Sense of Smell

His playfulness made her laugh and the tears stop as she gently pushed him.

"Ugly mug. You are so handsome it's hard to take my eyes off of you," she told him truthfully.

"Oh, so you understand how I feel when I look at you then. Nice," he replied.

"Ha! My 38-year old face isn't exactly like your..."

She sat up then asked, "Exactly how old are you?"

Adam laughed then told her.

Her eyes opened wide in disbelief even though she expected a number below 30.

"Oh...my...goodness," Connie said as she looked at that handsome face.

"Is that a game changer for you?" he asked, hoping she was exaggerating.

"I...you're...are you really only...26?" she both said and asked.

"I'm pretty sure that's right. I could check with my mom if you'd..."

"Shhh! Stop talking, okay?" she said, her eyes back to normal size. "Don't say another word about your age or...your mom. Please!"

"If I agree, will you stop looking at me like that?" he teased.

Connie shook her head a bit then apologized.

"I knew you were a lot younger than me, but hearing that out loud was...wow!"

"Wow as in 'scary' or wow as in 'lucky me'?" he said continuing to tease her.

"For a second it was the scary thing, but, if you really don't care about my age..."

"Nope. Not one bit," he told her even before she could finish speaking.

"Really? You honestly don't look at me and see...old?" she asked, genuinely needing to know.

"Let me tell you what I do see, okay?" Adam said as he turned toward her.

"The first thing I see is beauty. Not age. Connie, you're gorgeous. But beyond that I see kindness and caring. I see intelligence. A whole lot of intelligence. And honestly? That's the one thing that intimidates me a little about you."

She was smiling happily as he spoke and didn't interrupt.

"I also see someone who loves her father...and her mother...and someone who's proving that by carrying on his legacy. And the way you interacted with my..."

Connie laughed as he remembered his promise not to talk about his mother for a while.

"And my daughter, all I could think about was how wonderful it would be to have you in our lives."

Another tear fell as he spoke those words, then Connie found the strength to say, "I can't think of anything that would be more wonderful than being a part of your lives."

"So I don't see your age. I see you. And I hope I don't scare you off, but when I see you, I see a beautiful woman I'm...falling in love with."

Many more tears fell as she fell into his arms and said, "I'm falling in love with you, too, Adam. And Lexi is the sweetest little girl ever."

"Yes, she is," he agreed as he held her while she buried her head in his neck.

"So...what's next?" she asked once she regained control.

"I don't mean to rush things, but my folks have a beach house up on the Outer Banks. I was thinking maybe we could spend a weekend there soon. If you can afford to get away, that is."

"This order is much bigger than just me with a lot of people depending on it, but I don't see why we couldn't get away for a couple of days."

"Really?" Adam asked, almost surprised by her answer.

"Yes. Really," she said with a smile. "And if 'us' means you, me, and Lexi, that's just as fine as you and me alone."

"I think I really do love you," Adam said as he stared into her eyes.

"I'm so glad, because...I love you, too."

Adam took her in his arms and kissed her softly then more passionately before they realized where they were.

"Mmmm. That was so nice," Connie told him.

"I wish it could continue, but as they say 'patience is a virtue', right?"

"Normally I'd agree, but right now I'm not feeling very patient," she told him, a happy smile on her full lips.

"Soon, right?" Adam said quietly as he brushed her hair back.

"Soon. Very soon," she agreed before they agreed it was time for her to go home.

The next week Adam spent as little time as he could tending the roses and as much time as possible at Dynex. It was as much a practical decision as it was romantic, and Connie was thrilled to have him there.

It was obvious to her employees something had changed, and at the close of business on Thursday, she called everyone together and let them know. There was nothing but support for both of them, and they were glad not to have to sneak around anymore.

"One more thing," Connie told them before they left. "Bill tells me the latest remix will be ready tomorrow just after noon. So let's keep our fingers crossed that this one is it."

That comment drew ever more support than her relationship revelation, and rightly so. The people who worked for her genuinely cared about her, but her romantic life didn't put food on their tables.

Connie spent the evening, like she had all but one evening since that first dinner with the Lanes, at Adam's house. They sat around and played board games starting with Candy Land before Lexi had to go to bed. Connie helped her make her moves, but the little girl caught on pretty quickly for someone so young.

