Luis awoke first that morning, Sheridan’s light head resting against his chest and her hand over his heart. Looking down at her hand, he noticed the plain gold wedding band that adorned it. That one little ring linked them for life or for as long as she would deal with him whichever came first. But right now he wasn’t thinking so much about their wedding, but about how much he wanted to make love to the beauty in his arms and the way her leg was resting between his wasn’t helping! He couldn’t believe he had gotten himself into this position with her. Not that he had a choice; she had snuggled up to him the night before. With a sigh, he kissed the top of her head. This wasn’t fair and controlling himself was near impossible.

But Sheridan had looked gorgeous the previous night, the way her hair ruffled in the gentle breeze on the balcony, the lights from below causing her to glow. His wife was the most amazing woman on earth and more than anything he wanted to show her that…

But he couldn’t. His heart still belonged to Beth and that meant it was buried in the cold hard Harmony ground, six feet below everything and everyone. As much as he wanted to love Sheridan with every part of him, he was still bound to Beth.

“Mmm, Luis,” she mumbled in her sleep, rolling away. Freedom at last! He wasn’t sure how much longer he could fight the urge to wake her and continue what he had started the night before! To think Sheridan had refused him! His own wife had told him she wouldn’t be his whore. He hadn’t meant it that way; he had *needed* her so badly, but she had told him that she would never let another man have her without loving her…

What had she meant?

“There’s so much I want to know about you, Sheridan. So much I need to learn,” he sighed, climbing out of bed and heading into the other room. The girls were due to be up soon; if they weren’t already, the last thing he needed was their waking his wife.

Little did Luis know that his wife was very much awake and she had rolled out of his arms to save them both the embarrassment of the conversation that would have followed. Sheridan waited until she heard the bedroom door close before opening her eyes. “There’s so much you’ll never learn, Luis,” she sighed, staring up at the ceiling. She needed help, any sort of help she could receive, and she knew she wasn’t going to get it. The door clicked opened and she quickly closed her eyes.

Seconds later the door closed again, but Sheridan knew whomever entered hadn’t left. In fact, she knew they were coming closer. “Mommy?”

Sheridan’s eyes flew open. It was Hope! “Hello darling,” Sheridan opened her arms to her littler girl. One thing she wouldn’t be sorry about is becoming Hope’s mother. This child was just too precious to her. “Did you sleep well?”

“Sammy kicked me,” the tot pouted. “Tonight I sleep with you?”

Sheridan brushed some hair from Hope’s forehead. “You bet. Tonight you can sleep with me.”

“Good,” the little girl snuggled in her arms. “No more tears?”

Sheridan sighed. She wished she could promise that there would ever be tears again, but that would be a lie and she refused to lie to Hope. “Not yet, darling. I’ve been all…”

“Sheridan, are you awake?” a light rapping interrupted.

“Yes, Luis, I’m awake,” she pulled the sheet closer against her as the door opened; little Hope snuggled into her side.

“I was wondering if you wanted some breakfast. I ordered pancakes.”

“Sure, what do you think Hope, pancakes?” Sheridan brushed another piece of unruly hair back behind Hope’s ear. The child nodded. “Guess it’s unanimous.”

“Ok. Meantime, you might want to get changed and packed. We’re leaving after breakfast, the pilot called and confirmed all ready,” Luis left the room.

“Yes drill sergeant,” she muttered, getting up and heading for the bathroom. “Come on kiddo, let’s go get ready for today, huh?”

Hope nodded and ran after Sheridan. It was going to be a long day.

After arriving back in Harmony, Luis and Sheridan stopped at his parent’s house to announce the…news. All right, so it wasn’t the greatest news in the world for her, but she certainly had to lie and pretend it was. She chanted to herself the entire time…

I’m doing this for Hope… I’m doing this for Hope… I’m doing this for Hope…

“Sheridan, is everything all right?” Luis asked, glancing over at her briefly as he pulled into his mother’s driveway.

