This was hardly the life with Sonny that Brenda had fantasized it would be like. For weeks they lived in a car, as they took a circuitous route to the Canadian border. They were constantly looking over their shoulders for the next Ziggy and Rocco to try and ambush them. Life on the run was definitely not the romantic fun-filled adventure she thought it would be.
Did she regret her decision to give up everything she knew to have a life with Sonny? She didn't know. She still loved Sonny as much as she ever did and the only thing that made this life bearable was living with him. If she knew what their life would be like, would she still have gone with Sonny when he told her he was going to have to go on the run from the mob and disappear. She wasn't sure.
As bad as things were for Brenda, they were a little bit worse for Sonny. He was caught between believing this was real and just a fantasy. While Sonny kept looking over his shoulder for another Rocco and Ziggy, he was also looking over his shoulder for Stone to show up, snap his fingers, and send him back to his old life. Life on the run with Brenda was worse than he thought it would be. He kept waiting for the love into her eyes to turn to hatred and the few moments he managed to sleep each night he had horrible nightmares of Brenda being killed right before his eyes.
Things started to get better once they made it safely to Canada. They got even better when they stowed away on a ship headed to England. They began to breathe easier and to relax. And when they had arrived in Innesford, a small village in Scotland, they had fallen in love with the place and became convinced they had finally found the perfect place to stop running and to settle down in.
Sonny found employment in the village as an accountant and Brenda found them the perfect little cottage to live in. She had that garden she once told Sonny she wanted when they had talked about what their new life would be like. For a time they lead an idyllic existence and they were able to almost completely forget the rough beginning they had. Then something happened that threatened to shatter their happiness. Brenda realized she was pregnant.
Under normal circumstances this would be news Brenda couldn't wait to share with Sonny, but their current circumstances were anything but normal. She and Sonny had never discussed having children while on the run from the mob, and she didn't think Sonny would be thrilled by this news. It was more likely to put him in a tailspin. He still had nightmares at night about something happening to her. He was obsessed with keeping her safe and protecting her from danger. How much moreso would he feel about an innocent baby they had protected and who had no way of keeping itself safe from danger.
So Brenda kept the news of their impending parenthood from Sonny. Since Sonny was Catholic, she didn't think he would suggest she get an abortion because of their current circumstances, but she couldn't be sure. Sonny might think that terminating her pregnancy might be kinder then having the baby and having it die at some future date. But Brenda didn't know how much longer she could keep the truth from Sonny. Her body was already starting to change and it was only a matter of time before Sonny noticed.
As for Sonny, as happy as he was in his life with Brenda, he didn't allow himself to be too happy. This wasn't real, after all. At any moment Stone could show up and tell him he'd found the answer to his question of what would have happened if he had married Brenda and gone on the run with her, and it was time for the fantasy to end. But the longer this thing went on with Brenda, the less he ever wanted to return to his old life. So he had learned to just live in the moment and not think of the past or the future.
In the present, it was his and Brenda's first wedding anniversary and he intended to make the evening as special as he could for her. So he took the risk of travelling into Glasgow to buy Brenda a special dress for the evening and he intended to take her to Glasgow for dinner and dancing. He knew he was taking a risk. If someone should spot them, they would have to leave the haven they had found for themselves and go back to the existence they had been leading before they had come to Innesford. But Brenda deserved one special night out and he intended to give it to her on the anniversary of the night they had gotten married.
That night after work Sonny bursted through the front door with a dress box in one hand and a dozen red roses in the other. "Happy Anniversary, Mrs. Corinthos." He wrapped his arm around her waist and spun her around the room.
Brenda held her stomach when he finally put her down, as she was hit by a sudden bout of nausea that she managed to will away by sheer willpower alone. "What's all this?"
"It's not every day we celebrate our first wedding anniversary." He told her, as he deposited the dress box on her lap. "So I'm taking you to Glasgow to celebrate it in style."
"Are you sure it's safe?" Brenda asked in concern.
"I think we can take the risk just this once." He assured her. "Now open the dress box and tell me what you think."
"You're like a little boy on Christmas morning." She told him as she opened up the box and took out the dress. "It's..."
"Exactly like the dress you wore to the Nurses Ball just after you married Jax." He finished for her. "When I saw it it reminded me of when you came to my penthouse and we almost made love." He added. "I should have made love to you that night, instead of sending you away." The longer this thing continued, the more regrets he had about things he should have done, but hadn't. Like running away with Brenda instead of marrying Lily.
"I just hope it fits." She fretted, knowing the original gown had been skin tight and molded to every inch of her body.
"Why wouldn't it?" Sonny teased. "You haven't gained a pound since then." Then he studied her critically. "Well, maybe a few pounds."
"Oh, you!" She playfully punched him in the arm. "And just whose fault is that?"
As she looked at him, she suddenly wanted to tell him they were going to have a baby, but she resisted that impulse knowing it would have the effect of ruining his happy mood, and he was so rarely happy and carefree like this. "I'll go and put this on." She took the dress and headed upstairs. She added as she headed up the stairs. "While I'm doing that, you'd better hope in the shower. You don't smell as fresh as a daisy, yourself."
"Be still my heart." He yelled after her departing back, as he followed her up the stairs. "Such flattery as that is bound to give me a big head."
"If your head got any bigger." She teased back. "You wouldn't be able to get through the front door."
"Then aren't I lucky I have you to keep me humble." He began to unbutton his shirt.
It was amazing, Brenda thought, as she watched Sonny strip off his shirt with hungry eyes. Seeing his body still had the same effect on her as it had the first time she'd seen it when they'd first made love. She covered his hand with hers as he unbuckled his belt buckle. "Let's stay home."
"I thought you'd want to go out and celebrate our anniversary." Sonny really wanted to give her a special night to make up for all the nights they had to stay home and not go anywhere for fear of being seen by the wrong person. "I wanted to make this night special for you."
"It already is." She told him, as she took his hand and lead him over to the bed. "Every moment I spend with you is special." She laid back on the bed. "But tonight, I want to spend it the way I want to spend every night for the rest of our lives. I want to spend the night making love to you."
He came down on top of her. "Are you really sure you don't want to go out?"
Her nimble fingers unbuttoned the waistband of his pants and pulled down his fly. "I'm sure." She slid his pants down over his hips and thighs. "Absolutely sure."