Chapter 3: The Date
Chloe wearily eyed her reflection in the full length mirror. She wore a long black, sleeveless gown, a very low v-cut in the front. Her hair was pulled up, a bundle of curls packed tightly above her head. Her makeup was simple, a smoky blush on her eyelids and light flesh color on her lips. She turned to look at her son watch her intently from his place in the middle of his mother's old bed. "Well, how's mommy look?"
The child squealed in delight and buried his face in her sheets. Chloe laughed and joined her son on the bed as she tickled him incessantly. "My beautiful little boy."
Downstairs the doorbell rang. Nancy opened the door revealing a very sharp looking Brady Black complete with a charcoal black suit with an open collar revealing a light purple-blue shirt minus the formal tie. "Well, well, well Brady," Nancy started as she watched the man turn around for her rather dramatically. "Looking good Mr. Narcissistic."
Brady chuckled. "Thanks Nance. Is Chloe ready?"
"I think so. Hold on. Chloe," Nancy called up the stairs. "Your handsome devil of a husband is here."
Craig walked in from the kitchen. "Nancy, you're going to give Brady a swelled head if you keep that up."
"Too late for that Craig." Nancy stated matter-of-factly. "Speaking of swelled heads though," she eyed her husband up and down hungrily. "I am thinking we can put Noah to bed by seven thirty and have the rest of the night to ourselves." She clutched Craig's buttocks as he wrapped his arms around her. They started to kiss.
Brady looked on horrified. "Oh my G-d. Stop that. I'm in the room and Chloe," something absolutely ravishing coming down the stairs caught his eye. "And Chloe.Chloe looks absolutely breathtaking."
Chloe beamed as she descended the stairs, her baby boy resting firmly on her hip. She said to her son. "I think Daddy approves, Noah."
Brady answered for him. "No, I think Daddy more than approves." The two were face to face with each other now just kind of checking each other out. An amused Nancy and Craig looked on. Craig cleared his throat and took Noah from Chloe's arms.
"Say 'bye mom and dad.' Say 'bye,' Noah."
The two soulmates snapped out of their spell and said their goodbyes as Craig scooted the young couple out. Craig sighed as he shut the door behind them. "This is just like years ago when they were 'just friends' only now I wouldn't mind in the least if Chloe got lucky and didn't come home tonight. G-d, those two are so frustrating."
"It'll be fine Craig. It's like you told me this morning, they'll work it out."
The two rode in mostly silence together on the way to the mansion, an occasional murmur about the weather, the world's news, the slowing economy. They pulled up to the large estate, and when Chloe moved to get out Brady locked the doors. He sighed and leaned his head against the steering wheel. "We have to talk."
"Now?"
"Now."
"What about?"
"Oh, don't play dumb Chloe." He looked at her, pleading. "About us."
She turned to stare out her window as a light rain began wrapping lightly against the jeep. "So let's talk." She turned to look at him.
"Chloe...I.Marriage.People." Brady blew out a slow, deliberate breath as he tried to organize his thoughts.
After a few beats of silence, Chloe sighed. "I thought you wanted to talk Brady. Wh-"
"I do want to talk. Just give me a minute, okay? A minute to let me gather what I want to say."
Chloe closed her mouth abruptly and stared at her husband in awe. She had never- well, she had rarely- seen him get so flustered.
What Brady wanted to say was that he missed his wife and his son. Sure, he saw them every morning when he went to the Wesley's and occasionally, when he didn't work late, he saw them for dinner as well. But this just wouldn't cut it, not anymore. He wanted his family back. Whatever differences they had about him working, her working, work in general they could get through. No one ever said marriage would be easy. It would take 'work' for lack of a better word. But rarely could Brady ever convert what he wanted to say to what he actually did say. "Daycare. What's wrong with daycare?"
Chloe growled deep in her throat and unlocked her door as she stomped to the doorway of the mansion. Brady leaned his head against the steering wheel once more and cursed himself a fool before getting out of the jeep himself and meeting his wife by the door.
Before Brady could right the wrong he'd made in the car, the entrance flew open. Bart, Rolf's butler for the past five years dressed in a tux, answered the door. "Mr. And Mrs. Black, good to see ya. Come on in. Party's inside."
Brady and Chloe walked in together, awkwardly standing side by side in the entry to the living room where the guests mingled over cocktails. The guests: Strangely enough, Brady and Chloe recognized each and every one of them. There were the Brady's, all four of them: Bo, Hope, Shawn and Belle, sitting in a corner of the room, looks of excitement on their faces most likely stemming from talk of the coming baby. Both women wore their hair up. Belle wore a flowing, short, pale, pink gown that accented her bulging tummy and Hope wore a three-quarter sleeve, forest green dress. While, Bo and Shawn were decked out in tux's.