"I'm gonna be three years old in two more years," she proudly told Connie.

"You mean two more months?" her father said with a smile.

"Uh-huh. In two more months!" Lexi said as though that's what she'd said the first time.

"Oh, my! You'll be so big then, huh?" Connie said as she pulled Lexi up onto her lap.

"I'm already big. But I'll be bigger when I'm three!" she announced.

"Yes you will!" Connie said as she put her arms around her and hugged her and kissed her cute little cheeks.

"That tickles!" Lexi said as she giggled when Connie made 'bubbles' in her neck.

Adam loved watching her, and Marilyn was taking it all in, too. She went to bed early again to give her son and his beautiful girlfriend time alone, but the next morning she mentioned it to Adam.

"You're in love with her, aren't you?" she asked her son with a smile.

"I am," Adam said immediately. "And that reminds me. We were thinking about spending the weekend at the Outer Banks."

"You know where the key is," his mother said with a happy smile.

"So...you're okay with that?" he asked, not sure why he was surprised.

"In case you couldn't tell, I love her, too."

"Yeah, she's pretty great, isn't she?"

"I think so, and it's obvious Lexi loves her."

Adam walked over to his mother and extended his arms.

"You know I love you, too, right, Mom?"

"Of course I do. I've never doubted it."

"So today's our next test batch," he told her.

"I have been so worried about that. All those jobs and the company. And yours, too."

"Once you meet the people who are depending on you it becomes very personal," Adam told her. "You can't look at it as 'no big deal' after that."

"Well, I'm just grateful you have this...gift."

"I just hope my 'gift' is good enough not to get 'close but not close enough'."

"Have faith, Adam," she said with as much encouragement as she could.

He gave her another hug then got ready to leave after saying goodbye to his other favorite girl.

"So...are you ready?" Connie asked after he kissed her hello in her office.

"I am," he told her.

Bill repeated the same ritual he'd gone through several times, and this time Adam sensed something was different. After doing what he always did, he asked Bill to put the swatch away then stepped out and asked Connie for her vial.

"Is it...did it..."

"I'll let you know," he said, as he carefully carried inside the room which was pulling out air at a constant rate.

Satisfied the room was clean, he opened the vial again and took a first sniff and then another. He moved it away then realized his hand was shaking.

"Steady," he told himself as he brought it up for another check.

He took two slow, deep breaths then screwed the cap back on and opened the door.

"Well?" she asked as he gently draped it around her neck.

"That's it," he told her.

Connie's hands began trembling.

"Are you sure?" she asked, knowing that he was.

"Yes. As sure as I can be."

"Oh, my gosh. We need to make a sample batch and send it off for approval," she said.

"I'm on it," Bill told her, knowing the ball was now in his court.

As he walked away, Connie threw her arms around Adam's neck and told him she loved him.

"Enough to spend the weekend with me at the Outer Banks?"

"Yes. Definitely that much," she told him before hugging him again. "Are we brining Lexi?"

"We can, but I think this first time I'd like to spend a weekend alone with my beautiful girlfriend."

"Hmmm. Well, I would love to spend some time alone with my handsome boyfriend," she told him.

"We'll have plenty time to spend with our little girl after this," Adam told her as he looked deeply into her ours that immediately welled up with tears.

"Our little girl?" she asked, barely able to speak.

"That's how I feel," he told her as he gently wiped away the first tear to fall.

"I...I can't think of anything I'd like more," she told him.

"I'll pick you up at 6 tonight if that's okay?"

"Yes. Now that we have the formula, there's nothing more I can do. Bill will get it ready for us and we'll send it off to see if it meets the buyer's specifications."

"It's a six-hour drive so that'll put is in around midnight," he told her.

"Midnight at the Oasis sounds perfect," Connie replied as she realized it was possible to be even happier than she'd recently been.

It was 12:30am when they arrived, and although Adam hadn't been there in many years, nothing had changed. He opened the door, turned on the lights, and took a look around.

"What do you think?" he asked Connie who was holding his hand.

"I think it's perfect. I love the rustic feel."

There was one large living area with two small bedrooms. The larger of the two was the 'master' and had its own small bathroom which was a shower, a toilet, and a sink.

