After the tour had concluded, life seemingly returned to normal for a while. It had been so nice to sleep in our own bed for the first time in nearly three weeks. No road noise, nobody else around just me, Roger and home.  We had only been home for two weeks when Roger and I got an invite from my parents to join them on holiday in Italy for twelve days. We immediately accepted and packed our bags. What? Turn down a trip to Italy? Are you mad!? Once we had arrived, it had been twelve days of pure indulgence at its worst. We stayed in a suite beside my parents at a five-star resort on the Italian Riviera. And when I say five-star resort, I’m talking about the kind of resort where if you wanted strawberries and champagne for breakfast, that’s what you got. One night, Roger and I drank imported espresso, ate chilled jumbo shrimp cocktail and raw oysters on the balcony at 3AM while listening to records and being mesmerized by the water…and each other. It’s true, oysters really are an aphrodisiac. The suite had a private pool, of which we all took full advantage and there wasn’t a single day of the trip that Roger, my parents or me woke before 10:30 AM.

 When we weren’t at the resort, we were on the yacht that my parents owned and had docked in the Italian harbor. It tickled me all over to witness how much Roger loved the yacht and the water. We swam in the marina, watched fishermen filet their catches, and drove the yacht along the coast. We anchored just outside of the harbor one day and soaked up the sun and salt while drinking cosmopolitans and throwing stale bread out to the gulls around. My father loved showing Roger how to operate the yacht and teaching him about boating life. He just adored it all so very much. Twelve days of outstanding food, fine wines, brandies, champagne and hard partying in the Italian marina. Roger delighted in the way my parents could not only host a party but walk onto another yacht party or dock party and mingle as if they had known other yacht owners for ages. Roger and I adored harbor life and believe me, I can’t tell you all the details. Come on now, I keep it classy. When July 26th came around, we celebrated Roger’s “real” birthday with a trip inland to see the city square, wander around hand in hand over old Italy, drink cappuccinos with tiramisu and have a cigarette while overlooking the canals.

 My mum, god love her, wouldn’t put the polaroid down to save her life.  She took so many pictures of me, of Roger, of me and Roger, of everythin’. My dad and I would laugh our arses off at the way my mum and Roger would get drunk and argue about the stupidest of things. My father and he would smoke cigars and sit on the top deck of the yacht under the stars at night with brandy like they were somethin’ else…and they were.

 We rubbed shoulders with the elite, indulged in the most beautiful views and admittingly, romantic, evenings along the Riviera. We experienced the Italian nightlife to the fullest…and I do mean fullest. Roger I took a hit of somethin' from a guy in one of the clubs on night and…let’s just say things got a little kinky later.

 We went with my mum on a lavish shopping spree while spending time in Venice. I think Roger especially enjoyed it like nothing else. For the first time, he was dripping in money and it was burning a hole in his wallet. He bought a fur coat that nearly killed me because god, it was like that coat was made exclusively for him. Had he looked any sexier, I’m fairly certain the tailor who made the final alterations in the shop would have tied Roger up and thrown him in the back of his car judging by the way he put his hands all over Roger.  

 He adorned me in things that he had never been able to provide to me. He desperately wanted to dress me in Dolce and Gabbana, put a Louis Vuitton on my arm and Manolos on my feet…and he did. It made Roger so proud. It also made him practically drool over me.  However, with money comes responsibility and my mum introduced the ropes of investment to Roger. He listened, she talked and I took it all in. We sat at a quaint café and I’ll never forget Roger’s smile when he wrote the check for 75,000 pounds to my mother for her to turn over to the hands of our financial advisors. He leaned over, kissed me then bought us all a caramel macchiato to celebrate.

 I firmly swear to god that Roger and I fell even more desperately in love all on this fabulous holiday. Not a day went buy that we hadn’t looked at each other with that love-wasted look in our eye. Even my mum and dad noticed how stupidly crazy about each other we were.

