Since there was nothing keeping her there, Alex packed her things as well
and headed back to her house. When she arrived Kelly was lounging out by the
pool.
“Hey. You’re back early. I didn’t expect you until much later. Did you have
a good trip?”
Alex sighed. “It was good until last night.”
“What happened?”
“I ruined my chance to get Bren back for good.”
“What? How?”
“Last night we had a wonderful dinner at this romantic restaurant and then
went back to the house. We sat up talking, and as she excused herself to go
to bed, we ended up kissing. It was better than I even remember it, Kelly,
the feeling of her body pressed into mine, her sweet mouth. We kissed for a
couple of minutes before she pulled away and excused herself. This morning I
woke up, and she was gone. There’s nothing I can do to take back what
happened, and I don’t want to. I want her as my lover and my wife. I can’t
do this friendship only thing any more, but I ruined it.”
“Maybe not. Don’t be too hard on yourself. You won’t know why she left
until you talk to her. She does have a girlfriend right now you know. Maybe
she left because she wanted more but didn’t want to do anything while she
was with Cassidy.
“I don’t know. My cards are on the table now. There’s no taking them back.
She knows exactly how I feel. It bothers me that I don’t know if she feels
the same. I mean I think she does, but I don’t know for sure, because she
hasn’t said anything.”
“Well, maybe she needs time to think, Alex. The fact that she kissed you
has to be a good indicator of how she feels. Maybe she just needs time to
search her soul to see if a relationship with you is something she can do
again. Don’t give up yet. Never give up on her. She is the woman of your
dreams, and you need her. Give her a day or two to process the turn of
events.”
“Maybe you’re right. I sure hope so, Kelly. I can’t be without her.”
A week passed without a word from Bren, making Alex fear for the worst. She
dove back into her work in an effort to alleviate the discomfort of not
knowing where she stood. However late on Friday afternoon, Bren showed up at
her office. Alex’s assistant admitted Bren, and once again they stood face
to face in awkward silence, but this time Alex allowed her emotions to show
on her face.
“Have a seat.” Alex said pointing to a chair.
Bren took it before Alex took the one directly next to her. They stared at
each other a moment without a word. “I broke up with Cassidy.” Bren finally
said.
“Is that so?”
Bren nodded. “I need to ask you something, Alex. Do you still love me?”
“With all that I am, Bren. That’s never going to change.” Alex admitted
shyly.
“I guess that means you still want me back?”
“Yes, I do.”
“I thought so. You know when we were at the beach, I saw the parts of you
that made me fall for you to begin with. You have to understand that this is
really difficult for me, Alex. I still love you as much as the day I
discovered that I was in love with you in the first place. That night at the
beach when we kissed I realized that something similar probably happened
with Victoria. You were attracted to each other but fought it for as long as
you could. Then all of a sudden one innocent touch turned into burning
passion.”
“Yes but that’s still no excuse for what I did. I don’t deserve you, Bren,
but that doesn’t stop me from wanting you.”
“It doesn’t stop me from wanting you either, Alex. I’ve missed you so much.
So many nights I’ve lied awake dreaming about what should’ve been. I would
fantasize about what our marriage would be like, if we’d have children, the
places we’d go, our families being together at holidays.”
“I dream of the same things, Bren, but I want more than just to dream. I
want that to be reality.”
Bren nodded. “Most of me wants that too.”
“But? What about that small part?”
“The small part thinks I should ignore my protesting heart and move on.
I’ve listened to my head for the last six months and haven’t gotten
anywhere. This is hard for me to decide. You hurt me so deeply.”
“I know. Even when I was at my angriest, I knew that much. You’re a kind
woman, Alex. You have a good heart.”
“If I could erase the past, I would, but I can’t, Bren. However I would
like to try to move forward.”
“Me too. I’ve done a lot of thinking over the past week, and I’ve come to
realize that we only have two options here. One, we can walk away and never
see each other again, or two, we can work at rebuilding our relationship in
hopes that someday we can have the marriage that we both wanted. Friendship
alone just isn’t going to work at this point. It’s too late for that.”
