Stealing Home (Read 9,817 times)

[Kpatch]

Chapter 23


Readers, please click the link to listen to the song that’s playing in the coffee shop.





“And so you handed me back to him on a silver platter,” Chloe spat.

“Something like that,” Philip admitted. “But I assumed it was what you’d want.”

Chloe gave Philip a dirty look. “Assumed? Assumed? Why the hell wouldn’t you ask me what I wanted! You could have saved us both a stolen year of our lives.”

His chest tightened. He knew she was right and he was wrong. “I know. You’re right. You’re right, I wish I did a lot of things differently.” Now he had just one chance to try to make her understand, and it was shaping up to be an even harder task than he anticipated. Seemed like all his explanations fell flat. No matter what he said to her, it didn’t seem to make an impact; they kept ending up back at square one.

Sitting here in front of her now, he could see the anger in her eyes, and he knew Chloe well enough to know that the anger was masking the pain she was feeling. It was always easier for her to show her anger than let anyone see her vulnerability. And he wasn’t so different in that respect. That’s exactly what he did last Thanksgiving, covered his pain with anger.

“Look, I’m not making excuses, Chloe, I’m just telling you the facts. I made a mistake,” he said. “I know now that I should have shared my grief with you, and you would have been there for me. I know you wanted to help me and you tried to reach me, but you couldn’t. And I couldn’t. I couldn’t talk about it. It may not have been the right thing to do, but it isn’t as if I was thinking rationally. I’m just sorry about the consequences of it all, how it affected you.” This was the moment he’d been dreading for the past nine months, literally the moment of truth. He looked away from her. “I’m the reason you ended up at The Oaks.” Philip took a deep breath when he said it. He’d been harboring that guilt all year, and he finally put it out there. “It’s my fault and I know it. I live with that knowledge every day.” He felt the tears choking in his throat. “Oh baby, if I could turn back time, if I could control my emotions, I’d have handled the whole thing differently. Because the truth is, whether or not I turned out to be Parker’s father, I always loved you. Always.” Philip smiled and looked up at her. “A wise grocery store manager once told me that Parker’s paternity didn’t matter, that we could still be a family. I should have listened.”

Chloe wiped at the tears rolling down her cheeks, and asked, “Then why didn’t you?”

“I don’t know.” Philip nervously ran a hand through his hair. “Pride? Vanity? Temporary insanity? A nervous breakdown, like the one you had. Maybe all of the above. But I guess I had to find out the hard way how right he was.” Philip rested his arm on the back of the booth they were seated in and he turned his body toward Chloe. “Baby, it kills me that you think you can’t count on me anymore. Because you can. You can count on me, sweetheart. I’m here for you now and forever. You’re the one I want, the one I’ve always wanted.”

“There’ve been other women you’ve ‘always’ wanted,” she said sadly, hooking her fingers into quotations when she said the word always.

Philip rolled his eyes. He thought he detected a little smirk when Chloe said that, and he hoped that meant she was on the downhill side of the anger. So he smiled back. “You’re not gonna make this easy, are you? I guess you’ve earned that pound of flesh you’re taking, so ... okay. Sure. Yes. We’ve both loved other people, I don’t deny that, and ... to be honest. I’ve never made a commitment to a woman without believing that it was going to last forever. Except ... except with you.”

Chloe leaned away. “Except me?? What do you mean ‘except me’,” she asked, scowling.

Philip knew he might be pushing his luck with that comment, but he was telling the truth, being completely honest. He hoped he could explain it right. “I mean ... with you it was always different. See, it wasn’t just that I thought we were going to last forever. It was that I believed it was never going to end. There’s a difference. You know what I mean, don’t you Chloe? You’re the only one who knows what I mean.” He placed his hand on top of hers and exhaled when she didn’t pull away. “From the minute I fell in love with you in high school, I thought we were never going to end. And you know what? We never really have.”

Chloe got quiet for a minute and nodded, lacing her fingers with Philip’s.

He brought her hand to his mouth and, never taking his eyes off her face, he pressed her knuckles to his lips. “You’re my last best chance for happiness,” Philip said quietly. “I’ve always known that, from the minute you came back into my life two years ago. That changed everything for me.” Chloe looked at him quizzically. He reached for her hair and brushed it back with his fingers. “It’s true. I can’t live without you any more, Chloe. I came so close to losing you and ... and if I lose you, I lose everything. But ... I think you lose too. We’ve both loved other people but never like this, nothing like this. ... No one ever felt as right as you. Like that Rod Stewart song says, a day without you at this point in my life is unbearable. Sweetheart, you’ve given me, honestly, the best days of my life. You feel like home to me, Chloe. Being with you is like coming home. You know?”