 On a very warm and quiet night in late July, in the Deacon home. Veronica’s water broke. After nearly sixteen hours of labor, thirteen of those consisting of progressively painful contractions and dilating, and three hours of pushing; a healthy baby boy, weighing just a little over 0.5 stone was born. Robert Deacon had chosen to come into the world at 11:26 AM. Brian and Chrissie had been the first to see the baby, followed by Freddie and Mary and Roger and I didn’t see him until we had returned from Italy. John and Veronica debuted their baby to all of us and I debuted my baby…Roger had gone from a blonde bomb to a blonderrr bombshell. It was as if the sun itself had kissed the top of his head and left it’s bright yellow hue there. It looked….so.damn.fine. I had never been a big fan of bright blonde all-over color…until now. It was hard for me to keep my hands off him before but now? Shit.

 When Robert was about a month old, a most lovely baptismal was held for him at the same church where John and Veronica had married. Brian and Chrissie stood up there on the alter with John and Veronica and the Priest as water was showered over little Robert Deacon’s head. Chrissie and Brian looked like natural parents as they took turns holding him in their appropriate roles. It was charming how seriously they took the roles even though neither of them were particularly religious people. The best part about watching your friend’s baby being baptized was the cake, punch and cocktails that followed.

 By August a concept for another album was beginning to develop. Roger, Brian, Freddie and John had already been in the studios discussing it. I had been asked to do three interviews…all of which I had turned down. With a taste of fame, came the fact that the modest home Roger and I had picked out together was becoming ill-suited for us due to the increasing amount of traffic to get a glimpse of where an up-and-coming drummer lived. A new home would be our next slated project after the album got underway.

 The end of August left Brian and Chrissie at home alone one night. Chrissie sighed and came into to family room from the kitchen. They had just finished dinner and the smell of summer vegetables still lingered in the warm air. “Your dad called again.” She said, sitting down beside Brian on the couch. “I’m sorry. He hung up….again.” Chrissie had a disappointed and guilty look on her face. Brian shifted his eyes toward the floor. He sat the newspaper aside that he was reading. The truth was simple: Harold May despised the fact that Brian and Chrissie had been living together or a long as they had. He hadn’t spoken to Brian the entire time they had been living together and it made Brian’s mum crazy trying to be the mediator between the two of them. The phone rang again and Chrissie picked it up on the first ring.

 “Hello?” she answered, already knowing who it was. “Hi, Ruth. Yes, ye…nooo…no it’s okay. It’s…yes…yes. Hold on, let me put Brian on.” Chrissie handed the phone to Brian and returned to the kitchen.

 “Hi mum. I know. I know. I KNOW! It’s not going to be a problem any more. Because, it’s just not! No. Nnn…mum…mum stop. Listen. I’m going to take care of it. I can’t tell you right now but I’m…” Brian held the phone out from his ear while his mother rambled on and on a bit incessantly. “Mum, for all this time I’ve never meant to upset him. I only hate that you’ve been so crazy. I know you like Chrissie. Yes, yes I know you think she’s a nice girl. MUM! We are not discussing that! I realize you aren’t stupid or naïve. I just told you I’m going to take care of it! Brian put his hand on his forehead and sighed. “Just tell dad! Tell him I said it won’t any longer be a problem! Fine! Fine mum. O…oooh…I’m hanging up. I’m hanging up now! Bye!” Brian slammed the phone to the receiver and huffed, shaking his head. He picked up the paper once more and Chrissie came back into the family room.

 “Brian…it’s been so long now. Why does your dad still do this?” she asked.

 “He never liked the idea of you and I livin’ together. From the day we moved in Chrissie, he’s been pissed as hell over it.” Brian reminded her.

 “Maybe I should move out, for a while? Brian I can’t deal with him hangin’ up all the time like he does. He thinks I’m a complete whore, I just know it! He’s all but shunned you entirely. I mean, this is the first he’s called in months and he does this every time he…” Chrissie stopped talking. The living room was deathly silent. Chrissie stared with utmost shock and awe on her face. Brian looked up at her, attempting to read her reaction.

