Playing the Part Ch. 12

"You'll see," was my only answer. I drove her up to Lookout Point, where we could watch the sunset with our dinner. I was glad to see the prep work had been completed: a picnic table was already set with a white tablecloth and a candle. We heard a car, and both of us turned to see Jen's little Ford leaving the parking lot.

"You've set this up," Serena surmised.

I simply nodded. "I put your sneakers in the backseat, if you don't want to mess up your heels in the grass."

"So thoughtful," she said, but she exited the car with her heels still on. "So what's for dinner?"

I pulled out boxes containing herb-roasted chicken breasts, grilled vegetable kabobs, and baked potatoes. The final box contained an apple tart big enough to split, so I set it aside for later. Together, we ate the delicious dinner and watched the sun start to disappear over the horizon. Before it did, I took Serena's hand. "I told you I don't want to live without you," I said. "I want to make it permanent. I want you in my life every day for the rest of eternity."

"Oh, god," Serena whispered, knowing what was coming.

"Serena, will you be my wife?" I pulled out the small box from my pocket, and showed her the ring inside, the diamond with tiny blue sapphires on either side.

"Oh, oh yes, yes. I will," she exclaimed, nodding fervently, her eyes glistening in the remains of the daylight. I slipped the ring on her finger, and she gave me a passionate kiss. We finished the evening by eating the apple tart, and she kept looking at her the shiny ring on her finger until the sun had set.

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EPILOGUE

--

Serena and I got married the following May, just before that summer's show started. It was a small ceremony, but everyone we loved was able to make it there. Our families, Chuck, Jen's family, the Changs, and several actors from both Pendleton and the city.

Eric was my best man, and Jen stood on my side behind him. Serena was a little jealous, as she wanted Jen as a bridesmaid, but I told her that Jen was basically my little sister and I had dibs. Serena's maid of honor was a friend from the city, but she enlisted Heather as a bridesmaid, so Jen and Heather could walk together.

And of course, Frank walked his daughter down the aisle. Serena looked amazing in her strapless white dress, adorned with lace. She told me later that while it wasn't her mother's wedding dress, it was a similar style, though slightly more modern.

Because of all the actors in attendance, the reception was incredibly fun. Several of our friends sang love songs from their favorite musicals. Serena demanded that I sing 'Her Eyes' again, and the crowd wouldn't stop cheering until I took the microphone and sang it. Then Serena joined me to sing 'One Hand, One Heart' from West Side Story, which made my mother cry a little. Finally, as a surprise for us, Chuck and several Pendleton actors sang 'Fixer Upper' from Frozen, making us laugh hysterically.

After the ceremony and reception, I took my bride home and helped her remove her dress, finding that she'd removed her panties in the restroom sometime earlier. She stood before me in her strapless bra and white thigh-highs, and I didn't hesitate. I didn't even remove her bra. I threw my sexy wife on the bed and mauled her like the man that I was. She told me after that it was exactly the reaction she was hoping for.

--

Frank's wedding present to us was to pay for our honeymoon, so we spent ten days in the Caribbean islands. We drank daquiris, we saw dolphins, we scuba dived (or is it scuba dove?), and we made passionate love several times a day.

With all the sex we had before the wedding, it's a wonder that Serena didn't get pregnant until after we were married. I thought for sure we'd have one in the oven at our wedding. Serena claimed she knew her body and her rhythms, and wouldn't let me come inside her a few days every month, so it seemed to work. That method stopped after the wedding - we fucked every single day, and even more when she knew she was ovulating. On the night of the theater's Gala in July, Serena broke the news to me that she was 6 weeks pregnant. She was afraid of showing in her fancy cocktail dress, but I assured her she was still as slim as ever, at least for now.

When Chuck retired, Serena Gunderson became the full director at the Pendleton Theater. She was a natural. She picked great shows and picked brilliant actors to fill the roles. Everyone who worked with her loved her, and the community continued to rally around the theater as the town's center of the fine arts. She enlisted me whenever she needed my help: assistant director, stage manager, and occasional actor. She even found a small dramatic play for January that revolved around a pregnant woman, and she played the lead role herself while directing. It helped that she was 7 months along at the time. The audiences thought it was brilliant.

In March, Serena gave birth to a daughter, Frances "Frankie" Denise Gunderson, named for Serena's father and my mother. I took paternity leave and made sure I was pulling my weight in the baby care, especially in those first few precious weeks. I also convinced Chuck to come out of retirement for a few months, directing the spring show so that Serena could recover.

Jen was a regular visitor. She didn't mind coming over a few times a week, taking Frankie for a few hours, changing the occasional diaper. I offered her money for her baby-sitting services, but she wouldn't take it. So I offered her a part-time job in my office as an administrative assistant. Compared to her job at the grocery, it was roughly the same pay for less hours, so Jen took it right away. She worked 6 hours a day, 4 days a week, giving her plenty of time to take some online college classes, and still babysit Frankie. One night, Serena and I came home from a Friday night date and peeked into the window to see Jen and Heather kissing on our couch. We decided to get back in the car; I drove us around the block a few times while Serena texted Jen to let her know we'd be home in a few minutes. When we got home again, Heather was gone, and Jen pretended nothing was going on.

--

A few years later, as Frankie had grown into a rambunctious toddler, I came home to a surprise. I passed by my two-and-a-half year old daughter playing in the living room and found Serena in the kitchen. I walked up behind her, wrapped her in my arms and kissed her neck, making her giggle. She turned and kissed me deeply. Then she asked me, "Did you see your daughter's shirt?"

"My daughter? Not our daughter?" Serena usually said that 'your daughter' stuff when Frankie made a mess. "I didn't see her shirt; did she get a big stain on it or something?" I went back into the living room and picked her up into a big hug. I looked at the bright white, brand new shirt, with the words 'Big Sister' emblazoned in pink on the front. "What's your shirt say?" I asked her.

"Big Sister, Daddy," Frankie replied.

"Are you a big sister?"

"Mommy said," was the response, as if it was strange to question it. If Mommy said so, then it was obviously true.

I brought Frankie back into the kitchen with me. Serena had a shit-eating grin on her face. "You're serious?" I asked, and she nodded. We hadn't been trying, or even talking about it, but I was thrilled regardless. I shifted Frankie into one arm, and pulled Serena into my other. "I'm so happy," I told her.

"Really? You're not just saying so?" She wondered out loud.

"I really am. You'd know if I didn't mean it," I said, kissing her, "I'm not nearly as good of an actor as my wife."

--

THE END

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