Episode 8

Time:  Next day from last Episode, Mid-Morning

Location: Chancellor Mansion

Phillip Chancellor IV pulled up to his ancestral home overflowing with excitement for this new chapter in his life.  At first when he was told that he could not reenlist due to not getting a medical clearance, he had been devastated. It had always been his dream to be a career soldier.  It was all he had ever wanted.  But somewhere from walking out of the general’s office to arriving here, his outlook had changed.  His family had always wanted him back home for good. And he had to admit that when he was here on leave, it was always nice to bask in their love. He had truly missed them.

The question was what he was going to do with the rest of his life.  He had tried being a cop.  He had loved that job.  It was fulfilling but he had lost himself while doing it. And in doing so, he had lost Chloe.  She had been his first everything. He still cared for her and her daughter Delia but he knew that she had moved on and was over him.  His family wanted him to work at CI, he figured he would give it a try.

He knew his mom and grandmother would be happy to see him.  They had not been expecting him today but when his mother told him about Delia’s party, he decided to surprise her.  He loved that little girl like his own.  He hoped that Billy had become a more responsible father to her in his absence.  But it didn’t matter.  He was more than willing to step up and be what she needed if he couldn’t.  And his willingness to do so had nothing at all to do with Chloe.  It was all about that beautiful little girl.

Chance got out of the car and walked into the house.  He headed for the living room to see who was up and around.  He noticed the grounds were full of people and there was as tent outside. He assumed for the party.

He saw Delia sitting amongst his mother, grandmother, and Kay as they all talked about the festivities.

“Well, look at the beautiful birthday girl” he said as all heads looked his way.

“Chance,” Delia squealed as she ran to him and launched himself into his arms.

Location: Lily’s House

Devon walked into Lily’s house as she opened the door with Maddie on her hip.

“Morning ladies” he said as he kissed Maddie loudly on the jaw as she squealed. “Are we all ready to go?”

“Yes we are about ready.  I just need to get the bag from the back.  Thank you so much for doing this.”

He had volunteered to escort Lily and the twins to Delia’s birthday party. He loved spending time with them so it was no hardship. “Well that’s what big brothers do,” he said with a laugh.  He knew she had always hated when he reminded her that he was older.

“Whatever Devon. You are barely 4 months older than me. But I won’t complain being that you are being so nice.”

“You not complain.  That’s a first.”

“Oh. You are already working my nerves. I knew I should have called Trevor to help me,” she said exasperated.

“Trevor.  Who the heck is Trevor?” Devon was shocked.  He had never heard Lily mention some guy before. And they were obviously close if she was calling him to help with the kids.

“Trevor Jacobs. He is Nate’s friend.  And now mine,” she said with a smirk. This made Devon breathe a little easier.  He knew this guy.

“Oh okay.  I know him.  Not very well but he seems like a nice guy.  Besides, he is Nate’s friend. You know your cousin. All his friends are just the same way.”

“Oh gosh. Say it ain’t so.  I had such high hopes for this guy.  If he is just another reincarnation of Nathan, he will bore me to tears.”

“Hey, Nate isn’t that bad.  He is just always on his best behavior around you because you have a reputation of being a tattle tale.”

“Are you serious?  You guys won’t ever let me outgrow that will you. I admit to telling things in the past. But that was because the family thought you two were perfect.  I just wanted to dispel the myth.”

“Lily, that was just two weeks ago at Sunday brunch. You just had to tell that Nate had called in sick to work because he was hung over.”

“Well I got tired of dad going on and on and on about how Nathan was so responsible. But whatever. I am going to get the bags.  Maddie be a good girl for your uncle while I get Charlie and the things,” she said as she gave Maddie to Devon.

“Whatever. My niece is always a good girl. Isn’t that right Maddie,” he said as he tickled her sides and she laughed.

“We’ll see how long you keep that thought while at this party,” Lily said as she laughed. “Which brings me to ground rule number one.  No sweets of any kind or they will be intolerable.”

“Oh come on.  It’s a party.  No cake or anything.”

“No.  Just trust me,” she said as she walked out the room.

Location: Sophia’s Apartment

Sophia walked out into the living room to see Neil holding Moses.  He had come by to pick them up for Delia’s party.  It was their first outing since they agreed to get an annulment. Neil seemed to be accepting things well.  She had not brought up the annulment today because she didn’t want to spoil the jovial mood.

“So, we are all ready,” she asked.

“Alright then.  Let’s head out. You heard that Moses.  You are about to attend your first birthday party.  Are you excited?”

Moses smiled.

“So will we need to pick Lily and the twins up?”

“Nope. Devon will help her,” Neil said as he continued to coo at Moses.

“Oh, so Devon will be there.  You know that Tucker is coming too.” She wondered if Devon knew.

“Yeah I figured as much.”

“I just don’t want anyone to be uncomfortable.”

“By anyone, you mean Tucker right,” he said annoyed.

“No Neil.  I mean everyone involved.”  Neil could be so tiring sometimes. Now that she had decided to move on she couldn’t imagine what was keeping her with him this long. 

“Well as long as Tucker keeps his distance from Devon and Harmony, everything will be fine,” Neil said harshly.

