Table of Contents [Report This]
Printer Chapter or Story


- Text Size +

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.


Early morning and his once blissful sleep rudely interrupted by two whacks on the cheek by tiny palms. Definitely, Trevor's wakeup call.

"Wake up daddy! Wake Up!"

Before he received another smack, Todd popped opened his eyes and lifted a giggling Trevor high in the air. "Who told you to wake up daddy?" Todd playfully asked while twisting him from side to side.

"I did," Evangeline responded after drawing aside the drapes. It somewhat surprised him to see her already dressed but before he could comment Evangeline remarked, "Breakfast is waiting downstairs. I couldn't allow your kids to go off with just cereal."

A wry smile plastered on his face. "Hey what's wrong with cereal? It has a lot of health benefits."

"Compared to pancakes, eggs and sausage...not much," she rebutted.

"Spoken like the beautiful, exquisite mother you are," he said with that added tone in his voice causing her cheeks to become warm.

"Come Trevor your father needs to take his bathroom break."

"Yeah I need to freshen up. Your mom owes me some kisses for leaving my arms so early," Todd remarked as he jumped out of bed. Evangeline's eyes roved over his torso. "You are going to join me for breakfast right. I hope you don't expect me to eat alone."

"Of course not," she replied absentmindedly.

Todd chuckled, "Enjoying what you see..."

"I see you've kept yourself in pretty good shape. I'll give you that."

"All for you baby."

"Better be...," she winked at him.

 

♥♥♥♥♥

"Now this..." Todd was chewing and wanted badly to express how much he was enjoying the surprise breakfast treat. "More than delicious...hmm...hmmm. I knew I was missing out..."

"Todd for the time being I'm not going to stay here."

That pronouncement came out of nowhere and it sure put a damper on Todd's mood. He suddenly became quiet but kept on eating - no use wasting a great breakfast. Evangeline briefly distracted herself by wiping Trevor's mouth smeared with maple syrup.

"I get it Evangeline..." He suddenly pushed himself away from the table and abruptly rose from his seat.

"Hear me out Todd Manning," Evangeline vehemently instructed.

"Ok I'm listening..." Todd folded his arms and leaned against the kitchen counter.

"I will never feel or be comfortable in the penthouse and we both know why. I want to take on the responsibility of finishing the house," she said as she approached him. "That will be our home. The place where we raise our family."

A smile returned to his face as he took her hands into his. "Ok I get it now." He leaned over placing a sweet kiss on her lips. Trevor squealed his approval. "You should know that I'm in the process of selling the Sun."

"Stop playing Manning," Evangeline said swatting his arm.

"Seriously the newspaper biz doesn't do it for me anymore."

"But the Sun has been a huge part of your life for so long."

"And that shouldn't be. From now on you and the kids will play that part." He caressed her cheek. "Don't worry..."

Evangeline caught a glimpse of Trevor. "Trevor Manning just look at you." He was giggling, his head dripping with maple syrup. She shot Todd a look when he started to giggle as well then a sly smile crossed her lips.

"Hey it's funny..."

"Then you'll take care of this Manning."

"Hold on Evangeline..."

"Like father, like son but this time around mommy is not doing the cleanup. You owe me and you do need to earn yourself back into my good graces after all." She placed a chaste kiss on his lips, patted his chest then calmly strolled away.

He had affectedly lost the argument but he enjoyed the view of her swaying hips.

"You see now we're both in trouble," he said playfully lifting Trevor from his high chair.   

 

֍֍֍֍

 

As the days then weeks floated by, the house as well as their relationship progressed except that Todd still wasn't getting any ‘honey'. They spent a great deal of time rebuilding the trust that once encapsulating their lives. They also took care of the emotional strength of their burgeoning family dynamic. Now that they were starting to come together, the boys were thriving. It certainly wasn't easy, detractors and naysayers abounded which ended up creating an us against the world mentality. Both had been in this position before and believed if the relationship failed again it wouldn't be because of outside distractions.

 

֍֍֍֍

 

When Starr arrived at his office one day, Todd knew he was in for a verbal tongue-lashing. Not only had her mother been deposited at St. Ann's but he also took over full custody of Jack who gladly went along with the idea.

"How could you do this to mom?" It came as a screaming question.

