“Someone’s here to see you.”
Philip, who’d been dictating letters, looked around at his secretary, irritated. He was always irritated lately; irritation was his new black. It had been over two weeks since that one glorious night with Rosa, and his mood was definitely showing the strain.
Pushing back his starched shirtsleeve, he checked his watch. “I don’t have anything for another hour.”
Roberta, who’d been with him since the dawn of time and apparently didn’t realize how close she was to being ripped to shreds, flashed him a cheerful smile. “You’ll want to make time for this gentleman.”
“Yeah? Well, who the hell is it?”
Roberta giggled. Giggled. “He didn’t leave a name. I’ll send him in.”
“Hold up,” he called after her, but Roberta had already disappeared.
Cursing, Philip jerked the microphone headset off and tossed it to the desk, and that was when his office door swung open and a Reds-baseball-cap-wearing Brennan poked his head inside.
Brennan smiled his gap-toothed smile. “Hi, Philip!”
Philip gaped.
“Wow.” Brennan raced inside and stared all around the office, reminding Philip of a first-time visitor to Times Square. “Is this your desk?” He smoothed one small hand over the gleaming walnut on his way to the window, upon which he pressed his nose and left a damp smudge. “Hey, wait. That’s Great American Ball Park!” Breathless and excited, he paused long enough to look to Philip for confirmation.
Philip couldn’t speak. He was afraid to trust either his eyes or the violent pounding of his heart, so he stalled for time, clearing his throat. “What, ah…what are you doing here, little man?”
“Thanks for my new baseball glove.” Brennan held it up. “Mommy says you’ll show me how to break it in.”
“Absolutely.” Overcome, Philip pressed his lips together so he didn’t start bawling like a baby. Then he pulled the boy in for a hug, savoring the smells of sunshine and shampoo on Brennan’s wiry body. Brennan submitted for three seconds before he broke away and trotted back to the door, nearly plowing his mother down in the process.
“I’m going to get some chocolate from Miss Roberta’s candy jar, Mommy,” he said as he disappeared.
The second Philip caught sight of Rosa with her bright red coat, white beret and smile, watching him with love in her eyes, he lost it. A crazy half-laugh, half-sob rose out of his throat and he tried to stifle it with the back of his hand. No dice.
“Hi,” she said.
“Hi.”
An arrested second or two passed and then she’d reached for him, he’d reached for her and suddenly they were in each other’s arms and he was touching his precious Rosa, kissing every part of her he could reach. The beret was the first to go; he yanked it off so he could run his fingers through the brilliant black silk of her hair. Angling her head, he kissed her forehead and cheeks, eyes and mouth, and she kissed him back with undisguised joy. Peeling off her coat—why did this woman wear so many clothes?—he dropped it to the floor and ran his hands over her back and butt, hips and thighs, remembering everything about her.
“I’ve been a busy girl,” she told him when he let her catch her breath.
“Is that so?”
“Umm.” There was a new seriousness in her eyes, and when he lowered his head to kiss her again, she put her fingers on his lips, stopping him. “I scattered Jake’s ashes in the garden. He loved his garden.”
Knowing both what this had cost her and what the symbolic act meant for their future, Philip could only nod; he didn’t trust his voice when his chest was so tight.
“And I took off my wedding band so I can be ready for my new wedding band. Assuming you still want to marry me after we spend more time together, that is.”
When she held up her bare left hand to show him, he took it, kissed it. “Don’t worry. I’m not going anywhere.”
“I think that’s all the old business I needed to take care of.”
“You have been busy, haven’t you?”
“Told you,” she said smugly.
“I want to try a little experiment,” he said, pulling her closer. “I’m going to say a sentence and you just say the first thing that pops into your head. Got it?”
“Hit me.”
It was all Philip could do to talk. He’d hoped for her, dreamed of her, but the joyous reality of holding this woman in his arms was so much more than he’d ever expected. To think that they had a future together—would build a family—was almost too much of a blessing.
Almost.
“I love you, Rosa.”
She smiled and he’d never seen anything more beautiful.
“I love you, Philip.”
The End
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