“Harmony? Why would you include her?” 

“Because I think that he is trying to work his way back into her life.”

“Tucker is still married to Ashley,” she said. And she hoped it stayed that way.  Not just for business but because Ashley had brought so much to Tucker’s life.  This was the first time he had ever settled down.  And he seemed happy and content.

“Oh. You don’t know do you. Something else your so called family hasn’t told you. Tucker. Ashley. Divorce. Apparently, it is all over the Restless style blog.”

“What? I need to talk to Tucker.”

“I guess you do,” he said with a smug smile.  It took everything in her not to slap that look off his face.  So much for the happy mood.

“Let’s just go Neil.”

“Okay. After you,” he said picking up Moses’ carrier.

Location: Nick and Phyllis’ House

Phyllis was a little nervous to attend Delia’s party with Summer.  Nick was out of town on business so she would have to go alone.  People were still mad at her over Lucy.  Plus she knew that people were also upset at her for her blog piece about the Winters, Harmony, Tucker, and Ashley.

Well, if things went according to plan, they would be even more upset because she fully intended to publish more of the story.

Then, she just knew that Sharon, Nick’s ex-wife, would also be there with Adam Newman and her and Nick’s daughter Faith.  Sharon claimed to be in love with Adam.  And maybe she was.  But one thing was for sure.  Nick hated them together.  And for good reason. Adam had kidnapped Faith when she was born and given her to Ashley Abbot, whom has miscarried and was having a hysterical pregnancy.

It had taken months for all this to come out.  But afterwards, Adam had been thoroughly hated by everyone in town.  But eventually Sharon had forgiven him.  And now they were together.  She was glad Nick wasn’t in town to witness them.  She didn’t want a fight to start between the brothers.  Nor did she want anyone to question the reason for the fight.  She knew there was this unspoken idea that Nick was still in love with Sharon. Maybe he was and maybe he wasn’t.  At this point she had ceased to care anymore.  She and Nick were no longer married although they were still seeing each other.  She was about ready to be done with him anyway.

“Baby girl. Are you ready to go,” she yelled upstairs to Summer.

Summer came running down the stairs. “Yes, mom.  Let’s go,” she said excitedly.

Location: Sharon’s House

Sharon was preparing to leave when Adam walked in.

“Morning beautiful,” he said as he kissed her lips.

“Hey you,” she said back. This party would be her first outing with Adam sense she had made it clear that she would be with him no matter what happened in the past.  People changed and deserved forgiveness. She knew that better than anyone.  She had messed up a lot on her life.  But she refused to see her love for Adam as a screw up.

“So are you ready,” he said.

“As ready as I will ever be.  Just so you know.  I am proud to be with you.  And no one will ever be able to say or do anything that will change that.”  She saw the smile in his eyes at her admission.

“Thanks for that.  You know that there will be people here that will shun you for being with me.”

“I know.  But the Winters will be there.  And I know that they will support me.”

“Yeah, they will.  I have often times heard you speak about Dru. I regret I didn’t get a chance to meet her.”

“I still miss her so much. She was the only true friend I ever had. But enough about that. This is a happy day.”

“Yes.  Very happy day.  Let’s go.”

Location: Tucker’s House

Tucker sat at his desk listening to James talk about business.  His mind once again drifted to Harmony and last night. He couldn’t believe he shared a child with his Songbird.

“Tucker, are you listening me,” he heard James say.

“Do you want an honest answer,” Tucker asked with a smile.

“So, I see you didn’t take my advice about your son’s mother,” James said shaking his head.

“What advice would that be?”

“The one where I told you to sleep with her and get her out of your system so you can move on,” he said with a chuckle.

“So I guess you haven’t heard the news. Ashley and I are divorcing.”

“Well I wish I could say I am surprised,” James said calmly.

“What does that mean?”

“It means just what I said.  I am not surprised.  Like I told you before.  I never thought that Ashley was woman enough to hold your attention for long.  And I was obviously right.  What happened?  Did she catch you when you were purging yourself of your son’s mother?”

“Harmony.  Her name is Harmony.”

“Hhhmm.   It fits her. But anyway.  I can’t believe you got caught.  I thought you were smoother.   I am a little disappointed in you boy. What did you do? Take her back to your house.  You have been playing this game long enough to know not -”

“I have not slept with Harmony. Ashley has decided that she would rather be with Paul Williams than me.” Tucker said cutting James off.

“Now I am really disappointed.  You lost your wife to that bore.  You should never show your face in public again,” James said laughing heartily.

“So this is funny to you.”

“Hell yeah it’s funny. But you seem to be taking it well.”

“Eh, as long as she is happy, I am happy for her.” And he meant that.  Ashley deserved some happiness.

“Son, do you hear yourself.  No man wants to lose anything that belongs to him.  Even if it is something that he doesn’t particularly care for.  It’s still his. And yet, you are wishing her well.”

“I do care for Ashley.  But I have never been possessive. You know that.”

“All men are possessive.  But, we shall see about that.  I wonder how you would take Harmony with another man,” James said thoughtfully.

Tucker felt himself getting upset just thinking about it.

