Chapter 6-12: It Ain't Over

          "Why don't you sit down," Miles led her to the couch sitting beside her once she'd settled down. "Now, how about you tell me what you're doing here," he prompted.

          "I wanna know the truth," she slurred.

          "The truth? About what?"

          "I should've known you wouldn't tell me. It's just a game, a silly game, but I'm good at games and I can still win. I just have to understand the rules. Why won't you tell me the rules?" Miles pressed his lips together, trying not to laugh at her. He failed. 

          "Fine, I'm gonna just go home, except...Miles?" No sooner had Evangeline stood up than she started to sway and fell flat on the floor. She'd passed out and wouldn't be getting anything more tonight; not the truth or a cab ride home. 

          She woke the next morning in Miles's bed, dressed in one of his shirts. She crawled out of bed, squinting and trying to ignore the pounding in her head. 

          She found Miles seated in the living room. "Did you carry me upstairs last night?"

          "Yeah, it didn't seem right to leave you just lying in the floor."

          "I'm sorry for just showing up here, unannounced. I'd had too much to drink."

          "No, you're not."

          "Excuse me?"

          "You're not sorry. It's just easier to blame the alcohol than admit, sober, that you wanted to talk to me." 

          She rolled her eyes at him and groaned. "I'm too hungover to argue. Yes, I wanted to talk to you. Where are you going," she asked as he headed up the stairs to his room. 

          He came back down a moment later, dressed for work. "I have to head out and don't have time for this conversation right now."

          "Miles..."

          "I promise, we'll talk. Meet me at Rainbow Connection tomorrow around nine. We're starting late tomorrow afternoon so I can meet for a morning coffee."

          Back at home, everyone seemed to be taking advantage of the last few days of autumn. Hanley and Hal were out throwing a softball around while Renata played Frisbee with Gemma.

          That night, Evangeline tossed and turned in bed, trying to decide if she should meet up with Miles the next morning. Obviously she wanted answers. But do I trust him to tell me the truth? Some kind of explanation would be better than just wondering for the rest of her life, right? 

          "Okay, I'm here, you promised the truth." She settled into the chair across from him, ignoring the looks from the barista who wasn't happy that they were sitting in her shop but not ordering anything.

          "I did. What color were they?"

          "What? What does that have to do with anything?" She should have known he'd skirt around real answers.

          "The underwear you say you saw, what color were they? Just humor me."

          "Blue. Navy blue. A color I would never wear." She remembered seeing them scrunched up by his pillow like it was yesterday. A small smile played across his lips. "Oh, I'm so glad this is funny to you."

          "It kind of is, a little. So navy blue. Like the color of my warm-up gear?"

          She thought for a minute. "Yeah, pretty much. Oh, so they weren't underwear, they were cheerleader spankies. Whatever! Close enough."

          "Evangeline, they were part of my uniform." He saw her eyebrows furrow and lift in disbelief. "Really. I can show you a pair if you like. The shorts have a built in 'brief' that I hate. It's uncomfortable and pinches in all the wrong places. So I always cut them out and just wear my own."

          "You're not going to believe this are you? Lies, so many lies! You can smell the lies," a random woman shouted at them as she stood by their table. Evangeline looked at Miles who shrugged.

          "I have no idea who she is."

          "Excuse me, but do you know him?"

          "No, but it's all lies! They tell you they love you but they lie, they lie about everything!"

          Evangeline rolled her shoulders and rubbed her temples, trying to ease the tension she felt. If he was lying, it was a preposterous story. So preposterous it may just be true. But if he was telling the truth, that was a harder pill to swallow. Because it meant that she had been the one to mess up by assuming he cheated. "I need some air," she announced, getting up and walking out to one of the benches behind the coffee shop.

          After a few minutes, Miles followed her. "I know it's a lot to process. And it sounds ridiculous. But I swear, it's the truth."

          "I," she paused, trying to choke out the words. "I believe you." She scooted over to him, letting him put his arm around her. After all the time they had spent apart, she was surprisingly pleased to find that it still felt right. "I messed up. I'm so sorry. We've lost so much time."

          He kissed her then. The kiss was full of relief and pent up frustrations all at once. "We've got time still," he answered, finally pulling away.