Connie sat down on the bed that was covered with a quilt and said, "This is perfect, too."

Adam walked over, took her hands, and helped her stand back up.

"I think...you're perfect," he told her before kissing her softly.

"Mmmm. That was very nice," she said with a smile. "And this time we don't have to stop with a kiss."

He went to kiss her again when she laughed then said, "But I do have to pee first."

Adam chuckled then told her he'd turn down the covers.

"Close your eyes," he heard Connie say a couple of minutes later.

He heard the water running and knew she'd brushed her teeth, but didn't know she'd grabbed a small bag on her way in.

Adam stood up, closed his eyes, then turned around. He heard her bare feet walk across the wood floor and turn off the bedroom light. She left the one on in the bathroom with the door open just enough to let her lover see her then told him he could look.

Connie stood before him with her hands together at her hips in front of her with a hopeful smile on her face as she said, "Is this okay?"

She was wearing a white, see-through top with long sleeves that hugged her figure while leaving very little to the imagination. She also wore a pair of white, lace panties, and Adam was so surprised he could barely speak.

"Holy...wow!" he said as he looked at her.

"So...you like it okay?" she asked as she moved a little closer.

"Oh, yeah. More than just okay," he told her as he put his arms around her and kissed her.

"I've been so worried about what you'd think. I was almost dreading coming here because of that, but you've told me enough times you think I'm beautiful that I felt like I could risk...exposing myself."

"Honey?" he said, calling her that for the first time.

"Yes?" she asked, with a big smile on her pretty face.

"Nothing could make me not love you. Nothing. Okay?"

"K," she said sweetly as she began unbuttoning his shirt.

She didn't stop with the last button on the shirt, but kept unbuttoning his Levis while he pulled the shirt off then helped with the jeans and underwear.

Connie gently pushed him back on the bed then knelt between his knees.

"It's not polite to point," she teased as his manhood grew right in front of her.

"It has a mind of its own," he informed her. "And it obviously likes you as much as I do."

"Ah. Oka. Well, I like him just as much," she said with a happy smile before taking him into her warm, wet mouth.

Connie brought him to the edge several times before he pulled her up on the bed and returned the favor.

It had been three long years, but Adam knew when a woman couldn't take anymore, as he climbed on top of her and asked, "Are you ready?"

She smiled up at him then said, "Unlike some women, that's a question you'll never have to ask me again."

"Oh, my. So are you saying there's someone else living inside my sweet scientist?"

"Uh-huh. And she's a very, very bad girl," Connie told him, trying not to laugh.

"Oh. I see. I uh, I think I'm in love with her, too."

"Would you stop talking and...fuck me?" she said, the perfect time for one of those rare 'bad' words, as she reached for his swollen member and lined it up with her own body.

Adam entered her effortlessly, and for the next two hours they made love three different times. They also showered together, but even his 26-year old body couldn't pull off a fourth performance, and that was fine, as Connie loved just being close to him as they continued exploring one another's bodies under the warm water.

They spent about half of their time on the beach not caring about the awful weather. They walked and talked, held hands, kissed, and sat and watched the waves crash. When they tired of that, they went back to the cabin to eat and make love and then talked some more.

By the time they drove home Sunday afternoon, it seemed to both of them like they'd known each other forever. And although neither of them mentioned it, they both wanted to spend forever...together.

The next few days were tense as they FedEx'd the package with the tiny vial in it to Paris where the best 'noses' in the business would make their decision.

It was Thursday morning when the phone rang in Connie's office. She looked at Adam then at the clock and knew it was 4pm in Paris.

"This is Connie Martin speaking," she said as she looked at Adam who was sitting on the couch in front of her desk.

"Oui, this is Marcelle Dujois. From Paree?"

Connie was too nervous to say there was no need to explain.

"Yes, yes. Oui, oui, monsieur," she said.

"So. I have zee very good news," he began.

Connie's eyes opened so wide Adam feared they might explode.

"Yes. Please, go ahead," she told him then listened as he said the sample was perfect.

"So...you want us to fill the entire order?" she asked, barely able to contain herself.

"Yez. Of course," he said. "It is zee most bee-yoo-tee-ful scent in zee world!"