“I can see it all over your face.  You would hate it.  You need to ask yourself this.  Why is it that you can let Ashley walk away with another man without a backwards glance?  But just the thought of Harmony with another man has you set to boil over.”

“She’s vulnerable.  And I don’t want anyone hurting her.”  Even as Tucker said this, he knew it was a lie.  The memory of how he forced her to tell him that she was his last night flooded his mind.

“When I saw her the other night she didn’t seem all that vulnerable. She seemed very much in control. Although that display you put on made me question your self-discipline. What possessed you to do that in a room full of people knowing your situation? ”

“I just wanted to touch her.  Know what her skin feels like.” Tucker said under his breath. But then raised his voice to his normal tone and said, “That’s not relevant.  Bottom line is she needs to be protected.”

“Protected? From who? “

“For starters, Winters.”

“Neil? He is married to our Sophia.  Surely, he wouldn’t go there.”

“Not him.  The cousin.”

“Oh, that Winters.”

“Yeah. That Winters. She is actually his executive assistant.”

“Oh, then you don’t have anything to worry about.  Those Winters fellows are sensible if nothing else. They know better than to shit where they eat. “

“We’ll see.” Tucker hoped that was true.  But he still didn’t trust Christopher Winters around his Songbird. And she was so caught up in doing a good job that she seemed to be oblivious to the threat he posed.  He wondered if she would be willing to leave that job.  She didn’t need to work. He could take care of her.

“I imagine she will be at Delia’s party.  I plan on getting to know her a little.  She is pretty and all. Nice body.   But you have never been the kind of man to get all worked up over just physical attraction. I am kind of curious what it is about her that has you so fascinated.”

“I am not sure what it is myself.  But I did figure out who she is last night.”

“Oh. And?”

“She was one of the groupies like I thought.  But she wasn’t just any groupie. She was special.  Young and naïve.  Not jaded like they could usually be you know.  So innocent.”

“Innocent.  That’s an interesting term to use for a groupie.”

“Well in her case it applies. She was a virgin when we slept together.  And I didn’t realize it until we were in the middle of the act.  At the time, I didn’t have the will power to stop.  Although I should have. But I wasn’t surprised to find out.  Like I said, she wasn’t like the rest of them.”

“So what happened after you deflowered this girl? What the hell did you do? Because I just know you didn’t take the knowledge well,” James said accusingly.

“I kept my distance.  There was no way I was ready for what she deserved.”

“You what,” James said astonished.  “How old were you two then?”

“I was about 30 and she was 19.”

“And I assume she was in love with you.”

“Yes. She didn’t say it but I knew.  It was written all over her.”

“Now I see why she didn’t come to you herself.  And now I understand why she has gone all these years without attempting to extort money out of you. Pride. But tell me. What is it that you felt for her?   And don’t tell me nothing boy.  Because I know better.”

Tucker stood up from his desk and faced the window.  Then he spoke, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?  Stop lying to yourself. You do know. Look at how you have been chasing her since she came to –“

“I have not been chasing her,” Tucker interrupted.  He knew that he had been thinking about her a lot and had wanted to spend time with her.  And so he had made sure that he had opportunities to see her.  But he wouldn’t call that chasing.

“Let me break the news to you. Not only have you been chasing her but you have opened up a space in your life for her so that when you catch her there won’t be any doubt about where she belongs.”

Had he done that?  Had he let Ashley go so that he could be with Harmony? It was possible. “Maybe there is some truth to that. I do want her. ”

“Maybe huh? Well this party will be interesting.  So what about Devon?  What does he think about you and Harmony?”

“He hates it.  But I plan to talk to him about it.” Tucker was sure that he could get Devon to see reason.

“Yes this party will definitely be interesting,” said John.  “Speaking of sons, it seems that mine will be moving to Genoa City.”

“Really?  I am surprised that Neil was able to talk him into it.”

“Well he didn’t actually.  It was Pam’s decision.  You know how she is about Trevor.  I am sure being in the same city with him was her incentive.”

“True. I wonder if my niece will be accompanying them. I need to touch base with her and find out.”  His niece, Calista, was his stepsister’s only child.  His stepsister, whom Tucker had met when his mother married her father when he was 13 and she was 10, had been killed in a car accident 12 years ago.  That was a horrible year.  It was also the year that Sophia’s father died.  The two young women had bonded in their grief.  Now she was an Occupational Therapist who pretended to be a nanny to John’s wife who suffered from post-traumatic stress.  Tucker had been the one to recommend her to the family since they wanted someone they could trust. Pamela was much better now and didn’t really need the live in therapist.  But she still wanted the nanny.  And no one had the heart to tell her that the nanny was less for the baby and more for her.  She would not take it well. And no one wanted to feel her wrath.

“I think so. To be honest with you.  I am almost glad that we lost Bell.  I get my son and little grandson in the same city.  And you will probably get your niece in the deal.”

“I guess there is something to be said for mixed blessings.  But I still have not given up on Bell.”

“Son, let me tell you something.  If you have the idea of ever putting Harmony in this spot that you have so conveniently opened up and have her stay there, you had better let Bell go.”

