"With the power vested in me I now pronounce you husband and wife. Now go live out your happily ever after,"
That's the way my seven year old imagination worked. Little did I know what awaited me beyond the alter.
•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×•×...
You probably didn't have to be so rough with her... You managed to make her cry again... Why am I not surprised though? How long do you think she'll stick around now Jeremy? What if that was the last straw...
I shook my head furiously trying to dispell my thoughts. Grace was not going to leave me. She just wouldn't. She wouldn't...
Grace's P.O.V
He loves me. He loves me. He loves me. He loathes me... No. Grace keep it together. Jeremy is your husband. He made a vow in the presence of family and friends. They believed it. You believe it. A little scuffle that's all. He didn't hit you this time. Things must be improving. He's getting better. He'll be better with time. Just give him more time.
"The babysitter just arrived," I jumped at the sound of his voice. I didn't hear him enter the room.
"Ohh. I'll let her know that she isn't needed any - "
"I'm taking you out to dinner," he interrupted.
Crossing over to our closet, he reached in and pulled out a red dress. He inspected it and then hung it on the closet door for me.
"We leave in twenty," he said before heading to the bathroom.
Quickly, I put on the dress and reapplied my make-up. We haven't gone out in weeks. I couldn't help but feel hopeful. He was trying to make things up to me. His efforts I'll applaud even if they were cold and disengaged.
_______________________________________
The drive to the restaurant was uneventful. Jeremy made it his duty to hold my hand whenever one of his was free. I smiled at his eagerness to make up. Despite everything that had happened so far between us this year, I still wanted to enjoy my marriage. Everything was going to be fine.
We arrived at Le Chateau at 8:30. I've never been here before, but the ambience was breathtaking.
*** Jeremy got us a table in the corner, far from the other guests. We didn't speak much in the car. I was still waiting for him to apologise.
While we sat and waited for our waiter I decided to, quite randomly I'll admit, count the number of carnations in the vase on our table. They looked so pretty, all their confidence on show. They were my birth flowers and I adored them quite a lot.
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I made it to seven. The sound of Jeremy's voice threw me off.
"You look pretty," he stated his gaze steady on me. Dark eyes aglow and piercing.
I glanced down at myself with a slight smile.
"You chose the dress," I replied and then swallowed hard. The events of the last half hour came rushing back to me. The way he'd yelled. The way his eyes seemed to darken with distaste. The way his rough handling caused my skin to discolour. The way he walked off even though I was in shambles...
He must have seen my expression. Quickly, he rose from his seat and crossed over to me. He kneeled down and tilted my head to him.
"I know I hurt you. I've been hurting you for a while now Grace. Time and time again my actions betray my promises to "stop and be better next time,"
He paused and brushed his lips against mine.
"I see my mother when I see you crying. How broken she was. How helpless I was. I don't want that for us. I don't want to be my father," his voice broke a little,
"Grace.. babe I'm sorry,"
I brushed his hair back from his face, searching his eyes. How many times have we been here before? I knew exactly how this was going to end.
"Jer, you're not your father. We're not like your parents. This is just a bump in the road," I whispered to him.
A recurring bump...
"I'm not going to lie though. The way you acted tonight was honestly uncalled for. You don't have to shout at me, and even if I'm wearing something you don't approve of, how you behaved was just unnecessary. I have feelings too Jeremy. You don't control me,"
Jeremy's mouth was clamped shut.
"But my love for you is greater than our problems. I know yours is too. Let's just enjoy our meal,"
With that I kissed him. He hesitated before returning them. Perhaps my talk wasn't enough to dash away his fears.
Jeremy's P.O.V
Drown her fears. Surely she'll forgive me. She always does. I don't know how much longer the "I'm this way because of my dad" card will work though. My excuses are running thin. But dam, she did look good tonight and to think I had her all to myself.
Grace P.O.V
Everything on the menu sounded so good. I ended up getting Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo paired with a green salad and non-alcoholic champagne. Jeremey got something called Champignon Parmetier. I wasn't exactly sure what it was. He let me taste it, feeding me spoonfuls ever so often. We talked the night away. Jeremey told me about the new case he was working on and how it was important to his firm that he won. I recalled Levi's adventures at home. I knew that tonight would go down in my memory as one well spent.