“Well, Bren, I think you know how I feel, but the ball really is in your
court. The decision is up to you. What do you want?” Alex asked.
There were several minutes of silence as Alex just watched Bren for a
reaction. Tears came to Bren’s eyes as she instinctively leaned towards
Alex. Alex took the cue and embraced her. Bren swept in Alex’s arms for a
long time. When she was finished, she accepted the tissue Alex extended to
her. “I want to be Mrs. Schreiber.” she replied softly.
“I want you to be Mrs. Schreiber too, Bren.”
“But I just don’t know how, Alex. We need to work on building our trust. I
can’t marry you and be your wife if I don’t trust you completely.”
“How do I regain that? Tell me what I need to do, Bren.”
“For the most part I do trust you, Alex. I know that you would provide for
me, but there is that sliver of my heart that fears you hurting me again
this way.”
“I wish I could do something about that.”
“I don’t think there is anything to do, Alex. You apologized, and I’ve
accepted that apology. I honestly think by how you’ve been acting since I
left the first time that you would do anything for me and that you wouldn’t
cheat on me ever again. My mind knows that, but my heart hasn’t caught up
yet. I guess I just have to have faith.”
“What if we get help like couples therapy or something? Would that
beneficial to you? I’m more than willing to accommodate you in whatever way
necessary to get us back on track.”
“I think I would like that. Will you find someone for us?”
“Of course. I’ll gather some names right away.”
“Okay. Well, I guess I should go. I bet you’re busy.”
“I’m never too busy for you, Bren. May I take you out to dinner tonight if
you’re free?”
“Yeah, I’m free. Pick me at 7:00?”
“Sure. Let me walk you out.” Alex stood and tentatively extended her hand
to Bren. Bren gave her a bashful grin taking the outstretched hand. Together
they walked through Alex’s office that way, gaining the attention of many
co-workers. When they arrived at Bren’s car, Alex opened the door for her.
“Well, I’ll see you in a few hours then?”
“I’ll be there with bells on.” Alex teased with a smile.
Bren nodded before leaning to give Alex a quick kiss on the cheek. “See you
then.”
Once Bren’s car was gone, Alex practically skipped back into the office
with a grin plastered on her face. Going directly to Kelly’s office, she
admitted herself. “Well, Alex, what on earth happened to you? You haven’t
looked this happy since you and Bren got engaged.”
Going over to Kelly, who was sitting in her chair, she grabbed the younger
woman and twirled her around excitedly. “Bren just came by. We’ve decided to
try to reconcile.”
“Oh, Alex! That’s great news! Congratulations!” exclaimed Kelly, hugging
her friend tightly.
“There is one condition, though. We’re going to attend couples therapy for
awhile just to make sure we talk about everything. We think it would be good
to have a moderator. You wouldn’t happen to know of any therapists, would
you?”
“Not off hand but I think if you ask HR they’ll have a list that accepts
our insurance. I’m really happy for you, Alex. I’m so glad that you and Bren
will be together again. All of us here know that she’s become your rock over
the last couple of years. It’s good to have her part of your life again.”
“It certainly is. We have a ways to go, but one thing is clear. We both
want the same thing. We both want to be married to each other. That’s a
start. I’ll bide my time now that I know she feels the same.”
Over the next few weeks Alex and Bren attended couples counseling twice a
week in addition to seeing each other almost every evening at Bren’s
apartment for dinner. During one of the first sessions, Bren admitted that
she was hesitant to go back to Alex’s house given their history and that she
would eventually like to begin with a new place that they picked together
when the time came, so Alex always came to Bren’s. She didn’t want the
blonde to feel uncomfortable, so she never suggested that they go back to
her house, even though the accommodations were much grander.
