Gillian was sitting alone in the living room at Wild Wind. She had a magazine open on her lap, but she wasn’t paying any attention to it. She was too busy thinking about Ryan.
She couldn’t help but smile as she thought about the other night. They had had so much fun at the Valley Inn. It had been so....normal.
“Who knew normal could be this magnificent?” Gillian asked. She leaned back and closed her eyes. She thought about Ryan walking her to the door and kissing her good night. She didn’t things could have gone any better.
“Hey Gillian. Have you seen Edmund?”
Gillian snapped out of her fantasy and turned to Hayley.
“No. How are you today, Hayley?” Gillian asked brightly.
Hayley smiled. “I’m fine,” she replied. She sat down on the arm of the chair. “What are you so happy about, as if I really need to ask.”
“I was thinking about Ryan,” Gillian admitted.
Hayley feigned shock. “No,” she teased.
“We’re close, Hayley, I can feel it. I’m not going to blow things with Ryan this time,” Gillian said.
“I’m glad to hear it. You two deserve all the happiness that you can get,” Hayley said.
“Thank you.” Gillian’s smile widened. “I have a plan, but I could use your help.”
“What kind of a plan?” Hayley asked skeptically. She knew how crazy Gillian’s plans could be. She wasn’t sure she wanted the hear this one.
“Don’t worry, Hayley, this isn’t one of those plans,” Gillian reassured her. She could see what Hayley was thinking.
“Good.” Hayley smiled. “Tell me your plan.”
“Well that’s just it. I don’t have a complete plan yet. That’s why I need your help,” Gillian said.
“Okay. But first you have to tell me what you’re trying to do. I don’t have time for any jail breaks,” Hayley said.
Gillian blushed. “I want to plan a special evening for Ryan. Something romantic for just the two of us,” she said.
“That sounds nice. What do you need me for?” Hayley asked.
“I’ll tell you.” Gillian began to fill Hayley in on her plan.
Ryan frowned as he tried to figure out the advertising costs. They just weren’t adding up right, and he couldn’t figure out why. He reached for the calculator and started punching in numbers again.
“Hey Ryan. Are you busy?” Hayley called from the doorway.
“Yeah, but come on in. How are your math skills?” Ryan asked without looking up.
“Terrible.” Hayley sat down. “I promise I won’t take up much of your time.”
“Okay.” Ryan pushed the papers and the calculator away. He needed a break from them anyway or he was going to go crazy. “What can I do for you?” he asked.
“Actually, I came to talk to you about Gillian,” Hayley said.
Ryan frowned. “Is something wrong? Is she okay?” he asked worriedly.
“Calm down, she’s fine.” Hayley suppressed a smile. It was so obvious how much Ryan loved Gillian. And judging by the cloud that Gillian had been living on lately, Hayley had a feeling the two of them were going to be okay.
“Did you two have a fight?” Ryan asked.
Hayley shook her head. “I never thought I would see the day where I would consider Gillian my friend, but I do. She’s changed so much, Ryan. I actually look forward to talking to her sometimes. Can you believe that?”
Ryan smiled. “Gillian has a way of growing on people,” he pointed out.
“So I’ve noticed,” Hayley teased.
“What does Gillian need?” Ryan asked.
Hayley smiled. “I can’t give you all the details, but she has a surprise for you,” she said.
“Oh no,” Ryan muttered. With Gillian, that could mean anything.
“Don’t worry. There’s no guns or hostages or explosions involved. Gillian wants you to meet her tonight at the hunting lodge at seven o’clock,” Hayley said.
“For what?” Ryan asked.
Hayley shook her head. “I’m not at liberty to discuss the specifics. Just be there, okay?” She stood up. “I’ll talk to you soon.”
“See ya.” Ryan leaned back in his chair and pondered what Hayley had just told him.
“What are you up to, Gillian?” he wondered out loud. Ryan was looking forward to finding out.
At exactly seven o’clock, Ryan arrived at the hunting lodge. He took a deep breath and knocked on the door. He didn’t know where the nervousness was coming from, but it was bothering him. He was glad that Braden was in Japan so that he couldn’t laugh at him again.
