Finally settling the children down for the night, the adults made their way to the main hall to enjoy the late dinner feast prepared by the manor chef, Anna making sure to hire outside catering staff so that all of the employees of Willowbend Academy could enjoy her birthday dinner.
Sitting at the large dining room table, Bobby looked to his wife lovingly, amazed that he was lucky enough to have someone like her to spend the rest of his life with, to build a family with. She still looked to him to be the same young girl he began to fall in love with that fateful night they ice skated together, in the fountain that he had frozen over in an attempt to lessen her homesickness. Yet when he looked to the birthday girl, he couldn’t help but stare.
Anna looked absolutely stunning. Her hair was worn in a chignon at the nape of her neck, trapping the long, thick ropes of dark brown hair into the severe knot, the platinum swatch worn to the side. She wore a beautiful pale blue gown that hugged every curve she had, tastefully and gracefully, shoulders and throat bare, displaying clear, golden skin. There was no denying it; she was an extremely beautiful woman, but, there was something more. Bobby’s eyes took an appraising look, watching her laugh and lean every so often against Cyclops, the X-Men leader. In the almost two years that Bobby and Kitty have been with the Willowbend Academy, it seemed to him that Anna never aged. Granted, twenty nine was still pretty young, and Anna did not look the same as she did when they themselves were dating, but still, it was remarkable. Anna-Marie D’Ancanto didn’t look a day over twenty.
“Hey!”
Surprised at the not so gentle punch he got from an annoyed looking pregnant woman, he exclaimed as he rubbed his sore shoulder, “What was that for?”
Frowning, his wife told him haughtily, “I know the two of you were an item at one time, but I think it’s a bit much that I need to put up with my husband panting after an ex-girlfriend when his son grows bigger and bigger in me every day.”
Laughing, he gathered her protesting form into his arms and kissed her passionately and soon, she was returning the kiss with as much enthusiasm. When they were forced to come up for air, he told her lovingly, “Kitty baby, you are the sexiest, more spectacular woman alive.”
Comforted, she leaned against him, playing with the tie that she had so perfectly knotted earlier in the evening. “Damn straight.”
He smiled, giving her another squeeze. “But,” he told her carefully, “You have to admit, Anna does look pretty good.”
It rankled that her husband noticed anything about another woman while she was in her condition, especially a knockout like her best friend, but she had to agree with him, he was right. “It’s like she’s stopped aging.”
They looked at each other, glad to hear another person say out loud what the other was thinking. They turned their eyes back to the guest of honor, thoughtful.
Anna was unaware of the thoughts going through her best friends’ heads, she was too busy looking to the handsome man next to her; his own face smiling and relaxed as she squeezed his hand, returning his kiss happily when he caught sight of her. Everyone seemed well on their way to getting drunk, minus her (not for lack of trying) and minus Scott (for lack of trying) and Anna had already convinced everyone at the large table that she could drink anyone under it.
They sang her Happy Birthday and they ate her cake and she opened gag gift after gag gift, most of it geared towards her becoming an old maid. After Anna opened yet another gift, this time leaning towards becoming a crazy cat lady, Bobby laughed a little too hard, falling off his chair dramatically. Accepting help from the two people seated next to him, he sat back on his chair and wiped tears from his eyes. “At least Anna doesn’t need to worry about that after tonight.”
Alert, Kitty asked her husband. “Why is that?”
He answered her with a wink, reaching for his beer bottle.
“Robert Drake, you better explain yourself.”
He looked at her, or at least, tried to focus on one of the images of his wife that was wobbling in front of him. “Anna’s days of being a single lady are soon coming to a close, baby. Scott’s popping the question.”
“What?” Kitty gaped at him.
Bobby smiled widely, tipping the bottle into his mouth, looking smug.
“You mean tonight?” She demanded to know, taking the bottle away from him, anxiety rising in her.
He made a show of looking at his watch. “Yep, just before midnight he said. That’s why you need to be, like, you know… shhhhhhhh.” Off the mark, his index finger landed on his cheek.
Ignoring him, Kitty looked to Anna, feeling extreme joy, then extreme anxiety. Oh god, Scott was finally going to ask her to marry him. Anna looked at her best friend sitting at the other end of the table, having caught the intensity of what she was feeling. She stood up and made her way over to her.
“Hey guys, “she said, sitting beside her best friends, “Having a good time?”
Clearly Bobby was, having taken advantage of Kitty’s distraction to grab the beer bottle back. He tried to take a big swig, but booed when Kitty grabbed it out of his mouth. Rolling her eyes at her husband, Kitty smiled at her. “We’re having a great time, Anna.”
There was still some anxiety rolling off the smaller woman and Anna reached for her hand. “Are you sure, Kitty? You seem a little preoccupied.”