However Alex began to visit her own home more often once she had Bren had
begun to reconcile after a long absence. Having spent most of her free time
at the office over the past six months, it was refreshing for her to go back
and reflect on the progress she and Bren were making. Knowing that she would
eventually have to sell her first home, Alex began methodically cleaning out
the place from top to bottom, throwing the past away and planning for the
future.
When the annual company picnic arrived that early July, Alex went to pick
Bren up at her apartment. There had been much discussion about wether Bren
would attend due to the fact that it was at the country club where they were
supposed to have their wedding reception and the fact that she would be
facing all of Alex’s staff again for the first time. Other than Kelly Alex
hadn’t told anyone about Bren, so her girlfriend wouldn’t feel the pressure
to come if she didn’t want to. When Bren opened the door to allow Alex in,
she gave a uncertain demure smile.
Alex smiled back, knowing that Bren was nervous about the event. “Are you
ready to go?” she inquired calmly.
“Ready as I’ll ever be I suppose. How do I look?” She stepped back to model
her outfit, a red and white gingham blouse with a khaki skirt and red and
navy sandals.
“You look like the angel you are.” responded Alex reaching down for Bren’s
hand. “Absolutely stunning.”
Bren blushed. “Such the charmer. You look good too.”
“Are you ready for this? I don’t want to push you into something you’re not
ready to do.”
“No, I need to do this, for me and for us. It’s time to take this step.”
“All right. Well, if you want to leave at any point, you just let me know.”
They made small talk as they drove over to the picnic, but as they began to
drive through the gate, Bren became still. Knowing what Bren was probably
thinking given that she had done the same thing the first time she came
back, Alex just let Bren have her quiet time. Pulling into a parking space,
Alex turned to her beloved. “Are you ready to go inside?” Bren nodded, so
Alex came around to her door and helped her out of the car.
They walked soundlessly up to the building before Alex reached for Bren’s
hand. When Bren allowed her to take it, Alex opened the door for them and
smiled at Bren reassuringly. “We can do this.” Escorting Bren inside Alex
took them into the main ballroom where she knew most of her colleagues would
be. As they entered they were immediately spotted by Arthur, who practically
ran over to them.
Grinning widely he said, “Alex, how are you? Bren, it’s so good to see you
again.”
“It’s nice to see you too, Arthur. How are you and Ethel?”
“We’re fabulous. How are you?”
Bren smiled at Alex before answering, “We’re getting better, Arthur.”
“I’m certainly glad to hear that. This is one woman who is lost without
you. I’m glad that the two of you are friendly terms again, and I’m happy
you’ve decided to grace us with your presence today. You always have been a
favored guest.”
“Thank you, Arthur. That’s sweet of you to say.”
The afternoon passed without problems for them as Bren enjoyed visiting
with all the people she had known over the passed four and a half years.
When the evening was over, Alex drove Bren home, where she was invited in
for a late movie. Going into the kitchen together, they made popcorn and
grabbed some sodas out of the fridge. Then they moved into the living room
and curled up closely together on the couch.
Silence prevailed for most of the movie as they shared a bowl of popcorn
and watched one of Bren’s favorite foreign films. As the end of the movie
neared, Alex could feel Bren shifting against her in uneasiness. Alex eyes
flittered over the blonde before settling on the screen again. During the
time her thoughts had wandered from the movie, the lesbian love scene within
the film had begun to unfold on the screen. Alex became aware of the heat
suddenly emanating from Bren’s close body. Of all the times they had seen
the film together, neither of them had reacted strongly to the sex scene now
on display, but as it ran, Alex felt herself responding to the combined
stimulus of the screen and the petite blonde continuously brushing into her
side.
Since they had decided to try to repair their relationship, they had not
moved beyond the occasional chaste kiss, but Alex had always wanted more.
Now as she focused on Bren, she realized the younger woman was wanting the
same. Alex waited out the movie before deciding to initiate any intimate
contact between them. Sliding her arms around Bren’s waist, she nuzzled into
Bren’s hair as she asked, “So, you want to watch another movie or do
something else?”