Tucker smiled. He thought that he could have them both.

Location: Abby’s House

Abby was very excited about going to Delia’s party.  She had spoken to Devon this morning and he was bringing Lily and the twins.  This would be her chance to spend some time with Devon and his family.  She knew how much family meant to him and if she could get in good with them then she knew that was half the journey of being with him.  Of course, they loved Roxy.  But it would make a relationship between her and Devon easier if they liked her also.  The last thing she needed was if she got with Devon, all the Winters and Barbers hating her and telling Devon that he could do better.

She vowed that she would be on her best behavior today. She wouldn’t go off on Tucker no matter how much he deserved it. She would also not have one alcoholic beverage.  Not matter how much it called to her.  Lastly, she would help out Chloe where needed.   She would show that she could be selfless.

And these things would all be made easier because Roxanne was still out of town.  If she had a man like Devon there is no way that she would leave him for weeks on end the way that Roxy did.  No way.

Location: Lauren and Michael’s Apartment

It took everything in Lauren to contain Fen’s excitement over Delia’s party.  She was somewhat excited herself.  It wasn’t often that she got a chance to socialize with many of her friends all in one place.  But this was going to be one of those times.  Besides, Roxy had come in this morning and she wanted to surprise Devon today.  It would be nice to see the young lovers reunited. 

Location: Olivia’s Apartment

Olivia had received an invitation to Delia’s party.  She had already sent her gift because she wasn’t sure she wanted to go.  But then Ashley had called her earlier and asked her to come to support her.  This would be her and Paul’s first outing as a couple.  She didn’t know why Ashley was stalling telling her siblings Jack, Tracy, and Billy about it.  It’s not like they didn’t know Paul or like him. Of course, Jack would question it and have something to say about how rushed this was.  But that was just him.  Tracy and Billy would be happy for her. Besides, the rest of her family would be there and she could spend some time with her godson Moses and her great niece and nephew, Charlie and Maddie.

Location: Billy Abbot’s car

Billy was on his way back out to the Chancellor Mansion.  He had been out there earlier to help set up but he needed to run home and pick up Delia’s gift.  He also wanted to check on Victoria.   Last night when he got home she was not there and didn’t come home. She still hadn’t been back.  He had called her a couple of times but she didn’t answer nor call back either.  He was getting tired of this behavior. He knew that he was a handful but was it too much to ask that they handle his screw up like adults.

At that time he remembered that he needed to call his new executive assistant and make her a job offer.  He found the piece of paper Harmony had given him last night.  “Tamara Davis” was at the top of the list.  He knew a Tamara Davis.  She was one of Chloe’s closest friends.  He wondered if it was the same person.  He dialed the number. 

“Hello,” he heard a feminine voice say.

“Hello, Tamara Davis please?”

“This is she”

“High this is the owner of Restless Style magazine.  I was told that you would be perfect for the job of my executive assistant.  But you have to start Monday.  Are you able to do that?”

“Yes.  It just so happens that I have moved back from New York this past week. So I am free.”

“New York you say.  Let me ask you.  Do you know Chloe Mitchell?”

“Yes. She is one of my closes friends.”  Billy didn’t know if he liked hiring one of Chloe’s friends.  She would undoubtedly report everything that he did to her.

“Hey Tammy.  This is Liam.”

“Oh. Hi Liam,” she said in a less than thrilled voice.  All Chloe’s friends greeted him this way now.

“So does that voice mean that you don’t want the job?”

“No.  I want the job.  I know that I have not always been your biggest fan but Chloe tells me that you are an awesome father to Delia.”

“She did.”

“Oh yeah.  I am sure I will see you later today.  I had planned on coming to Delia’s party.”

“Okay.  Well I will see you there.  And Monday morning in the office.”

“Alright.  Later.”

Location: Paul William’s Apartment

Paul wasn’t really in a party mood but Delia’s was Ashley’s niece so he wanted to go to the party with her.  Besides, Tucker would undoubtedly be there.  And the last thing he wanted was for her to connect with Tucker in a family atmosphere. 

Things were still touch and go with Ricky.  He was now in a coma but they knew what was wrong with him.  He had pneumonia and had developed sepsis from that.  They were still attempting to treat his symptom and give him antibiotics. Olivia had felt that his chances of survival were better.  And although in a coma, every day that he lived increased his chances.

He felt that he should be at the hospital around the clock but Ashley had made him see that he wasn’t doing anyone any good by camping out and harassing the staff.  So, he would go by and visit three times a day then come home at night.  It seemed to be working out best for everyone. 

He didn’t know how he would have gotten through this crisis without Ashley.   She was the best thing to happen to him in a long time.  And today, they would make their appearance as a couple. Although her divorce from Tucker was publicized, not many people knew about them being together.  So today would also be a coming out party for them.

Location: Chancellor Mansion

Chloe had just finished directing their last vendor out in the heated big tent.  It was about the size of a circus tent.  One end had the balloon bounces.  Another had the ponies that Victor’s ranch hands had brought over.  Another had a picnic area where they would eat and play games if any of the adults were so inclined. Another had clowns who would do face painting and games with the kids.  She was on her way out of the tent just as Billy was coming in.  They bumped into each other.

