The Valentines Day Proposal

by Bella Winters

  “Katy, you’re about to make me...” Brennon said several minutes later.

  Katy looked down, smirking as she kept her rising and lowering at a very steady pace. Brennon closed his eyes tightly as he leaned back, but still held on tight to Katy’s hips. Katy planted her hands into his chest as his body shuttered then he came.

  They lay in one another's arms on the couch until Katy brought up she’d better get going home so she could do a bit of grading then get ready for work in the morning. As usual, Brennon didn’t want her to leave, but he understood she had things at home to tend to. He sloppily threw back on his clothes then walked Katy down to her car. Katy looked up the parking lot at Brennon in the rear-view mirror. Thought started to creep into her mind that made her wonder how their secret romance was transforming. Whatever it was, Katy felt like her love life was finally going in the right direction.

  Chapter 10

  Katy made herself a cup of tea in the kitchen then leaned against the counter while in thought. Last night with Brennon had certainly set up a great momentum for her day. The kids wound up being good in class for the day, which was absolutely wonderful for a Friday. Traffic heading into the city wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been. The weather predicted a bit of nasty weather for the area, but some sort of front pushed the system northward so it missed the area entirely. Now, having been home for about an hour, she was alone with the silence so she could think. She and Brennon confessed to one another that they loved the other. Katy’s heart was still processing it.

  The front door opened, there were footsteps, then it closed. Initially, Katy was a little alarmed because it sounded like two sets of footsteps. She was surprised to see her mother and father walking in the house today. In her usual upbeat self, she greeted them. They both looked up, clearly forced smiles, then went on with a somber demeanor. Katy’s mother Linda went upstairs then came back down having changed her clothes; her father Richard went back to his office and went through some things. Katy remained in the kitchen, but certainly picked up on a chill in the air. Just as her mother came into the kitchen, her father had been coming down the laundry room hall, from his office.

  “Okay, well, I’ll be back shortly,” Richard said, dressed in a black suit. “I’m going to see your grandmother, Katy, then I should be back.”

  Katy nodded and noticed the stern tone in her father’s voice. “Okay, Dad. Tell Grandmother I said hey and I’ll be to see her soon.”

  Richard turned and looked at his daughter briefly then turned back away as if he were in deep thought. “Yeah, I’ll do that.”

  Katy watched her father walk out the front door then turned to her mother, who was now over at the kitchen table. She had gotten her tablet and was scrolled through emails on the screen. “What’s going on?” Katy asked.

  Linda looked up. “What’s going on with what, Katy?” she asked. “It’s funny you ask that because I feel like we should be asking you that?”

  Katy set her cup of tea down. “You should be asking me that? What, Mom? I’m confused. And I noticed how you and Dad came in here in kind of a stink.”

  Linda set her tablet down on the table then leaned back, crossing her legs – something which had always let her daughter know she was about to get into a deep conversation. “Yeah, well, I thought your father would hang around to talk to you about this, but it looks like I’ll have to do it.” Linda rose up out of her seat. “Katy, what is going on between you and Brennon?”

  Katy suddenly felt herself warm up – in the hot seat. Her palms sweated and she turned and glanced out of the window. After a few long seconds, she decided she needed to be brave and her parents were just going to have to deal with some things. She loved Brennon and she was sure of that.

  “What do you mean what is going on?” Katy asked, wanting to pull out what her mother and father knew or thought they knew.

  “Come on, Katy,” Linda said. “Seriously. Let’s not play about this. I think you should be lucky it’s me talking to you and not your father. So, are you seeing Brennon? Huh, Katy? Are you seeing Brennon?”

  “What makes you think I’m seeing Brennon?” Katy asked, looking dead into her mother’s face bravely. “You tell me what you know and we can go from there.”

  Linda pressed her lips together. Katy had been playing this game since she was a child, but Linda wasn’t going to let that faze her. “Okay, if you wanna do it this way, we can. Well, Katy we notice you’ve been staying out a lot more and not coming home.” Linda held her hands up in a surrendering way. “Okay, that’s fine. Whatever. You’re an adult…a young woman and whatnot. None of our business. In fact, might even be good for you so you can stopped being cooped up up under your parents. But then we hear about you getting into a car down at the Circle K that sounded offly familiar. Okay, that’s…. Well, whatever. Then now your father and I have both heard from people who’ve known you or known of you since you were a little girl that you were down at some gallery downtown last night with an older gentleman named Brennon. First, let me say you did get some compliments about this dress you were wearing.” Linda squinted at her daughter, knowing her daughter was well aware of her mother’s interest in fashion, particularity when it came to dresses. “And they said he seemed like quite a nice gentleman. Okay, so with the good things out of the way…. Katy, what the hell is going on? Are you dating Brennon? Your cousin Melanie’s older brother?”

  Katy’s mind raced while she dealt with her own emotions. It was pretty obvious her parents didn’t approve, but she just didn’t give a damn. “Yes.” She nodded. “I am.”

  Linda turned and looked away in disbelief, rubbing her forehead as if she needed a drink. “Katy, you can’t be serious. Your father is livid.”

  “Livid?” Katy asked. “What would he be mad for? I’m an adult… I’m in my late twenties, Mom.”

  “Yes, we know that,” Linda said. “Hell, if anybody knows how old you are it’s me. Katy, it’s Brennon. He’s coming up on forty, so he’s a bit older for you...especially a young lady with your demeanor. And he’s your father’s cousin’s older brother, Katy. Practically family. He used to take you and Melanie to school and to this and that when you were growing up.”

  “I know, Mom, I know,” Katy said. “And what does that have to do with anything? We’re both adults now. And we’re not really related.”

  Linda came from behind the kitchen table, squinting. “Katy, there wasn’t anything going on that we didn’t know about back when you were growing up, was there?”

  “What?” Katy asked, putting her hand on her chest. “Mom, you can’t be serious. Brennon wouldn’t do anything like that. Absolutely not! Nothing like that ever happened when I was growing up.”

  Linda nodded, still looking suspicious. “Okay, Katy. Fine. I think you should break it off with Brennon. I truly am against you two seeing one another. What will the family think?”

  Katy shrugged defiantly. “I don’t care what the family thinks. It’s not like Brennon and me are related.”

  “Katy, listen to yourself!” Linda snapped. “That doesn’t matter when you grew up in a family situation where Brennon was practically your big cousin. Plus, there’s the obvious age gap of darn near thirteen years or something. We have pictures of him and you and Melanie at parks and stuff, you remember. I just don’t like the look of this. And your father… I think he went to see his mother because he is thinking rather deeply about this.”

  Katy felt an urge she’d never felt before. She felt like she needed to run; like she needed to be freed of this house. Sure, she’d been waiting and saving to buy a house and all that. But something was telling her that with the new developments, there was no way she would be able to spend another night under this roof. She could look at her mother and tell this was going to turn into a true discussion. For the first time in her life, Katy let her heart lead the way. Rather than even responding to her mother, she headed for the steps. Linda followed, trying to get her daughter’
s attention, but Katy headed up the stairs.

  “Katy, you’re not thinking clearly!” Linda yelled up the steps from the foyer. “You’re just a young girl compared to a man like Brennon. I know you don’t see it, but I’m telling you it’s not what you think it is.”

  Katy ignored everything her mother said while she packed a suitcase of clothes to last her for at least week. She didn’t know where she was going to go, but she was not the least-bit interested in being in the house when her father got home. There were times he reminded her of a dictator. She could already imagine him saying what she would do and that she will not see Brennon, as if he were going to lock her up from the world.

  As Katy came downstairs, passing by her mother as if she weren’t even standing there, Linda leaned against the banister. “Okay, I’ll let you be an adult. But can you answer one question for me about this bizarre situation?”

