One year ago
"Rosie, will you hurry up? Please?" Brian hastily checked his watch.
"We're gonna be late if we don't leave soon."
"I'm coming, I'm coming, and don't call me Rosie."
A strikingly beautiful, petite, raven haired woman stepped into the
livingroom, quickly placing earrings in her ears.
"Okay, Rose, then come on. Your father wants to show you off, I'm
sure. Let's go. You look beautiful. As always."
Rose's green eyes twinkled merrily as she smiled.
Brian let his mind wander as they headed for the party. He remembered
Rose when he'd first met her, seven years ago. He was twenty, she just
eighteen, fresh out of high school. Back then, her long, black hair had
been dull and lifeless, and her eyes were the color of grass, just
before it's about to turn yellow and die. He wasn't quite sure why he'd
even approached her in the first place, but he had, and after striking
up a conversation, they'd discovered just how much they had in common.
They'd agreed to meet the next day for lunch, and soon became fast
friends. She was an artist, a painter and a sketcher, and her artwork at
the time reflected inner pain and turmoil: dark colors and bleak images.
Brian has tried to ask her why, she wouldn't tell him. He let it go,
pushed it to the back of his mind. But the questions reared their ugly
heads when they started dating. After a year of her shying away from
every show of affection, his frustration finally got the best of him and
he demanded to know why he couldn't touch her. Had something happened to
her before he met her? Was it him? And finally, in a teary explosion,
she'd confessed to him what had happened to her. It started with her
uncle molesting her when she was eight, and continuing until she left
home, fear of bodily harm keeping her silent. Add that with being raped
at fourteen by a family friend and she was an emotional nutcase.
He'd asked her what reason she had to be afraid of him. Did she really
think he had the gall to lay one harming finger on her head? A promise
that he would never dream of hurting her, and would kill himself before
he ever did anything to her. A tight embrace and a lasting kiss cemented
their relationship, and now here they were, married just a year.
Her art had taken a turn for the better as well. Brian had a few pieces
displayed in his office at home, among his favorites a single red rose
with Rose's face lightly imposed over the flower.
"Brian, honey, come back to Earth."
Brian blinked and looked at Rose.
"We're at the house. We can get out of the car now."
"Oh." Brian had been lost in his own thoughts, driving on automatic
pilot. Rose smiled and lightly kissed his cheek.
"You've been in school too long. It's making you a space case."
"Well, I'm on Earth again. Let's go inside."
Brian and Rose were greeted heartily by Rose's parents, Victor and
Nina.
"Brian! It's been a while, son." Victor laughed as he embraced his
son-in-law. "How's school going?"
"Pretty good. I need this break right now, though."
Victor laughed again. "I remember those days. You're still in the top
ten?"
"Of course."
"Excellent. Nice to know my money's good for something."
Brian blushed slightly. "You know, sir, you don't need to-"
"I know what you're going to say. You've been saying it for three years.
I want to help you through school. You don't need to spend most
of your life paying off student loans. You need to spend your life with
your wife and as a successful lawyer. I'm going to see to it. So I don't
want to hear any more objections."
Brian nodded, smiling slightly. Nina turned her attention to the two
men.
"Victor, are you lecturing Brian again?"
"Just trying to break down that whole modesty thing."
"Modesty is a rare thing nowadays, you big braggart. Go say hi to your
daughter."
Victor obediently went over to talk to Rose and Nina embraced Brian. He
kissed her cheek and smiled at her. He thoroughly enjoyed Rose's
parents. Where Victor was large and imposing, Nina was small and had a
regal air.
"How are you?" Brian asked.
"Same as always. Aging gracefully, but aging nonetheless." Nina's eyes
twinkled, green like Rose's.
"You don't look a day over thirty." Brian grinned and Nina laughed.
"Oh, Brian."
"Why don't we go into the ballroom? I'm sure more guests are coming,"
Rose suggested. Brian nodded and Nina and Victor waved them off.
In the ballroom, they saw most of the guests had already arrived. Brian
gazed around the stately ballroom. He had been in here several times
before, but it never failed to impress him.
Victor had not been born into money. Quite the opposite. His father had
to work hard to support his family. His mother didn't work, at least not
outside of the home. Victor's father had the mindset that the mother
should stay with the children. So she made money by doing alterations
and baking. Victor's dad somehow made enough to make sure that he, his
wife, his three songs, and daughter had enough to eat. Even the dog and
cat didn't go hungry. Victor had worked hard to get through school and
become a lawyer. He was only a mild success when his father died and it
was discovered that he was actually quite rich, and his fortune was
divided between his four children.