“Hey. Sorry about that. Are you okay,” he asked while rubbing his hands up and down her arms. Although she had on a jacket she could still feel the warmth of his hands.

“Yeah. I’m fine,” she said side stepping him and continuing on her way. 

“So everything is ready to go,” he asked falling into step beside her. 

“Yes. We’re all ago. Thanks again for coming out this morning.”

“Well it’s not like I had anything else to do. Vikki didn’t come home last night.”

“Well Billy, having a woman show up saying she is carrying your husband’s baby is a lot to take in.” Running away wasn’t the way that Chloe would have handled it but she understood the impulse.

“Yeah.  But she didn’t let me explain. She doesn’t even know what happened.”

“Like I said, I understand.  I didn’t give you a chance to explain last night either.”

“But look at you now.  We’re talking about it. And I want to explain.”

“But I am not the one that you need to explain too.”

“I disagree.  You deserve to know what happened just as much as Victoria.”

“If you feel you must,” she said with a smirk.

“Well, I was in Myanmar.  Drowning my sorrows.”

“That was typical”, she thought but refrained from saying so out loud.  No need to kick Billy while he was down.

“I was at this bar having some drinks with this chick Chelsea. Next thing I know I was waking up with the authorities standing over me yelling about drugs.  They took me to prison and you know the rest.”

“Let me ask you this.  Do you think Victor has something to do with this?”

“It’s possible that he had them plant the drugs and all but none of this would have happened if I hadn’t run off.”

She was shocked.  Billy was actually accepting responsibility.  She thought that this deserved special acknowledgement.  She reached out her hand to stop Billy by touching his arm.  She turned to face him as he did the same.

“Billy.  I just want you to know that I am proud of how you are accepting responsibility for how you got into this situation. And no matter what happens, I will back you up.”

He smiled at her and her heart fluttered. He reached out and cupped her cheek.  “Thanks Chloe that means a lot to me.  Although I am not surprised.  Like I said last night. You are always on my side.”

She felt her heart being tugged on by him.  And she had finally moved on so there was no way she would fall back into that pattern. So she reached up and removed his hand with her own.  “Well, what can I say?  I am loyal.”

She then turned and walked towards the house. He stood watching her for a few seconds then had to run to catch up with her.

Chloe noticed when they walked into the living room that guests had started to arrive.  Lily and Devon were there along with Charlie and Maddie.

Lily was so busy chasing behind Maddie that she didn’t see Chloe walk in.

“Hey,” Chloe said.

“Oh hey,” Lily said.

“Hey guys,” she heard Devon say from the other side of the room. “Maybe we should take these kids out to the tent before they start breaking things. My niece and nephew can be quite destructive.”

“Okay.  I will walk you out. Billy, stay here and direct traffic please.”

“Yes ma’am.”               

“You two go ahead. I will be right behind you with this little one. I need to talk to Billy real quick.”

When the women had left, Devon walked up to Billy and stared him in the eye. “Listen man. Keep my mother out of that magazine.  This is your first and last warning.” With that he turned and walked out of the room.

Harmony had gotten a few phone calls from Tucker this morning.  And when she didn’t answer he started texting her.   Each was long and drawn out.  One about how he enjoyed their dinner last night.  Another about how he was looking forward to seeing her today and later tonight. Then a third one about how he was happy he had found her again.  And finally, one apologizing for Billy putting them into the Restless Style blog.  And she didn’t answer either of them. She was not about to allow Tucker to draw her further into his life than she already was.  The knowledge of that blog was a wakeup call for her. She did not come to Genoa City for him. She came for her son and her daughter, who was still not very welcoming to her.  She couldn’t let Tucker get in the way of that.

Last night she had thought about being with him.  She really had.  But once she got upstairs into her own domain, reality hit. Although she had told Devon he couldn’t dictate to her, it was a lie. His approval meant more to her than being with Tucker.  Her children meant everything to her now. This is why she had been doing research on hearing loss due to meningitis.  She had found a research institute that had been restoring hearing for some patients.  She noticed that McCall Unlimited was amongst the donors.  Before she spoke to Tucker about it, she wanted to talk to Neil first.  Just to see what all had been done with Devon’s hearing so she could have all the facts.

She left her room and descended the stairs just when Sophia, Neil, and Moses arrived.

“Morning,” she said.

“Hey,” Sophia said dryly. Harmony wasn’t shocked. That was how she usually spoke to her.

“Hey Harmony,” Neil said with a smile.

“So how’s little Moses? I see he is just as cute as ever.”

“Yes, he is,” Neil said.

At the moment Billy walked into the foyer. “Hey, I am directing all party goers to the big top out back”

“Okay. Well let us head out there then,” Sophia said with a light laugh.

“Uhm, Neil.  May I speak with you first?”

“Sure,” he said handing the carrier to Sophia. “Sophia, I will be out in a moment.”

“Uh huh,” she said as she walked off.

“For some reason, Sophia still does not like me.  I haven’t done anything to her.”

“Well, she can be very loyal.  Mostly to Tucker,” he said rubbing the lapel of his jacket.

