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youngerbullet.jpg Author’s note:

This story takes place during some of “The Baby Blues”. As you may remember, Trixie dropped Honey off at Brian’s house to help him unpack. This story picks up there. Click on the back button if you’d like a refresher.

 

 

 

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Saturday, January 22

Late Afternoon

 

She wasn’t surprised that she had been able to get into the house unnoticed. Noisy music caused the speakers to shake, so of course he didn’t hear her. A marching band could’ve snuck in without being caught.  The racket coming from the sound system made breaking and entering a piece of cake. Luckily for the resident, she didn’t plan him harm. Well, not much anyway.

Honey had to grin as she stood in the foyer of Brian’s newly-rented house. Jazz music blared from the speakers. She recognized the singer as Woody Herman, the saxophonist, clarinetist, and vocalist whose music had become famous during the swing era of the late 1930’s and 1940’s. “I Ain’t Gettin’ Any Younger” flowed though the sound system. Although it was one of Herman’s lesser known songs, it was one of her favorites. A smirk twitched at her lips as she listened to the lyrics. The singer was urging his beloved to finally make a permanent commitment after their long courtship. It was a sentiment to which she could easily relate.

          “Yoo-hoo!” she called as she walked through the small living room of the split-level brick home. “Brian! Are you here?”

          Her longtime boyfriend poked his head through the entrance from the hallway to greet his visitor. After turning down the volume of the music, he crossed his arms across his broad chest as he adopted an expression of feigned displeasure.

          “Don’t you realize that you’re trespassing?”

          Playing along, Honey shrugged her shoulders. “Hey, when I arrived in this town, I was told that neighbors just stick their heads in the doorway and yell yoo-hoo. If you’ve got a problem with that, then I suggest you talk to the short, curly-haired chick who gave me that piece of advice.”

          “Hmm…” he murmured thoughtfully. “Sounds like the work of that nosy blonde that lives down the road. You’d be better off ignoring everything she tells you.”

          Honey nodded. “I’ll remember that. Just a few minutes ago, she was talking about how perfect her oldest brother was. Knowing her penchant for hyperbole, that was probably a load of crock.”

          “Well, that little snoop might not be completely unreliable.” Brian allowed his mask of disapproval to slip, and the grooves in his mouth deepened into a smile as he strolled over to welcome her properly.

As usual, the mere sight of him caused Honey’s heart to skip a beat. For the millionth time since she had first met him, she was taken aback at how gorgeous he was. While his brothers were attractive, Brian was classically handsome. His dashing looks garnered attention from ladies of all ages. Those who had seen classic movies likened him to Cary Grant, and people who had watched “Trading Spaces” thought he bore an uncanny resemblance to Carter Oosterhouse, the handsome carpenter with dark good looks and a winning personality.

Honey had become accustomed to the attention Brian regularly received. After all, he had the makings of a Hollywood heartthrob with his sculpted features, perfect hair, and lean physique. When they went out, she felt like a starlet on the arm of a movie star.

Today Brian looked particularly attractive. 

          Although he’d gotten his hair cut just after Christmas, it had already grown out again. His dark hair was curling at the nape of his neck, tempting her to run her fingers through it. Honey knew he would visit the barbershop as soon as possible, so she’d enjoy the slightly scruffy look while she could.

Although it was wintertime, Brian’s skin was a golden-brown. In all the years she had known him, Honey had never seen the tan fade. Of course, he currently had white streaks of some mysterious substance dotted along his face, but he still was just as darkly-handsome as ever. Even though she knew it was his habit to shave every morning, a five o’clock shadow was already sprinkling the lower half of his face. It only added to his rugged quality and increased Honey’s desire to kiss him.

His eyes, the color of milk chocolate, sparkled with anticipation, causing the gold flecks in his irises to be accentuated. Thick, dark lashes framed his beautiful eyes, lashes so long that any woman would be envious of them. Looking forward to the kiss she knew would come, her gaze traveled to his mouth. The perfectly shaped lips—firmly sculpted, wide and lean, sensuous and sensitive at the same time—were the kind people paid doctors to get. If everyone had lips as delectable as Brian’s, plastic surgeons would lose millions on plumping procedures. The luscious mouth parted in a charming grin to reveal even, white teeth.