She looked at Philip and he thought he detected an understanding behind her eyes. “I know. I do. There’ve been times when I’ve had a hard time talking about my feelings. You know that better than anyone. So how can I condemn you for not being able to talk about yours?”

The tightness in his chest finally relaxed. “So ... you understand? You forgive me?”

At long last, she nodded. Looking at him, she admitted, “If anyone ever told me that Parker wasn’t mine, I’d lose my mind too,” she said. “I know how deeply you feel things, and I can only imagine what that was like for you. ... As for forgiving you? Father Matt told me not to wallow in the past. He said, with forgiveness, all things are possible.”

Philip looked upward. “Thank you God. Thank you Father Matt.” He leveled his eyes at Chloe. “And thank you, Chloe. Thank you for understanding.”

She looked into Philip’s eyes. She shook her head from side to side, and smiling, she said. “You know, you still make it impossible for me to stay mad at you.”

“It’s the dimples,” he joked.

“It’s a lot more than that. ... Promise me something, Philip?” she asked him. “Being without you is unbearable for me too. So promise me you won’t shut me out ever again.”

Philip’s eyes got watery as he looked into Chloe’s. He swallowed hard. “I promise. I promise I won’t ever make that mistake again.” Chloe closed her eyes and let her head fall onto Philip’s shoulder.

He leaned his head on top of hers. “I love you, Chloe.”

“I love you too, Philip. And I’m sorry for giving you such a hard time,” she sniffled. “You're the best man I know.”

She lifted her head off his shoulder to look at him. “Oh no! What time is it?” she asked in a panic. “I promised Parker I’d make cookies with him. I don’t want to disappoint him.”

Philip let out a laugh. “I’ll call Lucinda and tell her we’ll be home soon.”

[gapeach]

Happy happy tears! I am SO glad that Phillip and Chloe were able to work things out!

[melly]

"It's the dimples."

Yay for Philip and Chloe getting a happy ending!

[jc20886]

Love it Love it Love it I bet the dimples helped

[unavitasegreta]

The angst was getting unbearable but it's always so worth it in the end. Perfect resolution. You're the best when it comes to these two!

[fluffysmom]

Terrific chapter Kpatch! I love that being completely honest with each other helped them to reconcile and become even closer. I'm so glad Chloe was able to understand why Philip pushed her away.

[gapeach]

Can't wait to see what happens next to these two lovebirds!!

[Kpatch]

Chapter 24

~Three months later~

“Thanks for the update Diane, I think we’re making some great progress,” Chloe said to the person on the other end of the phone. “I wouldn’t be surprised if we beat our rollout deadline and had our new product ready by summer.” Chloe paused to listen to Diane. “I know,” she laughed. “You’re exactly right. Philip would say it’s better to get it done well than to get it done fast.” She paused again. “Oh he did? Good, that means he should be home soon. Thanks for telling me. Okay, I will. You have a good Christmas too and I’ll see you after the first of the year. Bye now.”

After she put the phone down, Chloe sat down on the floor next to Parker and stroked his head. “Did you hear that, angel? Daddy should be walking through the door any minute.”

Right now, Parker was too busy playing with his train set to pay any attention to Chloe. Philip laid out a train track around the Christmas tree with a little help from Parker a couple weeks ago. The two of them were charming to watch, getting the rails all connected. Chloe took video footage of it and she sent it to her parents, Victor and Maggie, and some of Parker’s aunts and uncles.

Parker just adored trains. He took after his mother in that respect. His parents promised to take him for a ride on the Chicago El during Christmas week. It would be his first-ever train ride. Chloe wasn’t sure who was more excited about it, her or Parker.

More and more, Chloe was learning to cherish these small moments, especially now that she was so busy launching DreamTunes, the music division she was heading up for Titan Media. She’d already assembled a core project team and they even hired a couple of key players away from Amazon and Apple to work on the launch.

Chloe came up with the name DreamTunes as a private homage to her and Philip’s romance. Years ago, Philip serenaded her by singing The Everly Brother’s “Dream” outside her window. But only she and Philip knew the meaning behind the name.

Chloe went to the office two days a week, and worked from home the rest of the time. The office wasn’t far from the condo and she and Philip usually walked to work together, weather permitting.

