Happily Ever After (Read 53,714 times)

[fluffysmom]

Philip was so nervous. Chloe may be nervous too but she's able to conceal her emotions.

[jc20886]

LOVE THIS STORY AND PHILIP'S THOUGHTS ABOUT WHAT WENT WRONG SAD

[phloefansince2000]

Great chapter can't wait to read more. I like the fact that they invited George to their wedding. I also like the comment CHLOE made about not seeing the bride before the wedding having nothing to do with luck. I can't wait to find out why Philip and Chloe's marriage didn't work.

[unavitasegreta]

Chloe's blasé attitude compared to Philip's nervousness is quite telling. He was excited and anxious for the day to come because he felt like things kept getting in the way. Chloe was nonchalant about it. I hope their honeymoon finds them on the same page! (And that we get to "see" some of it!)

[fluffysmom]

Getting married at the courthouse doesn't seem like a dream wedding. Maybe that was part of Chloe's lack of enthusiasm.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 11a


That night, Philip kicked his shoes off as soon as he entered the apartment where he was living. It belonged to Titan and was intended for use by executives of affiliated companies, vendors, and the like who were in town for meetings. But it was rarely used, so Philip figured this was as good a place as any to stay while he figured out a more permanent plan. It was only a few blocks from the office and about a mile from the condo, making it convenient to see Parker. Philip was glad that he saw his son often anyway, because Parker attended Titan’s onsite daycare center.

After pouring himself a drink, his tie came off and he unbuttoned his shirt. Philip plopped onto the sofa, he grabbed the remote and put his tired feet up. He clicked on the TV but didn’t really watch. Instead, his mind wandered. It wandered a lot lately as he tried to reconcile the predicament he was in. He figured he must be the loneliest man on the planet. Worse than a man who never had anything, he was a man who once had it all.

Traveling on business so much was definitely one of the things that took its toll on his marriage. Instead of cementing their relationship during that first year, physical distance, juggling schedules, and concentrating more on business than on pleasure created dissension between Philip and his bride.

He remembered returning from a business trip to Europe late last summer.

~~Flashback to August 2014~~

Philip entered the dark condo. His connecting flight through Kennedy Airport from England had been delayed for four hours and it was around midnight when he finally landed at O'Hare. Figured — tonight of all nights, he and Chloe were looking forward to being in the same place at the same time after weeks of playing musical business trips. When he was home, she was out of town. When she was home, he was out of town. They were doing a good job of making sure at least one parent was always around for Parker, but it was becoming a strain on their relationship to be apart so much. Marriage was supposed to bring them closer, but so far it had not.

Last time he called before boarding the plane in New York, he sadly told Chloe not to wait up. The condo was quiet, so it appeared as if she took his advice. Hopefully, she won’t mind too much when Philip wakes her up for a long overdue, passionate reunion.

[heroicmuse]

I hope Chloe is there. I have a bad feeling she packed Parker up and went to visit her parents.

[melly]

sigh. I feel sorry for Parker.

[fluffysmom]

Sounds like they are doing far too much traveling for work. I wonder if Philip will get the passionate homecoming he's anticipating.

[André DiMera]

It sucks that Philip and Chloe have to do so much travelling for work and never get to spend time together. That can be very difficult for a relationship, no matter how much two people love each other. Despite how much I'd like Philip to get the passionate homecoming he's hoping for, I have a bad feeling that he won't. I'm looking forward to seeing what comes next!

[phloefansince2000]

Lol I hope Chloe is up for a night cap, Philip really misses her and they need to keep the passion in their marriage. Great chapter can't wait to find out what will happen.

[unavitasegreta]

You set us up for some nice romance and sexy times and yet I have a feeling that isn't going to happen. Me = sad for Philip! It sounds like it's become Parker's condo and the two of them just rotate in and out for him.

I liked the reference that Philip has it worse than someone who never had because he knows what he once had and lost.

[Kpatch]

Chapter 11b


~~Flashback to August 2014~~

Last time he called before boarding the plane in New York, he sadly told Chloe not to wait up. The condo was quiet, so it appeared as if she took his advice. Hopefully, she won’t mind too much when Philip wakes her up for a long overdue, passionate reunion.

He left his suitcase in the living room and washed up in the guest bathroom. When he opened the door to the master bedroom, a smile spread over his face. Chloe was asleep, lying on her side facing away from him. Oh man, seeing her like this made him realize how much he missed her. He missed the scent of her skin, the way her flesh felt when he held her against him, and the way her hair cascaded over his face when they kissed.

He quietly climbed into bed behind her and conformed his body to hers, kissing her shoulder and her neck until she stirred.

“You’re home,” she said warmly, without opening her eyes.

“I am now,” he said in a deep husky tone, nuzzling her cheek from behind. When he put his arms around her, his hands touched something unexpected. He sat up part-way.

Responding to his body language, Chloe turned halfway toward him and explained, “He likes to sleep in here with me when you’re not home.”

Philip loved his son more than life itself, but at that particular moment, he had to admit he wasn’t all that happy to see Parker in his bed.

It seemed to Philip that Chloe was overcompensating for all the time she missed with Parker and she was spoiling him. Not on Philip’s watch; he’d be damned if he’d stand by, while his son turned into a spoiled brat. Too many of Philip’s childhood friends were spoiled and even though he himself grew up a rich kid, he was never spoiled. His parents were not even close to being indulgent.

The next morning he told Chloe that he thought it was a bad idea to let Parker sleep with her. The experts would agree that it was detrimental to the parents as well as the child and could cause the child to be too dependent on a parent.

Well, the discussion quickly escalated into a full-blown fight when Chloe completely blew him off. She said she couldn’t care less what the experts had to say. Parker was her son and it wasn’t surprising for him to be a little needy after everything he’d been through in his young life, being shuttled between Chicago and Salem, changing fathers a few times, a head injury, and an extended period away from his mother. Chloe said she would have killed to have a parent to cling to when she was Parker’s age and there’s no way she was going to tell Parker he couldn’t sleep with her.

Sure, Philip understood where Chloe was coming from, but Parker wasn’t an orphan and he got plenty of affection and attention from both his parents. The marital bed was sacred as far as Philip was concerned. Children did not belong there.

Two days later, Chloe was off on a business trip of her own, and they never did resolve the argument. She stayed angry at him all the while they were home together, and by the time she left, he was almost glad to see her go. Too much tension. All he wanted to do was come home after a long trip and just relax and enjoy his time with his family. So much for that plan.

~~End of flashback~~

Philip sighed deeply as he downed the rest of his scotch and clicked through every single cable channel on TV.

[melly]

sounds like they both had good points and both were being a little inflexible...surprised that they never worked through this.

[heroicmuse]

Sounds like Chloe was preparing herself to be a single parent