Utterly masculine, the gorgeous physician was a sight for sore eyes.

          “Hey, you.” Brian’s voice took on a husky quality as he gathered her into his arms. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

          “Obviously not. Hasn’t anyone ever told you that loud music isn’t good for you? You could do permanent damage to your eardrums,” she playfully scolded.

          “Nobody said a word about that in medical school.” He winked one of his sinfully long-lashed lids. “Of course, maybe I’d already lost so much of my hearing that I missed it.”

          “You goof!” Honey giggled as she kissed him lightly on the cheek.

          “Uh-oh. You missed.” Correcting the problem, he dipped his head down to meet her lips and kissed her deeply. Honey’s pulse raced as the kiss intensified.

          When they finally separated, she looked up him tenderly as she brushed the powdery substance from his cheeks. “Have you been baking?” she queried, holding out her white-coated hand as proof.

          Brian grinned sheepishly in response. “Not yet, but I have been playing happy homemaker. The bag of flour exploded when I was transferring it from the bag to the canister. I guess I got some on me.”

          “Maybe you need someone else to make your home happy,” Honey teased.

          “Perhaps you’re right.” Brian’s eyes twinkled with mischief. “Do you have any candidates in mind?”

          “Oh, I don’t know,” she replied airily. “I suppose I could come up with a list of suitable candidates to fill your vacancy.”

          “Well then, never mind. Since you don’t seem too enthusiastic about filling the position yourself, I’ll pay a visit to the employment agency and ask if they know of any good housekeepers.”

          “You didn’t—”

          “No, too late,” he interjected, holding up a silencing hand. “You missed your chance. I’ll find my own housekeeper, thank you very much.”

          “Just make sure that she’s old enough to be a grandmother, and homely enough to remind you that you’re taken,” Honey advised.

          Brian’s expression sobered. “Actually, I was hoping they might have a twenty-year-old Swedish bombshell by the name of Inga.”

          Honey balled up her fist and used it to punch Brian in the stomach. Although she hadn’t hit him hard, he wailed like a little girl.

          “Ow! I think you just caused internal bleeding!”

          “You’d better suck it up, buddy boy, or I’ll hire a Swedish nurse to take care of you,” she warned.

          “That doesn’t sound like much of a threat to me,” he pointed out.

          Honey’s lips moved in a crooked, jeering line. “The Swedish nurse I had in mind was a three-hundred pound hairy dude named Sven.”

          “Strangely, I’m feeling much better,” Brian announced heartily.

          She breathed an exaggerated sigh of relief while wiping the tips of her fingers against her forehead. “Whew! That was a close one. I thought for a second that we were going to lose you.”

          Laughing, Brian clasped her hand and led her on a tour of the house. After leaving the living room, he showed her a modern kitchen, a cozy dining room perfect for intimate parties, a bathroom in dire need of modernizing, two guest bedrooms, and a master suite which consisted of a large bedroom and another bath slightly better than the one for guests.

“What do you think?” he asked once the tour was concluded.

“I think it’s amazing how different you and Trixie are,” was Honey’s thoughtful response.

“Huh?”

Honey giggled as she explained. “Well, it’s just that all of your boxes have been properly marked and neatly arranged in the correct room where they belong. When your sister moved into our apartment, she had stuffed all of her worldly goods into Hefty® trash bags. She dumped them all out in the center of our living room, and when she did, I noticed that she had crammed kitchen utensils in the same bag as her clothes.”

Brian shuddered at the account. “As painful as that is to hear, it doesn’t surprise me, considering how messy her bedroom at Crabapple Farm was. However, in her defense, she probably knew exactly which bag she had stuffed what into.”

“You’re right,” Honey agreed, chuckling. “She had it down to a science.”

