The Memory Child (14 page)

The room spun around me until I was sure I swayed in circles. I saw both Charlie and Walter rush toward me, their hands outstretched, but then the black dots swallowed them
whole as I
screamed.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

Brian

July 2013

T
rust me.”

Anticipation knotted in Brian’s stomach as he covered his wife’s eyes with a black cloth. He wanted tonight to be a night she’d always
remember.

“I trust you.” She smiled before twirling around so he could tie
the cloth.

He led her out of their condo and to the limo that awaited them in the driveway. He helped her climb in and, after making sure they were both comfy, he tapped on the glass partition, a signal for the driver to take t
hem away.

“Are we”—her hands caressed the black leather seats, felt along the door and then discovered the side bar to her left—“in a limo?” There was a hint of excitement in her voice and Brian
loved it.

He was thrilled to be able to surprise her like this. He knew he’d caught her completely o
ff guard.

It was their thirteenth wedding anniversary. Brian had lied earlier in the week to Diane, telling her he had to work late each night, so they’d made plans to celebrate on the weekend. Diane had bought tickets to the latest play and Brian had made reservations at a high-end steak hous
e nearby.

So, when Diane came home to find a rose petal trail to their room, where a hot bath awaited her and a new dress, shoes, and lingerie were laid out on their bed…needless to say, she’d been s
peechless.

Next year, they’d be celebrating their anniversary with a six- or seven-month-old baby, so this year, Brian wanted to make this an extra-speci
al memory.

“Where are w
e going?”

Brian reached for two glasses that had been previously poured and placed one in Diane’s hand. He would have preferred champagne, but they’d have to make do with nonalcoholic juice
instead.

“Here’s to a night full of love, surprises, and happily ever afters.” He clinked his wine flute with hers. “Here’
s to us.”

“To us,” Dia
ne echoed.

They sipped their drinks in silence but Brian refused to release Diane’s hand. He couldn’t wait for her reaction when they arrived at their destination. It had taken some favors being called in to make this night happen, but it would all be
worth it.

“How long have you been planning this?” Diane laid her head down his shoulder an
d sighed.

He knew the day had been long and tiring for her. He’d kept in touch with her by text as she ran from one meeting to another. At four o’clock, she’d texted that she needed to run across town to settle a dispute with one of their accounts, and that it required a personal touch. He’d been worried she wouldn’t make it home
in time.

He checked his watch. They should arrive in five minutes, plenty of time
to spare.

“Long enough to be worried when you had that errand to run at the last minut
e today.”

She chuckled. “I thought you’d be worki
ng late.”

“True.” He drew circles on her hand as he admired the shape of her long, muscu
lar legs.

“I can’t believe you kept this from me. What if I had be
en late?”

“Well, then I guess it would have been lesson learned.” Brian laughed, but in reality he had been sweating bullets until
she made
it home.

“Do I get any clues?” She bumped her leg against his. He placed his hand on her knee, enjoyed the feel of bare skin beneath his hand, and was tempted to slide his hand up beneath her dress, but contained himself. Tonight was about building up to the moment. Almost like when they’d
first met.

“You get three
guesses.”

“Will you tell me if I’
m right?”

Brian shook his head and then remembered she couldn’
t see him.

“Highly unlikely. But…you might be surprised,”
he teased.

He loved to surprise her, to see her reaction, how it always caught her off guard. He loved that he could still do that after all the
se years.

Her cheeks were flushed, her lips curved into a smile, and if he were to remove the blindfold, he knew her eyes would sparkle. She was the most beautiful woman he’d ever met and to this day, he couldn’t believe sh
e was his.

“Are we going to
Luigi’s?”

“Really? You’re going to waste a guess on that? This is a special night. Unless, of course, I convinced Luigi to close the restaurant for the night…” He managed to put enough truth in his tone to make it b
elievable.

S
he gasped.

“But of course I wouldn’t do that. His place is packed each night. Do you know how expensive that w
ould be?”

He enjoyed the way she nibbled at her lip when she thought about her n
ext guess.

“We’re going out of town for t
he night?”

He tsked before she slapped him on the arm an
d laughed.

“But then you’d need to pack an overnight bag for me, and we both know that wouldn’t have h
appened.”

The vehicle slowed
to a stop.

“Are we here?” Diane leaned forward as the passenger doo
r opened.

“No peeking, remember?” Brian covered the cloth over her eyes with his hand as he backed up, opened the door, and drew her
with him.

He helped her over the curb and looked around him. Excitement built up inside of him and he almost blurted out the
surprise.

“Brian, where are we?” She reached up to remove the cloth but he sto
pped her.

“Not yet. You don’t want to
ruin it.”

He led her through the front doors of the hotel and through the foyer. He’d stopped in earlier to ensure everything had been taken care of and he recognized the concierge. The man tipped his hat and smiled. Brian smiled back. He couldn’t believe they were d
oing this.

With their hands entwined and Diane close to his side, he walked her though the five-star restaurant. He held his finger up to his lips and the hostesses there to greet them all smiled but ke
pt quiet.

