Ye Olde Spice Shoppe

Early that same morning, Vanessa put a sign up at the shop letting anyone who stopped by know the time, date, and location of her brother's memorial service after calling the funeral home and setting it up.

By Thursday afternoon, Vanessa's attorney had the death certificates available, and she soon learned that they did exactly what he told her they would do. They opened doors. With a copy of the certificate and the letter appointing her as Gabe's executor, she closed accounts, transferred money into an account she opened, and was able to see what was in the safe deposit box.

It held several important documents, not the least of which was the deed to Ye Olde Spice Shoppe, the deed to Gabe's house, the title to his car, a modest life insurance policy naming her as the beneficiary, and even more importantly to Vanessa, around three dozen photographs of their parents she'd never seen before.

She teared up again when she saw images of herself and her brother sitting or standing with their mom or dad, and the one that touched her the most was a photo of all four of them together at Christmas the last year they were together.

Because money had never mattered much to her, she didn't bother adding up her new net worth nor did she mention it to Brian. It certainly wasn't because she didn't trust him. It was more that all she cared about was sharing her life with him, and for the moment, that meant the photographs she could wait to show him.

She was still feeling melancholy the following afternoon at Gabe's memorial the following day, and while still Brian didn't know her all that well, he knew something was bothering her. He assumed it was just having to deal with this most unpleasant part of having lost her brother, and he didn't ask.

Very few people said the sign was the reason they knew to be there. The truth was, of the 150 or so that attended, nearly all of them learned by word of mouth. Gabe was an incredibly friendly person, and while Vanessa already knew that, she was still amazed at how many folks told her they loved and respected her brother.

With the memorial behind her, Vanessa felt better but only slightly so. Brian finally asked that evening if there was anything troubling her, he asked her if she okay. The memorial service aside, of course.

"I have something I want to show you," she told him. "I've been waiting for the right time to share them, and now seems perfect."

"Please," Brian eagerly replied.

She had the photos with her and laid them out on the table at his apartment. When Brian saw them and recognized her as a little girl and then a teenager, Vanessa could tell that he was genuinely interested and not just pretending to care. He asked numerous questions about nearly every photo then followed up with more questions once Vanessa explained where it was taken or why it mattered to her.

There was no attempt to rush her through it nor was there any evidence of boredom or some need to be done on Brian's part. So when they finished looking, Brian said he wanted to show her something; something he'd never shown anyone else before, a photo album of his own.

It began with a baby picture, something he just couldn't and wouldn't let anyone else see, but he knew Vanessa would love it. She 'oohed and aahed' over it then showed the same level of interest he had in every photo in the album to include his prom dates from high school.

"Wow. She's really pretty," Vanessa said after seeing the one from his junior year. There was no hint of jealousy, just a statement of fact, as she had been very attractive.

"She was okay," Brian replied, causing Vanessa to chide him.

"Hey! She's beautiful!"

"No, she was pretty. You are beautiful."

The unexpected compliment made her very happy as she put her arm around him and slid even closer while they continued to look all the way through his rather short time in the Army.

"Nothing after that?" she asked.

"No. I...I haven't felt like taking pictures ever since Afghanistan."

"Brian? Does any of that...haunt you?"

She saw his facial expression change but didn't say anything. Eventually he spoke.

"After it was all over, I found out that my best friend had been killed along with the driver of the vehicle I ran to," he said very quietly, his voice almost hollow as he slowly spoke the words.

"I...saw him...just before they medevac'd me."

"Brian. I'm so sorry."

"Yeah. Me, too. He was the 'old man' in the platoon. He enlisted when he was 27, but we were both PFC's. We all called him 'Pops' and he looked out for us younger guys the best he could."

Vanessa didn't say anything, and Brian ended with, "He had a wife and two-year son. Between that and his parents, I...."

She saw him blinking back tears and put her arms around him.

"It's okay. I'm right here."

Brian put his arms around her then said buried his head in her neck and said, "Promise me you always will be?"

Vanessa wasn't sure how she could make such a promise, but something deep inside her told her she could so she quietly said, "I will. I promise."

Between the two of them a ton of pent-up emotion had come roiling to the surface, and it ended with the two of them making love for the first time and doing so with an abandonment neither of them had ever experienced before.

As Vanessa lay in her lover's arms he said, "I won't hold you to your promise. Considering the circumstances."

She looked up at him then smiled and said, "I'm not going anywhere, Brian. Ever."

"Does that mean you're staying in Portland?"

"Well, I do have a reason to," she told him as she watched his eyes.

"Then stay, Vanessa. Stay. With me."

******

Vanessa went back to Seattle the following Monday, but she only returned to give notice at work and to say goodbye to the people she loved. Two weeks later Brian come up by bus to help her move, and the day after that they were in a UHaul truck towing her car and bringing everything she owned back to Portland.

She stayed with Brian at his place, but after about six months, they began discussing finding a home of their own once they knew for sure how much they loved each other. Vanessa still hadn't said a word about money, but after looking at some places Brian could afford, Vanessa suggested something nicer.

"I know the spice shop does okay, but you're looking at some homes that are way, way outside my comfort zone."

"We can afford one of them, honey," Vanessa told him as he gave her a funny look.

"How? By working two other full-time jobs?"

"I...I have a little money now," she mentioned as nonchalantly as she could.