She still had moments of anxiety, remnants of her psychogenic non-epileptic seizures, especially when she thought about how perfect her life seemed now. It was usually when she was happiest that catastrophe struck. She didn’t think she could handle another life-altering event, and she hoped and prayed that things would continue along their current path, because she loved her life just the way it was. She and Philip were deliriously happy most days, and neither of them took anything for granted. They’d been through so much together and apart to get to where they were now.

Right now, Chloe couldn’t wait for Philip to come home. Once he did, their Christmas vacation would begin in earnest. They had plans for every day of the week, starting with tomorrow, Christmas day. After opening presents, they’d go to church. Philip knew that Chloe’s faith was important to her and he said he’d go to church with her on Christmas morning. Then later in the day, they were going to Skype Chloe’s parents so Craig and Nancy could watch Parker open the gift they sent him. Later in the week, they had plans to take Parker on the elevated train, go to the movies, to a train museum, to the mall to see Santa, to the aquarium, and to a holiday ice show.

But Philip and Chloe weren’t the only ones who had the week off. Philip gave all Titan-Chicago employees the entire week off with pay between now and January 2nd. He wanted to give the staff the gift of quality time to spend with their families. Philip said that Parker and Chloe taught him that family was the most important thing in the world. He even contracted with a construction company to build an on-site nursery for employees who had young children, and he was paying Lucinda to consult on the project. Meanwhile, the Whole Foods store that George managed was awarded an exclusive catering contract with Titan-Chicago.

Except for the fact Philip wasn’t home yet, everything was ready for Christmas. Lights and ornaments were hung on the tree and dozens of wrapped packages lay beneath. Their stockings were hung on the fireplace mantle in storybook fashion. Candles, garland and winter scenes were lovingly placed around the room, giving the condo a warm holiday feel. And the people who lived there were in a very festive mood this season. This was a far, far better Christmas than last year, Chloe mused.

Tonight -- Christmas eve -- they were each planning to open just one present, and Chloe just knew Philip would love his. She picked up the gift from under the tree and imagined his reaction when he opens it. “He’s going to be so surprised,” she whispered to herself.

[gapeach]

LOVE IT! So glad that DreamTunes is going to be a reality. So nice to see Chloe so happy!

[melly]

Awwwww....and I hope Philip made sure that George got a nice raise and a BIG Christmas gift!

[rahma2701]

This is just adorable, I love the business details brings the story more to life well done. XO @kpatch

[fluffysmom]

I'm glad the music division has become a reality. It's good to see Chloe so happy. What a difference a year makes. I like the descriptions of the Christmas decorations.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 25 - Finale


Chloe jumped up when she heard the key in the door and she quickly placed Philip’s gift back under the tree. “Daddy’s home, angel,” she said, kissing her son’s head as he played with his toy trains on the floor. Parker got off the floor and ran to his father, beating Chloe to a hug.

Philip lifted Parker in his arms, then wrapped an arm around Chloe, kissing her hello. “Nice greeting, guys. I’m feeling loved,” he quipped.

“That’s because you are,” Chloe said between kisses.

Philip put Parker down and the boy ran back to his train track. Chloe grasped Philip’s hands and walked him into the room. “Now I’ve got you all to myself for eight whole days.”

“And nights,” Philip said, pulling her close. “Don’t forget about the nights.”

“Oh don’t worry, Soldier, I’m looking forward to those as well.” She kissed him hard to show him she meant what she said.

Their kiss was interrupted by Philip’s cell phone. “This better not be work,” he said, reaching for the phone in his pocket. He looked at the display. “Hmm.” Pressing the answer key, he put the phone to his ear. “Justin, hey, what’s up?”

While talking to Justin, Philip slipped his coat off with Chloe’s help. She held his coat and watched him start to pace and rub the back of his neck. This can’t be good, she thought, recognizing his nervous mannerisms. She hung Philip’s coat in the front closet, never taking her eyes off him.

“You’ve got to be kidding me,” he said into the phone. “No, you’re right. I don’t know why I should be surprised. This sounds exactly like something she’d do.” Philip stopped pacing to look at Chloe. He looked lost in his thoughts. Justin’s voice brought him back to the present. “Sorry, what did you say? Right. ... Yeah, I’ll let you know. ... Christmas? What? Oh. Right. Of course, Merry Christmas to you and Adrienne and the kids. ... I will.”

Philip put his phone down and approached Chloe. He looked like he’d seen a ghost. “What’s wrong, Philip,” she asked. “You’re scaring me.”

He rubbed her shoulders soothingly. “Nothing, everything’s fine.”

