Will You Love Me 'Til I Die? Ch. 04

"Carl behave yourself, we don't want to give Melissa the wrong impression do we?"

"Anne I'm afraid Melissa already has the wrong impression of us. Or should I say the right impression. It's a little late to attempt to repair our scandalous reputation with her now. She's already seen too much."

"Well we can at least pretend we know how to act like adults when the occasion warrants it, and this occasion most definitely warrants it. I'm so excited Carl. We're going to have a baby."

"Have you picked out a name for her yet?"

"I've been thinking about Victoria, Victoria Alexandra Evans. Alexandra was my mother's name. Carl you be sure to tell her that if she doesn't want to be called Victoria she can always use her middle name. I don't want her to be unhappy about her name."

"That sounds like a beautiful name to me Anne. I'm sure she will love being called Victoria. Are you sure you want her to be an Evans and not a Cordet?"

"Absolutely, you and Sandy have to adopt her and I want her to be part of your family. There won't be any Cordets to be a part of."

"Are you sure we have to adopt her? Won't I get custody automatically since I'm the father and the only surviving parent?"

"Now that you ask, I'm not sure. We'll check with Walter and if there is a paper I need to sign then we'll take care of it but in any case Victoria is to be an Evans."

We pulled up to the entrance to the restaurant and the driver got out and opened the door for us. I told Melissa to stay seated while Anne and I got out and I would come open the door for her so she wouldn't have to slide all the way across the seat. The driver handed me a card with his cell number on it and said to call him ten minutes before we needed to be picked up. We walked into the restaurant and the Maître d' greeted us, "Welcome to Le Benardin, may I have your name please?"

"Cordet, party of three."

"Of course sir, we've been expecting you. Please follow me."

He showed us to a small room and asked if this would be to our liking.

"This room is quieter and more intimate but I can seat you in the main room if you prefer."

I looked at Anne and she nodded her head slightly.

"This room will do very nicely."

There was a table for four next to a window that looked out onto a terrace. A plush bench sat against the wall under the window and two chairs faced the window on the other side. I asked Anne and Melissa to sit on the bench so I could look at them. After we were seated the Maître d' said someone would be right with us to discuss dinner and wished us Bon Appetit.

In a few moments a waiter came to the table and greeted us and began to explain our options for dinner. It was a prix fixe menu with four courses, soup, salad, entrée and dessert. There were three choices for each course, which he elaborated upon by describing what they were and how they were prepared. He said we could think about our selections for a moment and asked if we would care for a cocktail.

Anne asked for a wine list and the waiter handed it to her. She looked at it briefly then said, "We'll have a bottle of Perrier Jouet Belle Epoque 2004 and please ensure that it is cold."

"Of course Madame, I will bring it right away."

While he was gone to fetch the wine a server arrived and filled our water glasses. The décor in the room was elegant but not extravagant. Everything was very clean and there were fresh flowers in tall baskets in the room but not on the table to interfere with your dining. The lighting was low but not dark.

Anne said, "Ordinarily I don't like to taste other people's food in a fine restaurant but I'm sure Carl is used to it at Applebee's so I suggest we each order a different one of the three selections for each course so we can taste all of the dishes they have. This food is incredibly good and I would love to see what he's come up with tonight."

"Hot damn Anne that's a great idea. I'll even try to resist the temptation to eat with my fingers and wipe my mouth with my sleeve. But they're going to have to show me something to beat the spicy chicken wings and spinach and artichoke dip at the Big A."

I was glad to see Anne playing along with my humorous comment about Applebee's. I knew she was excited about the baby and I wanted to keep her that way and not let it change to sadness about not being here when she was born.

Melissa said, "Carl you look fabulous in that tux. You really clean up nice. Thank you for letting me share this special night with you. In case you hadn't noticed, I care about Anne and I want to tell you how much I appreciate what you're doing for her."

"Thank you Melissa and I must say you look pretty good yourself in something besides a uniform. I have noticed your concern for Anne and that's the main reason I thought you should be here with us this evening. You're going to be a part of our daughter's life so you need to start being a part of mine."

The waiter arrived with our Champagne in a crystal ice bucket. He placed a flute at each of our plates then removed the cork and poured a little for me to taste. It was delicious, almost as good as the stuff Anne had at the house. I nodded at him so he could pour the ladies a glass and then he finished pouring mine. He then asked us if we had made our decisions about dinner. I told him to bring one of each selection for all the courses so we could sample the entire menu.

"A marvelous choice monsieur. Each of the chef's creations deserves to be tasted."

When he had left Anne raised her glass and said, "To Victoria Alexandra Evans."

Melissa and I raised our glasses and clinked them against Anne's and we all took a healthy sip of the bubbly wine.

"I would like to propose a toast to the two most beautiful women in New York and to me for having the good fortune and the privilege of being with them tonight to celebrate this miraculous occasion."

They both said thank you Carl simultaneously and we clinked glasses again and took another sip of wine.

Anne kept her glass raised and said, "There is one more person we need to toast this evening because without her we would not be sitting here. I realize every day just how wonderful and gracious she is to have made the sacrifice that allowed Carl to be with me and to selflessly assume the role of mother to my child. I don't think there is another woman on earth who would have agreed to this arrangement and I truly love her for doing it. To Sandy."

As I raised my glass I said, "I can't believe how lucky I am to have three of the most incredible women on this planet in my life. I am humbled by your presence and honored to know all of you."

By the time the first course arrived we had just about finished off the Champagne so I told the waiter to bring us another one. Each of the selections for each course was simply superb. The dishes were presented as beautifully as they tasted. The dessert selections were very interesting and the waiter brought them one at a time. One was a crepe suzette made at the table. Another was a divine chocolate mousse but the third stole the show. A peach! A simple beautiful piece of fruit expertly peeled and sliced into sections with the seed removed with little silver tongs. It was the quintessential peach and tasted better than any I had ever eaten. I almost applauded the understated simplicity and the perfect way it finished the meal.

I have no idea what this meal cost. It must have been far in excess of a thousand dollars with two bottles of vintage Champagne but it was worth every penny because we all got a night we would remember for the rest of our lives. Melissa had thought to call the limo driver and he was waiting for us when we left the restaurant.

When we returned to the house Anne tipped the driver a hundred dollars and Melissa said she was heading to her room and would put her dress with the other items slated for the cleaners. Anne and I headed upstairs to undress and use the bathroom to get ready for bed. We made love slowly and silently then fell asleep in each other's arms.