She begins to move down the stairs, and I watch in amazement at the grace of her movements. Her auburn hair has been curled into large waves that cascade past her bare shoulders. It’s long and looks so silky; I feel my hands tingling in anticipation of having my fingers in it. But then I notice the sway of her full hips and bounce of her generous chest, and I find it necessary to adjust myself before everyone in the room notices my approval.

“Good evening, Brooks. You look very handsome tonight,” she says when she reaches the landing.

Still awestruck that this woman is real, and that I get a chance to make things right, I’m at a standstill and words escape me. Amanda walks next to me, placing her hand on my chin and closing my mouth. I give her a sideways glance and a tight smile.

“You kids have fun,” Amanda laughs, taking the orchids and walking into the kitchen.

“Sorry, it’s just…wow. I mean, you look exquisite.” She smiles widely and I offer her my arm to lead her to my car.

“Thank you, you look great as well, and thank you for the flowers,” she says, linking her arm with mine. I have to remind myself to breathe. She feels perfect next to me; it’s where she should have always been, where I plan to always keep her.

Vivian

The car ride to the restaurant is relatively quiet with only the sound of the radio filling the car, but it’s a comfortable silence. I keep catching Brooks looking at me; maybe I’m not what he remembers, or maybe I let damn Amanda put too much make-up on me.

The girls went all out fixing me up for tonight, but it might be a little much. I can barely breathe in Jen’s dress, but I was outvoted, and from the look on Brook’s face and the bulge in his pants, he admires their choice.

After Brooks parks the car, he slides around the front of the car and opens my door. He offers his hand and pulls me close to him, allowing me to feel his solid chest under his suit. He releases me, and we walk hand-in-hand into the restaurant.

We are greeted and taken to a cozy table in the back of the establishment. The atmosphere is warm and delicate, with deep maroon linens covering the tables, and candlelight providing a luminous glow. Brooks pulls out my chair and I ease into it, letting the scent of his cologne envelop me. I find myself taking a deep breath of the sandalwood and apple, trying to hang on to the delicious smell for as long as possible.

He places his hands on my shoulders and reaches down to sneak a light kiss on my exposed neck, making me shudder. I feel my disappointment when he takes his lips away to sit down. I’ve promised to take things slow, remembering the girl who, against her better judgment, trusted this man once and lost. I’m trying desperately to contain my lust for this man, but between his intoxicating smell and his perfect body, the task is proving futile.

I quickly take a sip of my water in an attempt to cool myself down.

“I’m glad that you agreed to tonight,” he says, as I place the goblet back onto the table and begin twirling the stem. “I was afraid that you would have changed your mind, and I would have had to implement plan B.”

“And what would that have entailed?” I ask.

“I didn’t have all of the details worked out, but it involved at least a small mint in flowers and a whole lot of begging.”

I softly laugh and look down at the water glass in front of me that I am sill holding. “We both know that you are not the begging kind.”

Brooks takes my hand from the glass and surrounds it in both of his, causing me to look at him. “You’re right; I’m not. I’m a man that always gets what he wants, and I never have to ask twice. But with you, Vivian, you are my weakness, my Achilles' heel.”

My eyebrows pinch together. Brooks is a strong, proud man, and the idea of pulling him down unsettles me. I attempt to pull my hand away, but he tightens his grip and passes me a cocky smile.

“You are a weakness I would gladly beg to have, Red,” he says as he takes my hand and kisses my palm, which forces me to smile. I feel myself melt into his intense stare as the weight of his words sink into me. Our eyes are locked until the waiter arrives at our table, interrupting our moment.

We pull ourselves apart long enough to order our drinks and entrees, but as soon as our server steps away, Brooks gathers my hand once again.

“This is pretty surreal, don’t you think?” I ask him, rubbing my thumb along his knuckles. “Did you ever think in a million years that we would find ourselves here again?”

“In the back of my mind, I had hoped that this would have been in store for us someday, somehow. But then reality would wallop me across the face, and I would realize that you were happy in the life that you had without me, and I was fine with that because you were happy.”

He rubs his lips along my wrist, feathering along my pulse line, and I find it difficult to focus on his words as the electricity of his touch causes butterflies to bounce around my stomach. He lands one tender kiss where I’m sure he can feel my heartbeat pulsing through my wrist and pulls away.

“Now that you’re here, though, and I have the chance to be the one that makes you happy, I will do anything in my power to keep you. You always had my heart, every single fucking piece of it, and all I want to do is steal yours again.”

I feel my heart slam into my chest, but I try to rein in the overwhelming feeling. I refuse to fall so easily for this man all over again. I want him–God, do I want him–but the fear of the unknown has me wanting to run; how can I risk coming up with the losing hand once again?

“You have to understand, Brooks, I’m scared. No matter what the reasons were, things ended badly between us. When Will stepped in, he made it safe to love again, to feel again, and yet, I ended up with nothing. Everything I love keeps slipping through my fingers, and I’m afraid to lose again.”

“Let me be brave for both of us, Viv. We each have to take turns being the strong one, and now it’s my turn. I will be the light for as long as it takes for you to step out of the darkness.”

I look down at my wine glass that the waiter managed to bring without notice. I begin to twirl the stem, allowing my mind to digest this man’s words. I silently watch the pink liquid swirl around the edge of the glass, threatening at any moment to spill over the lip.

“Viv, please say something.”

“I need you to promise me something,” I say before stealing my eyes away from the crystal glass and meeting his intense stare.

“Anything, Red. Everything I have, I would promise you.”

“I know you said that you aren’t going anywhere this time, but I need you to promise. No matter what, there’s no more running. We both have been running long enough; it’s time to be still, together.”

“Vivian, I swear to you, and to anyone else that needs to hear this; I am yours, heart and soul. I have lived without my heart for ten years; I’m thankful to have it back, and I promise to never leave it behind again. Do you understand what I’m saying? I’m yours, and I plan with every bit of power that I possess that you will be mine. So no, I am not going anywhere.”

Brooks suddenly pushes his chair back, and with a quick stride, stands in front of me. Grabbing the hand that still hasn’t unleashed the glass, he pulls me from my chair, crushing me against his body. Although we garner the attention of the patrons around us, Brooks continues to hold me to him.

He slides his hand behind my neck and pulls me to him until I can hear his breath in my ear. The sensation sends shivers down my body, and I find my resolve melting away. I stand there waiting. Waiting for words, waiting for a kiss, I didn’t know what. But I know in that moment I would wait for as long as it took to have anything he would give me.