Marriage to Nola had its difficult times, but it was all worth it, as their relationship was the most wonderful and fulfilling experience Quint could have hoped for. He double and triple checked with the concierge at the Springfield Towers to make sure that everything was prepared exactly to his specifications. After a very long year of being apart, this had to be the most perfect evening ever. Quint also had another surprise for Nola; he hoped she would be pleased.

Nola was very excited, but also nervous with anticipation about her date planned with Quinton. She had not felt butterflies in her stomach for quite some time. For many months since she left California, Nola had gone over in her mind what this night might be like. Nola carefully went through her wardrobe, hoping to find just the right dress to wear. There were a few special dresses that Nola had stored away in a cedar chest. She gingerly went through the chest, removing the tissue paper that protected the clothing. First, she came across the Scarlett O’Hara gown that she wore to their engagement party. She also found the brown sheath gown that she wore on their Rome trip. Then finally, she came across the sequined, black gown that she had worn the night that Quinton proposed to her. Her heart stopped, as she pulled the gown out of the trunk. She knew instantly it would be perfect for the special evening.

Nola had taken special care of these memories for many years. She checked the time, and still had a few hours. Quinton had already gone over to the suite at the Towers, and he had planned for a limousine to pick her up to when she was ready. Maureen was scheduled to arrive in about an hour to help her get ready. It made Nola feel very nostalgic to have her big sister help her get ready for a date. She looked forward to spending this time with her older sister.

Maureen arrived a little early as she was anxious to see her sister and curious to see the Thornway Road house after all the years that passed. Nola showed Maureen up to her bedroom, so that they could start getting ready

“Nola, I just couldn’t believe it, when Tony told me about this house,” Maureen confessed.

“I didn’t want anyone to know until I was ready to tell Quinton.”

“Honey, I’m just so happy that you are safe now, and that Quinton is back here in Springfield, and that I can fix your hair just like old times,” Maureen gushed.

“It does feel just like old times, doesn’t it, Maureen? And Quinton has just been wonderful, and not that I will ever be happy that we wasted any time together, but there is something really nice about making up.”

“I understand completely,” Maureen sincerely responded.

After she was dressed and primped, Nola felt like a princess. The dress fit her figure perfectly, and Maureen always knew exactly what to do with her hair. The limousine dropped her off at the lobby of the Towers. She took a deep breath and made her way into the newly renovated lobby.

“Mrs. Chamberlain, welcome to the Towers,” the concierge brightly chirped.

“Thank you.”

“Your husband instructed me to tell you to go up to Penthouse E. Have a wonderful evening, Mrs. Chamberlain.”

Nola took the elevator up to the Penthouse floor. As the elevator ascended, she examined herself in the mirror. The elegant up-do that Maureen had created for her, perfectly framed her face. Nola gave herself a little reassuring smile. She did look wonderful for this romantic night. It was as if they were starting all over again, and she tried to imagine how he would look, and what he would have planned. Once the elevator reached the top floor, she pinched her cheeks a little for some color and took a few more deep breaths. Slowly, but assuredly she made her way to Penthouse E and rang the bell. She continued with her slow deep breathing, waiting for Quinton to open the door. The door opened to reveal him in his formal wear, as dashing as ever. He held his hand out to invite her in.

“Nola, you look absolutely beautiful.”

“Thank you, you look as handsome as ever.”

She looked around the room, as he led her inside. It was set up in typical Quinton-style and reminded her of how he had arranged the Rome suite for their second honeymoon many years earlier. Quint could not keep his eyes off her.

Suddenly is dawned on him, “That dress, it’s the dress that you wore on our proposal night.”

Nola nodded, as she looked down at the dress and then back up at him. “Yes, I kept it carefully packed away for all these years, and when I saw it tonight it just struck me as the right choice.”

“Nola, you look as stunning in it now, as you did over 21 years ago.”

“You don’t have to say that.”

“I know I don’t have to say it, but it’s true,” he responded with sincerity.