Bren instinctively leaned her head away from Alex, allowing more of her
neck to be exposed to Alex’s grazing lips. She moaned lightly as Alex kissed
just under her jaw. “It’s starting to get late. I don’t think we have enough
time to watch another before bedtime.” she mentioned turning toward Alex’s
mouth, meeting it with her own in a modest kiss at first, but when Alex
pressed harder, Bren responded with equal intensity.
Within moments their explorations became fervent as Alex maneuvered Bren
onto her back against the couch. Pulling away from Bren’s lips, Alex turned
her attentions to her girlfriend’s neck. “God, Bren, I love you. I want you
so badly.” Alex confessed as one of her hands slid up Bren’s top as their
mouths met again.
Bren cried out softly until Alex’s hand landed on top of her breast.
Gasping in surprise she pushed against Alex’s chest. “Wait. Alex, please,
no.”
Alex looked down into Bren’s brown eyes in confusion, but she removed her
hand, placing it against the pillow Bren’s head was resting upon. “What’s
wrong, honey? Don’t you want this too?”
“Yes but not right now. I’m not ready for something like this, Alex. I do
love you, and I want you as much as I ever did, but I’m not ready. Tonight
was a big step for us, and I’m not at a point in which I can go further.”
Alex nodded. “All right. I’m sorry. I guess I just misread you. I don’t
mean to push.” she apologized sitting up again.
“Alex, you didn’t misread me, but I’m not comfortable with that part of it
again yet. I do want to be with you, but I can’t right now. There are still
things that we need to do before we can go back to that.”
“Such as?” Alex inquired, wondering what Bren could possibly want from her
since they hadn’t discussed this aspect in their counseling.
”Well, we may be going against doctor’s orders by talking about this right
now.”
“I don’t care. I want to know. There will come a time when we’ll have to
talk seriously without a moderator, so why not try to start now? Tell me
your concerns.”
“Well, given what you’ve been through within the last year, I would feel
more comfortable if you got an HIV test. I know you got one before we became
intimate the first time, but since things have changed, I’d like you to get
another just to be sure, especially since you and Victoria didn’t use
protection. I’m going to get one myself because of what happened. Maybe we
can go together.”
“Why do you need one? Have you been with anyone else?”
“No but you were with Victoria unprotected first and then me unprotected. I
just think for both of us we should do it.”
“All right. I’ll get an HIV test. Is there anything else you want to talk
to me about while we’re on this particular subject?”
Bren shrugged. “Well, I have been thinking about waiting until we venture
back into this.”
“Waiting for what? A certain time?”
“Yeah.”
“When did you have in mind? I just want to know where we stand here.”
“When we were married.” she stated hesitantly.
“I see. Where you going to mention this to me at some point or just keep me
at bay? Why haven’t you said anything about this before now?”
Bren shrugged. “I don’t know. I guess I feel a little weird about it. I
thought maybe you’d give me a hard time or disagree.”
Alex gave a nod. “Well, I guess we haven’t gotten as far in therapy as I
thought we had if you’re still afraid to bring things to my attention for
discussion. It is my right to disagree with you if I want, Bren. I wish you
didn’t feel that way, but this is one of those situations in which I am
willing to do what you want for the sake of the relationship. I won’t force
you to do something you don’t want to do, because that would undermine the
trust we’re trying to rebuild. However it’s only fair to me to be completely
honest with me about it. When we do get married, are you going to be
comfortable with sex again? It’s not everything in a marriage, but it is
important to me. I don’t want to get married until you are ready for a
sexual relationship again. It can’t be half a marriage. It has to be all or
nothing. Is that something you’re going to be able to do?”
“Alex, I’m not going to marry you until I feel that comfortable, because I
also think it should be all or nothing. Can we agree on this now, so there
is no pressure later on?”
Alex nodded. “Yeah. You have my word.”
Bren threw her arms around Alex’s neck, squeezing her tightly. “Thank you,
Alex. This means a lot to me. I know you’re trying so hard.”