          Soon, winter came to St. Claire, bringing snow with it. 

          "Hey mom, happy birthday," Flynn shouted over his shoulder as he and Hal played their video games.

          "Happy birthday to me, yet I'm still the one making breakfast," she muttered. She was not liking the idea of turning old.

          "Snowball fight!" All the teens in the house bundled up and ran outside to enjoy the thick layer of snow that had settled on the lawn overnight. 

          "Oh, hi dad. I almost didn't recognize you," Hal greeted his father. Miles had recently aged up himself. Meanwhile, Gemma was busy enjoying jokes with her father.

          "Oomph, Em, what are you doing," Renata pushed him off her. He had found her upstairs in her bedroom, getting ready for the birthday party.

          "C'mon Ren, one more time, for old times's sake. We'll be old soon."

          "Oh, what the hell?" They quickly stripped and climbed into bed.

          "Guys! Seriously? That's MY bed," Evangeline had run upstairs to look for Renata so everyone could blow out their candles at the same time. She shuddered and left, slamming the door behind her.

          However, it didn't take long before her brother and best friend joined her in front of the cakes. Evangeline had to head to work as soon as she blew her candles out so she rushed the process along.

          Renata aged gracefully.

          Gemma was glad both her parents could stand to sit together at the dinner table to enjoy cake. She was lucky that her parents got along, even though they weren't together. She fostered hope that maybe they would reconnect now that they were older. "So, dad, um, maybe we can all go out for dinner some time. Or to a movie?"

          "Now look here young lady. I know what you're thinking. Your mother and I are grown and we can make our own decisions, without any help." Seemed that Emerson was quick to catch on and discourage Gemma's hopes.

          Avendale household. Now that he was an elder, he had officially retired from pro sports and had plenty of free time to spend with his family. 

          "You all are on your phones all the time," Miles commented after arriving one evening to see the twins both deep in conversation and Flynn texting.

          "But look! I can even take pictures with my phone. Smile," he pulled his dad in for a quick selfie.

          "Just how old do you think I am son?"

          "Um, did you even have cell phones when you were my age?"

          "Hi Evey," Miles greeted Evangeline when she met him at the door another evening.

          "Hi yourself."

          "I think you look beautiful with this short cut."

          "Thank you. Would you like to stay the night tonight?"

          After the evening meal was over, Miles followed Evangeline up to the bedroom. The changed into their pajamas and crawled into bed. It had been a long time since she'd spent the night with anyone but, just like this kiss before, this felt right. "I've been thinking, we wasted so much time already. What would you say to moving in?" 

          Miles had no arguments on the matter and it would be nice to finally spend time with his children before they moved out on their own. "It will take a little time for me to sell my house and figure out what to do with my stuff. I'd really love to move in though so I'll start making arrangements."

Chapter 6.11                                                                                                                                                     Chapter 6.13

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Now for a funny story. My husband and I hadn't been married very long. As some of you may know, he is in the Marine Corps. They get issued these short green PT shorts (not my husband in the pic) that they wear for PT. My vehicle was broken down at the time so I had taken him to work and had his truck for the day. Picked up some stuff at the store and went to a friend's house. When I was unloading my groceries, I found a pair of (huge) black underwear on the floorboards. I flipped, called him at work, yelled at him. He was (obviously) at work and couldn't talk and hung up on me after denying everything. He called me back about an hour later and the lightbulb had flipped for him. He told me to go back out to the truck and look again. After he insisted, I finally went out and looked and, sure enough, the cut line was pretty damn obvious. Luckily, he was amused rather than insulted and makes me fun of me for it to this day.

Anyway, so, the great panty mystery has been solved and everything is happy happy between Miles and Evangeline. Sorry Reya, I know how much you hate happy endings.

Also, for anyone that hasn't checked, Hanley won the heir vote. The next chapter will be a teensy bit of a time skip as she prepares to move off on her own.

Chapter 6-11: Act On Impulse

          With Flynn and Gemma both teens now, Evangeline and Renata had decided that the two older kids could handle watching the twins for a few hours. They dressed themselves up and made their way downtown to one of St. Claire’s prominent nightclubs.

