Chapter 2

     The next morning Alex awoke to the sound of giggling and bed jumping. He groaned as he got up and tackled the first of the triplets he could grab and tickled the profusely. He gave a small yelp as he was attacked by the other two and it turned into an all out morning tickle war. It wasn’t until he heard the click of a camera that he called for a cease tickle and looked over at the door to see Ashley, Elizabeth, and Marco laughing and holding two types of cameras, a video camera and a photo camera.

“I better not see that video all over the internet” He said warningly and got up off the bed.

“Don’t worry, I promise it will not leave this house” Elizabeth said as she walked out of the room already dressed in her swim suit and a pair of shorts and a loose tank top over it.            

        Alex rubbed the sleep out of his eyes and headed to the bathroom to brush his teeth and take a quick morning shower before putting on his swim trunks and a t-shirt. He looked at the alarm clock on the night stand and sighed as he realized that in two hours the man who should be here would be. He only hoped that they wouldn’t kill him for what will transpire. Shaking the thoughts out of his head he put on his flip flops and joined the group for breakfast before heading out for a nice walk to the beach.             

        Walking down the sidewalk they passed a lot of locals who waved and smiled at the group. Elizabeth waved back asking how their mornings were and wishing them a very good day. As the group got closer to the beach, Marco and Alex stayed behind to talk. 

 “OK what is going on, I know that you were not talking to your mother last night so spill” Marco said as he made sure Eli was out of ear shot.

 “Ok if I tell you promise me you won’t freak out?” He said looking pleadingly at Marco.            

      Taking a deep breath Alex closed in and whispered his secret into Marcos ear. Marco’s eyes grew wide. He could not believe what he was hearing. He looked to Alex and was at a loss for words.  

“I just couldn’t hide it, He caught me talking to you and he heard me mentioning you name and Eli’s so he made me spill” Alex said as he and Marco reached the sandy beach. 

“Oh this is going to be one of those days” He said as he and AJ reached the girls and helped them set up camp.             

        It wasn’t long before the group was in the water splashing around and chasing after the kids. Elizabeth took a deep breath and told the rest of the group she was going to the beach blanket to get some sun. Walking back she began thinking about Howie and what would have happened if she had told him of the three miracles they had created together. Would that be married and happy, sitting together on the beach watching their children grow up? It was a question she asked herself every year. What she didn’t realize was that someone was approaching the beach blanket from behind her. They had recognized the contours of her back and the color of her hair. They could never forget that shape and the hair. Slowly approaching the blanket, the mysterious stranger came to a stop and took a deep breath.

 “Hi Ells” They said softly.       

       Elizabeth froze in fear at the sound of the mysterious voice. A million things ran through her head. She was too scared to turn around and face him. How did her find her? Did he know why she had left him all those years? The questions came at her one after the other and she debated on whether she should look at him or not. Taking a deep breath she stood up slowly and found the courage to face him. Her heart pounded in her chest. The sound of his voice still made her melt. Turning around she marveled at how much he had changed. Seeing it on video did him no justice. His hair long and straight, his skin was still as tan as ever. She felt her breath get caught in her throat. He stood there in a pair of tan Dockers and plain white button down shirt with a pair of leather loafers. It took her a small while before she found her voice and spoke.

 “Hello Howie” she said softly not having the courage to look her in the eye.

“You’ve changed” he said simply as he took a few steps towards her.    

          He marveled at her beauty. Her hair once short now long and flowing down to her back, Her ballerina legs were as slender as ever, and her body as fit as he remembered. He couldn’t help but want to touch her again after seven years of not being able to hold her. It took all of his strength to not rush to her and lift her up in his arms and spin her around; but, he knew he couldn’t.  

“I want an explanation, I need to know why you left me” He said

“I can’t” she whispered

“What do you mean you can’t? You left me high and dry Elizabeth. I deserve an explanation” He said with a slight raise in his voice.      

        Elizabeth winced at the way he raised his voice. She knew he only raised his voice when he was really hurt and angry. Yet, she still needed to keep the secret, it was the only way. She was about to tell him to leave when Jocelyn came up to them and hugged her mother.

 “Mommy who is he?” She said simply looking at her mother and the man who looked like one of Uncle Alex’s Friends.

“Mommy?” Howie said as he raised his eyebrow to Elizabeth.     

         She closed her eyes waiting for the blow to hit him. She knew it would have been a matter of time. She swallowed the lump that was forming in her throat and waited for his realization.

“I’m a father?” He whispered as he looked at her.       

       Elizabeth was in a total state of shock and a simple nod was her only reply. She knew it was a death sentence but she could only hope he would forgive her in time.