Connie knew that wasn't true, but she was so happy it didn't matter.

"Thank you, thank you! Merci beaucoup!" she said. "We'll get started immediately!"

She hung up the phone and flew around the desk, and just as Adam stood up she jumped into his arms.

"You did it! They loved it!" she said as she held him.

Adam pulled back then said, "No. WE did it. You and me. Us."

"Yes. We did it. Us," Connie said, on the verge of crying again.

Suddenly she said, "Oh, wait! We have to get everyone together. Right now!"

Adam let her down and enjoyed watching her go crazy at work for the first time. As she left the room he called his mom and let her know this was the time.

"Bill! Get everyone together right now!" she called out.

As people gathered around, Connie was beaming.

"I just hung up with Paris," she said as eyes opened wide.

She looked around then said loudly, "And...they loved it!"

Every single person hollered and hugged the person next to them as the significance of her words sank in.

They all came over to hug her and shake Luke's hand and congratulate them both.

"Okay, everyone back to work! Chop, chop!" Connie said happily.

"Hold on!" Adam called out as people began turning away. They all stopped, turned back around, and waited.

Adam cleared his throat then said, "I want to thank everyone personally. I'm not an employee or anything else, but I've grown to care about each and every one of you."

"Dittoes!" someone called out. That was followed by, "Same here!" and other such things.

Just then, Marilyn came in wearing a temporary badge and holding Lexi in her arms. They walked over next to Adam who took his daughter then continued speaking again.

"It's no secret that Connie and I have grown very close since we first met. And it's probably no secret that I love her very much."

Sensing something big was happening, Connie's already-excited body began to shake.

"I honestly wondered if I'd ever be able to love again after my wife passed away, but I knew I could because of this little girl and..."

He put his arm around his mom and said, "And this beautiful woman."

He looked at Connie then said, "But that's a different kind of love than I had with my late wife, and, well, I now have that again with this amazing, beautiful woman."

He handed Lexi back to his mom, who in turn, handed something to him before he stepped over in front of Connie.

She saw the little box change hands and shrieked. As he knelt in front of her, every woman in the room was wiping away tears as they smiled.

"Connie? I don't need to repeat what I just said about fearing I'd never find love again because that's all behind me. I found it because you showed it to me. You made me realize I could love again, and I've fallen in love with you so deeply it sometimes scares me, and I never want to lose that."

He opened the box then removed the ring and said, "Connie Martin? Will you marry me?"

Connie wasn't tearing up. She was crying. As tears streamed down her face, she held out her left hand and choked out the word, "Yes!" as he slipped the diamond on her finger.

Adam stood up then kissed her as the room broke into applause and cheers. He turned around and stood beside his fiancé then waited for everyone to file back by and congratulate them.

Once everyone else was gone, Marilyn came over and hugged her future daughter-in-law and said, "Welcome to the family, honey."

"I've felt like I was part of it for sometime now, but thank you...Mom," she said as the tears continued to fall.

"Speaking of Mom," Adam said as he took Lexi back.

"Can you tell Mommy you love her?" he said to Lexi as he handed her to Connie.

"I love you, Mommy," the little girl said as she put her arms around Connie's neck as she fought not to cry.

"I love you, too, sweetie. With all my heart!"

The days flew by as production went into full swing. The order was filled and delivered ahead of schedule, and the amount of money that was deposited into the Dynex account brought them back to solvency and then some.

Connie had no interest in running the business, and neither did her mother. But someone with an amazing 'nose' did, and he and his the woman he married bought out her mother's share as they found someone to take over the business of growing roses.

Connie gave notice at her former job, and took a position on the faculty at the University of North Carolina, Charlotte around the time she and her handsome young husband bought a home of their own in the suburbs where they lived and loved.

Connie Lane was surprised one more time when she learned yet again there was still room for more happiness, when, one month shy of her 40th birthday, she gave birth to a beautiful baby boy they named David.

As Connie and her new family, and even her own mother whose stony heart had been melted by the arrival of her grandson, gathered around her hospital bed to share her joy as she held her baby, she reflected on the events that had made that moment possible.

For some reason, the words to an old song came to mind; words that seemed to sum up what was a swirl of thoughts in her mind: