Cold River

"I...I can't wait to see you again, Brady," she told him.

"Same here. I knew a long-distance relationship would be hard. I just didn't think it would be this hard."

"I agree," Sutton told him.

"Maybe we could work on finding a way to change that," he said out of the blue.

Sutton was caught off guard, but since she'd been thinking the same thing, it was only for a couple of seconds.

"Yes. Maybe we could," she said.

They spent another hour talking and although it was cliche, she couldn't help but feel like she'd known him all her life. He was indeed a lot younger than her, but he was very well educated and seemed to know something about everything and a lot about most things. He didn't flaunt it, it was just a fact. He read voraciously, and he was interested in nearly every topic from law to medicine to science to...romance.

The next morning, Sutton learned that for herself when a beautiful bouquet of red roses was delivered around 10am.

"I gave you yellow roses when all I could hope for was friendship. Now, I find myself hoping for that and so much more. I can't wait to see you, Sutton. With my love, Brady."

Sutton was so excited she did a 'happy dance' as she got ready to put the roses in water. The yellow ones were looking pretty rough, but she just hadn't been able to bring herself to get rid of them until now.

They were so beautiful and yet she'd be leaving them on the kitchen island for the weekend which was starting tomorrow. Initially, she'd planned on driving to Boise on Saturday morning and coming home Sunday evening. But after hours on the phone with Brady, he'd asked her to come Friday night and consider staying until Monday morning. Sutton hadn't needed any arm twisting and would just pack a few extra diapers and other things for Brianna.

The drive to Boise wasn't nearly as bad as she thought it would be, and the time on the road flew by as she anticipated what lay ahead for the weekend. Brady hadn't asked or even mentioned it, but Sutton had no intention of sleeping in the other bedroom unless he insisted. Were he to do so, that would tell her she'd severely misjudged things. If her feelings were right, however, the last place she'd want to be was that close to him without being able to be with him.

She'd even seen her doctor and gone on the pill for the first time since she'd been dating Scott.

Sutton followed her phone's GPS voice commands right to his apartment which appeared to be much nicer than he'd made it out to be. He lived on the bottom floor and as she pulled in, he walked out by the time she stood up after turning the engine off.

"Hi!" she said happily as he walked up to her.

"Come here!" he said as he took her in his arms. He held her for several seconds before he kissed her then said, "I've missed you so much."

"Me, too," she told him truthfully. "Being so far away is torture."

"No kidding," he told her as they went around to get Brianna who was sitting there just as sweet as could be.

When Brady bent down and Brianna saw his face, she smiled and put her fingers on his mouth. Brady laughed quietly then said, "Come see me, sweetie," as he unbuckled her and picked her up.

Brianna laid her head on his shoulder immediately, and although Brady didn't say anything, he felt himself choking up as he realized this beautiful little girl was his flesh and blood.

"I think she likes you," Sutton said as she grabbed her bags.

"I think I love her," Brady said with a smile as he put his hand on his daughter's back.

"She is pretty wonderful, isn't she?" Sutton said, also smiling.

"Just like her mom," he said as he smiled at her as they walked inside..

"This is really cute," Sutton said as she looked around. "I expected to see four walls and a recliner."

Brady laughed then told her, "I have a confession to make."

"Please don't tell me you're married or have a girlfriend who decorated your place," she said hoping it was just teasing.

He chuckled then said, "No. Neither one. But I did rent a bunch of furniture and just had it delivered yesterday."

"It looks amazing. How did you do that?"

"I...didn't," he told her. "I hired someone to come put everything together today while I was at work. I'd say she did a pretty incredible job."

"Wow. I'm impressed. Pictures, knickknacks, rugs, lamps, colors match. Not bad!" she said as she took Brianna back.

"That was my goal," he told her. "Love makes guys do crazy things, right?"

"Love?" Sutton said.