There were the Roberts, Lucas and Sami, too busy in a heated argument by the punch bowl to noticed anything and anyone else. Lucas wore a dark blue suit with a red, silk tie and Sami was dressed in a short red dress, her hair loose and untamed.
And then there was whoever just placed a firm hand on Brady's shoulder from behind. Brady and Chloe swiveled around and came face to face with John and Marlena Black.
"Hey son. Hey Chloe. Aw, Chloe, you look gorgeous." John gave his daughter-in-law a hug before swallowing his son in a hug as well. Just like his son, John wore no tie, but unlike Brady, John's suit was beige and his collar shirt white. Marlena wore an off-white, spaghetti strap gown accompanied by a beige, knit shawl.
"You really do, Chloe. You and Brady both." Marlena agreed, hugging the young couple.
Chloe nodded in appreciation. "So do you both. How was Italy?"
John and Marlena exchanged passionate glances. "Too short," they both said in unison.
Chloe laughed. "Aw, that's wonderful."
John smiled. "It really was incredible but only a month." He sighed. "Well, anyway, we got back and Belle told me you two were still separated. But you two are here together and judging by the body language," he perceptively grinned, raised an eyebrow and eyed the awkward way the young couple stood, Brady with his hands in his pockets and Chloe absently twisting her engagement and wedding bands around her finger. His smile dropped. "I guess she was right," he muttered.
Marlena pulled Chloe further into the room, leaving John and Brady at its entrance. "What's going on with you and Brady?"
Chloe sighed and looked over at her husband who looked up and locked gazes with her. "Everything," she muttered.
John watched as Chloe and Brady's heated gazes met. "Son, what's going on here? What's going on between the two of you?"
Brady tore his stare away from Chloe and looked at his father's face, a look of resistance in his eyes. "Nothing."
John was unable to further question his son as Bart made his way into the center of the room. "Dinner is served." Just then a blinding bolt of lightening streaked through the terrace windows in the back of the room followed by a large rumble of thunder that shook the house.
Shaken and realizing the guest list was tremendously small, the visitors looked around the room suspiciously. Each of them felt a twinge of worry grow deep within as they grasped that the chances that the secret, to be revealed tonight, had a greater chance of concerning one of them than any of them had originally considered.
Chloe wearily eyed her reflection in the full length mirror. She wore a long black, sleeveless gown, a very low v-cut in the front. Her hair was pulled up, a bundle of curls packed tightly above her head. Her makeup was simple, a smoky blush on her eyelids and light flesh color on her lips. She turned to look at her son watch her intently from his place in the middle of his mother's old bed. "Well, how's mommy look?"
The child squealed in delight and buried his face in her sheets. Chloe laughed and joined her son on the bed as she tickled him incessantly. "My beautiful little boy."
Downstairs the doorbell rang. Nancy opened the door revealing a very sharp looking Brady Black complete with a charcoal black suit with an open collar revealing a light purple-blue shirt minus the formal tie. "Well, well, well Brady," Nancy started as she watched the man turn around for her rather dramatically. "Looking good Mr. Narcissistic."
Brady chuckled. "Thanks Nance. Is Chloe ready?"
"I think so. Hold on. Chloe," Nancy called up the stairs. "Your handsome devil of a husband is here."
Craig walked in from the kitchen. "Nancy, you're going to give Brady a swelled head if you keep that up."
"Too late for that Craig." Nancy stated matter-of-factly. "Speaking of swelled heads though," she eyed her husband up and down hungrily. "I am thinking we can put Noah to bed by seven thirty and have the rest of the night to ourselves." She clutched Craig's buttocks as he wrapped his arms around her. They started to kiss.
Brady looked on horrified. "Oh my G-d. Stop that. I'm in the room and Chloe," something absolutely ravishing coming down the stairs caught his eye. "And Chloe.Chloe looks absolutely breathtaking."
Chloe beamed as she descended the stairs, her baby boy resting firmly on her hip. She said to her son. "I think Daddy approves, Noah."
Brady answered for him. "No, I think Daddy more than approves." The two were face to face with each other now just kind of checking each other out. An amused Nancy and Craig looked on. Craig cleared his throat and took Noah from Chloe's arms.
"Say 'bye mom and dad.' Say 'bye,' Noah."
The two soulmates snapped out of their spell and said their goodbyes as Craig scooted the young couple out. Craig sighed as he shut the door behind them. "This is just like years ago when they were 'just friends' only now I wouldn't mind in the least if Chloe got lucky and didn't come home tonight. G-d, those two are so frustrating."
