Out of My Mind: Volume I

I Look at You and Smile

It was 6:00 Thursday afternoon. Date night. There stood Brandon Flowers on his own front porch, wearing a stupidly happy smile and a handsome suit. He had been running around town wasting time until his wife was ready.

The doorbell rang, causing Tana to panic a tiny bit. She was still rushing around inside the house, grabbing her coat and handbag. "Thank you Kristen for all your help! You're a lifesaver," she called out.

"No problem, Tana!" the babysitter called back.

Tana opened the front door to find her husband shivering, with his back to the house. The holy moment he turned around to greet his wife with the goofiest smile sent chills down her spine. He was holding the prettiest bouquet of flowers he could find. She quickly opened the door wide to let her freezing husband inside. "I need to change coats," he said with a laugh and handed the flowers to Tana.

"I love them," she said, giving him a quick kiss on his cold lips.

Brandon returned with a thicker coat, gloves, and a scarf. "Here's a pair of gloves, honey. You'll need 'em. Are you sure you want to wear those shoes?" He had always been protective when it came to family.

Tana rolled her eyes. "I'll be fine. We won't be outside long, right?"

"I don't plan on it. But it would't hurt to be prepared," Brandon urged.

"Fine," she playfully hurried back to her closet. The boys rushed main entrance of the home before their mom and dad left, Kristen not too far behind them.

"Hey, Kristen!" Brandon said to the red-headed babysitter as he hugged her. "Thank you so much for watching the boys tonight. We really needed a night out."

"Your kids are always a joy to watch. They never give me any trouble," she replied with a wink.

Gunnar and Henry giggled, and exchanged mischievous expressions that said, Not yet.

Instead getting involved in schemes with his brothers, Ammon's cheeks got bright red. He was secretly, by madly, in love with Kristen. Any time she picked him up from school or came over to his house, his heart raced. He knew she was older than him, but not by much. She was just in high school after all.

Tana finally returned. She was wearing a little black dress and knee-high wedged boots. She grabbed her new elegant white coat instead of the black one she usually wore on dates. She had a special feeling about tonight. It made her feel as if she had just started dating the goofy singer.

Brandon was so eager to get inside before, he didn't have time to truly appreciate his wife. "You look gorgeous, Tana. But we seriously have to go if we're gonna make it on time. Bye!"

"Okay, let's go. Thanks again Kristen! Bedtime is at 9:30 for the boys," she said, causing the boys to groan. "You know have to go to school tomorrow, sillies. Goodbye! Love you!!"

Brandon and Tana finally arrived in Salt Lake City. As Brandon drove past his wife's favorite dining restaurant in the city, Ruth's Chris Steakhouse, her radiant smile faded from her face. She was confident that's where they would have dinner. Brandon has different plans for tonight. His friends recommended an intimate, more romantic, restaurant for the night.

The restaurant was called Log Haven. It was a private cabin, surrounded by mighty pine trees coated in snow. The singer hopped out of the vehicle and rushed over to his wife in the passenger seat. She was in awe of the place they would be eating at (there were little twinkly lights outside!). He helped his wife out, and wrapped an arm around her tiny frame.

There were very few people in the cabin—Brandon had arranged for this over the phone. He made sure the restaurant wouldn't be filled with pesky background conversations. There wouldn't be an excuse for poor service, due to the lack of business. This night was extremely important to him.

The warmth and smell welcomed them at the door. A table had been set up near the fireplace. The couple was glad to have the warmest seat in the place.

As Brandon pulled Tana's chair out for her, she said, "This is much better than Ruth's Chris."

"You have Robbie to thank for that. He told me about it Friday," he replied as he walked over to his seat.

He ordered her the finest red they had. Both of the Flowers ordered the filet, which was what the waitress recommended. They were not disappointed.

Tana and Brandon had perfect Creme brûlée's for dessert, which was served with another bottle of complementary wine from the waitress. She was a fan, but did a great job at hiding it!

Once conversation with his wife was slowing down, the singer decided it was the best moment getting his present out in the open. The thought at doing so made his heart race and palms sweat. He realized he wasn't nervous—Brandon just didn't want the attention they were going to receive when Tana was passed out on the floor.

"Tana," he said after a moment. "I love you. While I was in California, there was a lady after the show I was talking to. We talked until about 3:00 in the morning. And you know how I can get when I'm tired. Anyone can convince me to do anything stupid," he laughed. Tana did not like where this was going. Her face was pale and emotionless; she was terrified. GET TO THE POINT! He held her hands and continued his story. "No! It was nothing like that. I guess what I'm failing to say is that the lady, Valarie, convinced me to get you a present."

He took a deep breath, and put it out there. "It's a cat."