Love by Mistake

"Oh. I see," she told him. "Well, you are a very romantic man. And very handsome, by the way." She kissed him and said, "Good things come to those who wait, right?" He nodded his agreement as she said, "So...I think I could wait an um...short amount of time...for you to ask me whatever it is you might be thinking about asking me."

"I love you, Vikki," he said as he kissed her. She pulled him on top of her and begged to make love to her again.

The next morning they had a lazy first half of the day in bed before Brent asked her what she'd like to do. "Well, we've already done it several times," she teased, "so why don't you decide?"

"I have something in mind I think you'll love. But I do have to go over to the Medical Center and pick up my badge and sign some more paperwork. Why don't I drop you off back at the hotel so you can get ready and I'll pick you back up in about three hours?"

"That sounds perfect," she said. "Can you give me a hint so I'll know what to wear?"

He put his arms around her and told her, "It involves the water but with any luck we won't be getting wet this time."

"Hmmm. That's pretty vague, doctor, but okay, I can work with that."

He called her and told it would be closer to six before he could get to the hotel and Vikki said, "I guess I get used to having to wait for you, huh?" It was playful and he knew she fully understood what was ahead for them should she decide to live with him.

By six o'clock they were back in his car and on the road. "You look very nice again," he told her again. Vikki'd gone out with the lead flight attendant to find something else nice to wear and she'd settled on a very cute little white dress with some open-toed sandals and between her blonde hair and green eyes, she did indeed look very nice.

"Thank you," she told him as they headed toward the water.

Brent parked along the Oceanside Pier which lead out to another of city's best restaurants called Ruby's Diner overlooking the ocean. Vikki enjoyed dinner, but was very disappointed when the romantic gesture she'd hoped would take place hadn't.

"That was very nice," she told him anyway on their way back to his car.

"I have one more place in mind still," he told her as they got in. "I think you'll really like it."

"As long as I'm doing it with you, I'm sure I will," she said smiling and covering her disappointment.

Brent drove them over to Coronado and pulled the Mustang into the parking lot of a place called "The Gondola Company" and she did her best to keep her expectations in check.

Fifteen minutes later, at around 8pm, they were out on a 50-minute gondola ride with two other couples, filling the boat to its capacity of six people. Brent brought a bottle of red wine with them and at the halfway point opened it and offered everyone a glass. The other couples thanked him and all of them agreed to toast to 'love and romance.'

"Speaking of love and romance," he said loudly enough to get everyone's attention, "I want to take this opportunity to tell the most beautiful woman I've ever met just how much I love her and how much she means to me."

The other couples stopped talking and were both smiling as they sat and watched.

"We met completely be accident several months ago when she knocked on my door by mistake." He looked at the other couples and said, "She was looking for some other guy." He turned back to Vikki and said, "I believe he may have been British." She laughed and tried to say 'Jeffrey' in an English accent again and everyone laughed.

"I ran after her when she left and told her maybe the universe was trying to tell us something. I think she thought I was some kind of New Age kook but after a LOT of cajoling and pleading, I convinced her to give me a chance." He smiled at her and took her hand and said, "I'd like to think I did okay."

Vikki laughed and said, "You were more than okay. You hit a home run." They both smiled at the baseball reference no one else understood.

"We haven't seen each since and then the universe brought us back together again when we ran into each other in hotel lobby yesterday evening. Neither of us knew the other was even in town. And...that's when I fell in love with her. No, that's not quite true. I fell in love with her that first time we were together. I just had to live with a broken heart after that believing I'd never see her again. And yet...here we are. That has to be more than just chance, right?" he said to the other four people.

The two wives were positively beaming and one of them had tears in her eyes as they sat and watched...and waited.

"So this seems like the perfect place to let this beautiful woman know I don't just love her, but that I'm deeply in love with her."

Brent reached into the jacket of the sport coat he was wearing and the best he could knelt in front of her. Vikki's hand were already shaking and covering her face as she said, "Brent? What are you doing?"

He opened the box revealing beautiful, large diamond and told her, "I'm asking you to marry me, Vikki. I love you with all my heart and your name is indelibly tattooed on it for life. So...will you marry, Vikki?"

There was dead silence on the little boat and the other two women were holding their breath before she screamed, "YES!! Yes, I will marry you!"

The four of them and the gondola driver all applauded as the two women cried tears of joy for her. "Congratulations, you two!" they heard from someone. They didn't know or care which person said it as they were kissing one another as though no one else on earth existed.

When it ended, Brent said cheerfully, "More wine anyone?" The all laughed and held out their cups which he topped off until the bottle was dry.

That night, the newly engaged couple made love again several more times and spent every hour together until Vikki had to fly out.

"I've already talked to personnel," she told him. "If they can't transfer me here, then I'm quitting and I'll find something here, but I'm not gonna be away from you for months or even weeks waiting. In fact, as soon as I get home, I'm packing up everything I can bring with me and shipping it down here. Then I'll be on the next flight back to you."

"I think I can wait that long," Brent told her.

Five days later, Vikki was back in San Diego and had moved all of her necessities and enough clothes to get by on into his...no, their, apartment.

The only time he could get off for their wedding was a three-day period between Christmas and New Years and they flew back to Seattle for a small family wedding at his parents' home. This time, she wasn't wearing his sweats, but a beautiful white gown she'd tried on and paid for before leaving town in June. The fit wasn't exactly perfect, but Brent had no clue and Vikki didn't mind because she marrying the man she loved more than anyone else on earth. She would always love someone who no longer walked among us. He would always own a part of her heart but the rest of belonged to Dr. Brent Warner and it was his name that was written there in big, bold letters.

Vikki had just turned 37 so they decided not to wait to start a family and a year later, they were blessed with their first child. Vikki again quit her job while Brent ground out the long, endless hours of his residency. Just as Vikki had said, things took a huge turn for the better financially for them when he was through. Even more importantly, their love continued to grow as time passed and neither of them could imagine being happier anywhere else on earth.

Perhaps the universe did play a role in bringing them together. Regardless, they were both just grateful for the best mistake of their lives.