The door was opened by Gillian. She was wearing a long silver dress that took Ryan’s breath away. For a moment, he could do nothing but stare at her. She was so beautiful, and she was his wife. Ryan didn’t know how he had gotten so lucky.
“You’re right on time,” Gillian said.
“I didn’t want to keep you waiting again,” Ryan replied. He handed Gillian the flowers he had brought for her. “I thought you might like this.” He hoped that she wouldn’t think they were lame.
Gillian’s face lit up with a smile. “Oh Ryan, thank you. Please come in,” she said.
Ryan came into the hunting lodge. The lights were low and there were candles set up everywhere. A bottle of champagne was chilling on the table. He turned to face Gillian.
“It’s just like when we came here after our wedding,” Gillian said. Her heart was pounding as she waited for Ryan’s reaction. She had wanted to recreate that night, but she didn’t want to overdue it.
“Gillian, I can’t believe you went to all this trouble,” Ryan said.
“It wasn’t much. I had help from Hayley. If you hate it, I’ll understand,” Gillian added.
Ryan smiled. “I don’t hate it, Gillian. Just the opposite.”
Gillian beamed. “I’m so glad. I wanted tonight to be special for us, Ryan. I know you might not remember what today is,” she started.
Ryan’s eyes met and locked with hers. “It’s our anniversary,” he said.
Gillian’s eyes filled with tears. “You remembered?” she asked in disbelief.
“Of course I remembered.” Ryan reached for Gillian’s hand and helped her to the couch. “Sometimes I feel like we got married yesterday, and other times it feels like an eternity. It definitely doesn’t seem like only a year,” he said.
“So much has happened since that day.” Gillian smiled weakly. “I was so miserable when I was marrying Scott. Then you came in and took me away,” she said.
Ryan’s thoughts were already flashing back to that day. “I brought you here and convinced you to be my wife. Then we got married and we came back here.” His voice trailed off.
“And we made love for the first time,” Gillian finished for him.
Ryan nodded. He reached over and gently brushed the tears from her eyes. “We got married for the wrong reasons, princess. I don’t think either one of us realized what we were getting ourselves into,” he said.
“I wouldn’t trade being your wife for anything, Ryan,” Gillian said.
“Good thing, because you probably wouldn’t get much for it,” Ryan teased. His smile faded when he saw the seriousness in her eyes. “What is it?” he asked.
“On our wedding night, I asked you if you thought we did the right thing, and you said that we did. Do you still feel that way now?” Gillian asked. She didn’t think she could bare it if Ryan said that he regretted their marriage. But she had to know the truth.
Ryan stared at his wife as the weight of her question hung between them. It hurt him that she had to ask him that. But Ryan didn’t blame Gillian. He blamed himself.
“Come with me.” He stood up and reached for Gillian’s hand.
“Where are we going?” Gillian asked.
Ryan didn’t answer. He led Gillian outside. The night air was chilly. They walked down the path to the small pond on the edge of the property.
“Ryan, why did you bring me out here?” Gillian asked. She shivered.
Ryan shrugged off his sports coat and helped Gillian put it on. “I wanted us to be somewhere where we wouldn’t be surrounded by memories when I tell you this. I didn’t want either one of us to be distracted by the candles or the champagne or the bed where we made love for the first time,” he said.
Gillian was scared. She couldn’t read Ryan’s expression, and she wasn’t sure she wanted to hear what was coming. “What are you thinking, Ryan?” she asked.
“I’m thinking about how you could possibly wonder if I regretted making you my wife,” Ryan replied. “That’s my fault.”
“No, it’s not,” Gillian protested.
Ryan gently placed his hand over her mouth. “Princess, be quiet. I don’t regret marrying you, and I never will. You taught me what love is, and you taught me how to care about another person. I love you more than life itself, and I promise you Gillian, here and now, that is never going to change.” He took his hand away. “Got it?” he asked.
Gillian began to laugh and cry at the same time. “Oh Ryan, I love you too. I promise you that I will never stop loving you.” She flung herself into Ryan’s arms. He cupped her face in his hands and kissed her.