“I would do anything for you, Bren.” Alex confessed. “I better go. It’s
late.”
During the following therapy session, Bren brought up the discussion that
she and Alex had. The therapist was so impressed with their progress that
she decided that one session a week was appropriate and sent them on their
way to repair their relationship at their pace. As usual Alex took Bren to
dinner afterwards where they discussed the most recent turn of events.
“You know, I was wondering. Being that we both are sure we want to be
married to each other, how do we want approach it? Do want to set a date now
and work through therapy until then, or do you want to wait until our
relationship is perfect to set a date?”
“Actually, Alex, I haven’t given that much thought. My goal is to get us
back on track as fast as possible, because I do want to spend my time with
you. I do want to be your wife as soon as possible, but these things take
time.”
“So does planning a wedding. Do you think we can making wedding plans and
attend therapy at the same time, or would you rather wait until we’ve worked
everything out to start on plans?”
“What would you like to do, Alex?” Bren asked.
“Whatever makes you most comfortable, Bren.”
“I know you want me to believe that, but I know you have an opinion
otherwise you wouldn’t have asked. Tell me what you want.”
“I want to set a date. I like having goals. It would just make me feel the
permanence of our situation even though I already know that it’s never
really permanent.”
Bren nodded. “I guess I can understand why you feel that way. Every time
things have gotten tough I’ve run away from it. I guess I understand your
fear. Let’s set a date then. When do you think is appropriate?”
“This is where I’d like to defer to you. When do you think it is
appropriate? Planning takes time but so will counseling. We need time to do
both, because they are equally important.”
“I’m not sure yet. Could we put that issue aside for a moment and talk
about the wedding itself?”
“Sure.”
“Well, I guess it’s my desire to begin fresh, but I really don’t want to do
this the way we were planning to last time. After all our trials, this has
become a very private thing to me. I was wondering if you would agree to
forgo the large ceremony.”
“Of course. I feel the same way. I was kind of hoping for small too. How
small did you want it?”
“Well, maybe just our families. I still want to get married at the
synagogue, because I know that’s important to you. However instead of having
the reception at the country club, we could have it in our new home with
just our families and closest friends. I really don’t want the fanfare like
we had last time with the engagement or anything. I want everything to be
simple.”
“I understand, and I agree. Well, now that we’ve agreed upon that, can we
talk about a date?”
Bren thought for a moment. “Give me another three months, Alex. We have so
much to do before then, buy a house, make preparations, continue with
counseling.”
“The house will pose the most serious obstacle I think. We should begin
looking right away as soon as we pick an exact date.”
Bren smiled. “You and this date thing. All right. As soon as dinner is
over, we’ll go back to my place and look at the calendar.”
That weekend Bren and Alex made plans to start house hunting. As Alex sat
in her kitchen drinking her morning coffee on Saturday, she was interrupted
by the doorbell. Curiously she checked her watch. Seeing the early hour, she
wondered who it might be. Going to the door, she pulled it open to see Bren
standing on the front porch. “Bren, good morning. What are you doing here? I
was supposed to come get you.”
“I know, but I just wanted to come over. You don’t mind, do you?”
“No. Of course not. Come on in. Want some coffee or breakfast?” she
inquired letting Bren inside before closing the door behind her.
“No thanks. I’m fine.” she answered looking around the place.
Alex knew that Bren was thinking about times gone by and allowed the blonde
to have her moment of quiet. Alex turned and went back to the kitchen. Bren
followed slowly behind. “Are you sure I can’t get you something? Juice
maybe?”
“Well, juice would be nice.” Bren conceded. Alex fixed her a glass before
they both sat down at the table. Alex went back to her paper while Bren just
looked around from her chair. Finally Bren broke the silence. “You know,
this reminds me of so many Saturday mornings we used to spend here. You
would read the paper, and I would read my book, and we would just enjoy each
other’s company in silence. I miss that.”
“Me too. I look forward to those moments to come. We’ll have more, Bren.”
