m so ready I even brought a box of…ah, condoms, that is, if you want me to use them…” he said nervously, “But I really don’t want too…”
“I really don’t want you too either…” said Téa lost in his eyes.
With that, Todd took her mouth with his. His kiss, full of passion and desire – demanding – demanding her love – he could feel her hands on his shoulders and he enjoyed that.
He got up breathlessly and reached for the lighter, lighting the two candles on the table. He then walked over to the wall, shutting the light off. Téa stood up, nervous, so very nervous… He walked over to her, standing before her. He took her hands and put them on the buttons of his tux’s jacket.
“Take off my shirt,” he commanded, his gaze full of desire for her.
“With pleasure,” she whispered undoing his buttons. She slid the jacket off of his shoulders. He stood before her in the white shirt. She undid his bow tie and let it fall to the floor. She put her hands on the top button. Her eyes found his…she could see the trust and love in them – the encouragement. She undid the buttons and slid the shirt off his shoulders – her eyes not leaving his until finally she looked at his chest. She moved over and delicately kissed his chest. She heard him moan.
He took a breath and stepped behind her, kissing her neck. She closed her eyes, enjoying him… She felt him lift the straps off of her shoulders and slide the gown off her body. He unbuttoned her strapless bra and let it fall of the ground. He placed his arms around her waist and put his mouth next to her ear.
“You’re so good to me Téa. I love you. No one else would have done for me what you did.” His hands rubbed her soft, smooth stomach.
“I love you too, Todd,” she replied.
They stayed in that position for a while and Todd explored her body. And then, he pulled away from her and walked in front of her. His eyes found hers and told hers to follow his. He undid his pants and slid them down his legs. He did the same to his boxers. Then, he slid off her panties and they stood before each other naked – admiring the other’s body.
He picked her up in his arms and carried her to the bed – gently placing her on it and joining her on the bed. They teased each other with their lips, hands, and eyes – lost in the other’s soul. Her lips trailed down his waist and she took him into her mouth. He groaned at the pleasure he brought him and quickly he took his hands and guided her off of him. “I can’t hold out much longer Téa,” gasped Todd.
She understood. He sat up – across from her, licking her neck, using his fingers to discover how moist and wet she was. He could feel her body tighten and tense up. He pulled away suddenly and lay down, positioning her on top of him – their eyes met and he reached up, entwining her hands in his. Their moans of pleasure and delight intermingled and both knew they were in bound to each other – and they were in love with each other. They snuggled up to each other on the silk sheets and fell asleep.

The Next Day…

Téa snuggled into Todd’s body and looked up. He was softly stroking her hair, holding her tight.
“How long have you been up?” she asked.
“Not long. It felt good…to sleep for once…” said Todd, “I dreamed about us together…”
“So did I,” whispered Téa. She looked into his eyes and they shared a good morning kiss.
It was silent between them as they got lost in the intensity of the moment. “Téa, not only did I dream of us together, I’ve dreamed of us…wanted us…to have kids together…” he said snuggling her into his body, “And last night – between us – I want it to happen for us – I want us to have a kid – I wanted to have a kid with you…”
Téa swallowed, “Todd, I have something to tell you…”
“Don’t scare me. You want kids right?” he asked, “I think you do.” She could tell he was nervous.
“Yes, Todd. I’m ready to be a mother. You and Starr – showed me that I…have what it takes to be a mother. But this is different Todd. This is serious…” she said finding his eyes. Her emotions were swirling around inside her. This was one of the hardest things she would ever have to do…
“You’re scared,” he said, “I can feel goose bumps. What are you scared of?”
“Todd, it’s my turn now. I have something to tell you. Something I’m not proud of,” said Téa, her voice cracking.
Todd rolled over on his side, rubbing his hand on her hip, “Nothing you could tell me would make me leave you. I love you, Téa.”
Téa took a deep breath, “Todd, I’m ready to be a mother now but twelve years ago, I wasn’t…”
Todd swallowed, “Twelve years ago? What happened twelve years ago?”
“Todd, I had a daughter. And I gave her up for adoption,” whispered Téa, her voice trembling.
“Wow,” he muttered. He brought his hand to her face and traced the tear down her cheek, “Don’t cry, o.k.?”
Tears flowed freely down from her eyes as she was obviously upset. He reached over and grabbed some tissues, handing them to her, “Why don’t you tell me what happened?”
“I was seventeen when I got pregnant. See, I thought I was in love…and, well, it was more like a fascination – it was my first affair and I got pregnant…” whispered Téa rubbing her eyes with the tissue.
“Who was he, Téa? Who fathered your child?” asked Todd continuing to rub his hand on her thigh.
“Anton. It was Anton…” she whispered.
“And what’s he doing here now?” asked Todd, “Why didn’t he stick by you then?”
Téa took a deep breath, “Anton and I had a fight. It was…it was a pretty bad one. And I lied to him. I told him I had an...abortion. He was so disgusted, he left me…” her voice cracked.
Todd’s eyes grew wide, “That’s a pretty rough thing to…say…to a man.”
“I was just a kid, Todd. I was a kid having a kid and I was very scared. It’s not an excuse but it’s why I said what I said to him,” she explained. Todd didn’t pull away.
“Why is he here now?” asked Todd.
“Well, I had…my daughter. And I was going to try and keep her. I named her Marisa. But it was hard. And I had just been accepted to NYU and given a scholarship. I…I wanted…a lot of things for her. Things I couldn’t give her…after three days I decided to give her up for adoption. It was only recently that Anton found out I lied to him and now he wants to find her. He wants…to be a father…to her,” explained Téa.
Again, Todd softly stroked her cheek with his thumb, “Well, that explains a lot. Are you…helping him find her?”
“No. Marisa would be twelve now. Old enough to know her own mind. She’s got to want us…in her life…” said Téa. She firmly believed that, “Todd, it would break my heart if I searched for her, found her, and discovered she didn’t want to have anything to do with me.”
“So, what Téa? If Marisa showed up on your doorstep when we got back to Llanview and said, ‘Hey-I-know-you’re-my-mother-and-I-want-you-in-my-life’ what would you say to her?” asked Todd. Her answer…to him – for him – was so very important.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes to what?” replied Todd wrinkling his brow.
“Todd – I would do anything to be given the chance to be a mother…to my daughter,” whispered Téa through her tears.
Todd let his breath out and took her lips with his, kissing her softly – trying to kiss her pain, her sadness, away…
“Guess what Téa,” whispered Todd thought his kisses as he pulled her into his body.
“What Todd?” It felt so good to kiss him, knowing he hadn’t rejected her…
“You’ve got a second chance with me. Let’s make a kid all right? Let’s spend all weekend in bed, loving each other – Let’s give each other something so special – let’s give each other a kid…” he whispered as his hands explored her body. He enjoyed her reaction to his intimate caresses.
“Todd, I just want to make sure…” she whispered between his kisses.
“Of what?”
“You don’t hate me because of what I did…” she asked, “Because I know how much you love kids…”
“Nope. I don’t hate you at all,” he replied, “I love you, Mrs. Manning.
You’ll be a good mother… to our child…”
The desire and passion between them led to another intense filled love making episode between them.

TO BE CONTINUED

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