Chapter
52
“Goodnight, Andrea,” Serena whispered, bending over to kiss
the peaceful face of her daughter.
It was Valentine’s Day, and she and Andrea had been home
from the hospital just a week. It had
been a hard week, but a happy one.
Serena had to admit that being forced out of bed in the middle of the
night to feed a screaming baby was not exactly pleasant, but it was worth
it. She loved being a mother already,
and she loved Andrea more than anything.
Still, she felt a little let down that night, for it was
indeed Valentine’s Day, and she and Howie were sitting at home. She felt ashamed with herself for being
disappointed that he had not made any plans, for with a brand new baby, it made
sense that Howie would not want to take her out for the night. And for what reason? He was probably perfectly happy here at
home. And she was too. But she couldn’t help feeling a little sorry
for herself. Surely the rest of the
Backstreet Boys would be taking their girlfriends out that night.
“Is she asleep?”
Serena turned to see Howie standing in the doorway of the nursery. She smiled tiredly. “Yup,” she replied softly, tip-toeing out of
the room. She sure didn’t want to risk
waking Andrea up.
“Good,” Howie said, taking her hand. “Come with me.”
(AN: Be prepared… you are now approaching sap city. lol)
Serena stared at him in puzzlement, but obediently followed
him down the stairs and out the French doors in the back of the house, which
led out to Howie’s spacious porch and pool.
Serena gasped in delight as she walked out onto the
porch. There were flickering candles
everywhere, illuminating the dark night, and creating a soft, romantic atmosphere. Two padded chaise lounges, strewn with
pillows, sat on the porch, a small table between them, on which two goblets
stood, a bottle of fine wine and a small bowl of fruit between them. From a small CD player hidden in one corner,
soft Spanish music played, the melodic sound of lilting Spanish guitars sending
chills running down Serena’s spine.
Howie had not let her down after all.
Why, this was even more romantic than going out anyplace.
She turned to Howie, her arms wrapping around him. “Oh, Howie, this is beautiful,” she
whispered, letting her head fall to rest against his chest. She could hear his heart beating beneath the
thin material of his wife beater.
Howie put an arm around her, leading her slowly to one of
the chaise lounges, and easing her down in it.
“Lie back,” he instructed in a soft, romantic tone. Serena obeyed, relaxing against the soft
pillows.
Howie uncorked the bottle of wine and poured the dark, rich
liquid into the two goblets, handing one to Serena and keeping the other for
himself. He reclined back against the
other chaise lounge and sipped his wine.
Serena did the same.
“Wonderful,” she said blissfully, closing her eyes to savor
the taste. Howie reached over and took
her hand. They said nothing for a few
minutes, just holding hands and staring up at the stars shining down
brilliantly in the clear night sky. It
was only February, but the Orlando night was balmy and warm, perfect weather
for a romantic evening by the pool.
“Are you happy, Serena?” Howie asked, his soft voice
cutting through the stillness of the night.
“Happy? Of course I
am, Howie,” Serena said. “This is
wonderful.”
Howie said nothing in reply, but Serena sensed that he was
smiling. Then, he spoke. “Yes, it is wonderful. I’m happy too. Happier than I’ve ever been in my whole
life. My life seems almost perfect.”
“Almost?” Serena asked.
“Yes, almost. I have
a beautiful daughter, great friends, an awesome career… a wonderful
girlfriend… But…” He trailed off.
“But, what?” she wondered aloud.
“I want more than that,” he replied thoughtfully. “What I mean is… I want you to be more than
that. I have a child. The start of a family. But what I need to go with that family is… a
wife.”
Serena turned to look at him. His eyes looked lustrous, seeming to glow in
the dim, flickering light that surrounded them. She knew by instinct what he was about to
ask her, and she knew without thinking what her answer would be. And sure enough…
“Serena Del Toro, my life would be perfect if… if you would
become my wife. Will you?”
“Yes,” she burst out in a choked whisper. “Oh, Howie, yes!” her voice rang out
gloriously. She leaped off of her
chaise lounge and flung herself onto his, planting a passionate kiss on his
lips.
It was perfect.
***