“Don’t lie to me, Philip, not after everything we’ve been through. No secrets, remember? What did Justin want?”

Philip sighed wearily. “He wanted to tell me that he knows where my mother is. Her exact location. Seems she’s living with some drug lord in Venezuela. I’m sure she figures by living with a mobster, she’ll be protected. Wouldn’t be the first time she’s done something like that.”

“Venezuela is a dangerous place, Philip. You’re not planning to....”

Philip finished her thought. “I told Justin I’d let him know after the holidays.”

“Let him know what?”

Philip looked away from her to avoid her questioning eyes. “Exactly what you’re thinking. I’ll let him know whether we want to send someone in there to get her out, bring her back here to stand trial.”

“Tell him no,” Chloe said decisively.

Philip’s brow knit as he turned back to face her. “What??”

“I said, tell him no.”

“What do you mean “no”?” Philip was incredulous. “She can’t get away with what she did to us, Chloe. What she did to you was barbaric. Needless shock treatments. You would have had a lobotomy if we didn’t get you out of there when we did. Don’t tell me you forgive her.”

“Forgive her? Are you kidding?”

“Well,” Philip shrugged. “You’re always quoting Father Matt about how all things are possible with forgiveness.”

Chloe smirked. “Maybe so, but Kate is the exception to that rule. If I was a better person spiritually, then maybe I could find it in me to forgive her, but I’m definitely not a saint. I’m human and I hate her as much as you do. Trust me, I have all kinds of fantasies about evilness befalling her.”

“So, if you want your fantasies to come true....”

“No! God no. That’s not what I meant. What I really want is to stop the insanity.” Chloe was getting agitated. “I want this to be over.”

Philip took a step toward her. “Shhh. Let’s change the subject.”

Chloe walked toward the Christmas tree, away from from Philip. “Don’t you see, Philip? She isn’t going to get away with it. She’s not getting away with it, even now. It’s the holidays. She can’t be happy where she is, and she isn’t safe there, not really. She’s far away from her family and she’s living with dangerous people. I believe that’s God’s way of dealing with her.” She turned to face Philip. “It’s not up to us to pass judgment. It’s up to God.” Chloe began to get teary-eyed. “Besides, if you send someone in there to get her out, people are going to get hurt. Your people. I don’t want that on my conscience, Philip.”

“Okay. Shhh. Shhh.” Philip walked over and put his arms around her. “Whatever you say, sweetheart. I’ll tell Justin to let it go.”

“Promise?”

Philip took a step back and squinted at her. “I said we’ll let it go.”

Chloe could tell Philip was getting annoyed with her questioning him, so she backed off. “I’m sorry, Philip. I know you’ll keep your word. It’s just that, I don’t want revenge,” she said. “Not that kind anyway.”

Philip raised his brows. “Okay. What kind of revenge do you want?”

“This,” she said, indicating the three of them. “You and me and Parker. We survived Kate. Look at how long it took us to get to this place. But we did it. We proved that nothing she can do can destroy us.” She touched the chain around her neck that had one of Philip’s dog tags hanging from it. “That’s why we wear these, right? It’s proof that we got through it, we survived the wars, and we can get through anything.” Philip silently nodded. “You know the saying that living well is the best revenge? And we are. We’re living well, right?”

“Better than well,” he smiled, taking her hands. “You’re right, sweetheart. We’re happy. And that’s all I want. All I want is to see you happy.”

“I am, Philip. I’m happy and healthy and whole. I feel so blessed. I have everything I want now. I have you. And I have Parker. I love you both so much.”

“Well, hopefully, I’m about to make you even happier.”

Chloe knit her brow. “What do you mean?”

“I have something for you. Your Christmas eve gift. But really, it’s the gift of a lifetime.” Holding both her hands, he led her over to the couch as he spoke and they both sat down.

Chloe started to laugh. “Another O Henry gift?”

“Not this time. At least I hope not.” Still holding both her hands, he looked at her and took a deep breath. “I’ve made a lot of mistakes in my life,” he said, “but loving you was never one of them. It was just our timing that wasn’t always the greatest.”

Chloe nodded, but she wasn’t exactly sure what he meant -- until he slid off the sofa and lowered himself onto one knee in front of Chloe. He put his hand in his pocket and took out an engagement ring. Holding it between his thumb and forefinger, he asked, “Remember this?”

Chloe’s lips parted as she looked from the ring to Philip’s eyes. She was speechless. She hadn’t even given any thought to the Christmas eve gift Philip was going to give to her. She was too focused on what she was giving to him. Her eyes pooled with tears as he spoke.