Bren was quiet for a few more moments. “Would you mind if I looked around?”
she inquired.
Alex was curious at the request but didn’t want to deny Bren anything, so
she said, “Sure. Be my guest.”
Alex stayed behind in the kitchen but her mind was with Bren, wondering why
her girlfriend wanted the tour the house they once shared. Half an hour
later she went in search of the petite woman finding her upstairs in one of
the spare bedrooms, sitting on the bed. When Alex leaned against the
doorframe, Bren looked up wearing a tearful smile.
“You know, I had forgotten about all the wonderful memories I had of this
house. The first night you brought me home I sat on this very bed and
contemplated the change in my life. I wasn’t sure where I was headed, and I
certainly never expected to end up falling in love with my redeemer. I
remember thinking that you had given me a second chance at the life I always
wanted, and I knew no matter what I would be forever thankful for your
generosity. Every night that I was here under this roof before I went to
college I prayed that God would keep you safe and thank him for sending you
to me at the time I needed help the most. Regardless of what has happened
between us, I could never stay mad at you, because you gave me everything I
ever wanted and needed., not just financially either. It made it so much
easier to forgive you for your transgression once the pain receded to a
bearable level.”
“Well, you never deserved to be hurt that way. It was a mistake.”
“I know, but I’ve come to forgive you, Alex. Have you forgiven yourself for
what happened? I mean really forgiven yourself and accepted the fact that
it’s okay to be human instead of this superhero image people have of you.”
“I hope in time that I will, Bren, but it makes it a little easier knowing
that you have the grace to forgive. Are you ready for that house hunt now?”
“Alex, what you say if I told you I already know of the perfect house for
us and it’s the one we’re in right now?”
“That would make me extremely happy, Bren. I love this house, but I
would’ve given it up for you.”
“I love this house too, Alex, because it represents us, the good and the
bad. Why don’t we just stay here but remodel instead? We’ll really make it
ours by redoing the inside.”
Alex smiled. “All right. We’ll give the whole house a make over. Why don’t
we spend our time shopping today to get a feel of how we want our home to
look?”
“Sounds good.”
“Great. Let me just stop into the bedroom for a second, and then I’ll be
ready.” Alex went into the master bedroom and over to her dresser to her top
drawer. Pulling something out, Alex met up with Bren downstairs. “Here. I
believe this belongs to you.” Taking Bren’s left hand, Alex slipped her
engagement ring back on her finger.
Bren looked at it and then up at Alex. “You kept it?” she questioned.
“Of course. I always hoped it would once again find it’s way back to its
rightful owner.”
Bren smiled, embracing Alex and pulling her head down into a kiss. “Thank
you, Alex, for always hoping. I love you so much.”
Three months passed quickly for them. With Alex being a senior partner, she
had much more time to dedicate to making the wedding of Bren’s dreams a
reality. The morning of the big day Alex awoke late to the sound of movement
in her house. She heard her parents in the kitchen, so she sauntered
downstairs to see them talking with the caterer. After greeting them and
grabbing a quick breakfast, she went up to her room to get ready for the
special event.
Alex spent several minutes staring at herself in the mirror after her
shower as she thought about all that had happened over the passed four and a
half years. Even though Bren claimed that she had saved her from a terrible
fate, Alex knew it was really Bren who saved her by bringing true happiness
into her house. The younger woman always had a smile on her face and an
enduring spirit that Alex had come to admire. She knew that Bren made her
life possible by providing her with the perfect home even before they became
lovers. It had always been a pleasure to come home to those beautiful light
brown eyes and expressive grin. Alex had treasured seeing Bren transform
from a young girl, scared but determined into a stunning woman, confident
and caring of all people.
When it was finally time to go to the synagogue, Alex went back downstairs
to collect her parents. Kelly had arrived by that time and was supervising
the catering crew in their preparations for the reception. Kelly smiled when
she saw Alex. “Alex, you look so happy right now. Congratulations.” she said
coming to hug her.