"Yeah. Or at least I think so," he told her as they sat down. "I've never been in love before, Sutton, so I'm not sure what it feels like. But I've never felt this way about anyone before, and if this isn't love, then this is what love should be."

Brady not only hadn't ever felt that way before, he'd never said anything like that to any girl or woman. All of his past relationships had been superficial and mostly physical. The thought of even talking like that was out of the question. Until he met Sutton.

As he looked into eyes he saw them glistening and asked if he'd said something wrong.

"I really never have done this before. Any of this. So if I just blew it, I'm sorry. I was just trying to tell you how I feel."

She blinked several times then asked, "Is that how you really feel, Brady? Is...is love the right word for it?"

He moved closer to her and put his arm around her shoulder then said, "I'm pretty sure it is. If I'm scaring you away, just tell me. I do not want to say or do anything to jeopardize what he have or...could have."

"You're not," she said softly. "I guess I'm just a little afraid, you know? This is all happening so fast, and yet all I want is to be with you. All the time."

When Brady didn't reply right away Sutton said, "Now I'm the one who's blowing it, huh?"

"Blowing it? No. Not at all," he told her. "I want that, too, Sutton. I want to be with you, too. And...with this beautiful little girl."

He put his hand on her back and gently ran it up and down as Sutton watched him.

"You mean...our little girl, right?"

"Yes. Yes, I do," he said. "Our little girl."

Once things were put away, Brady took Sutton and Brianna to a very nice restaurant where they got a couple of dirty looks for bringing a baby. But Brianna was so quiet and well-behaved, the another, older couple who saw the nasty looks stopped by to tell them what a sweet little girl they had.

"You two are obviously very good parents," the older woman who seemed to be around 70 told them.

"You make a good team," her husband chimed in with.

"I think so," Sutton said to them while looking at Brady.

"Me, too," Brady agreed. "Thank you for saying that."

"Too many young people don't take parenting seriously enough. It's reassuring to see a husband and wife who do," the woman said as she smiled at Brianna.

"Marriage is an institution ordained of God," her husband said. "And children are a blessing from the Lord."

Neither Brady nor Sutton knew what to say in response so they just smiled and said 'goodbye' after the older couple wished them much happiness.

"I'm guessing they would be members of a church that is very popular in this state," Brady said.

"Oh, right. We aren't all that far from Utah, are we?" Sutton said with a smile.

"I'm not a religious man, but I do basically agree with him about how important marriage and raising children are," Brady told her.

"Yes. Me, too. What could be more important than caring for one's children," she said as they looked at one another and then at their daughter.

"I can't think of anything," Brady told her as he reached for her hand.

As he continued looking at her, Sutton knew there was something he wanted to say.

"What is it, Brady? Is there something you want to tell me?" she asked supportively.

"Yes. Yes, there is," he said as he reached over and gently brushed her hair back.

Sutton's heart was pounding furiously as he quietly said, "I'm sure I love you, Sutton. I know it's crazy, but I do. I really do love you."

Overwhelmed with emotion, her eyes filled with tears which began to fall.

"I love you, too, Brady," she said quietly barely able to speak.

"I...I don't want you to leave on Monday," he told her. "I understand that's even crazier than saying I love you so soon, but both things are true."

"There's nothing holding me in Cold River," she said still barely able to talk.

"I think we have a lot to discuss this weekend," he said never taking his eyes off of her.

"Yes. Yes we do," Sutton agreed.

That night, when she got Brianna ready for bed, Sutton said, "The bed in here is very small. Is it a twin?"

"I'm not sure," Brady told her. "But the one in my room is a queen and...it's big enough for two."

Sutton turned toward him and put her arms around his neck as she smiled and said, "Can you...show me?"

"I can," Brady said. He took her hand and told her, "Follow me, please."

An hour later she lay in her lover's arms and said, "I have never been happier in my entire life."

"That makes two of us," Brady told her.

He rolled over and looked at her then said, "Is this crazy? Are we crazy?"