“I see. Anyways, I wanted to talk to you about Devon’s hearing.  He confided in me that he was having trouble distinguishing pitches.  Has he said anything at all to you about it?”

“No, he hasn’t.  But I will talk to him about it. See what’s going on.”

“Okay.  I did find a procedure that is available now. It’s fairly new.  I was thinking about contacting them to see what can be done.”

“You know what.  I think that is an excellent idea. Get the particulars first before you take it to Devon.  No one wants him getting his hopes up if it won’t work.  Good strategy I think,” he said with a serious expression.

“Okay.  Thanks.”

“Alright. I am gonna head out to the tent.  See what the grandkids are up too.”

“See you later.”

She took out her phone and headed into the dining room for privacy.  She dialed Tucker’s number.

“So you finally remembered my existence,” he answered in his usual deep voice. It was something about his slow drawl that excited her. 

“Mick, I don’t think I have ever forgotten your existence since we met over 20 something years ago,” she said honestly.

“I called you and sent you a few texts this morning and I didn’t get a response. Seems to me that I have been forgotten. But don’t worry.  The next chance I get to spend some alone time with you, I will make sure that it’s not so easy for you to ignore me when I am not in your presence.”

“I wasn’t ignoring you.  It’s just that I have been so busy helping Chloe this morning.  This is the first free moment that I have had.”  She was lying of course but he didn’t need to know that.

“I see,” he said in such a way that let her know that he didn’t believe her.

“Okay. Well, I have something I wanted to talk to you about.  Its Devon’s hearing.  He is having trouble distinguishing pitches and I did some research about it.  There is this new procedure available at this institute. I wanted to contact them but I am not sure they would talk to me.  McCall Unlimited is one of their top donors.  So I was wondering if you could call and -“

“Done,” he said cutting her off.

“Thank you. Thank you so much.  I really appreciate this.”

“Not a problem.  I am glad that you came to me.” She could hear the excitement in his voice.

“Why wouldn’t I? You’re just as much his father as I am his mother.”

“Thank you for saying that. It really means a lot to me. You mean a lot to me,” he said in almost a whisper.

Her heart rate picked up at his tone.  “Stay focused,” she told herself.

“Okay, I will show you the information when you get here.”

“I’ll be there in a little bit. And don’t you dare act shady with me when I get there either, “he said jokingly. 

She was many things, but she was not shady. “I am never shady Mick. I’ll be waiting for you in the living room.”

“We’ll see. But let me warn you.  If you do, you will regret it,” he said seriously.

On that she hung up the phone. She couldn’t believe he was threatening her again. He would have to learn his lesson the hard way.

Abby walked into the living room to see Devon’s mother Harmony flipping through a magazine.  She knew that Devon and his mother had gotten close. So this was an opportunity for her to converse with her. And possibly impress her.

“Good morning,” she said.

“Hi. How are you?  You’re Harmony. Right?  Devon’s mother.”

“Yes, I am.  And I am fine. How are you?”

“I’m great.  My name is Abby Newman.  I am friends with Devon.  Well we are also business partners.”

“Oh.  Well it’s nice to meet you Abby.”

Abby knew she should quit while she was ahead but she couldn’t help herself. She needed to warn this woman about Tucker.

“I read that piece in Restless Style about you and Tucker. You seem like a nice lady so I feel I need to warn you.  He cheated on my mom once before.”

“So you are Ashley’s daughter?”

“Yes. And I just want you to know that you can’t trust Tucker.  I know he is Devon’s biological father and you probably know him better than anyone.  The man is a total womanizer. He would-“

“Abby,” she heard a deep voice behind her say. “Why would you want to tell Harmony such things about me?”

“Tucker,” Abby said startled.  She composed herself and finished with, “It’s only the truth.”  And it was only truth that she was telling Harmony. Abby didn’t care one way or the other whether Tucker had caught her.  But she didn’t want to argue in front of Harmony. So she decided to head on out.

“Harmony, we will finish this other time,” she whispered so that Tucker couldn’t hear her. Harmony winked at her as she walked off.

Tucker couldn’t believe that he walked in on Abby poisoning Harmony’s mind against him.  He and Ashley were no longer together so you would think the little harpy would be happy and leave him alone. 

Harmony stood as he approached her. He couldn’t tell if she was angry or amused.

“I’m sorry about that.  Abby has never liked me for some reason.”

With that she started to laugh. “Maybe it’s because you cheated on her mother.”

“Don’t listen to her. That girl is very high strung and often times doesn’t know what she is talking about from one moment to the next.”

“I bet,” she said skeptically.

He stopped in front of her and bent his head to kiss her on the cheek but she sidestepped him before he could make contact. She looked around to see if anyone had entered to see the gesture from him but no one had come in.  “So she was acting shady,” he thought. 

“No kiss for me today, Songbird?”

“Someone might come in and I don’t really want it getting back to Devon.”

“So you are going to let him dictate to you,” he asked walking up to her again.

He heard her sigh. “It’s not that.”

“Well what is it?” His mood was deteriorating by the second.

“Can we talk about this later,” she said getting annoyed. “I want to-“

“I want my kiss Songbird,” he said.  He lifted his hand to her cheek and ran his thumb over her lower lip. 