          “A round of your best mixed drinks, over here,” Evangeline shouted at the bartender. He smirked at her before reaching under the bar for whatever ingredients he needed. The smirk made her feel old, like she didn’t belong out past nine. I’ll show him.

          She watched him mix and shake the drinks with ease; behind his back, over his shoulder, not spilling a drop. He was cute, and he knew it.

          “I heard what Sarah did to you, in front of everyone.” Flynn waited for his cousin to laugh at him but Gemma surprised him. “She shouldn’t have done that. It’s not right, using people.”

          “Um, thanks. You wanna sit with us tomorrow at lunch?” Maybe Gemma wasn’t so bad after all. She had every reason to be on Sarah’s side or at least appreciate his humiliation, but here she was, taking his side after all.

          “Alright squirts. Time for bed,” Flynn announced. Gemma and Hanley headed to their room, book in hand, while Flynn and Hal did the same. They’d each been promised ice cream and stories before bed and it was time to cash in on the second half.

          “Evangeline, where are you?” Renata had run to the restroom and, when she got back to the main bar, Evangeline had disappeared. The bar was packed, maybe she just wasn’t seeing her. She decided to try the side VIP rooms.

          “Oh! Evangeline, oh my Watcher! Seriously, this again?” Renata found her, pressed up against the wall in a secluded corner of a back room, her dress unzipped and bunched around her waist. She looked up at Renata, not even bothering to look ashamed.

          “I should probably get back to bar. Come find me when my shift is over,” the bartender winked at her and groped her ass before sauntering out the door.
          “Are you kidding me,” Renata hissed. “You have three kids at home and you’re out here acting like a wild, barely legal girl.”
          “For fuck’s sake Ren, lighten up.” Evangeline pulled her dress back up and found her jacket lying across a nearby chair. Finally dressed again, she headed back to the bar, Renata hot on her heels.

          “I don’t get it.”
          “I’ve not really dated since Miles. I can’t remember the last time I got laid. You might be content to be mommy and aunt and clean the house but I want more than that! And I’m getting OLD! I wanted to feel desirable and do something crazy, just because it felt good.”
          Renata thought back to her, still secret, rendezvous with Emerson. “I guess I can get that. You’re not really going to go home with him though, are you?”
          “No,” Evangeline sighed. She smiled at him as they left, conveniently forgetting to add her phone number to his tip jar. She’d gotten what she wanted but she didn’t feel any better than she had before the two had begun the night.

          With Spooky Day coming up and the weather turning colder, Renata made up her mind to take the kids to the local pumpkin patch one weekend. The weather was gary and cloudy but, bundled up warmly, no one seemed to mind. Renata made her way into the barn to look over the farmer’s market stalls while the 4 kids went to find their perfect pumpkin.

          Later, they gathered around the fire pit to get warm and roast some marshmallows that Renata had bought from a vendor.
          “Flynn, stop it!” Every time Hanley stuck her marshmallow on a stick, Flynn would poke at the flames, making them jump and catch her treat on fire. “Next time you do that, I’m gonna fling the flaming marshmallow at you.”
          “I dare you to try!”
          “Stop being a butt Flynn.”

          “Why does Spooky Day have to be on a Wednesday,” Hal asked as they sat in the front lawn, carving pumpkins after school.
          “It just happened that way this time.”
          “But now we can’t go trick or treating,” he pouted.
          “Sure we can! Mom said we could, as long as we came home in enough time to do our homework.” Hanley was excited about Spooky Day. She’d had her costume picked out for ages.
          “Yeah, that’s right Hal. Gemma and I will take you and we’ll just stick to the houses in the neighborhood.”

          When the pumpkins were carved, the jack-o-lanterns were carefully displayed on the steps for any of the trick or treaters who might be coming by to get candy. Everyone ran inside to hurry and get ready.

          “Lemme get your picture,” Renata shouted, trying to get everyone lined up and still enough to get a shot. “Wait, Hal, your eyes were closed. One more. Ah, there we go! Okay, be safe and listen to Flynn and Gemma.”