Soon dinner was served, and it was all of Nola’s favorites from the Basque country: duck foie gras, lobster gazpacho, Roquefort ravioli. When dinner was finished, they moved to the comfort of the couch with snifters of amaretto.

“I don’t know how you managed to pull all this together at the last minute,” Nola exclaimed.

“Anything for you, my love, I’m so happy to be here with you tonight. I can’t tell you how miserable I’ve been without you.”

“I’m so sorry about that,” Nola apologized.

“Nola, I don’t know why I would ask you this, and I guess you don’t need to answer it if you don’t want to,” Quint cautiously continued, “but during this past year that we were apart, has there been anyone else in your life?”

Nola gently took his hand and looked into his eyes, “No never, I only wanted you, but I was so mixed-up and scared that I didn’t know how to find my way back to you. The whole thing sounds pretty silly, but all I can say now is that I’m so sorry I hurt you.”

“I would have understood if there had been someone else, but I’m so glad there wasn’t,” Quint commented in relief.

“And how about you? Was there anyone else?”

“I didn’t consider it even for a moment. I always wore your ring. I noticed earlier, you have your ring on the wrong hand. Would you allow me to place it where it belongs?”

“I think that would be the right thing to do,” Nola replied with a smile.

“But first, I have another surprise for you.” With that he reached into his pants pocket and pulled out a small jewelry box. “I know you always said you were happy with my mother’s emerald ring, but I thought it was time that I got something just for you, something that I picked out especially for you.” Quint opened the small box to reveal a four carat, emerald cut, canary yellow diamond, platinum set ring. As Quint displayed the ring before his wife, the ring sparkled in the candlelight.

“Oh my, that is gorgeous, Quinton.” Nola gasped. “I’ve never seen one like that in person.” Nola held her breath as Quint took the ring out of the box and got down on his knees.

“This ring belongs on the woman I love, the love of my life, my wife, my partner, my best friend, my children’s’ mother, my lover. I put this ring on your finger as a promise of my eternal love, and with a prayer that this is the beginning of the second and even more wonderful part of our lives together.”

Quint moved her wedding band to her left ring finger, and then placed the diamond ring over it. He tenderly kissed her hand where the rings had been placed.

“I thee wed,” he whispered looking up at her. “I love you so much. I don’t want to spend even one more moment without you.”

“And I don’t want to spend one more moment without you,” Nola said through her tears of joy.

Quint rose to Nola, intensely gazed into her eyes, and brushed his fingers through the tendrils of hair that grazed the back of her neck.

“You are absolutely the most exquisite woman I have ever met. You have given me such a beautiful life and two wonderful, perfect children that I am so proud of. No man could ever wish for more. I love you from the bottom of my heart with an intensity that is emotional, spiritual and physical. You complete me. My life has no meaning without you.”

Nola stared deeply into his loyal blue eyes and wiped away the tears that were falling from them.

“You complete me,” she continued. “You have given me a life and a love that I only could have dreamed of. I love you more than I thought was possible. I don’t want to live without you.”

Quint continued to deeply gaze into her eyes, allowing her time to come to him. She ran her fingers through his hair with one hand, and with the other she tenderly drew her thumb across his bottom lip. She examined his lips, anticipating for a brief moment what they would feel like against her own, then assertively moved in to kiss him. Her lips melted into the softness and warmth of his; her tongue gently parted his lips. Quint rose and sat down on the couch next to her, as he allowed her tongue to enter his mouth. He met her tongue with his own. He embraced her as they passionately kissed. Her hands slipped his jacket off in their exploration, as she emitted deep soulful, contented sighs. They continued for quite some time, with growing wild abandon, kissing every inch of the others’ face and neck. As much as Quint wanted to take Nola right there, he once again allowed Nola to take things at her own pace and come to him. He knew, however, how it took her to the brink when he gently sucked and kissed her neck, thus he intensely concentrated on those areas, as her sighs turned to quiet moans. To tantalize her, he quickly dragged his right hand over her dress feeling the hardness of her nipple underneath and almost for a moment revealing it. As he felt the hard nipple, he gently massaged it and lovingly nipped at her neck. She pulled him back on the couch on top of her, slightly parting her legs to permit him to get closer.

