For Better Or For Worse (rewrite/ Continuation)

Chapter 40

Two months later, December 20th 1998,

Ethan was visiting the penthouse to catch up with his sisters, brother in law, soon to be brother in law (Romeo) and his little niece Melody,

"How is your teraphy going?" Ethan asked Tracee once Michael was getting Melody who woke up from her nap

"Good, I guess, sometimes I feed her myself, with a bottle, but it feels ok and I changed her diaper for the first time yesterday" Tracee answered

"I'm proud of you" Ethan told her

"Thanks, by the way did you see Sheila yet? You guys would meet up in person again last month right? You went to Atlanta to her new house right?" Tracee asked

"Yeah..." Ethan sighed "I got there and this short caramel guy opens the door and says you must be Ethan, Sheila's ex that she's still married to" He continued

"Wait what?" Tracee gasped

"So I was like excuse you? Ex? Sheila is my wife and yes we might've been separated for like two years now but we're still married and love each other I thought" Ethan explained

"Was she home?" Tracee asked

"Yes, she was pregnant with shortie's baby and only asked me to come over to sign the divorce papers, she wants nothing, only to be freed from me so she could marry Shortie" Ethan mentioned "To think I loved her, she was never ready for kids but knows Shortie for less than a year she said and suddenly she's ready for kids" He continued, shaking his head

"I'm sorry" Tracee mentioned and hugged her brother "But don't give up" She told him

"There goes my Christmas plans, I mean I hoped she came to her senses and we could celebrate Christmas together again and maybe try for a baby, I mean I thought she was going to say she's ready for kids and wants to be a family again" Ethan sighed

"Why don't you celebrate Christmas with me, Michael and Melody? Gail and Romeo will celebrate with his mom, mom and dad are celebrating together on Hawaii with some of their friends who invited them and Michael's parents they don't really do holidays" Tracee suggested

"I don't know, won't that be ruining your plans?" Ethan asked

"We didn't have plans" Tracee mentioned "Right?" She asked Michael who came back with Melody

"Plans for what?" Michael asked joining them on the couch with Melody

"For Christmas in a few days" Tracee answered

"Well except for once again staying in New York there is no plans" Michael answered sighing, wanting to go back to California, he had enough of the cold New York weather

"See? So you can stay with us" Tracee mentioned to Ethan

"But isn't it Melody's first Christmas?" Ethan mentioned

"It's also the first Christmas with my long lost brother" Tracee mentioned

"True" Ethan nodded

"You can invite Mrs Livingstone your other mom if you want, didn't you say her husband died a few years ago" Tracee remembered

"Since then she goes on a singles trip every year around Christmas until the first week of January" Ethan answered

"Even when she knew you needed her because your- Sheila was in Atlanta the last two years" Tracee asked him

"I cleaned out my work van last Christmas, refreshed the oil and repaired the rusty areas" Ethan explained

"This year you will have a homemade dinner, I was planning to make a shrimp filled Quice, homade garlic bread, tomato soup as starter, a roasted chicken with patato mouse for maincourse and for dessert I'll make a lemon pie" Tracee mentioned

"Trust me you're full til new years then" Michael added

"It already sounds delicious" Ethan mentioned

--- A few days later,

Ethan arrived in time to help cook the Christmas dinner and brought some good wine with him to enjoy with the food

"By the way you're a good chef?" Tracee asked seasoning the tomato soup while Michael made the dough for their garlic bread and Ethan was peeling the patotoes for the patato mouse

"If I have to I can cook but it's ok-ish" Ethan answered "But you're obviously a talented chef and designer" He complimented his sister

"That's because two women teached me all their kitchen secretes" Tracee smiled checking the oven for her Quice

"Two?" Ethan asked

"Yes mom and Michael's mother" Tracee answered

"According to Rebbie mother shared more kitchen secrets with you than with her" Michael mentioned adding some garlic to the dough mixture

"Because I had more time because I wasn't pregnant or chasing a music career like the others" Tracee mentioned

"You can't sing?" Ethan asked

"Not even in the shower" Tracee answered

"There's plenty of other things to do in the shower" Michael smiled at her

"Mhm" Tracee smiled

"Ok TMI" Ethan shook his head

---

Once all the food was done they enjoyed it and talked about their plans for the new year

"I might have to hire someone because I can't do everything on my own anymore" Ethan mentioned

"That's good news, my mother baby collection will finally be done, it's for the teen mom's, they helped designing, they're all invited to the show, I made them all a special goody bag with the entire collection and they get all five percent of every sold item of the collection, they're with ten so the other fifty goes to the charity who helps these girls" Tracee explained

"That's very nice of you" Ethan told her

"And you? Not another tour please" Tracee asked her husband

"No, the charity project here is finished, they open the doors next month, I do have charity concerts planned in June tho, South Korea and Germany" Michael answered

"How many? And are you sure it's just those two places?" Tracee asked

"Two, one in Seoul and one in Munich" Michael answered

"Can we add a few days in Europe afterwards? Rome perhaps?" Tracee suggested

"Fashion related visit?" Michael asked

"Maybe" Tracee mentioned

"Well we could rent a villa at Lake como it's beautiful out there during the summer in Europe" Michael answered

"Good idea" Tracee smiled

The three of them enjoyed the night and Tracee offered Ethan one of the guestrooms since she didnt think it would be a smart idea to drive home after having a few glasses of wine