          “Hey you, how have you been,” Kieran greeted Evangeline with a hug.
          “Me? Let’s talk about you! I got the wedding invitation in the mail. You finally got the girl.”
          He grinned. “I did. Of course, Story helps. She’s old enough now to want to know why mommy and daddy don’t live together.”
          “Oh, so…this is just for Story?”
          “No, no! She just helped Delilah see there was no reason mommy and daddy weren’t married. That daughter of mine; she’s a master manipulator and doesn’t even know it.” He laughed.

          “Now, tell me what’s really going on,” Kieran demanded.
          “What do you mean?”
          “Evangeline Avendale, I know you well enough to know that something is bothering you.” Sighing and knowing he’d eventually get it out of her anyway, she launched into the story about the nameless bartender. He stayed quiet, waiting, so she tacked on the few waste-of-time dates she’d had.
          “You know what this is.”
          “Yeah, you’re the last good guy and you’re taken.”
          “Nope. You’re still in love with…”
          “Don’t say it!” She interrupted him, not wanting to hear the name. “How could I ever love someone who treated me like that?”
          “You’re talking to the guy that got to watch the girl he’d loved, all his life, shack up with your brother. It was only a stroke of luck for me that Emerson had knocked up your best friend beforehand, leaving his fling with Delilah a very short lived affair.”
          “But she didn’t cheat,” Evangeline protested. “It’s different.”

          “Says the cheater.” Evangeline’s jaw dropped, her outrage at his words immediate.
          “How dare you!”
          “It’s not an insult, just a fact. You cheated on your husband Evangeline. Don’t interrupt me,” he scolded, noticing she’d been about to defend herself. He continued. “Cheating isn’t black and white and you know it, even though that doesn’t make it right. The fact that you’ve been unable to have a meaningful relationship since Miles indicates that you have unresolved feelings. You should at least talk to him; find out what happened once and for all.”
          Evangeline stood, her blood boiling but she limited herself to just saying goodbye. “Tell Delilah I’ll see her at the bachelorette party.”

          “Gemma! You’re not going to the dance in that, are you,” Flynn met his cousin in the hall as they got ready for their first high school dance.
          “What’s wrong with it,” she looked down at her ensemble while he scrunched his nose at her.

          “There honey, that’s a little more dressy, but still you.”
          “I don’t know, I never wear dresses.”
          “You look beautiful. Of course, you always do. Let’s go get a picture with Flynn and Rose.”

          Flynn had decided to take his friend, Rose, up on her offer to be his date to the dance since she and Danika had been right about Sarah. “She looks pretty, but very…pink” he thought to himself. The trio made a colorful group.

          “Why can’t we go to a dance,” Hanley pouted at her dinner plate, feeling left out.
          “You’ll have plenty of dances to go to when you get older.”

          “Mommy, mommy, you’re home!” The twins ran out and met her at the door when they heard her car pull into the drive.
          “I am home! Aunt Renata said you guys were upset that you didn’t get to go to the dance?”
          “It’s not fair,” Hanley stomped her little foot. “We’re almost in high school.”
          “Not for a few more months yet. I’ll tell you what though. Let’s all go put our pajamas on and we’ll stay up and watch movies until your brother and Gemma get home.”

          Despite their protestations about being old enough for dances, halfway through the first movie, Hanley was sound asleep on her mother’s lap and Hal kept nodding off, just to jerk himself awake again. Finally Evangeline flipped the tv off and carried her daughter up to her bed, Hal practically sleep walking behind her.

          Then, just like that, those few months left crept up on them and it was the twins’ birthday. True Avendale style, the party would be held at the house and friends and family both were invited. Miles was in his off season and was able to make it and Evangeline, despite her lingering anger at Kieran, had invited him and his family as well.

          “Can I give you a hand?”
          “Thanks Miles, I think I’ve got it.”
          “I would have helped you plan everything, if you’d just let me in.”
          “I let you in and you broke my heart. So, thanks but no thanks, I got it.”
          He scoffed. “I broke your heart? You broke up with me, out of the blue. I still don’t know why even though you claim it was all my fault. It’s been years and I still don’t know.”