“Oh God, Quinton, I want you so badly.”

“Tell me exactly what you want, Nola.”

“Oh God, you know exactly what I want,” she desperately uttered.

“I know I do, but I want to hear you say it, so I can know for sure.”

“I want you to get me out of this dress,” she breathlessly whispered in his ear, “and I want to see your body, and I want you to take me right here on this couch.”

“Take you?” he feigned ignorance, as he undid the back of her dress.

“I want you full inside me, making love to me.” She ripped off his tie and started to unbutton his shirt, and then helped him to slip off her dress.

“Don’t you want to go to the bed?” Quint asked as he examined her erect, small breasts and her lacey black bikini panties.

She whispered in her familiar, husky sex-voice, “No, I want you right here on this couch. But first, I want to see you.”

“You do?”

“Yes, I have been thinking about it all day since this morning after our shower. I want to see how much you want me.” The seductive tone in her voice was almost more than Quint could stand, so in quick succession, he removed his trousers and boxers.

“Oh God, I missed you so much,” Nola unselfconsciously gushed, as she finally saw the ultimate object of her desire.

“I don’t think we’ll need these,” Quint growled as he removed her black panties and nipped at her nipples. “You know Nola, as many times as I have seen you like this. I just can’t get over that you’re mine.”

“I’m all yours,” she promised, as she sat up and moved toward him, eyeing his erection, “and you’re all mine.” She paused and stared for a moment, letting him anticipate her next action.

“Oh God, Nola, yes please,” he begged.

With that, she treated him to one of his favorites of their sexual repertoire. With the promise of this special treat, she had been able to get Quint to agree to almost anything. She loved to oblige him, and he was always more than appreciative and reciprocated the favor with his own finely honed technique. Quint was always a very polite lover, and no good deed went unnoticed or unreciprocated. As her mouth engulfed him, he soulfully moaned and continued caressing her breasts. He then slid his hand down to show her how much he appreciated her efforts, manually mimicking her oral actions. As he earnestly stimulated her, Nola’s loud moans vibrating against him almost prematurely sent him over the edge. Completely unable to concentrate and dizzy with pleasure, she crawled on top of him and deeply kissed him again, grinding her pelvis into him. His wet fingers caressed her ass and pulled her closer to him. His mouth devoured her breasts, and his fingers went back to teasing her, as he pushed her gingerly over onto the bed and reciprocated the favor. Her moans became louder and louder, almost turning to screams, as he worked his magic. Her body shuttered and writhed; orgasm after orgasm overtook her.

“I want you inside me now,” she breathlessly demanded as he acquiesced and slowly slid easily inside her, feeling her moist body clench and buck against his.

“Sweetheart, I missed you so much,” he choked, trying to hold back the inevitable and loving being home again.

After one stroke, he pulled out and teased her for a little, until she once again begged for him. He finally slid back in. She wrapped her legs securely around his waist, locking him into place, enjoying the accompanying sensations. They made love until their respective climaxes overtook them. Recovering, they spooned nude together.

“Nola, you are so incredible,” Quint muttered into her ear.

“I love you so much. That was wonderful.” Nola sighed; her eyes closed in blissful contentment.

Quint nuzzled and kissed her, “We must have made love over a thousand times, but every time is just like the first.”

“Want to make it a thousand and one?” Nola impishly suggested.

“I think, that is one of those things, Nola, that I told you earlier are not quite the same for me,” Quint gently informed. “You’re going to have to give an old man a break.”

“Oh well, I guess I can wait,” she sighed, “but we do have a lot of catching-up to do, or so Vanessa thinks.”

“Vanessa? Why Vanessa?”

“She thought she walked in on something earlier this morning. And she mentioned something about us catching-up.”

“My older sister is not always right, but about that she certainly is,” Quint stated with certainty. “Nola, with your insatiable appetite, how did you make it through this past year?”