“Thanks, Kelly, for everything. You’re the best friend I could ever have.”
“I’m just glad to be able to do this for you.” she said pulling on Alex’s
jacket and brushing off imaginary lint. “Now go get your lady. I’ll hold
down the fort until people get here, and when you get back, we’re going to
have a much deserved celebration.”
Alex laughed. “The Mrs. and I will be back as soon as we can.” Alex
replied.
Once at the synagogue, Alex and her parents took their place waiting in a
room for their cue to line up for the procession. There was very little
talking as Alex wondered where Bren was and what she was doing at the
moment. Soon it was time for Alex to line up with her parents. Being that
the service was going to be intimate, Bren and Alex had decided just to be
escorted by their parents. As the doors opened to admit them into the
sanctuary, the eyes of all of their families turned. Alex couldn’t help but
smile at how many members of Bren’s extended family were there, knowing that
would please her soon-to-be wife. Alex smiled wider as her parents guided
her down the aisle to where her rabbi awaited her. Once she was there, her
parents moved to stand at her side. Instinctively Alex turned to wait for
Bren and her mother to come down the aisle, but as soon as the doors were
opened, she felt her legs start to waver as her heart hammered against her
chest. She didn’t even realize she gasped until she felt her father’s hand
on her back.
Bren was dressed in the gown that she had picked out for their first
wedding, an elegant, simple, white dress and holding a bouquet of fall
colored flowers. Bren’s smile was wide, but Alex saw the unshed tears in the
blonde’s eyes, and she knew her own were quickly becoming that way as well.
Bren’s eyes never strayed from Alex during her procession. When she finally
reached the front, both Bren and Alex exchanged hugs with all their parents
before they stood alone with each other and the rabbi.
After some opening words by their rabbi, he turned to Alex saying that each
of them had written something for the other. Alex looked down at Bren and
smiled nervously. Forgetting what she had intended to say, Alex just began
talking. “Bren, you look so undescribably beautiful today. You completely
blow me away. I know God is fully responsible for bringing you into my life.
You are the best thing that has ever happened to me, Bren. When I met you
four and half years ago, I didn’t know I was meeting my soulmate, but it
didn’t take me long to realize that you were a true blessing from God. When
I met you, I was a tired, sad, broken spirit, but with your love you have
made me whole again. You have breathed life into a soul that was lost, and I
am forever grateful. From the moment I met you, I knew that you were a
special woman, and I knew that whoever you chose for a mate would be one of
the luckiest people on this earth. I am so honored and humbled that you have
chosen me. Thank you for giving me the chance of a lifetime. From this
moment forward, Bren, I will do everything in my power to make you happy. I
love you with all that I am and all I ever hope to be.” softly Alex said as
the tears streamed down her face.
Bren smiled at her dark-haired hero as tears also adorned her cheeks.
“Alex, from almost the moment I met you, I’ve known that you were a special
person. Your capacity for caring and loving was so great, and I feel
fortunate that you turned those feelings toward me. You made me feel safe
and secure in this sometimes scary world. You gave me love, hope, and
encouragement like no one else in this world, and I am forever thankful that
I found you. It didn’t take me long to realize that you deserved the best in
a wife and that I wanted to strive to be her. You are my heart, Alex. You
complete my soul. Finally my prayers for the perfect match have been
answered, and I have you. Through the good and bad, Alex, I will be by your
side, supporting you and loving you the way no one else could. I love you
more than I could ever express to you, but I will spend the rest of my life
trying.”
The rabbi guided them through their vows and ring exchange before the
ceremony was officially over. By the time Alex and Bren arrived back at
their house, a party was already in full swing. All their family and friends
cheered loudly as they entered. After greeting everyone they slipped away
into the kitchen for a moment alone. Once they were in relative privacy
except for the catering crew, Bren pulled Alex into a hug.
“We did it, Alex. I can’t believe it.”
“I know. I can’t believe it either. This is all I ever wanted, Bren.
Everything else in life is just icing on the cake. Thank you for believing
in us.”