"If it is then I really, really like being insane. In fact, just commit me," Sutton said with a sweet smile.

"Yeah, I agree. And...I really do love you, Sutton."

"I love you, too," she said just as sweetly. "And I would like to say I really like the way you loved me a few minutes ago."

"Oh, really?" Brady said with a smile. "Does that mean you'd like to be loved again?"

She reached for him and when she felt him growing, Sutton purred and said, "Uh-huh."

The weekend flew by in a flurry of deep discussions, playful lovemaking, and taking Brianna for long walks in her stroller. By the time Sunday evening rolled around, Sutton told him she didn't want to leave.

"I can't say with certainty this will work out, but I can say with absolute certainty I want it to and I very much want to try," she said to Brady.

"Then stay, Sutton. Stay with me and let's try."

Sutton did stay and they did try. It was perhaps the most unusual relationship either of them had ever heard of before, but for them, it worked. And it worked very, very well.

Sutton went back to Cold River every two weeks to keep an eye on the house, and after three months, she knew it was going to work so she and Brady went there and put her home on the market.

Both she and Brady really were crazy. Crazy-mad in love with one another. Both of them were at a point in life where they wanted nothing more than to find the right person, settle down, and make a life together. Both of them understood that Brianna had been a kind of catalyst for their love, but they also knew their love for one another was strong and independent of the love they felt for their daughter.

Shortly after they returned from Cold River, Brady asked Sutton to marry him, and she couldn't say 'yes' fast enough as tears flowed down her cheeks as Brianna sat on the floor playing happily with one of her toys oblivious to the monumental event taking place right beside her.

Ida was thrilled for her daughter, and after meeting Brady, she quickly warmed up to the extremely handsome young man who was marrying her daughter. She flew back into Boise six months later when pretty much the entire Field Office and Sutton's closest friends showed up for their wedding and a big reception afterward.

Ida kept her granddaughter for five days as her daughter and new son-in-law spent a week in Hawaii learning to surf during the day and making love in the evenings. While they were there, Brady made a very important decision after running it by his beautiful new wife.

"In a couple more years, I could be sent anywhere in the U.S. or around the world as the FBI has liaison officers in a lot of different countries. And as much as I love being a special agent, I want our family to plant roots so our daughter...and any future children we might have...can grow up with the same friends."

"So what are you saying?" Sutton asked.

"I'm saying I can be a police officer anywhere. And by doing that I can make sure we never have to move again."

"But what about your career and your dreams?" Sutton asked with genuine concern. "I could never ask you to give those up."

He took her in his arms and said, "I'm holding my dream right here, right now. And my other dream is back home with your mom. That's what matters to me, sweetheart. Not some career or a title. Yes, it'll be a big pay cut, but money isn't everything."

"No. No, it isn't," Sutton said as she realized she'd had tons of money without love. She also realized she loved this man even more than she could have ever imagined.

A year later, Brady resigned from the FBI, and their family returned to Cold River where he'd grown up. The chief of police was all too happy to hire him and within five years, Officer Thomas was Detective Sergeant Thomas and five years later, Brady was a lieutenant on the force as the lieutenant who'd helped Sutton retired.

He and Sutton were blessed with another child a year after returning to Cold River, a beautiful baby boy they named Connor Joseph Thomas.

The day Brianna started Kindergarten, her mom and dad went with her to class. After saying goodbye to her and wishing her a wonderful day, Sutton took her husband's hand and said, "Do you ever think about what our lives would be like if you hadn't, you know...."

Brady laughed and said, "Provided a sample?"

"Well...yes," Sutton said as they stopped and Brady faced her.

"Every day. My life would be a shell of what it is with you and our children."

Sutton put her arms around her husband's neck then said to him, "You know, it's funny in the ironic kind of way, but while this town is called Cold River, it's the warmest place I know of on earth."

Brady smiled and kissed her then said, "Yes, it is."