There was a low murmur as Brian followed one of the hostesses through the dining area. He made sure to walk slowly, as Diane still couldn’t see her way and he didn’t want her to bump into anyone. The restaurant was packed. Rumor had it that there was a six-month wait
ing list.

“Brian?”

They stopped at the doors that led into the kitchen area. He still couldn’t believe he’d managed to snag something like this. Diane was going to love it. He glanced back at the people watching him from their tables. Fine china, soft cream-and-black décor, candlelight, and white roses on ea
ch table.

As beautiful as it was out there, nothing would compare to what they were about to e
xperience.

“A
re yo
u ready?”

He pushed open the doors and led Diane through. Her grip on his hand tightened as the sounds of a busy kitchen surrou
nded them.

“Brian?”

He couldn’t keep the smile off
his face.

He led her over to a table located just off to the side and turned her around so her back was to him. He leaned forward, placed a soft kiss on her cheek, and whispered, “I love you”
in her ear before he untied
the cloth.

“
Oh…”

Brian wound his arm around her waist and held her close as she realized where t
hey were.

“Jean Pierre’s,” Diane whispered as the famous Michelin Star chef left his station and headed toward them, a large smile on
his face.

“Brian!” JP shook his hand before he pulled Diane in
for a hug.

“How? What?” She turned, eyes wide as she struggled
to form
words.

JP laughed before he slapped Brian on the back. Brian stumbled forward as he shot the chef a narrow glance. JP only
shrugged.

“I hear it’s your anniversary. It’s not often I open my kitchen to guests, but for Brian here, I’d do just about a
nything.”

JP was a former client of Harper and Wainright. Brian had worked with him on the side last year on a special project. It wasn’t until last week that he remembered a favor
was owed.

“I can’t believe you did this.” Diane turned, wound her arms around Brian, and smiled
up at him.

Right then and there, Brian knew this was a night they would always
remember.

“Anything for you,” Brian whispered against her lips. She felt so good in his arms
like this.

“All right, you two lovebirds. Save that fo
r later.”

A waiter pulled out Diane’s chair while Brian seated himself. While their water was being poured, Diane leaned forward, elbows on the table, and listened to JP rattle off the night’s menu. Brian didn’t hear a single word. All he saw was the way the light reflected off Diane’s hair and the shine of her skin. S
he glowed.

He reached for her hand and brought it down under the table, their fingers entwined. He felt like a lovesick puppy right now, and nothing could r
uin that.

“How did you land this?” Diane leaned close once JP left. She ran her fingers along his thigh in teasin
g circles.

“I have my ways.” Bria
n smiled.

“How do you know him? I tried to get reservations here a few years ago but they were booked for
months.”

“I did a favor for him last year.” H
e smiled.

“Oh, what kind of favor?” There was a twinkle in
her eye.

“One that involved removing some unwanted photos he’d mistakenly uploaded to his website,” Brian leaned forward to whisper i
n her ear.

She gasped. He nodded. They laughed. Just like they used to when they were firs
t married.

They couldn’t stop touching each other, whether it was a caress beneath the table, the tip of a finger trailing down an arm, or a light brush against the neck. Brian couldn’t get enough of his wife tonight and she seemed to be as swept up
as he was.

“We really should be focusing on the chef,” Diane teased as she squeezed
his knee.

Brian caught
JP’s wink.

“I think he’s enjoying the show,” Diane
whispered.

“I noticed that.” Brian frowned at the guy. “I think he’s delaying our food on
purpose.”

“He’d better not be. I’m quite hungry.” Diane sat back in the chair and crossed her arms over her chest. She beckoned JP over with h
er finger.

“You summoned me?” There was laughter in his voice, thank God. This was the first private chef’s meal they’d ever had, so Brian wasn’t sure what to expect. He certainly didn’t expect the table set up as if they were out in the main dining area, complete with crystal wineglasses, fine china, and the table arrangement. For some reason, he’d thought they’d be given a regular table with a plain tablecloth. When he’d asked the hostess earlier to see if the table could be done up nicely, he now understood the look of surprise on
her face.

“Any word on our meal? I’m quite famished tonight. I’m eating for two.” She lightly rubbed her belly and smiled
at Brian.

JP’s brows rose
at this.

“I had no idea, Brian, old man. Why didn’t you tell me?” JP rounded the table and kissed Diane on t
he cheek.

Brian bristled at the fam
iliarity.

“Tonight is to celebrate us.” Diane placed a kiss on Brian
’s cheek.

“Well, then, let’s get this celebration started.” JP snapped his fingers and waiters surrounded them with platter
s in hand.

Diane’s eyes grew round at the sight of all the food, while Brian’s stomac
h rumbled.

“Sure hope you’re hungry.” More plates were brought over, and Brian could have sworn there was enough food for everyone in the kitchen to share. He knew they were to get samplers of all the dishes, but he thought they would be just that…samples. Not fu
ll dishes.

Diane speared a shrimp smothered in butter and raised it to her lips. “Just don’t eat too much. I have my own thoughts on
dessert.”

Brian was i
n heaven.