“It wasn’t easy, trust me. But you know what a creative mind I have and other things, so . . .”

“Ahhh, I’m sure I can imagine, my sweet. I noticed “Peter Rabbit” was nowhere to be found in the house.” Quint could not get enough of her and lavished her neck with sweet, gentle kisses and caressed her breasts.

“I always thought of you.” Nola delighted in Quinton’s attentions, “Mmmmmm, if you continue like this, I might have to take care of things myself.”

“Not that I wouldn’t love to watch that, but if you give me a few, I might be able to work something out,” Quint whispered hotly in her ear.

“How did I get so lucky?” Nola rhetorically asked.

“We’re both lucky,” Quint simply replied as they continued their afterplay.

Over the next couple of weeks, life was back to normal for Quinton and Nola. AJ had come to visit from Tulane for a long weekend. The contractor recommended by Vanessa was hired to renovate the house and had made significant progress on Quint’s lab as well as their master bedroom. They kept on the heavy security and started hiring the household staff. Effie had contacted Nola with her heartfelt congratulations for her friends’ reconciliation and to inquire if Nola had been serious when she invited her to come to live and work at the house. Nola enthusiastically told her that she definitely was sincere about the offer, and they made plans for Effie to fly out within the next couple of weeks. Nola was especially happy for her friend to be coming to Springfield, as it ensured Effie would be able to attend the vow renewal ceremony that she and Quint had planned. The ceremony was planned within the month and was to take place in the newly refurbished gazebo that had been built in the garden. Their closest friends and family planned on attending. Afterwards, they planned a tropical vacation to the Seychelles Islands.

Stacey and Seamus arranged to fly back to the States to attend the celebration. Stacey looked forward to introducing Seamus to her parents. They decided to wait until that time to ask Quint, if he had ever known Seamus’ natural mother, Devon Wayne. They also planned to break the news to her father about their potential living arrangements.

The only bad news was that the authorities still had no new information on the whereabouts of Silas Crocker. Over the last weeks, Silas had traveled back to England to work out the final details of his cruel scheme. He was frustrated, having learned only limited information about Anastasia’s boyfriend, Seamus O’Hara. Seamus’ presence continued to vex Silas, as he planned her abduction. Some promising news was forthcoming when the wire tap on Violet Renfield’s phone revealed that Anastasia planned to visit the old woman over the upcoming weekend. The best news, however, was that Anastasia would be traveling alone to Scotland. Renfield was such a relic that getting the girl out of her house would be like taking candy from a baby. There was also an unexpected bonus his plan would afford him. Their daughter’s untimely kidnapping would interrupt, if not destroy, Quint and Nola’s nauseating plan for their vow renewal. How pathetic, he thought, perhaps as a mean jab, he would send the wedding-renewal couple a case of Viagra.

AJ had some unresolved business that he urgently needed to attend to. When his girlfriend, Sarah heard that the Chamberlains were renewing their wedding vows, without even being invited, she started making plans to go to Springfield with AJ for the event. Since he had no intention of bringing her along for this family event, AJ knew it was time for him to do the right thing by Sarah. He really did care for Sarah, so did not want to hurt her, but he also had no interest in the serious relationship that she clearly wanted. As much as AJ liked to be a player, he learned from his father a lot about respecting the young woman in his life. Although in practice, he often failed miserably. Someday, he hoped to have the kind of loving relationship that his mother and father had, but not yet.