“First let me show you the information I found. It’s in my room. Come on,” she said walking off.

His mind immediately went to the possibilities that could occur while alone with her in a bedroom. So he allowed her to walk away without satisfying his need for a kiss.  If he played this right, he would get more than a kiss.  She headed for the stairs.  And he followed closely behind.  He was sure she had no clue where his mind was.

As they ascended the stairs, he couldn’t take his eyes off of her butt.  She was wearing these tight jeans and boots with a cream shirt and black leather jacket.  He wanted so badly to reach out and touch her as he watched her hips sway from side to side.

After they topped the stairs, passed a few doors, her suite was on the left.  He filed that information for future reference.

She opened the door and walked in expecting him to follow her.  He did so and closed the door behind him. She took off her coat and threw it on the chair next to the bed.  He did the same.

Location: The Party Tent on the Chancellor Grounds

Olivia walked into the tent in awe of Chloe’s party planning talents. The kids were playing with the different games and feeding the ponies, while the parents were in a picnic type area.  She walked up to see most of everyone there.  But the people she wanted to see had not arrived.

“Hello all” she said as Neil rose to kiss her cheek followed by Devon.

“Hey...Hi…Hello” she heard coming from different people.

“So where’s the birthday girl.” she said sitting down on an empty bench.  “And look at my handsome god son.”

“Oh, I am sure Delia is riding the ponies,” Jack Abbot said with a smile as he rose from his bench to sit close beside Olivia.  He pushed her hair behind her ear and kissed her on the cheek.  After all these years, Jack would still flirt with anyone in a skirt.  It never ceased to amaze her.  Good thing she never took him seriously.

“I’m sure.  She loves those ponies,” she said to Jack.  She turned towards Lily, “And where is my niece and nephew?”  

“Oh Billy took them to see the clowns,” Lily said.

“Where’s Harmony.  I would have thought that she would be here.”

“Oh.  I left her in the house with Tucker,” Abby said.

“With Tucker,” Devon questioned irritably. 

“Well I got caught giving her the low down on who Tucker is.  She didn’t seem at all phased by my revelations. I am thinking he hasn’t reeled her in yet. But he will. All womanizers are experts at that.”

Olivia noticed Neil scowl.

Devon immediately rose and said, “Uhm, I’m going to find my mom.  I know she wouldn’t want to miss out on the fun and games.”

“I doubt the fun here is near comparable to the fun that can be had in the house with Tucker,” Nina said under her breath with a smile. 

“You know what. I think I will accompany you son,” Neil said.

“Harmony is an adult.  I am sure she is more than capable of taking care of herself,” Sophia told Neil.  Olivia could tell that something was going on with them.  With any luck it wasn’t anything serious.  She really had hopes of the marriage working for Moses’ sake. 

Neil didn’t respond.  He walked out behind Devon.

Location: Harmony’s Suite

“So this is the information I was talking about,” she said as she gave him the papers.

“Okay.  I see the number here.  Let me just call right now and see what they have to say,” he said.

He dialed the number as he sat down on the bed in the middle of the room. He patted the space beside him for Harmony to join him.  To his amazement, she did. 

“May I speak with Dr. Steven Hillsboro,” he said as he clasped her hand with his own and intertwined their fingers.

“This is he”

“Dr. Hillsboro, this is Tucker McCall.”

“Of McCall Unlimited?”

“Yes”

“How may I help you sir.”

“My son suffers from hearing loss from meningitis.  It has been brought to my attention that you do research on those types of patients and I was wondering if my son would be a good candidate for your new procedures.”

“Well, there is no way for me to tell you without looking at his records and examining him.  But I tell you what.  I can make a special trip out to see him next week to be sure one way or the other. Where is he located?”

“That would be great. Thanks. And we are in Genoa City, Wisconsin.”

“I am always happy to assist one of our major donors.” Tucker was not surprised at him willing to come out.  This is the type of response he usually got from people.

“Well just give me a call with the details later today when you know your exact plans.”

“Will do.”

“Thanks again.”

“No.  Thank you.  Without your funding, none of this would be possible.”

“I look forward to hearing from you. Bye.”

“Bye.”

He hung up to phone and turned towards her.

“So what did he say? Can they help him?”

“Well, he is not sure. The doctor will fly out next week to examine him and will let us know.”

With that she let go of his hand and hugged him tightly around the neck. “Thank you,” she said excitedly. He wrapped his arms around her waist to anchor her to him as her breasts were pressed against his chest. She felt just as good in his arms today as she did last night.  At least now he knew it wasn’t some aberration. It wasn’t just the moment of remembering her.  This woman belonged in his arms.

She leaned back to look into his eyes.  Her arms were still around his neck. “Thank you.”

“So surely now I deserve that kiss you denied me earlier,” he said.

She smiled.  “Yes, you do,” she said softly.

And before he could respond, she kissed him lightly on the lips.

“mmmmm,” she moaned. And he became immediately aroused. 

He deepened the kiss slipping his tongue into her mouth.  She rubbed her tongue against his. She tasted sweet.  If it were possible, even sweeter than last night. 