“So, what do you think of the house?” he clarified once they’d gone back to the living room.

“It’s great!” Honey looked approvingly at her surroundings. “You’ll need some more furniture, of course, but this home has a lot of potential.”

Brian slung an arm around her shoulders and gave her a squeeze. “I’m glad you like it. I was lucky to find it so quickly.”

“Do you like it?”

“I love it!” he replied enthusiastically.

Honey’s heart increased its tempo. “Are you thinking about buying instead of just renting?”

“I think somebody already bought it.”

“Oh, no!” she cried. “Will you have to move again?”

“I’m pretty sure that the new owner is going to let me stay here,” he replied.

“That’s good,” she murmured. “So, do you have any plans to buy something yourself?”

“There are a few factors I need to consider first,” he answered cryptically.

Honey nodded and then looked away to hide her disappointment. You shouldn’t be upset with him, she scolded herself. This has been his plan all along, so you can’t be mad at anyone but yourself.

“Where do you want to start?”

Startled from her thoughts, Honey jumped. “Pardon?”

“Where do you want to start unpacking boxes?” Brian flashed her a plucky grin. “You did come here to help me get settled, didn’t you?”

“Of course,” Honey responded with a nervous laugh. “It doesn’t matter to me. You pick.”

“All right, how about we start in my office? I unpacked the things in the master bedroom first thing this morning, so my office is my next priority. I’d like to get out my medical books as soon as possible.”

“Sounds good to me,” she agreed.

As they walked towards the smallest of the three bedrooms that would serve as Brian’s home office, he paused at his sound system. “Do you mind if I turn this up a little? It’s hard to hear the music in the rest of the house.”

Honey nodded her assent, and with a flick of his finger, the volume increased. One of Woody Herman’s greatest hits, “Pennies from Heaven”, was playing now, and since she loved big band music, Honey was only too happy to listen.

The couple began the tedious task of unpacking the many books Brian intended to keep in his office. Since he wanted them ordered alphabetically in his bookshelves, it would take a while.

“How was Ruthie’s shower?” Brian asked in an attempt to make small talk.

“Interesting.”

Interesting?” He repeated with a quirk of his brow. “Last time I checked the dictionary, that didn’t mean the same thing as fun.”

Honey giggled. “Well, although your sister would disagree, I would definitely say the shower was more interesting than fun.”

“What happened?”

“Christy made the mistake of inviting Jane Morgan,” she explained. “Jane purposely insulted every single guest there, including Ruthie.”

“And that surprises you?”

“No, not really,” she admitted.

“What did she say?”

Honey sighed heavily. “Oh, lots of things. For instance, she said Ruthie was putting on a lot of weight, Mariellen is fooling around with Dr. Harding at the hospital, and Patty had a clown-car va-jay-jay.”

“I don’t know how much weight Ruthie has gained, I don’t even want to know what a ‘va-jay-jay’ is and how it applies to Patty, but I do know that Mariellen is messing around with Dr. Harding,” Brian said with a devilish grin. “Of course, last I heard, so is Jane, so maybe that’s why she brought it up. Ken Harding’s a real playuh.”

“Word,” she managed to say with a straight face, amused at Brian’s “gangsta” lingo. “She also said something about Mariellen drugging her patients so that she and Ken can… uh… have their alone time, if you know what I mean.”

Brian snickered. “I seriously doubt that that part’s true. The old battle-ax that runs the nurses’ station in the ER would never let that sort of thing go on. Jane was probably just trying to start a rumor, hoping her competition would get fired.”

 “Well, I guess there is usually a grain of truth in Jane’s lies. Not all of her crap is made up.”

“That’s true in the cases of most pathological liars,” Brian agreed. “Are you referring to anything specific that Jane mentioned?”

Honey nodded. “From what we heard at the party, she knows about Trixie and Jim.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if she did,” he said with a shrug. “People like her make a point of digging up all the dirt around town.”

“What if she spills the beans?”