“I put this on your finger over a year ago,” he continued, “after you proposed to me. Remember?” He chuckled. “I know you remember it now. ... Well, now it’s my turn.” His voice cracked with emotion, so he paused for a moment to collect himself before continuing. “When we came back to Chicago, I promised I’d give this to you again when the time was right. And I’m hoping it’s right, like ... now.” He cleared his throat. Chloe thought he seemed a little nervous and she felt so touched. “Chloe, when I was 16, I fell in love with an incredible girl. She was smart and talented and beautiful and loving and funny. I just knew she was the perfect girl for me and I was sure that I could never love anyone more. Well, guess what? I was wrong,” he said. “You’re all those things and more, and I love you more today than I ever have before. You’re everything to me, Chloe, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you, if you’ll have me. Let’s make it official. Marry me.”

Chloe was so overwhelmed with emotion, she thought she must be dreaming. She wasn’t sure if she was speaking or not, but she was pretty sure her head was moving up and down. The huge smile on Philip’s face seemed to confirm it. He slid the ring onto her finger, then he sat on the couch beside her and pulled her into an embrace. He leaned away and took her face in his hands, kissing her lips as he leaned her back onto the sofa.

Lying beneath Philip’s body, getting lost in their kisses, Chloe was surprised to feel an extra pair of hands poking her arm and she gently pushed Philip back. They both turned their heads to find Parker standing next to the sofa. “What you doing to Mommy?” he asked Philip.

Philip laughed and sat up on the couch. Lifting Parker onto his lap, he said, “We were kissing, big guy. You want to know why?” Parker nodded.

Chloe kissed Parker’s hand as the three of them sat on the couch together. “We were celebrating, angel,” she told him. “Your daddy and I are going to get married.”

“Okay,” Parker said, wrinkling his brow. He wasn’t nearly as moved by the big news as his parents were. They laughed as he pushed himself off of Philip’s lap to resume playing with his train set.

Chloe admired the ring on her finger. “I wasn’t expecting this, Philip. This is the best gift,” she told him.

“No,” he said, leaning toward her. “You’re the best gift.” He kissed her and started to push her back onto the sofa cushions when she pulled away.

“Oh wait. I almost forgot,” she said.

“Wait? For what? What’s wrong?”

Chloe smiled coyly. “I have something for you too. You’re going to flip when you see it.” Chloe went over to the tree and retrieved a flat wrapped box.

As she returned to the sofa and handed it to Philip, he said, “What’s this? A shirt box? Don’t tell me. It’s an ‘I Survived Kate’ t-shirt.”

Chloe laughed. “Hardly. Open it.”

Philip pulled off the wrapping paper and separated the lid from the bottom part of the box. His brow knit as he looked at a flat envelope. He looked at Chloe who was smiling from ear to ear. He reached inside the envelope and pulled out a certificate. His lips parted as he read it silently, then he looked at Chloe with amazement. “Oh my God. Is this for real?”

“Congratulations,” she said, smiling proudly. “It’s official. You’re a father.”

Philip looked at the paper again, and this time, he read it aloud. “Parker Wesley Kiriakis. Date of birth - November 11, 2010. Mother - Chloe Lane. Father - Philip Kiriakis.” Philip swallowed hard. “Chloe. This is ... incredible. ... I’m speechless.”

Chloe laughed. “Ha. I finally figured out how to shut you up.” She put her hand on his knee when she saw the tears in his eyes. “I’m so happy you like it, Philip. But I have to tell you, getting them to change that back was no easy feat.”

“Why not?” He continued to look at the certificate.

“Because I’m over the limit. The woman at the Division of Vital Records gave me such a hard time. I’m sure they talk about me around the water cooler,” she laughed. “They told me this was the very last time I’m allowed to make a change.”

Philip laughed. “What did you say?”

“Oh, I told them it was definitely the last time, and they wouldn’t be hearing from me again.”

Philip rubbed his chin. “Hmmm. Well, they might.”

Chloe scowled at him. “What?? Why?”

“Because we’ll be needing a marriage license,” he winked.

Her lips curved into a broad smile. “I’ll give you the phone number,” she teased. “You can call them this time.”

“It will be my pleasure.”




The End

[melly]

Awwwwww! Love it!!!! Good show, jkjpatch!

Now, when do we get your NEXT story?

[unavitasegreta]

I was all 'Noooo, it can't be over!' Then I was all 'OMG that's so perfect!' I love the ending and that she's going to make Philip call for the marriage license. The best ending ever indeed!