“Wouldn’t want the princess to be upset, would we?” Sami mumbled, rolling her eyes and looking out the window.

Sheridan glared at the child for a second. “You need a serious attitude adjustment.”

“And you think YOUR going to be the one to change me? Oh get a life!”

“Samantha Lynn!” Luis replied viciously, calling this battle to a close.

“Can we just get this done, Luis? I really don’t feel up to being with a lot of people tonight. I’m tired and I have a business meeting tomorrow.”

“Sheridan, about working…”

“Don’t even say what I think you’re going to, because I am not quitting…” she glared at him, cutting him off mid sentence.

“I was going to ask you if you’d mind working from home, Sheridan. Jeeze, no need to jump down my throat woman!”

“Sorry,” she sighed, getting out of the car and then bringing Hope inside. The faster this was done the better. She was positive Pilar, Martin and Ethan were going to drop when she told them about this. Ethan may not be intelligent but it didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that they weren’t really in love.

“Is it true!” Theresa asked, meeting them as they entered through the front door. Where the hell had she come from so fast?

“What? That Dad married the bimbo?” Sami grumbled.

“Two weeks, Sam, want to make it three?”

“Whatever,” she pushed past her aunt and went into the living room. Hope followed, wishing she was brazen enough to beat her sister up!

“It’s true,” Luis replied, pasting a fake smile on his face as his arm slid around Sheridan.

“I’m so happy for you!!!” Theresa screamed, launching herself into Luis’ arms for a hug. Ok, so maybe you had to be smarter than Theresa to see through this farce but Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dumb couldn’t! Oh she wished this gene pool had been chlorinated!

“Mija! What is with the screaming,” Pilar met them in the hall, Martin following behind. Of course, Ethan was very close behind as well. So close that when Martin stopped walking, Ethan slammed into his future father-in-law’s back, sending the older gentleman to the floor. “The entire neighborhood can hear you!”

“Luis and Sheridan got married!!!” Theresa cheered, her smile much brighter than the married couple’s.

Pilar looked over at the pair, brown eyes trying to take in every aspect of the married couple. Something certainly wasn’t right about this. After all, hadn’t Luis said just the other day he could never marry again? That he loved Beth so much he would suffer for life? Something was wrong here!

“Congratulations, son,” Martin smiled, dusting himself off and casting Ethan a look. So much for intelligent grandchildren. “I’m glad you found someone that you could love.”

“Me too,” he smiled at his wife, laying it on rather thick. “Sheridan is my soul mate. I tried to deny it, but last night with Hope she was amazing.”

“Rather rash, don’t you think?” Pilar asked.

“I love her,” Luis defended, but even Sheridan knew it was weak. He didn’t mean it; she knew he never would.

“Fine. You’ll be staying for dinner?” Pilar asked. Just wonderful, his mother could see through this! It was never going to work. Sheridan fidgeted nervously; she wasn’t sure she could maintain this lie much longer.

“No, I think we should head home. Hope nearly fell asleep on the plane ride, she was so sick from being on the plane. I think we should get her home and to bed,” Luis insisted. “Right Sheridan?”

“Right,” she replied. “Come on Hope, Sami.”

“Hey, don’t tell me what to do,” Sami stormed outside. Sheridan grumbled something and left with Sami.

Martin chuckled. “Good luck, son,” he waved as he left. “You’ll need it!”

With Sami and Hope tucked into bed, Luis led Sheridan to her room. It was down the hall from his, but next door to Hope. At least she wasn’t being asked to share a bed with him. She wasn’t sure she could have handled sleeping beside him every night and telling him no. After all, she did…

Well she was starting to…

Ok, she loved him!

“So, this is your room,” he opened the door. “It was originally the guest room, so we can change it to suit you if you’d like.”

“I’d appreciate it,” she looked around. “The pictures of your family is wonderful, but I think I might like some of my own.”