Brian shrugged again. “It might be the best thing that could happen. I’ve never liked the fact that Jim has been pretending that he and Amanda are still engaged.”

“You sound like Trixie,” Honey murmured. “She’s anxious for this farce to be over as well.”

“I happen to agree with her. It surprised me that Jim even agreed to it in the first place.”

“Well, Mother and Daddy didn’t leave him much choice,” she defended. “They had already told the Woodwards that he would, and you know how Jim is about keeping a promise.”

Brian nodded in agreement. “That’s very true. Sometimes Jim’s too nice for his own good.”

“As if you’re any different,” Honey snickered.

Instead of responding, he had decided to shift the conversation back to the shower. “So, was that the worst of it?”

“Huh!” The noise came out as a mixture of a snort and a laugh. “The confrontation between Trixie and Jane didn’t even come close to the blowup Di had with Jane.”

Brian arched a single dark eyebrow. “Do I even want to know what happened?”

“It doesn’t matter if you want to know or not,” she said with a giggle. “You’ll find out regardless. I guarantee this will be what everyone in Sleepyside is talking about at their respective water coolers Monday morning.”

“Okay, I’ve got to hear this.”

“Jane started running her mouth about why Di and Mart haven’t had kids yet, but she finally met her match when set her scope on Di. It didn’t take Di long to completely lose her patience.”

“Oh, boy.”

Honey pursed her lips together tightly in a smirk. “Oh, boy is right. Di held her peace for as long as she could, but then Jane insulted Mart.”

“Oh, boy,” Brian repeated. “You can say what you want about Di, but don’t mess with her man.”

“You’ve got that right. Anyway, Di blew her top and slapped Jane!”

This time both of Brian’s eyebrows shot up. “In the face?”

“Yes!”

“Did she slap her hard?”

Honey couldn’t contain a giggle. “Hard enough to leave a big red mark on Jane’s cheek.”

“What did Jane do?”

“Well, she just sat there with her mouth wide open,” she said excitedly. “I think she was too shocked to do anything else.”

“Jane didn’t slap Di back?”

“No, she just sat there.”

“What did Di do?” Brian asked.

“She went into the bathroom and stayed there until the end of the party,” Honey explained. “I don’t think she wanted to come out while Jane was still there.”

“I can’t say that I blame her.”

Honey nodded. “Di felt horrible about it later. She couldn’t believe that she’d done it.”

“Frankly, it doesn’t surprise me,” Brian replied matter-of-factly. “Di’s been a volcano waiting to explode the past month or two.”

“Do you know why?”

Brian shrugged. “Di certainly hasn’t said anything to me.”

“What about Mart?”

“A few times he’s acted like he wanted to talk to me about something, but we always get interrupted before he can spill the beans. Has Di said anything to you?”

“Not a peep.” Honey exhaled a heavy sigh. “It’s obvious that something’s bothering her, though.”

An impish grin tugged at the corners of Brian’s lips. “Well, if she doesn’t say something soon, I’m sure Trixie will drag it out of her.”

“You’re probably right,” she agreed with a laugh.

“So, what did Jane say to you?”

Honey blinked her eyes in a good imitation of a perplexed Diana. “What do you mean?”

Unfortunately, Brian wasn’t fooled for a minute. “How did Jane insult you?”

“She didn’t,” she fibbed.

“Yeah, right,” he scoffed. “I find it hard to believe that Jane zinged every single person at that party except for you.”

“You know, you might not be sloppy like Trixie, but you’re just as persistent,” Honey remarked.

Brian grinned smugly. “I’ll take that to mean that she did say something to you.”

“It was nothing major,” she finally admitted.

“Well, what was it?” Although Honey didn’t answer him with words, her expression spoke multitudes. “Was it about us?”

She looked up at him, shocked that he had guessed. “Why would you ask that?”

Brian chuckled. “I’ll take that as a yes. What did Janey-poo have to say about us? Am I really gay, and you’re just pretending to date me so I can stay in the closet? Or maybe you’re dating me so I can provide you with drugs? Or perhaps we’re really swingers and have a variety of couples that we trade around with?”