He pushed her lightly to lay her down on the bed.  She lay back and scooted up to the pillows.  He knew she was trying to put some distance between them because she wanted to end their kiss but he wasn’t ready yet. So he followed her up and lay beside her.  He was on his side propping his head up with on hand while the other rubbed her abdomen as she lay on her back.  It amazed him that she had once carried his son there.

“Do you know how sweet you taste” he asked before kissing her softly and slowly on the lips.

“I could lay here and kiss you for hours.  Days even.  And never get tired of it,” he said has he kissed her lingeringly again.

“Tucker.  Why are you making it so hard for me?  Why can’t you accept no,” she pleaded with her eyes closed. 

“Because then I would be doing us both a disservice. Besides, you feel it too. You admitted it last night.”

He rubbed his hand from her stomach to her side down her thigh to her knee.  He lifted her leg then ran his hand back up her thigh to squeeze her butt.  “Look at how well you fit me,”  he said. It still amazed him.

Then he slid his hand up from her butt over her waist to cup her breast. “Every part of you fits me like you were made for my hands,” he said hoarsely. 

“Mmmmm,” she said as he cupped and lifted her breast and rubbed the nipple through her shirt with his thumb. He saw her clutching the comforter. She had both hands balled up into tight fists. Probably to keep from touching him. He figured she wouldn’t let go so he decided to push the boundaries. He began unbuttoning her shirt.  When she didn’t protest he continued. After a few seconds he had her shirt open and was looking at her breast through a lacy black bra with a front clasp.

“You’re so beautiful,” he said.  He used one finger to rub the tops of one breast slowly. Then the other. 

“Thank you,” she said with a small smile with her eyes still closed.

He undid the clasp and her breast sprang free.  Her nipples were a dark brown and were very hard.  He reached out and squeezed her left breast and rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger.

“mmmmm,” she moaned and he responded as on cue.

“So beautiful,” he said kissing her again on the lips and trailing his mouth down her neck to lick her right nipple with the tip of his tongue.

“Miiiiick,” she moaned.

“Do you like that Candy,” he asked in a whisper.

“Yes,” she said.  He could tell that she was almost done fighting it.

He sucked her nipple fully into his mouth while still rolling the other between thumb and finger.

“Mick, please,” she said.

“Please what,” he asked with her nipple still in his mouth.  Because at this point he didn’t know what she wanted.  Was she asking him to stop or to continue?

“I don’t know,” she finished weakly. 

Still propped on his elbow, he raised his head from her breast and looked at her. She was not only lying to him but she was lying to herself.  He knew he could sleep with her right now.  But he wanted to hear her consent. And he wanted her to acknowledge her own consent.  He didn’t want her stating he took advantage of the situation later on.

“Your breasts are beautiful Songbird.  You know I have had this fantasy about them for weeks now.” At that she opened her eyes and looked at him. He could only smile.  He stopped rubbing her nipple and slid his hand down her stomach to the button of her jeans.  He flicked it lightly back and forth with his pointer finger.

“You seem surprised,” he asked.

“A little.”

“If only you knew how I have obsessed about knowing exactly how hard they will feel against my tongue while you come around me as I am buried deep inside you.”  I heard her gasp. 

“ Will today be the day I find out? Hmmm,” he said slowly.

“Mick,” she hesitated then finished. “Baby,  you know how much I want you.  I know you do. You are too experienced not to see it. But I am not ready.  And more importantly, Devon is not ready.  I have too much to lose.  Everything that I have wor-“ she stopped as her voice cracked and a tear rolled from the corner of her eye down towards her ear.  He could see the war raging in her eyes. Her love for their son versus her own desire and affection for him.  He knew just how much she loved their son.  And he found it exciting that her need for him rivaled it.  Although he knew it was wrong, he found her torture breathtaking.

“I understand,” he said as he flicked the button on her jeans hard enough to unbutton them.

“You do,” she asked.  He heard the amazement in her voice.

“I agree.  Devon is not ready. But I think you are,” he said as he unzipped her jeans.

“Baby, no,” she said.

Tucker felt himself getting more desperate by the minute. He was willing to make concessions.  Especially if they led to the ultimate prize the way he thought that they would.

“So how about a compromise then”, he said. “ Hhhm. No intercourse. No penetration. And I can still find out how hard your beautiful nipples feel against my tongue as you come for me. I just won’t be inside you when it happens. I can live with that. So, will today be the day Songbird,” he asked as pushed his hand inside her jeans.

She looked at Tucker and smiled. “Yes,” she said with her voice shaking as she stopped his hand before his fingers reached their goal. “But not right now. Not here.”

They stared into each other’s eyes for a while.  He weighed his options.  Should he trust her word or not.  He was not prepared to wait another day to make her his.  It had to be today.  But if he pushed her now, she may not continue. 

“Alright . Later then,” he said as he took his hands from her jeans and rubbed it slowly from her stomach, between her breasts, to cup her cheek.  He softly kissed her lips. 

She pushed his hand away, rose, and got up off the bed and began restoring her clothes.

“Mom, are you in there,” they both heard their son say from the other side of the door.