He nodded, just standing there. She leaned against the frame of the door and sighed. Neither said anything for a moment, just gazed into each other’s eyes. Those blue eyes looked sadder than he had ever seen them before and he felt terrible that he was doing this to her.

Sheridan glanced from his eyes to his lips and back again. She loved the way those lips felt against hers. Their first kiss at the office had been sheer heaven. The way his mouth gently caressed hers, his warm moist lips slowly stroking her love to life. God, she would die if he kissed her again.

As if he could read her mind, Luis cupped her cheek and leaned in to kiss her. She was intoxicating and kissing her made his heart swell, the ice around it melting slowly away. He would never grow tired of sharing these sweet torturing kisses with Sheridan. Never!

Sheridan pushed him away, clearing her throat and casting her eyes down at the floor. “I should probably get ready for bed. I have a nine am, even if I am working from home starting this week,” she crossed her arms over her chest.

He sighed. “Yea, I guess…or we could watch a movie…maybe have something to drink and talk a while?”

“I really don’t think so,” she shook her head. “Name only, remember?”

“Sheridan…”

“No. Look, you said you couldn’t give me your heart, so I won’t ask for it, but at least allow me some dignity. Allow me to feel as if I’m going to be respected around here and not treated as a glorified babysitter or something, ok?”

“Sheridan…”

She stepped back into her room. “Goodnight, Luis.”

He sighed. “Night Sheridan,” he turned and walked down the hall. Sheridan watched him from the doorway.

As he went into his room, Sheridan remembered sleeping against his warm body the night before. His rock hard body had been beneath her hands, under her cheek and it had felt wonderful! Glorious! She sighed. She would love to be with him right now, lying in the same bed, snuggling against his warm, hard flesh…kissing him.

Oh how she loved kissing him!

How she loved him!

But Luis wouldn’t want her always. In fact, Luis would want to have her just this once and never again. Luis Lopez-Fitzgerald wanted a body in his bed and someone to take care of his children, but he refused to give away his heart. One thing she had learned years ago was that sex was just sex without love behind it. Been there, done that…would NEVER do that again!

Going back into her room, Sheridan closed the door and flopped onto her bed. What had she done? She sore to herself and to her dying mother that she would never settle for anything less for perfection and yet she had married Luis for Hope. For a child!

“No, for the child’s future,” Sheridan sighed, rolling over to look at the picture of Hope, Sami and Luis from Vegas. They had taken it at the airport and Luis had made sure it was given to Sheridan. “To save her from this life in the future. Because you fell in love with that little girl the moment she took the cookie from your hand.”

Grabbing the picture, she traced Luis’ face and sighed. He was so handsome, so unique. Somewhere inside that man was the perfect husband, but unfortunately that man belonged to someone else. He belonged to his deceased wife and two little girls and now she was all-alone. Funny how you can be alone when with someone else…

The door to the bedroom opened and a little head peeked in. “You said I could sleep with you.”

Sheridan smiled. “Sure, hop on in while I get changed,” Sheridan got up, turning down the covers before she grabbed her nightgown and disappeared into the bathroom. Hope immediately climbed into the bed, a stuffed rabbit in her arms. When Sheridan returned, she found the child asleep all ready.

“Goodnight, Hope, I love you,” she kissed the child’s forehead and then snuggled in bed with her, falling almost immediately to sleep.

Moments later, the door to Sheridan’s room opened again, but this time the viewer didn’t enter, instead he merely watched as his new wife and baby girl slept peacefully. “Damn it, Sher, why do I have to love you so much? I intended this to be in name only, but it’s not going to be that way and we both know it. I shouldn’t love you, but I think…no I know I do.” He sighed again. This was so difficult…too impossible for words.

“Goodnight my loves,” he closed the door, heading back to his room. He would have to keep his distance if he was going to survive this. Otherwise, he might actually fall in love with her and make this marriage something more than it should be…

Not that it would be a bad thing…