"Vanessa? Honey? I'm sure you do, but you have to understand I don't want your money. I'm not jealous or envious, nor do I care how much it is. I just want to be able to provide for you."

She didn't say anything so Brian asked, "Is that too old-fashioned?"

"No. No, it isn't, and I love you for saying that."

"Then what is it?"

"It's just that I've never had a nice home. In fact, I've never had money or even cared about it. I still don't need or want fancy stuff or expensive things, but I'd really like to have a nice house."

Brian finally asked her directly, and when she told him, she tried not to laugh at the way his eyes nearly popped out of his head.

"Wow. Um...okay. But on two conditions," Brian told her with a smile she knew meant he had something up his sleeve.

"Okay," she said back very sweetly as he got up.

"I'll be right back."

He came back with nothing she could see and wondered what was going on as he stood a couple of feet in front of her.

"Okay. First, I insist on having a pre-nup."

"Honey. Why? I trust you. Completely."

Now it was Brian saying, "And I love you for that."

"But?"

"But for some reason I feel...uncomfortable...taking or owning half of everything you inherited."

Vanessa didn't say anything, but Brian smiled then told her, "It...it'd make me feel like...like a kept man."

Now understanding how he felt, she smiled, too.

"Well, I do plan to keep you," she said with a look that said it all.

Brian also smiled but in a different kind of say when he said, "And that leads me to the second thing."

He reached behind him and produced a small, black box and got down on one knee, an action that caused Vanessa to gasp and her entire body to start shaking.

"I was going to wait for the perfect time to ask you, but right now seems like an appropriate time, so...."

He looked up at the older, beautiful woman he loved and asked her if she would marry him.

Vanessa was crying, but her tears were tears of joy as she told him, "You know I will!"

Brian slid the ring on her finger, stood up, then pulled her to her feet and put his arms around her and told her how much he loved her.

Vanessa held him harder than she ever had and told him she loved him, too.

"I love you with all my heart," she said as she fought to get her emotions under control.

"Enough to let me have a pre-nup?" he asked, a smile on his face as raised and lowered his eyebrows several times.

"You goof!" Vanessa told him as she laughed and cried at the same time.

"So...yes?"

"If that's what it takes, then...yes. But everything I have will be yours."

"I'd say the same thing, but half of my 10-year old car isn't much to offer," he told her both seriously and lightheartedly.

"I don't care what you own, Brian. I love you because of who you are."

She looked up into his eyes and said both seriously and sincerely, "You were the most unlikely person I could have ever imagined falling in love with. But you made me love you when you helped me with Gabe's passing by caring and giving your time and help. And while you downplay your time in the Army, you are truly a hero, Brian Neiss."

He started to speak, but Vanessa said very sweetly, "I'm not done yet."

"You also do a job that is incredibly valuable and important but one that's under fire in this country. I love you for doing it and for doing it so well."

She laid her head on his shoulder then said, "It doesn't matter to me that you just turned 28."

She didn't say anything, however, about having recently turned 42.

"You've shown the world, and more importantly me, time and time again, what a good, decent man you are. And for all that and so much more, I love you."

She raised her head, looked at him, then said again, "With all my heart."

She was sure he'd downplay everything she just said, and even when he did, she didn't care, because she knew that every word she'd just spoken was true.

"You forgot about how good I am in bed," he said very seriously.

Happier than she'd ever been, Vanessa laughed then told him she hadn't forgotten about that.

"In fact, I'm thinking that right now might be the perfect time for you to remind of just how good you are."

Brian surprised her as he let go then scooped her up and headed toward the bedroom.

Vanessa yelped with glee then kissed him all the way there where he did indeed remind her of just how talented he was in that one very important area of their lives.

The following day they began looking at homes in earnest, and since Brian didn't really care where they lived, he took on a supportive role and told Vanessa he liked what she liked while still offering his heartfelt opinion. They settled on a 4-bedroom home with a two-car garage that they were able to get for $449,000, an amount that would have bought a small mansion in many other parts of the country while still leaving Vanessa with a sizable amount of money after selling Gabe's house and everything else she'd inherited.

The day they moved in, Brian carried her across the threshold, and after setting her down, she said a silent prayer of thanks knowing that the only reason she was in Portland, let alone in such a beautiful new house, was because her brother was no longer alive. It was a bittersweet feeling to know that she'd found it, and more importantly, the love of her life, because Gabe's life had been taken in a moment.

And yet she also knew that her brother would not only approve of what she'd done but that he'd also love Brian like a brother of his own.

Just before Christmas that year, Brian and Vanessa married in their new home, their remaining family and closest friends there with them to celebrate.

As time went on, Ye Olde Spice Shoppe continued to prosper, and Brian was promoted to detective, 2nd grade. Things seemed like they couldn't possibly get any better until Vanessa, who was then 43, learned that she was expecting.

When she told her handsome, younger husband the good news, she saw him tear up for the second time. It didn't last long, but she knew that he was happy and that the news of having a child had deeply touched him. Even so, nothing compared with the joy of just watching the man she loved help her raise their son, a boy his father doted on and did everything with.

Vanessa knew that no relationship or marriage was perfect, but as she silently sat and thought about her life one day, she knew that the one she'd found back in her hometown was as close to perfect as it could possibly be.