“Thank goodness she didn’t come up with anything that creative,” Honey said with a giggle. “She wanted to know why we hadn’t gotten married yet.”

“You should’ve told her that we’ve been secretly married since you were sixteen,” he teased.

Honey snorted as she rolled her eyes. “Oh, yeah. That would’ve made everything so much better.”

Brian allowed his penetrating gaze to run along every single inch of her face. Just as perceptive as his sister, he realized that, in spite of Honey’s attempts at humor, Jane struck a nerve with her barbs. “Did what Jane said bother you?”

“Well, no, it didn’t bother me exactly,” she hedged. “I mean, what we do is none of her business, so who cares that we still aren’t engaged.”

“Is it my imagination, or am I picking up on a trace of irritation in your tone?” Brian’s answer was the scowl on Honey’s face. “I’m going to assume by your expression that you are ticked, but what I need to determine now is if you’re angry with Jane or me.”

“Why would I be mad at you?”

Something in her tone told Brian that that was a very good question. “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell me?”

Honey sighed noisily. “I’m honestly not mad at you, Brian.”

“Well, that’s a relie—”

“I guess you could say that I’m more impatient than angry,” she interjected quickly before she lost her nerve.

“Impatient?” he repeated. With a groan, he raked a hand through his thick hair. “Hon, we’ve already talked about this several times. I thought we were in agreement that it would be better for my practice to be established before we got married.”

“I know what we talked about, but sometimes I feel like…” She shook her head, leaving her thought incomplete.

Brian took her hand. “Tell me how you feel,” he urged.

Honey inhaled slowly as she pondered what to say. Deciding to lay out all her cards on the table, she just blurted it out. “Sometimes I feel like you’re just stalling, and you don’t want to marry me.”

“Sweetheart,” Brian murmured, wrapping his arms around her. “There’s nothing I want more than to marry you. If you’ll just wait a little longer—”

Honey snorted as she gently pushed him away. “We’ve been dating for eight years. How much longer do you suggest I twiddle my thumbs?”

“I can’t say for sure, but I do know it won’t be another eight years.”

“Well, what’s your best guess?” she prodded.

Brian chuckled nervously. “You really know how to pressure a guy. I don’t know an exact date, but things are moving along according to plan. I have some ideas that will make the practice more profitable. I’m expanding after Dr. Ferris retires in the spring, and Loyola will become a partner. Sleepyside doesn’t have an OB/GYN, and right now expectant mothers have to go to White Plains for their prenatal care. She’ll be a huge asset to the practice, and the success will mean more income for a house payment. Everything falling’s into place.”

“That’s wonderful, Brian!” Honey wrapped her arms around his neck and nestled her cheek against his chest. “I’m glad your practice will be successful, but it doesn’t matter. If we were married and had to live in a cardboard box, I’d be happy.”

“Sure, you say that now,” he snickered, “but what would you do during the first ‘horrorcane’?”

“Wrap my arms around you, and hold on for dear life.” Honey demonstrated her lifesaving procedure, almost choking her boyfriend in the process.

“All right!” he squeaked through a constricted throat. “Now let me go. I can’t breathe!”

Honey released her death grip and giggled prettily. “Sorry, dear. Sometimes I forget my own strength.”

“Yeah, you’re a regular Hulk Hogan,” he teased.

Feigning insult, she punched him on the shoulder. “I take it all back. I wouldn’t marry you if you were the last man on earth.”

Brian scratched his chin in a thoughtful gesture. “I seem to recall someone else making a similar threat to another individual, and we all know how that worked out. Their wedding’s in July…”

“Don’t be so cocky, Dr. Belden,” she returned with a sniff. “You haven’t asked me yet, and you know how notoriously fickle we women are. By the time you get on bended knee, I might be so old that I’ve forgotten who you are.”

“I certainly hope that you’d never be able to forget me, Honey Wheeler,” he murmured tenderly as he caressed her cheek. He brushed back a strand of caramel-colored hair, openly admiring the golden streaks that highlighted her face. “There’s nothing I look forward to more than asking you to be my wife. It’s just a matter of timing. I have it all planned—”

“Oh, yes,” she muttered. “By all means, we have to stick to the plan. God forbid we venture from it the slightest bit.”

“I get the feeling that you don’t like my plan.”

“What gave it away?” Honey huffed through a protruded lip.

“Oh, nothing in particular,” Brian drawled out. “Just your vocal tone, body language, and facial expression. That’s all.”

“Mart and Di didn’t have a plan before they got engaged, and they’re doing all right,” she pointed out.

“That’s true,” he conceded, “but look how they struggled the first two years they were married.”

“Di still had one year of college left, which is one reason they had it so rough. If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m a college graduate that owns her own business.”

“Once my practice is doing well and I have a house—”

Honey groan interrupted him. “Brian, can’t you see that I don’t care about having a big house? I just want you; that’s it.”

“But after growing up in mansions and penthouse apartments all of your life—”

 “Di was perfectly content in that tiny apartment she and Mart shared,” Honey interjected sharply.

“But you aren’t Di,” he argued. “She grew up in a tiny apartment, and she wasn’t always accustomed to the finer things in life.”

“Are you saying I’m spoiled?”

Brian shook his head, realizing he’d just dug himself into a hole. “Of course not. I’ve been proud of how you’ve made it on your own, without relying on your family’s wealth. You pay your own bills, cook your own food, do your own laundry, and even manage to keep the apartment clean in spite of the messes Trixie makes. I just love you so much that I want you to have the best!”

“I know you mean well, which is the only reason you’re alive right now,” she retorted hotly. “However, in the future I’d prefer for you to let me have some input on what’s best for me.”

Brian expelled an unsteady breath. “This isn’t going as well as I’d hoped it would. Instead of being thankful that I want to provide for us, you’re getting mad at me.”

“I just wish you’d give me some credit. If I’m so happy living in a four-room apartment with Trixie, don’t you think I’d be ecstatic sharing this split-level house with you?”

“Hon, I think you could do anything you set your mind to.” He kissed her forehead. “And someday soon, maybe I’ll put you to the test.”

“Argh!” Honey cried, flinging her arms to her side helplessly. “You can be so stubborn sometimes! Why are you being so difficult?”

“Because I’m good at it.”

“And they say redheads are stubborn,” she mumbled. “Daddy, Jim, and Regan don’t have anything on you.”

“Honey, if you’ll just be patient and let me go on with my plan—”

“I’ve got a good place for you to stick that plan,” she groused.  

Amused by her grumbling, Brian chuckled. “Someday you’ll agree that my plan was a good idea.”

“Wouldn’t it be fun to just throw that plan away and do something wild and crazy?” Honey suggested.

“Only if I have time to plan it in advance,” he deadpanned with a wink.

Honey emitted a theatrical sigh. “You’re hopeless, simply hopeless,” she muttered in her best imitation of Sebastian the Crab. “For someone who’s so defensive about being called ‘boring’, you aren’t doing much to disprove the theory.”

In a quite dramatic fashion, Brian’s jaw went slack, and he went through the motions of having a dagger plunged in his heart. “And you’re supposed to be tactful!”

“Prove me wrong,” she challenged, her lips pressed together in a devious smirk. “Do something spontaneous.”

Arms akimbo, he leveled his gaze at her. “Like what?”

“Get a tattoo.”

“Does it have to be permanent?” Brian inquired. “I found a temporary tattoo in a box of Cracker Jack™ the other day. It’s of a skull.”

Honey smirked over at him. “Nice try, but something that’ll wash off in three days isn’t nearly impulsive enough. I’ll have to think of something else.” She pondered her options, and deciding upon something, a wicked smile eased across her lips.

“Get something pierced.”

“Something as in something that’s a part of my body?” Brian shook his head back and forth and then snorted loudly. “Not likely.”

“Okay, then. Go skinny-dipping in the lake.”

“In January? You really are crazy. How about you get nekkid and jump in the lake, and I’ll just watch?”

 “Oh, so you want to watch me being impulsive so you can see how it’s done?” Honey needled. “I’m beginning to think it’s impossible for you to be reckless.”

What Brian did next caught her completely off guard. He took her hand and pulled her against him. Giving her a look that would evaporate butter, he lifted her chin up so she could gaze into his eyes. “If I were as spontaneous as I wanted to be, you couldn’t handle it.”

She had no idea that desire occasionally took lump form. However, it must, since she felt something akin to it wedge in her throat. “Try me,” she managed in a somewhat breathy voice.

“You really know how to ruin a perfectly good plan,” he mumbled with a shake of head. “I had it all worked out to the last detail. We were going to have dinner at the Glen Road Inn, and over dessert I was going to follow through.”

“Follow through with what?” Honey squeaked through a constricted throat.

“The plan, of course!” With that, he pulled a tiny jeweler’s box out of his pocket, flipped it open to reveal a pear-shaped engagement ring, and got down on one knee. “Madeleine Grace Wheeler, would you marry me?”

“Are you serious?” she gasped.

“As serious as a heart attack,” he quipped. “And just so you know, the ring’s real. Unlike my temporary tattoo, I didn’t dig it out of a box of Cracker Jacks.”

“But your plan…”

“…is to marry you, if you’ll have me.”

“But what about being a homeowner? I thought you wanted to buy a house before we made things official…”

“You’re standing in it,” Brian said, grinning.

You bought this house?”

“I sure did,” he informed her. “The real estate slump worked in my favor. I practically stole this.” With a wink, he added, “I told you that the new owner would let me stay here.”

“You jerk!” Honey exclaimed. “You purposely misled me!”

“Hey, I told you I had a plan; I just didn’t tell you what it was.” He grinned up at her, enjoying the complete surprise on her face. “Now, are you going to marry me or what? My knee’s falling asleep.”

“You jerk!” she repeated, whacking him on the arm.

A frown marred Brian’s brow as he stood up. “I’ll take that as a no.”

“Huh, you aren’t getting off that easily, mister.” In spite of her irritated tone, her topaz-colored eyes glimmered with humor. “You’d better believe I’m going to marry you. It might be the only way I can get you back for tricking me. As your wife, I’ll have the rest of my life to make you miserable.”

“So that’s a yes?”

“Of course it’s a yes!” she cried as she jumped into his arms. “Yes, yes, yes!”

Catching her easily, Brian breathed a sigh of relief. “Whew. I was worried for a second that you were really mad at me.”

Honey giggled. “Although I should be mad at you, I’m not. You really had me going. You missed your calling; you should’ve been an actor.”

“I kept telling you it would be soon. I just didn’t say how soon.”

“Well, I’ll never, ever accuse you again of being boring,” she promised. “You’ve proven tonight that you can be just as impetuous as Trixie. Maybe even more so!”

Brian removed the diamond ring from the box and tenderly slipped it on the ring finger of her left hand. “It’s a perfect fit,” he murmured huskily.

“A perfectly perfect fit,” she agreed with a smile. “Just like you and me.”

“You’re right; we are a perfect fit,” he announced.

Honey smiled happily as she admired her ring. “Oh, Brian, you’ve made me so happy. This is a dream come true.”

“I’m glad, because you make me happy.”

Still dazed, Honey shook her head in surprise. “I never thought this day would come.”

Struck by inspiration, Brian gently gripped her shoulders. “Maybe I’m crazy, Honey, but I’ve got an idea.” He probed her with his penetrating gaze before plunging into the deep end of the figurative pool. “Let’s fly to Vegas and elope.”

Honey nearly swallowed her tongue. “Tonight?”

“Yes, tonight! Let’s drive to the airport, hop on the next plane to Las Vegas, and get married right now!”

“Wow, you’ve already got the spontaneous thing down pat,” she joked weakly.

