Our Bruised Bodies | Bradley Bradshaw

ACT FOUR - PART FOURTEEN

Here we go once more. Let me know what you think. Cheers!

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"Bradley told us about the engagement. Congratulations. I'm sure you will be the most beautiful bride." Laura said, as she slipped into the seat next to Grace at the Hard Deck. It was just a bit before 1830 which meant that both women were earlier at the bar then agreed upon, explaining the other's absence.

Grace glanced at Laura Weaver for a moment, before lifting her beer bottle as if to make a toast or rather thank Laura for the congratulations, but instead of saying anything, she just took a swing from the beer, before setting it down with a huff, her eyes staring straight ahead.

"Thank you." Grace did say after a while, which had Laura watch her with a warry expression on her face.

"Cookie said that Rooster had a similar reaction after the guys and Lena finally made him spill it at group therapy." Laura muttered. "Do you want to talk about what's bothering you?" She wondered, which had Grace title her head to look at the older woman, a frown on her face.

"No." Grace told her honestly, but she also didn't try to mask her expression. She was so sick of hiding that this situation pulled on both their strength. The younger woman already had to hide it at work and in front of Maverick and Bradley. She had come early just to have a beer and pity herself for a while.

"Are you guys okay?" Laura then asked, which had Grace take another sip from the beer.

"Fuck, no." She said once more with an amused huff. They were a lot, but okay isn't the word that came to her mind when asked.

"It's just such a mess right now. We will get through it. We have to." Grace added which had Cookie's wife nod, before smiling at Penny, as the older woman came over to take her order. Sitting at the bar, she was quickly handed the ordered beer, before Penny's gaze moved from Laura to Grace. She was watching the young woman with a strange expression on her face, then she walked away without a single word muttered which was unusual for Penny.

"Her brother and I, we had our difficulties with each other in the past." Grace said, explained the look Penny gave her, which had Laura nod, before she took a sip of her own beer. She could sing a song about that. She was cookies wife after all and he always seemed to get into trouble one way or another.

"Thought you had to get along. From one Admiral's daughter to the other." Laura tried to joke, but Grace didn't even pretend to think of it as funny. Being an Admiral's daughter wasn't funny at all.

"Sooo..." Laura tried again, trailing off, hoping for Grace to say something, but as she realised that the younger didn't plan on doing so, she spoke up again, but not without a tired sign.

"When is the wedding?" Laura wondered out loud with an approachable smile on her lips, that couldn't hide her uncertainty which had Grace exhale lengthy before taking another sip from her beer. At this tempo, she will be done with her first beer before the other spouses have even turned up but Grace couldn't find it in herself to care, even though she didn't even like beer.

"In a few weeks." She let Laura know. "Maverick, Bradley's godfather has to go back to China Lake for two weeks on Sunday. We thought of the Saturday after." She muttered, unsure why they were rushing it like this, even though she knew that they were only getting married due to the benefits, it still felt rushed.

"So, three weeks from tomorrow. Boy oh boy, the dress hunt will be excessive." Laura tried to humour Grace and failed.

"We're just going down to the city hall. I don't need a white dress. I think I will just wear some light summer dress." The younger woman answered with a shrug. She had the white wedding already, even though not the big white wedding so many women dreamed about, but she had worn a wedding dress before. It hadn't brought her any luck, so she would try it this time without it.