“Thank you for making it possible.” Bren whispered kissing Alex with all
the emotion she felt in her heart.
“Come on. As much as I would love just making out with you in the kitchen
right now, we do have guests to tend to.” Alex growled with playful
frustration.
“Just you wait until tonight, Alex.” Bren teased rubbing herself up onto
her wife suggestively before walking away. Even as turned on as Alex was,
she was enjoying the way Bren was playing with her.
Bren and Alex stayed with their guests until after nine that evening before
leaving for their honeymoon suite downtown. When they arrived they were
quickly processed with their check-in and went upstairs to their room. After
a quick inspection of their room, Bren and Alex poured the champagne that
was awaiting them.
“So, now that we’re here, will you tell me where we’re flying in the
morning?” Bren inquired.
“Depends on what?” gamely Bren asked.
“How nice you’re going to be to me the rest of the night.” Alex joked.
Bren smiled. “To be honest, Alex, I haven’t decided how nice to be to you
tonight. I know you’ve been trying so hard to be good, but underneath it
all, I know you’re still a bad girl. I mean all day long you’ve been
flirting with this blonde woman.”
Alex smiled knowing that Bren was speaking of herself. “I can’t help it.
She is just so beautiful and intelligent. She has the best sense of humor
and such a sweet smile. I can’t help but be completely captivated by her.
I’m hopelessly in love with her.” she whispered moving in to embrace Bren
around the waist.
“You say such wonderful things. Never stop.”
“I’ll never stop loving you, Bren, and I’ll never stop telling you how
wonderful you are in every way. If I do you have my permission to punish
me.”
“Punish you, huh? I think you like it a little too much when I punish you.”
Bren mentioned slapping Alex’s backside with her hand playfully.
“I like anything you do to me, Mrs. Worthington-Schreiber.”
Bren grinned. “Thanks for agreeing with me about keeping my name. I know it
makes my name really long, but I like that we’ll be passing both our names
to our children. It would make my father happy if he were alive.”
“As long as you’re happy with it then so am I.” Alex stated leaning down
for a kiss.
Bren wrapped her arms around Alex’s neck as the kiss deepened. For several
minutes they stood exchanging increasingly fervent kisses before Bren
quietly questioned, “Are you ready for bed yet, Alex?”
“If you are. Is my precious wife ready?”
Bren gave a sexy smile. “I’ve been ready for a long time.” Bren took Alex
by the hands and walked backwards into the bedroom with her. Depositing her
wife at the foot of the bed, she instructed Alex to stay put while she went
to retrieve the champagne. When Bren returned she put their beverages next
to the bed before going to stand in front of Alex again.
“Well, here we are.” Alex stated, waiting for Bren to take the lead.
“Yeah. Here we are.” Bren mumbled, suddenly seeming a little nervous.
“Are you all right?” Alex asked seeing the hesitation in her wife’s eyes.
Bren gave a little laugh. “It’s funny. I feel more nervous now than the
first time we did this.”
“Oh. Well, listen. If you’re not ready, we don’t have to. Um, we can find
something else to do tonight.” Alex tried to reassure her gently.
Bren chuckled again. “Alex, just because I’m nervous doesn’t mean I don’t
want to do this. It’s just that this time will be different.”
“It doesn’t have to be unless you want it that way, Bren. I just want to do
everything in my power to make you happy tonight. Tell me how I can do
that.”
“I want it to feel like the first time.” Bren murmured pulling Alex’s head
down for a soft kiss.
Without further discussion Bren and Alex expressed the emotions that they
had been holding back over the past year as they celebrated their bright
future. “I love you so much, Bren. Thank you for saving me.” Alex whispered
as she gazed at her wife with awe and wonder in her teary eyes.
Bren giggled as she stroked Alex’s face and stared up at her. “You’re very
welcome, Alex Schreiber. Thank you for never giving up on us. You really are
the other half of my soul. I love you more everyday, and I look forward to
forever with you.”
The End