  Katy pulled the front door open, rolling her eyes at her mother’s use of the word “bizarre.” “Yes, sure, Mom. What is it?”

  “You and Melanie grew up so close,” Linda said, raising her eyebrows. “Have you told her yet that you’re seeing her older brother? Or were you just planning on keeping this a secret romance from everybody indefinitely?”

  Katy sighed. “No, I haven’t told her...or anyone. But I’ll do that.”

  “You’re an adult...you’re free to go,” Linda said. “But just know that your father will indeed be wanting to talk to you.”

  Katy shook her head with disgust. “Yeah, well, he can do that when he catches me. First real love I’ve had and my parents want me to throw it away over politics.”

  Linda had been saying something, but Katy pulled the door shut anyway. She climbed in her car then headed down the road and toward the interstate. She thought about calling Eve, but wasn’t really up for the over-the-top-ness at the moment. With no real direction, but feeling drawn to do so, Katy drove back into the city. She stared at the glittering skyscrapers for a moment she got off at St. Catherine Street. Deciding she needed to stop for a moment and deal with her emotions, she parked next to a park downtown and leaned her seat back.

  The kitchen scene replayed in her house. Katy admitted to herself that Eve had a point about keeping it a secret. Katy truly enjoyed her evening last night with Brennon at the art gallery, but now she realized the price their love might have to pay once the world saw them together. And the funny thing was that Katy hadn’t even been thinking the least bit about something knowing her or Brennon then somehow telling her parents. Then again, she should’ve known better. Her father was involved in so many organizations around the city; her mother was the queen of befriending the wives of other “important” people.

  Finally, after several minutes of trying to suppress her mental anguish, Katy called Brennon. She left a message: “Hey, call me when you get out of class. Had a big argument with my mom. Just sitting at this park downtown. I don’t know which one, but, so, um...” She stammered. “Call me when you can.”

  Katy hung up, nervously then wrapped her fingers around the steering wheel. She waited for Brennon in anxiety. She wasn’t close to have a nervous breakdown, per se, but she was certainly starting to put things in perspective. She felt as if the fragile glass walls around her affair with Brennon had just come crashing down.

  Katy’s phone rang. She grabbed it, anxiously assuming it would be Brennon. It wasn’t; rather, she found it was her cousin Melanie calling. Katy looked at her name flash across the screen as the phone vibrated in her hand. Katy simply let the phone ring until the screen read MISSED CALL. A minute or so later, a text message popped up from Melanie: YOU CAN TALK TO ME. SERIOUSLY.

  A brief feeling of relief came over Katy because she figured Melanie would be far more understanding than her parents. Katy leaned her head back into the seat and waited for Brennon to call. Twenty minutes or so passed then she was telling him everything that happened.

  “Head to my place right now, Katy,” Brennon told her, in a very securing voice. “I am on my way right now from campus, so I’ll be puling up soon.”

  Katy finished her call with Brennon then headed over to his place. As she strolled down the neighborhood side streets, she wondered just how much her life had changed. Strangely enough, though, she was far more excited to go to Brennon’s place than to go back to her parents’ house. Facing her father didn’t look like a fun proposition.

  Brennon waited up by the staircase when Katy pulled into the parking lot. He came over, opened her car door, then walked her upstairs. Sitting next to one another on the couch, Brennon placed his hand on Katy’s face shortly after she got passed the part of the story where her mother talked about how it would look to the family. He lifted her chin, looking straight into her eyes. “Katy, we love each other. That’s all that really matters. And our families should be able to see that.” He kissed her. “You can come live here….with me…if you want.”

  Chapter 11

  Brennon let himself into his apartment around 2 o’clock in the afternoon. Because of some maintenance work being done on campus, the classes in his building had to be canceled for the day. Brennon stopped home to get a few things then go and visit his father. “Yeah, Dad, I’m looking for the binder now then I’ll be over there, I’ll be over there.”