 “I told my mum it wasn’t going to be a problem anymore and it’s not. This is over Chrissie. I love you…” Brian paused. “…I love you. Will you marry me?” Brian swallowed hard and fixed his serious eyes on Chrissie.  She was completely taken aback. It was the last thing on Earth she had expected today. But there it was…a princess cut diamond…for a princess…on a white gold band, slightly over one carat. Seeing it, there in the black velvet box made her heart leap into her throat. Instantly, Chrissie knew that a proposal on the couch, in the middle of the living room was the most perfectly suited for she and Brian than she could have ever wished or hoped for. She had thought she wanted this a hundred times before earlier in the summer but she had been wrong. Right now was far better than all those other silly times that Chrissie thought would have been THE perfect moment.

 Being the emotional person she was, the tears began to fall as she shook her head yes. Brian smiled and moved himself to the floor in front of her. “Give me your hand. Here, here…give me your hand.” He couldn’t hide his smile as he plucked her ring from it’s tiny box and slid it over Chrissie’s finger.

 “Oh….Brian…it’s so beautiful…just beautiful…oh…” she admired the stone on her finger before throwing her arms around him. “I love you too…” she mumbled into his neck. He squeezed her against him.

 “I’m so happy…and a little relieved, that you like it.” He laughed as he held on to her. “Chrissie…” he whispered to her.  She released Brian long enough to make eye contact with him, pressing her lips into his.

 “I don’t like it Brian…I love it. I just love it. I love because…I….I look at this and I see you in it. I see us in it. Oh god…Brian…” Chrissie let the weight of her body slide into Brian again, her arms around him as tightly as she could squeeze him. “I can’t wait to be your wife.” She said softly.

 “You said yes, right? So, that’s a yes?” he laughed. Brian knew he had to say something to tease her and it worked. Chrissie’s laughter was so very sincere. “I love hearing you laugh. Now, I know I’m gonna’ wake up to that every day.” Brian put his hands on Chrissie’s shoulders and pushed her back away from him slightly. He ran his fingertips over her cheeks as Chrissie gazed down at the only piece of jewelry she had ever worn. She couldn’t take her eyes from it.

 “Hey, I need you to look at me for a minute. Remember me? The bloke you agreed to marry?” Brian teased her again. Chrissie looked up and laughed again.

 “I’m sorry. I’m just…oh my god we’re engaged, sweetheart!” she said happily. Brian smiled at her.

 “We are! And I have a very important phone call to make.” Brian pulled Chrissie over onto his lap and picked up the phone again, dialing his parents’ telephone number. It rang a couple of times.

 “Hello? Hel…hello, mum? Hi. Can you put dad on the phone. Al…alright! Alright! Fine! Well, can you give him a message for me in that case? Okay. Well, I just asked Chrissie to marry me and she said yes. We’re engaged, mum.” Hearing it out loud sent Chrissie into a fit of bubbling excitement. Brian watched Chrissie as he reached a hand out to her to pull her onto his lap. She leaned her ear up to the phone receiver so she could listen in with Brian. There was silence on the opposite end. Brian squeezed her hand tightly before moving his arm around Chrissie. Finally, there was a reaction. Brian looked over at Chrissie as he heard his mother react on the other end of the line. He handed the phone over to Chrissie.

 “Hello, Ruth! Can you believe it!?” she squeaked into the phone. “I know! I know!” she said. “Yes! Yes of course we will! Oooh...okay, okay. Celebratory dinner tomorrow at three? Yes, yes, okay. Thank you Ruth. Here’s Brian.” Chrissie smiled and handed the phone back to Brian.

 “Put dad on. Yes, put him on.” Brian persuaded his mother. “Listen, I know you’ve refusin’ to talk to me for a long time now but you have to talk to me because Chrissie just agreed to be my wife! Mum just told you!” Harold shouted into the phone and began to jabber incessantly. Chrissie couldn’t help but laugh because it was as if the floodgates had opened on the other end. Finally, Brian and his father were on the same page and that page had a wedding on it. What a way to wrap up a most glorious summer.

I just want to thank everyone for reading and commenting and voting! You all are so so so SO very special to me!!!!! I already have my next concept completely thought out and hopt to have the first chapter up within the next day. I thank you all again SO MUCH!!