Deanna Sparkman made sure that she set the mood as cautiously as she could. She'd been in utter turmoil during the last three weeks since she'd found out that her son Aiden Johnson Sparkman was alive and now called, Aiden Ross. She wasn't quite sure what the response would be with the news that Aiden was alive. Deanna picked Tru, one of Chicago's 4-star restaurants, to break the news to Dr. Sparkman. She knew that he wouldn't go ballistic in public.

Deanna booked a private room and arrived 30 minutes before he'd was supposed to have gotten there. This was one of their favorites French restaurants. When the waiter arrived, all he had to say was, "The regulars." Deanna nodded.

Twenty minutes later the serving staff brought back two plates of fine cuisine. Deanna looked at her Rolex watch. He's usually punctual. She sent him a text.

He replied, In the parking lot will be there in a sec.

She sipped on her iced tea. Then said, "Well no matter what happens, we'll at least have an excellent meal."

She wearily smiled, looking at the plates. The chef had prepared Jidori Chicken, farrow and sunflower sprouts for her. Troy Sparkman's plate was Scottish Salmon, fingerling potatoes and oxalis. She breathed in deep savoring the aroma. If I can stomach it.

She glanced around the contemporary room waiting for him to come through the door. Her fingers tapped nervously on the bright white linen table cloth. Her inside jarred when she saw him. It's going to be all right.

Troy Sparkman was a tall, handsome, and very masculine looking man. For Deanna, he'd always been pure eye candy. His chiseled face, stormy hazel eyes, and hooked nose hinted to his Jewish decent. His black-gray streaked hair revealed his nearly 64 years of life. In two months, he'd have a birthday. But the rest of his 6'5 frame was toned and trim. It wasn't all through genetics but the fact that he was up at 4 AM every morning running in their high-class neighborhood.

He strode over to the table. He reached down, lifted her hand and kissed it.

"Darling, I'm sorry to be so late. I had an emergency surgery at the last minute."

She smiled woefully.

"A private room? Have I been a good boy, Deanna?"

"You're always good."

This time warmth radiated from her heart and reached her lips. She smiled with enthusiasm thinking about the wonderful man that she'd married. He was ten years her senior but you'd never had known it. Deanna kept him youthful in heart. She'd always be grateful for him saving her life. She'd purchased a one-way ticket and left Ellijay.

A Grey Hound Bus took her to Chicago and she'd never returned. As a young, naïve woman she never really knew why she picked Chicago out of any other city. Perhaps the name sounded as classy, as she wanted to become. Regardless, she went there and never regretted meeting a struggling med student a few weeks after her arrival. Troy was her gift from God.

"This looks delicious."

"Then let's eat," she said.

They quietly ate their meal. Occasionally they engaged in sparse banter. After an extended period of things seemingly going nowhere in particular, Troy spoke up. He knew his wife very well. This was not an "I love you" dinner in the middle of the week. Deanna was like clockwork. Any restaurant enjoyment was confined to Friday, Saturday or Sunday. He lifted his napkin and wiped a crumb from his lips.

"Deanna, why am I here," he said softly.

She was drinking tea at the time and gulped, causing her to choke. She patted herself on the chest and looked hopelessly at him. It startled him. He reached his hand across the table and squeezed her other hand. His stormy hazel eyes bored into hers. "Whatever this is about, we will be okay, Deanna."

She took a deep breath. Her chest rose and fell sharply. He instinctively flipped her hand over and felt her pulse. It was racing out of control. His eyes widened. "What's the matter, darling?" His voice elevated in alarm.

"Aiden is alive!"

She watched as his face went ghostly pale. She inhaled quickly and couldn't remember when she released it to take her next breath. Everything in her world was spinning.

"My God. What?"

She nodded. Her brown eyes clung to his face. The look was worse than she expected. He was devastated. She could only imagine what he must have been thinking. Aiden had given their entire household holy hell.

Neither of them had ever used the words that Aiden was dead, yet both of them had thought it. This revelation would also mean that she was admitting to defying him for the last few years. Troy had seen the stress in Deanna's life when year after year the private detectives they'd hired did not bring any new hope.

After four diligent years of searching Deanna and Troy made an agreement to end the search. They had to find their way back to the present for the sake of their sons and their marriage. She had done it for a year. But two years later she started the search again without telling Troy.

He slipped his face into his hands and shook his head. Tears where pooling in Deanna's plate. She didn't have the strength to say another word. She wept silently.

"I've done everything to protect your heart, Deanna. I took your name off of every bank account to keep you from pining away." He knew his wife would only hire the best firms on the planet and they didn't come cheap. "Please don't tell me that you used credit cards to find him."

"No," she whispered.

Troy wracked his brains trying to figure out how she'd pulled it off. The fact that he was alive would register with a boom later. He slid a napkin over to her to wipe her face. His mind was racing. A horrible thought struck him. They had retirement money tucked away in the Cayman Islands. He'd forgotten to close those accounts to her access.

"Oh God, the Cayman accounts."

She pushed her plate aside and fell down on the table weeping even louder. There was no point in asking her what was left. At that moment, he simply resolved to work to restore it. He was so frustrated.

"Oh, Deanna."

"He's my son."

Her words ricocheted in his mind. Aiden was alive. His insides were turning to mush. There was no safe spot for his thoughts. He was happy and sad, angry and joyful all in an amazing rate of crazy. He swiftly got out of his chair and began pacing the floor.

All sorts of memories swirled around him. He'd done everything that he could possibly do to show Aiden love. He treated him equally with he and Deanna's sons. There had been no way to truly reach him. Aiden's resentment had turned their perfect, peaceful world upside down.

Troy had given him the best of everything, his love, his time, money, cars and other expensive things. He sent him to Harvard and gave him the seed money to start his business. He would do anything to make Deanna and her first born happy. She was his world. Yet, Aiden was a hurricane that blew through their lives leaving a wake of destruction. Just as a hurricane vanishes so did he.

Soon the shock passed. He walked back over to the table where Deanna was still crying. He lifted her out of the chair, sat back down and placed her on his lap. He stroked her hair and whispered his love in her ear.

"I'm glad he's alive Deanna. I'm glad we have our son. Not your son, our son."

Deanna blinked up. "Our son?"

"Yes, Deanna. I love him. I just don't understand him. I gave him my name, remember. I do love him."

"Oh Troy, he changed his name. That's why we could not find him."

Troy bit his lip. Pain burned through him. He quickly fought it because Deanna's eyes were pleading for him to be okay. He kissed her softly on the lips. "He will always be my son. I love him." Troy watched hope flicker across Deanna's face. "We will work our way through this, darling. Where is he?"

"They found him three weeks ago. He's in Ellijay."

He began to cover Deanna's face with kisses. "You've been holding this in for three weeks. No wonder you've been so touchy. Don't keep things from me, Deanna. Okay?"

She nodded. "What are we going to do next, Troy?"

He knew that she was worried about their sons. "I will handle the boys." He was relieved when he heard her sigh of relief. "Then we will pray."