Kitty struggled with the decision she made earlier that evening. Seeing the emotions in the other’s woman’s eyes, Anna squeezed her hand worriedly. “You can tell me anything Kitty, you know that.”
Kitty closed her eyes. She just hated lying to her friend. “I’m just worried about the future, Anna.”
Anna could smell her sincerity. The anxiety was still there, but Anna had no idea how it felt to be pregnant so she hugged Kitty close, telling her, “Well, you got all of us and we’re not going anywhere. We’re going to take care of you and your little one, alright?”
Anna stood up and offered to take Bobby to their quarters since he was now passed out, mouth open, with a piece of birthday cake stuck to his ear from where his head landed abruptly on the table seconds earlier. Someone near them offered to assist Kitty in her stead, which got everyone standing up, one after the other. The next half hour was spent saying goodbye and spreading good wishes, most of the party goers inebriated.
They look so happy, Kitty thought, watching Scott and Anna wish everyone goodnight. Bobby’s right. I’ll tell Anna first thing in the morning, there’s enough time. She walked behind the crowd, kissing Anna good night and made her way outside to the back garden to where the staff’s rooms were located.
Nanna was the last to leave, clucking her tongue at the mess even though the caterers were already making quick work of it. Laughing, Anna kissed the older woman on the cheek. “Nanna, it’ll be right as rain by tomorrow morning.”
The older woman’s eyes suddenly filled with tears at the tender gesture, remembering her promise to look after little Anna Marie, knowing she had failed miserably. Anna reached out to the woman, and hugged her; she was projecting so loudly, the images were too painful, even for her. “Nanna, you did everything you could,” she whispered in her ear. “Everything turned out alright. I’m happy.”
Surprised that Anna seemed to read her thoughts, the woman blinked away her tears. “Bless you, child. You deserve happiness.” She looked at Scott, and pointed her finger at him. “You get that, boy?”
Scott grinned. “Loud and clear ma’am.”
Nanna narrowed her eyes, staring him down to see if he was making fun of her. Dissatisfied, she shot him a suspicious glare before making her way to her own room, just off the main kitchen. When she disappeared around the corner, Anna laughed quietly into her hands, chastising the man beside her. “Scott, really, you need to stop tormenting her! She’s the closest thing I have for a grandmother, you need to respect her.”
Scott shrugged his shoulders. “It’s not my fault she’s out to get me, Anna.”
“She is not,” she began to argue but he placed a finger across her lips, effectively silencing her. She looked at him, eyebrow raised, but stayed quiet as he took her hand, leading her out of the room. He avoided the back gardens where the majority of the staff were still trying to make their way to their quarters - drunkenly and loudly - much to the delight of the children that were awakened by their merry making. Anna hoped some of this was caught on film by the estate’s security cameras, thinking that this year’s Year in Review could become a classic. Scott couldn’t hear them, but Anna could, and she giggled to herself, making Scott think she was tipsy. “You okay?”
Nodding her head happily, she looked up at her handsome boyfriend, dressed in his dapper suit and her smile broadened. They had walked through the foyer and out through the front doors where she leaned her back against one of the massive front porch pillars with a soft sigh.
Scott stared at her. She was so lovely with that angelic smile playing on her lips, and he couldn’t resist. He released the jeweler’s box that he had gripped in his hand into his pants back pocket and took her into his arms, slanting his mouth over hers, needing to kiss her, taste her, inhale her. Anna returned his kiss hungrily, pressing her body brazenly against him and caught off guard by her reaction, Scott pushed her back up against the pillar behind her, slipping his leg between hers.
“Oh god, Anna,” he breathed huskily against her throat, “You’re driving me crazy.” The sound of her purring made the low fire in his belly explode. “I need to touch you, taste you,” he told her in between kisses as her fingers raked through his hair. “I don’t think I can wait much longer.”
Anna clenched her eyes tight, willing her body to stay on fire for this man, to not shut down. Scott remained so patient over the past two years, never pushing, following her lead, never asking for more than she was willing to give. It was no coincidence that they were standing in the exact same spot where he had first kissed her, and tonight she wanted to give him what he wanted, desperate for this to work and willing to push past her body’s objections. Scott had nothing to prove, she knew who he was before their relationship blossomed romantically, and yet he still managed to surprise her with his patience, loyalty, and love. He deserved so much more than she had been willing to give him up to now, it was time.
Tonight’s the night, she thought dazedly to herself, grateful that she still wanted his touch; her body still reacting to his desire. She kissed him hard, delving her tongue deep into the warmth of his mouth, relieved, but then, it started. Her body began to shut down and with a growing horror Anna could feel herself pull away, her body once again rejecting him, only it was so much worse this time; because she could actually smell him, as though he was…
“Happy Birthday, kid.”
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