"It'll be fine Craig. It's like you told me this morning, they'll work it out."
The two rode in mostly silence together on the way to the mansion, an occasional murmur about the weather, the world's news, the slowing economy. They pulled up to the large estate, and when Chloe moved to get out Brady locked the doors. He sighed and leaned his head against the steering wheel. "We have to talk."
"Now?"
"Now."
"What about?"
"Oh, don't play dumb Chloe." He looked at her, pleading. "About us."
She turned to stare out her window as a light rain began wrapping lightly against the jeep. "So let's talk." She turned to look at him.
"Chloe...I.Marriage.People." Brady blew out a slow, deliberate breath as he tried to organize his thoughts.
After a few beats of silence, Chloe sighed. "I thought you wanted to talk Brady. Wh-"
"I do want to talk. Just give me a minute, okay? A minute to let me gather what I want to say."
Chloe closed her mouth abruptly and stared at her husband in awe. She had never- well, she had rarely- seen him get so flustered.
What Brady wanted to say was that he missed his wife and his son. Sure, he saw them every morning when he went to the Wesley's and occasionally, when he didn't work late, he saw them for dinner as well. But this just wouldn't cut it, not anymore. He wanted his family back. Whatever differences they had about him working, her working, work in general they could get through. No one ever said marriage would be easy. It would take 'work' for lack of a better word. But rarely could Brady ever convert what he wanted to say to what he actually did say. "Daycare. What's wrong with daycare?"
Chloe growled deep in her throat and unlocked her door as she stomped to the doorway of the mansion. Brady leaned his head against the steering wheel once more and cursed himself a fool before getting out of the jeep himself and meeting his wife by the door.
Before Brady could right the wrong he'd made in the car, the entrance flew open. Bart, Rolf's butler for the past five years dressed in a tux, answered the door. "Mr. And Mrs. Black, good to see ya. Come on in. Party's inside."
Brady and Chloe walked in together, awkwardly standing side by side in the entry to the living room where the guests mingled over cocktails. The guests: Strangely enough, Brady and Chloe recognized each and every one of them. There were the Brady's, all four of them: Bo, Hope, Shawn and Belle, sitting in a corner of the room, looks of excitement on their faces most likely stemming from talk of the coming baby. Both women wore their hair up. Belle wore a flowing, short, pale, pink gown that accented her bulging tummy and Hope wore a three-quarter sleeve, forest green dress. While, Bo and Shawn were decked out in tux's.
There were the Roberts, Lucas and Sami, too busy in a heated argument by the punch bowl to noticed anything and anyone else. Lucas wore a dark blue suit with a red, silk tie and Sami was dressed in a short red dress, her hair loose and untamed.
And then there was whoever just placed a firm hand on Brady's shoulder from behind. Brady and Chloe swiveled around and came face to face with John and Marlena Black.
"Hey son. Hey Chloe. Aw, Chloe, you look gorgeous." John gave his daughter-in-law a hug before swallowing his son in a hug as well. Just like his son, John wore no tie, but unlike Brady, John's suit was beige and his collar shirt white. Marlena wore an off-white, spaghetti strap gown accompanied by a beige, knit shawl.
"You really do, Chloe. You and Brady both." Marlena agreed, hugging the young couple.
Chloe nodded in appreciation. "So do you both. How was Italy?"
John and Marlena exchanged passionate glances. "Too short," they both said in unison.
Chloe laughed. "Aw, that's wonderful."
John smiled. "It really was incredible but only a month." He sighed. "Well, anyway, we got back and Belle told me you two were still separated. But you two are here together and judging by the body language," he perceptively grinned, raised an eyebrow and eyed the awkward way the young couple stood, Brady with his hands in his pockets and Chloe absently twisting her engagement and wedding bands around her finger. His smile dropped. "I guess she was right," he muttered.
Marlena pulled Chloe further into the room, leaving John and Brady at its entrance. "What's going on with you and Brady?"
Chloe sighed and looked over at her husband who looked up and locked gazes with her. "Everything," she muttered.
John watched as Chloe and Brady's heated gazes met. "Son, what's going on here? What's going on between the two of you?"
Brady tore his stare away from Chloe and looked at his father's face, a look of resistance in his eyes. "Nothing."
John was unable to further question his son as Bart made his way into the center of the room. "Dinner is served." Just then a blinding bolt of lightening streaked through the terrace windows in the back of the room followed by a large rumble of thunder that shook the house.
Shaken and realizing the guest list was tremendously small, the visitors looked around the room suspiciously. Each of them felt a twinge of worry grow deep within as they grasped that the chances that the secret, to be revealed tonight, had a greater chance of concerning one of them than any of them had originally considered.