"Don't push aside what she has done to me, Evangeline and your little brother!"

Starr folded her arms and coldly said with a sneer, "Oh your precious Evangeline..."

Todd's face flushed with anger but he decided it best to move away before he said or did something he would later regret. His little short man was little no more. The daughter who always stood in his corner was there no more. Now to see her completely take her mother's side ached his heart. He slumped into his executive chair and twisted away.

"Don't you want dad happy?"

"And you...how could you turn your back on mom..."

"She turned her back on us a long time ago..."

Starr pointed an accusatory index finger at him. "How dare you say that?"

"I can and I will say that. I'm tired of worrying about dad and mom's "relationship" and you should be too. We can never move on with our own lives if we are constantly being pulled into a dead dream of something that hasn't been for a long time."

"Blame dad!"

"Blame mom too. Evangeline makes dad happy and I see it every time they are together."

"And dad is making mom miserable by throwing her into that nuthouse! And here he is getting rid of the Sun for some unknown reason. I think he should be the one locked away..."

It was happening again, his children fighting their battle. In the past, they both allowed it to go on and on with both parents guilty of pitting one against the other or coxing them over to their side.

"Enough of this." A more introspective Todd returned to the fray. "Obviously your sister isn't going to listen to us and I don't want you to think any less of her because of it."

Starr clapped mockingly.

It was obvious to Jack that Todd wanted him to leave. "Dad..."

"No son..." Todd put an arm across his shoulder and steered him towards the door. "I'll be alright."

Before he left he gazed over at his sister and said, "Starr stop fighting mom's battles."

"If I don't then who will."

Jack shook his head, throwing his hands in the air then exited.

Todd turned to her. "I believe there's nothing more left for us to talk about. Evangeline is it for me and I don't need your damn permission to make it so. Like it or not Trevor is your brother."

"Evangeline just shows up and you accept everything she says and you throw mom under the bus. Mom has always been there for you..."

"Has she really?" His mind immediately went back to that day when he died and she wasn't anywhere around. During that moment, it became abundantly clear what Evangeline meant to him. "Leave."

"What?"

"Just go..."

"You're not my father...not anymore." She spun around and bolting through the door.

"You will always be my daughter. No circumstance will ever change my love for you."

 

 

During her hasty departure, Starr stumbled into Evangeline. "Speak of the devil and she appears."

"If you feel that way Starr then that's your prerogative but don't interfere with my family because I will make it my business to deal with you accordingly."

"You don't scare me."

"Try me little girl."

Starr huffed her disgust, flipped her hair then walked off.

 

Evangeline carefully entered Todd's office gripping her purse while her eyes perused the landscape. She exhaled a sigh of relief - nothing broken or thrown around. Soon she caught sight of Todd. He sat on the couch, eyes downcast, shoulders slumped, and his face tinted a light red hue. Clearly, it had been a very heated exchange between the two.

 

"Hey Babe."

He gazed up at her. "Hey Sweetie. Where's Trev?" He tried his best but his voice couldn't masked the lingering disappointment. The look in his eyes said as much.

"He's with his brother. Those two have formed quite a bond. I saw Starr just now..."

"Oh..." He shrank back against the couch. "Please don't ask..."

"I wasn't about to. I can guess what went on." She straddled his lap and her arms encircled his neck. "Now aren't you feeling a little better?"

His lips curved into a smile. He caressed along her arms. "Much but you are such a tease."

"It will be worth the wait." She pressed their foreheads together. "Starr will always love you. She's hurting and really confused. She believes that I'm the one putting a huge wedge between her parents." When Todd attempted to speak, she silenced him with a kiss. "She's a Manning so that's not subject to change until she wants it to."

"Was that a smart comment?" He tickled her and thereafter kissed her neck. She sensed the rise of his manhood and her own need for him but now wasn't the right time.

"Down boy..."

But Todd held onto her. "Don't go yet," he whispered placing soft kisses all over her face. He enjoyed her scent and the feel of her skin beneath his fingertips. "You are doing wonders for my mood. Haven't I been a very good boy? Shockingly patient."

"Shockingly," she repeated in breathy tone. "You've really impressed me."

