Page 101 of Rainstorm

Finding happiness in the search for perfection amongst our imperfections.

That happiness has been clouded only by having to say goodbye to my father. It was so hard, such a terrible blow, and I’m still working through it. Time doesn’t heal that kind of wound, but you learn to live with the pain of farewell.

Celebrating the good moments.

Treasuring happy memories.

Honoring the name of the person you loved so much.

And always with the support of my family, the foundation of my existence, along with Rose, of course.

Rose. Always there for me, for us. I’m just grateful that my father got to see us get married, that it made him so happy and proud to see her in my life, and that she showed what she was made of in those hard times.

Gentle and kind enough to keep me motivated.

Strong enough to keep me whole.

Loving me enough to keep me looking forward, to our future.

And that future was ours for the taking. Five years after having tied the knot, ready for five more, for fifty.

For eternity.

She had no idea what I’d planned for our anniversary, and what’s more, she didn’t know I was arriving back much earlier than I’d told her—just a necessary little white lie in order to surprise and spoil my darling wife.

My plane was about to land, and while I watched the beautiful city we lived in from the air, the only thing I could think about was how happy she was going to be when I arrived home early, flowers in hand, ready to surprise her.

And not only with my arrival.

A milestone such as this could not be ignored, so I’d gone big with my plans for a whole weekend of doing all our favorite things. Of course, that meant there would be plenty of sex involved, but it also meant a trip to some of the places we loved.

Since I’d become a partner in the construction company where I’d worked for more than a decade, my free time had become increasingly limited. Sure, the money was awesome, which had allowed us to live more than comfortably, but there was always a price to pay. My workload was very heavy, and I knew that Rose sometimes resented how much it impacted on our relationship, which was why I took pains to try and be romantic and spoil her whenever I could.

Our weekends were always sacred, so even if I had to travel to supervise works or organize huge tenders, I was always back by Friday. However this time, I’d told her I wouldn’t be back until midday on Saturday. I’d hated lying to her, but it was all in a good cause, and I knew she was going to be thrilled that I was actually going to be home on Thursday morning.

As soon as the cabin crew gave the okay for us to vacate our seats, I grabbed my carry-on and managed to get off the plane first, thanks to being in business class, then shot out in search of my car.

Our house was only a short distance from the airport, so despite the traffic and a quick stop to pick up the flowers I’d ordered, I was parking in front of our home in barely fifteen minutes.

“Rose,” I called as I walked in, but was greeted by silence. “Roselynn, doll, where are you?”

More silence.

I dropped my carry-on in the foyer and set off to look for her.

Ours was a three-story townhome that reflected our personality perfectly. Modern, warm and with unique details everywhere. On the first floor was the living room, the dining room and the kitchen. At the back was the garage, which Rose used as a workshop for her DIY, and there was a small patio. On the second floor, there were three rooms, including the master bedroom, and then we had adapted the third floor to create a workspace for both of us. And that’s where I found her, with her back to the door, humming along to something in the headphones she was wearing and typing on the computer in front of her.

“Surprise,” I said as I gently touched her back, startling her.

Of course she screamed like she’d seen a ghost, but two seconds later I had her in my arms screaming with happiness instead.

“You’re here,” she squealed before kissing me, wrapping her arms around my neck, smiling from ear to ear.

“Of course I’m here,” I replied, not hiding my smile. “It’s our anniversary, so where else did you think I’d be?”

“In Sacramento, working, because that’s what you told me,” she grumbled, as she pouted adorably.

“And that’s where I’ve come from,” I informed her. “But it’s our anniversary, gorgeous, and you and I are going to celebrate big time, because nothing is more important. So hurry up and get ready, life awaits us.”

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