  Brennon hung up then zipped around his apartment looking for a copy of a study he received from a colleague. This was the one thing he and his father had in common, so many of their conversations centered around it. Brennon found it on the side of the bookcase. He snatched it then grabbed his keys and headed for the door. Coming home had changed for him over the last two weeks. Katy had been staying with him and he loved every day of it. Watching her get dressed in the morning was always a treat; suddenly chuckling with a deep, sinister voice in the dark always spooked her. Her items lay scattered around the apartment, the true testament of a busy woman. Brennon smiled, never having thought a few months ago he would have a woman living with him. She certainly brought her own touch to the place, even if Brennon didn’t like every little thing.

  Brennon pulled up at his father’s house about thirty minutes later. His father, James, lived in a well-established, historic area of town. Many large, Victorian houses with large front yards lined the tree-lined streets. At many of the corners of busy streets where redeveloped brick storefront cornerstone buildings that now served as cafes and arts venue. Brennon parallel parked then headed up the brick walkway. He let himself in then stepped out into the middle of the foyer. “Dad, you here? Are you here?”

  Brennon chuckled under his breath and shook his head. “This guy calls me trying to make sure I’m on my way and he’s gone with the wind.”

  “Yeah, Brennon, I’m back in the den!” James yelled out.

  Brennon headed toward the kitchen then down the laundry room hall. When he came to the den, he found his father standing at his desk. The retired man still served on certain community boards, so he kept busy. He’d been going through a stack of papers on his desk.

  “Hey, son, how are you?” the 65-year-old man asked.

  Brennon nodded. Something about his life certainly felt different over the last couple of weeks. “Dad, I’ve actually been doing pretty good.”

  “Hmm, is that so?” James asked, nodding his head. While raising his sons, people often joked he reminded them of someone who would work in the West Wing. “We need to talk about something.”

  Brennon noticed the tense undertone in his father’s voice. “Yeah, Dad. Sure. What’s going on?”

  James sat down then pulled his glasses off of his wrinkled face. “Son, please tell me I’m misunderstanding some of the things I’m hearing. You haven’t been seeing Richard’s daughter Katy have you?”

  Brennon stared at his father blankly for a moment. He then nodded confidently. “Yes, I have Dad. What’s the problem?”

  James leaned back then glanced out of the window. “Not a good idea. I talked to Richard today.”


  “Yeah?” Brennon asked. “And what did he say? Katy knows he doesn’t approve, but, Dad, you know we’re not really related.”

  “I know you’re not really related, Brennon,” James said. “But that doesn’t mean you don’t have too close of a relationship. Have you talked to Melanie?”

  Brennon was a bit lost for words. As they’d gotten older, he didn’t keep in touch with Melanie like he used to. In fact, outside of family functions and funerals, he really didn’t talk to her much beyond casual text messages. He felt like if his sister felt that strongly about it, she would’ve contacted him by now.

  Brennon shook his head. “No...No, I haven’t. Actually, haven’t heard from her in a while.”

  James nodded. “Son, well she’s having a hard time I guess understanding this. I told you Richard is really not going for this. Brennon, he had such high thoughts of you...such a good impression. That man opened all kinds of doors for you with your career and whatnot...and for you to be over having a romance or whatever you want to call it with his daughter Katy.” The man became visibly angrier. “What in the world, Brennon?”

  Brennon paced for a second. “Dad, I don’t get what you want me to say.”

  James stood up. “Brennon, you’ve been around enough to know what I’m talking about. You used to give them rides growing up and stuff. Do you realize how this looks? Seriously? Do you realize how this looks? And the age difference...like fifteen, sixteen years?”

  “Yes, and?” Brennon asked. He too was now getting a little frustrated. He hated feeling attacked, especially on something he felt strongly about. “Dad, I’m not going to stop seeing her. We’re two adults. In fact, sometimes I feel like she’s older than me.”