"Aren't good boys supposed to be rewarded?" His hands moved beneath her blouse, caressing her soft skin then drifting upwards as their lips collided in a passionate kiss.

"Todd...hmmm... we can't...not here...huh...the door..."

"I can take care of that just..."

"Dad...Evangeline!"

Both jumped away from each other. A deeply embarrassed Evangeline smoothed down her blouse. The appearance of his sons became the cold shower for his libido. 

"Trevor and I have been scarred for life," he yelled out while shielding his brother's eyes.

"Oh stop you didn't see much."

"Enough to give me nightmares," Jack teased.

"Nothing that some video games and pizza can't take care of," Todd remarked cheekily as he assisted Evangeline to her feet. "Do we have a deal?"

"Throw in some ice cream and we certainly do."

"Ok then. Let's go get your brother and make a night of it."

 

Jack welcomed this new family dynamic. He truly saw how Evangeline really cared for "her men" as she referred to them. Sam confided and speculated how she would feel if he called her mom. He really didn't know how to respond to his brother who has never seen or experienced the love of a mother. He supposed she would think nothing of it considering Sam's situation.  Evangeline and Trevor's presence in their lives has certainly brought about a refreshing change. A joy into their lives beyond his imagination. He always wanted it to be this way and wouldn't change it for the world even if his sister chose not to be a part of it.  

 

 

֍֍֍֍

 

Later on that night, a nervous Evangeline finally made an appearance out of the master bathroom. That apprehensiveness travelled from her sweaty palms down to her bare feet. She hadn't the slightest idea why she was feeling so uneasy. Perhaps she was afraid that their time apart might have taken away from their once strong connection. She gazed around the room. The flames from the scented candles glowed through the darkness while soft, mellow music romanticized the atmosphere.

Looking back her nonexistent marriage lacked not only love but also that heightened pleasure of being with the person you love. Tonight she again perceived the possibilities of reconnecting with her soul. A bare chested Todd sat up in bed with his back pressed against the headboard. Her eyes regarded every inch of exposed skin and a warmth pooled around her center. He appeared to be distracted tough and it wasn't because of the sexy black and grey lingerie she wore. 

"Todd..." She slid into the bed next to him placing her right palm on his chest. "Baby what's on your mind?"

"You..." He began stroking along the length of her loose strands then fingers lightly traced her face. "You are most beautiful, amazing."

"And so are you my love," she smiled staring adoringly into his eyes.

"I've wanted this, you for so long that sometimes I felt my heart couldn't take it. There's something I need to do that I can't put off any longer."

"Todd what..." Todd silenced her by pressing an index finger to her lips.

Suddenly he produced a red velvet box. Evangeline's heart rate shot up. Could it be? Simultaneously tears formed in their eyes. The moment became so surreal, wonderful. Her eyes switched between gazing at Todd and the box. A range of emotions flowed between the two; at times anxious mixed with a growing excitement. A weird tension hung in the air as to what may happen next. Before long unsteady fingers opened the box to reveal a heart shaped, pink diamond engagement ring.

 

 

 

"So beautiful...," she sniffled.

"Evangeline Williamson I love you. My heart has been and will forever be yours. Will you marry me and make me the happiest man..."

"Yes!" she grabbed his face kissing him hard. "Put it on...put it on...put it on..." Her fingers were a little shaky as well and tears flowed down her cheeks as Todd slid the ring on her finger. It fit perfectly. "This is really happening..." She had wanted this from the moment they became official. That's why his marriage to Blair ripped her heart apart.

"Yeah," he replied with laughter wiping away her tears. "I was made for you and you were made for me."

Evangeline laughed at his attempt at singing. "I love you so much Mr. Manning."

"I love you too Mrs. Manning."

"Mrs. Manning has a certain ring to it." She stretched out her hand admiring the ring and the way in which it sparkled.

Todd slowly removed her negligee admiring every swell and curve that came into view.

He sucked down hard on her neck. "Huh..." her voice hitched as a cool breeze hit upon the heat of her skin.

"Forgive me," he whispered in a low sensual tone. "I doubt I can wait any longer." A haze came into his eyes changing it to a deeper7 shade of blue.

"Neither can I," she replied pulling his body towards hers.

 












Enter the security code shown below:
Note: You may submit either a rating or a review or both.

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.