          Evangeline looked out to the living room, filled with people. “Now is not the time for this.”
          “It never is, is it?” She could hear the bitterness in his voice. She heard Kieran’s voice, in her head ‘find out what happened once and for all’ and sighed. “After, okay? After the kids blow their candles out, we’ll talk.”

          Hanley, being the older twin by twelve minutes, blew out her candles first. “Mommy, I’m wishing for a horse, okay?”
          “Stupid,” Flynn laughed. “You’re not supposed to tell, otherwise it won’t come true.”

          Halden, hearing his brother, kept his wish a secret.

          Evangeline pushed them together, snapping the first picture of her two babies, all grown up. She took another as they grabbed a slice of cake, and more as a food fight threatened to erupt when Hanley smeared icing on Flynn’s nose. She knew she had put it off long enough and looked at Miles, silently asking him to slip outside with her.

          Unable to stand still, she grabbed a basketball and tossed it at Miles, grabbing another for herself.
          “So, are you going to finally come clean,” he asked, launching his ball towards the hoop.
          “Me come clean. That’s funny.” She sighed. “Miles, I know about the affair.”
          “Affair?”
          “Okay, maybe it was a one-time thing, I don’t really know.”

          “Evangeline, I fought hard for you. I gave you space when you needed space, I was there for you when you needed me. When we graduated, I took a spot on the team here to be close to you instead of better teams like Bridgeport and Los Aniegos. Why in SimNation would you think I cheated on you?”

          “I found the underwear in your bed Miles. Like you said earlier, it’s been years. Don’t bother lying about it now.”
          “There was never underwear in my bed Evey. I promise. I’ve never cheated on you. There’s been no one else.”
          “But…”
          “Forget it. You don’t believe me. I’m heading home.” He turned and walked away, leaving her standing there more confused than before. I was so sure he’d confess once I finally confronted him about it.

          “Let’s get a picture before we get so trashed people are missing shoes and falling down!” The girls gathered around Delilah while the bartender snapped their picture. It had been Renata’s idea for everyone to dress in black and hot pink, the bride’s favorite color.

          After she had opened a tab for the night, Evangeline and the girls broke into teams and swarmed over the pool tables.

          “A bottle of champagne please,” Evangeline ordered from the bartender.
          “How many glasses?”
          “Just the bottle, no glasses.”
          “Um sure…”
          “No, no, no! Evangeline!” Delilah squealed as Evangeline shook the champagne, spraying it all over her friends.

          The open tab kept the drinks flowing and anytime a tray ran out, the bartender was there to make another. After three sorrow annihilators, two party drinks, and who knows how many of those pink drinks, Evangeline climbed up on a table to dance. The bartender certainly seemed to appreciate it. Too bad. I’m done with bartenders.

          “Evangeline, I think it’s time we head home. We told Emerson we’d be home by midnight and it’s getting pretty close.”
          “You go ahead. I gotta stay to pay the tab.”

          “Are you sure? You can get home okay?”
          “Duu-uuh. I know our address. The taxi’ll do the rest.”
          “Alright. Be safe, okay?”

          Besides Renata, no one was ready to leave until closing time. Evangeline dug out her information and paid the tab before stepping outside to hail a ride home. Yet when she climbed in the taxi, she said something completely different.
          “3 Kensington Road.” The taxi deposited her on the sidewalk in the dark, windy pre-dawn morning. She climbed up the stairs and rung the buzzer, leaning against the wall as she waited.

          “Evey?” His voice was thick with sleep, his hair tousled. “What are you doing here?”

Chapter 6.10                                                                                                                                                     Chapter 6.12

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Yay! Finally, finally done! With all my glitches and lags and stuff, I'm really surprised I've managed to keep going. But I have! And, as promised, the Heir Vote is also up. I have it open right now until the 1st of March. I figure I'll close a couple of days after I post the next chapter. However, we all know how slow I am, hence the long deadline. You're welcome to wait to learn more or if you're already decided, you can vote now.

As most of you know, whoever wins the vote will be moving to Moonlight Falls. Which has also been part of why I've been going so slow. I've been editing and building (and making lists of all of Buckley's lots which I will kidnap) to make Moonlight Falls just the way I like it. Maybe, just maybe, the next couple of generations can stay there. Possibly even to the end?