Early Spring 2004

For the 2004 spring break, AJ planned to stay with his parents at their home in Santa Barbara. He had gotten permission to bring a few of his swim team buddies to the house for surfing, partying and chilling. AJ’s friends not only loved the prime beachfront location of the Santa Barbara house and the well-stocked refrigerator and pantry, but found Nola to be an entertaining hostess. Most mothers would get in the way of fun, but within reason, Nola encouraged it. She wisely put her trust in the kids, and they never took advantage. She was known for her lethal Jell-O shots, her “bad taste” in poppy music and an infectious energy. At first, much to AJ’s chagrin, she partied and surfed just like one of the guys. His friends thought Nola, as she insisted they call her, was cool, so AJ learned to enjoy his mother’s participation in the activities, even when she outlasted them all. Everyone especially got a kick out of Nola after she tossed back a few of her famous shots then flirtatiously wrangled Quinton into the action. These shenanigans were beyond AJ’s usual tolerance for embarrassment, but his friends and Quint would enjoy it, only further egging Nola on. What AJ did not know at the time was that more and more once the fun was over and everyone went back to school, Nola would be left feeling depressed and unneeded.

Two weeks before the spring break visit, AJ got a somber call from his father. Quinton called to tell AJ that Nola had moved out and back with her mother in Springfield, and that it would not be a good idea for him to bring his friends for spring break. AJ was stunned by the news, worried about his mother, and didn’t have a moment to be disappointed about the ruined vacation plans. AJ tried to convince his dad that his mom would be back within a few days, but then a few days passed, and her return was not forthcoming. Nola called her children to let them know where she was, how to best contact her, and that she was very sorry, but that she needed some time away. She wouldn’t say why.

AJ stayed alone with his father over spring break. He had never seen Quint so devastated and lost. While it was a terribly difficult time, AJ was able to spend some quality time and bond with his dad.

“You know, Dad, this is going to work out. Mom just needs some time. You know, as well as I do, that Mom can be nuts sometimes.”

“AJ, I really don’t like you saying that about your mother.”

“I’m sorry, you know I love Mom. I think she’ll be back. You’ll see.”

“I wish I could believe that.” Quint painfully recalled, “You didn’t see how she was when she left. She was so distant. It was not like her at all.”

That day, Quint broke down in front of his son. AJ had not seen his dad cry, since his baby sister died. He felt badly for his dad and for the family. When he had calmed down, Quint had a heart to heart conversation with his son.

“As hard as this is, and as much as you don’t understand what your mother did, I need you to know that your mother loves you and your sister. I don’t want you to be angry at her.”

“How can you say that, Dad?” AJ asked in disbelief. “I have always supported mom, but I can’t support her splitting with no explanation.”

“This is between your mother and me. I don’t want you kids taking sides. She is your mother, no matter what I love her, and she has been good to us for many years. I will never dishonor her and neither will you.”

“Dad, can I ask you a question?”

“Of course,” Quint nodded.

“Why did you pick Mom? I mean, obviously I’m glad you did, but you guys always seemed so different. And from all the stories, I know there were lots of women.”

“That’s not a simple question to answer, and I like to think that we picked each other. But from the first moment I met her, I knew I could love her. I felt something very special with her that I had never felt before. Yes, we’re different, but we complement each other. Your mother’s an amazing woman, AJ. So many things made me notice her, and I saw how she loved your sister, and I fell in love with her.”

“It was always really clear to Stace and I how much you loved each other which makes this seem even more out of the blue.”

“I know,” Quint paused. “I hope someday that you can find that in your life, find a special woman that you can honor.”

“We’ll see,” AJ tried to brush off the suggestion.

“You don’t believe it now, but I’m telling you that nothing will be more special. I want you to be respectful and honest. You won’t feel good about yourself unless you are. Trust me.”

AJ kept his father’s sound advice in his mind as he figured out a way to be honest with Sarah. He would be respectful and not the arrogant jerk he had often been labeled. His dad proved by winning back his mother that he was onto something, and AJ would make him proud.

AJ invited Sarah over to his room, so they could talk. He dreaded this talk, but he knew he had no choice. When she saw the expression on AJ’s face, Sarah suspiciously entered his dorm room. He tried to break the news to her gently, but there was no good way to deliver this news. He told her that he would always care for her, but that it was his problem and not hers. He was not ready for the kind of commitment that she wanted. She left the room in tears, throwing his dorm room keys at him, and using several expletives. AJ was sadder than he thought he would be, but he knew he did the right thing.