“What can I say? I’m a quick study.” Brian gave her arms another squeeze. “Let’s go to Vegas!”

“I don’t know, Bri,” Honey murmured. “This is awfully sudden…”

He tossed back his head and laughed. “Sudden?  Ten minutes ago you were complaining that it was taking too long.”

“Getting engaged is one thing, but hopping on the next plane to Vegas is another.”  Her lower lip caught between her teeth. “Mother would absolutely kill me if we eloped.”

“For once in your life, don’t think about anyone but yourself.” Brian slid his hands down her arms until he was grasping her hands.  “Sweetheart, what do you want to do?”

Honey’s tawny brows wrinkled thoughtfully as she contemplated his question. “Don’t you have to go to work Monday?”

“Since I arrived a week early, Dr. Ferris isn’t expecting me until next Monday.”

“What am I supposed to tell Trixie? We’re supposed to go to Brooklyn on Monday.”

“I’m sure she’ll understand.” With a chuckle, he added, “In fact, I’ll bet she’d be the first person to tell you just do it.”

Honey looked down at her brown argyle sweater and tan-colored twill pants. “But I’m not dressed for a wedding, especially my own—”

“We can stop at your apartment on the way to the airport. You can pack a dress for the wedding and some clothes for a honeymoon.”

“But I don’t have a wedding dress—”

“If you can’t find anything in your closet, I’ll buy you something when we get there,” Brian offered.

Honey’s eyes, the color of burnished copper, began to sparkle with promise. “I guess that would work.”

“I know it will!” Brian regarded her with an intense gaze that went right to her heart. “Let’s do it, Honey. Let’s throw caution to the wind and go to Vegas.”

          “This is so unlike you,” she murmured. “Why the rush?”

          “If we have a big wedding, your mother will turn it into the social event of the decade. It’s killing her that Trixie and Jim want to keep theirs fairly simple. In fact, I’ll bet the reason she let them off the hook so easily was because she could fulfill her dreams with you. If we don’t elope, she’ll plan an extravaganza worthy of royalty. It will be at least a year before we could be married.”

          Deep in thought, she pursed her lips. “You’re probably right. Mother took it easy on Trixie, but I won’t be so lucky. She’s dreamed of planning my wedding for years.”

          “Then let’s do it,” he coaxed. “Marry me, Honey. Marry me today.”

          Her gold-tipped lashes batted in a contemplative gesture, but she remained silent.

          “After all these years, it’s time for us to settle down,” Brian continued earnestly. “What do you say, Honey?”

          After a moment of final hesitancy, Honey’s lips curved in a sultry smile, and she met his gaze. “Viva Las Vegas, baby.”

 

 

 

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youngerbullet.jpgCredits:

Thank you so much to my fabulous editors: Kaye, Ryl, and Steph H. You are all wonderful! Thanks for helping me. Hang on, ladies. The right might get a little bumpy from here on out.

 

The title of this story came about as I was flipping through the music channels on TV. I’d been considering this storyline, and once I heard the song, I knew I’d found my title. I searched high and low for the words to this song, but it is one of the few that you couldn’t find.

 

I’m sure we all know who Cary Grant is, but in case you don’t know who Carter Oosterhouse is, but if you’re curious, tune into some of the older episodes of “Trading Spaces”. He will also be featured on my cast page, which is coming soon.

 

This story wasn’t supposed to happen until March (the March of my universe, not the real March J ), but Brian and Honey insisted that we move it up. Thank you to the friend who helped me see that sometimes it’s best to throw out the outline and listen to the characters.

 

Are you curious about Loyola? I certainly hope so! More about her later.

 

Sebastian the Crab was a character in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid”, which is one of my favorite cartoons.

 

See? Brian can be a wild and crazy guy. He often gets a bad rap, but I like exploring his fun side. He has proved in this story that he can be spontaneous. It’s a pity Honey ruined his surprise, but they both liked this plan. This storyline will continue with Honey and Brian goin’ to the chapel

 

 

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