The Brianne Hughes Series

As much as I love my husband and kids...

Right before they turned out the light to go to sleep, Brian said to Brianne, "Uh...honey?"

"Hmm?" Bri murmured, still scrolling Facebook.

"I was thinking maybe we could have a date night tomorrow. Just the two of us. You know, somewhere nice."

She put down the phone to meet his eyes. This was weird. Sure, Brian sometimes suggested date nights, but it was always at least a few days in advance, and never anything this specific. "Okay," she said. "But does it need to be tomorrow? Kinda short notice for Mom and Dad to watch the kids."

"Oh, well, I actually already asked them. Earlier today."

"You did?"

"Yeah."

"And they can do it?"

"Yes. They said we can bring them over to their place at 7:00."

This was even weirder. Clearly he'd been planning this, at least all day, if not for longer. But without telling her? Just to have a last-minute date night?

"Brian, what's going on?"

"Nothing. Absolutely nothing. I just...really love my wife." He took her hand and smiled at her. There was something that seemed like worry in his eyes. Was he...nervous about something? Nervous about telling her something on their date?

Maybe...did he...want another baby? No, definitely not, Brianne thought. That ship had sailed and they both knew it.

Had he gotten a job offer somewhere else? Had he gotten laid off? Both were plausible, but Brian had been steadily satisfied with his current job for years now, and it seemed the company was equally pleased.

Could he be...sick? Dying? The thought filled Bri with dread. As the seconds passed the worry on his face became more and more obvious, and she feared her own expression was starting to mirror it. He'd had a dentist appointment yesterday. At least, he'd told her it was a dentist appointment. Maybe it had been a doctor's visit.

Her fingers wrapped tightly around his. "And I really love my husband."

"Good," he said decisively. "Date night tomorrow."

They turned out the lights. Brian was snoring in just a few minutes, but Bri stayed awake, her mind racing. She felt a really weird sensation that she needed to look at him again. Switching on her bedside lamp, she propped her head up on her elbow and stared at him as his chest rose and fell.

Without warning, his eyes flew open and met hers. "Bri? What are you doing?" His eyebrows squished together in a suspicious expression.

"Nothing. I was just--nothing. Go back to sleep, Brian."

"Were you just staring at me?"

"No! Why would I be watching you sleep? I just needed a glass of water."

He looked even more suspicious, but muttered, "Fine. Turn the light back off."

"I will!"

She switched it off and laid back down, thinking about what serious illnesses could make someone wake up unexpectedly.

...

Brian had been acting weird ever since he'd come home, two hours early. He'd changed clothes the second he got back, to a different yet nearly identical set of khakis paired with a button-down. He sat down in the living room to wait, not taking his eyes off the TV as Bri put her face on in the bathroom.

Bri had done a little work today, preparing some new jewelry photos for her new ad campaign, but she hadn't been nearly as productive as she had wanted, mostly because thinking about their date tonight had caused her to spiral every time. She knew she was probably being irrational, but she'd done her research. Looking back over their shared calendar, she'd noticed three appointments over the past few weeks--dentist (teeth cleaning), orthopedist (his old baseball back injury was acting up, he'd told her), and his painting class (maybe the painting class was a bit of stretch to use as evidence, but he had been uncharacteristically quiet after he'd gotten home). Any and all of these could be doctor's appointments he'd kept from her, and if they really were all this close together, the news probably wasn't good.