So here Victor was now, with a successful law firm, a steady house, a
loving wife, and a doting daughter.
Sometimes Brian couldn't believe his own luck.
Rose and Brian socialized for a while, then Rose dragged Brian to
dance.
Dinnertime arrived sooner than Brian would've thought, and he checked
his watch. No, right on time. He realized he was actually having fun.
Sometimes, he surprised himself.
Dinner was a pleasant affair. Victor was at the head of the table, with
Brian to his left and Nina to his right. Rose was beside Brian.
Victor made a toast, one that mainly anticipated Brian's impending
joining of the firm. Many of the other lawyers responded heartily to the
toast, and Brian smiled sheepishly. Rose smiled and lightly brushed her
lips across his cheek.
When dinner was underway, Brian and Victor struck up a conversation.
"So, how are you classes going? Really?" Victor asked.
"Really well. I'm enjoying the work and my professors are encouraging."
Brian chewed a piece of chicken and chased it with a bit of wine.
"Excellent. I'm really looking forward to your working for the firm.
Someday taking my place, perhaps."
"Victor-"
"That would depend on your work, of course."
Victor winked and Brian smiled slightly.
"But I have faith in you."
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me, thank Rose."
Brian smiled again and took another sip of wine.
After dinner, Brian and Rose decided to call it a night, and Victor and
Nina saw them to the door.
"I'll see you tomorrow, right, Brian?" Victor asked. Brian nodded.
"Dear, what're you doing tomorrow?" Nina asked Rose.
"I've got a meeting with some prospective parents in the morning, but
after that, nothing concrete."
"Well, call me when you're through. We'll do something."
Rose nodded, and, smiling, kissed both of her parents goodnight.
"Are you sure you wanna do this surrogate thing?" Brian asked on the way
home.
"Honey, you've asked me that question a hundred times since I signed up
for this, and the answer is still the same."
"It's just... well, what if something happened to you during the
pregnancy, or-or during the delivery and you couldn't have any more
kids?"
Rose smiled slightly. "You worry so much, baby. There are couples out
there, though, who can't have children themselves, and don't want a test
tube baby. That's where I come in."
Brian sighed and Rose lightly burshed his cheek with her fingers.
"Look, sweetie, I'll compromise with you. Let me help one couple out,
and then you and I, we can have a baby of our own. Okay?"
Brian smiled slightly. "Okay. I can deal with that."
Rose smiled, then leaned over and kissed him.
"I can't concentrate when you do that, you know."
"So hurry home," Rose murmured, moving her lips to Brian's jaw, ear,
neck. His grip tightened on the steering wheel as his foot pressed
harder on the gas pedal.
Once they were home, they stumbled through the front door and up to the
bedroom, a flurry of kisses and buttons and zippers and hands.
In the bedroom, their manic frenzy of passion slowed to an immediate
calm and now their motions were more deliberate, more careful. The
unzipping of her dress, slow and gentle, his hands lightly caressing her
back. The unbuttoning of his shirt, her fingers moving gracefully as she
pulled the shirt open to reveal his chest. Her lips soft and tender on
the exposed skin, as she pushed the shirt from his shoulders. His head
bending, lips meeting the delicate skin of her neck, her dress sliding
from her body and puddling on the floor, a green satin pool. Her hands
at his belt, his at her waist. Her lips still on his chest, the belt
slowly sliding from around his waist. The soft metallic clink of the
buckle as the belt hit the floor. His lips moving from her neck to her
breast, gently sucking the swollen nipple. A soft moan escaping from her
lips, his hands grasping his waistband and slowly unbuttoning,
unzipping. Pants sliding to the floor, stepping out of them, forward,
against her. Hands sliding to her hips, slowly moving underwear down,
kisses trailing after. His underwear joining hers. To the bed, him on
top of her, gentle kisses, gentle touches. Shallow, excited breathing.
Racing hearts, on the same beat already. Him inside, kisses on the
hollow of her throat. Soft, quiet moaning. Rocking. Pulse racing. Mind
blank. Time passing. Calm now. Relaxed. Pulse slowing. Breath evening
out. Sleep approaching.
"I love you."
****************
Brian took a deep, shuddering breath, twisting the bedsheets in his
hands. If he had known that would be one of the last times he made love
to his wife...
Four a.m. Time to get up.
