After All

Chapter 31: The Calm and the Storm

For the London premiere, Jamie opted for a black collarless shirt under a black Armani tux. He looked devastating. My gown, while unplanned, complimented his attire perfectly. I was sporting a one-shouldered Vera Wang mermaid gown, solid black with no adornment. It didn't need any, especially with my jewelry. I put on my bracelet and my engagement ring, along with the pieces my stylist had borrowed from Cartier – matching onyx and diamond ear rings and choker. They also sent over a crystal hair comb that Marc used to anchor my sleek chignon. I knew it worked when I walked out of the room and Jamie dropped his jaw and lost his breath. I smiled and gave a slow turn so he could take it all in.

He placed a hand over his heart and came to me to take both of my hands in his. "I am a lucky, lucky man. You are breathtaking in nothing but my t-shirts, but there are simply no words for how beautiful you look."

I preen under his words, but squeeze his hands, "I could say the same for you, Dornan. Panties will be melting all down the red carpet tonight."

He chuckles as he leads me to the door, "Your panties are the only ones I care about."

My turn to chuckle, "What panties?"

He groans as we step out and head to the car, "Oh sweet Jesus."

***

The London affair had a totally different vibe than NY or LA – it was very friendly and polite, almost celebratory. Maybe it's because we felt celebratory. Given the extreme interest in all of our personal lives, and the fact that Madison is well known and adored by the London press, we changed our approach. Once we arrived at the venue, Scott and Madison left the car first. It was gratifying to hear almost as many shouts for Madison as for Scott. We gave them a few minutes and then Jamie stepped out to a whole new clamor and wolf whistles. He reached down a hand to help me out and there were absolute shrieks when I emerged and smoothed my gown – with my left hand. We couldn't help but smile when we heard the screams of "She's wearing a ring! She's wearing a ring!"

While we started out working the carpet as two couples, we quickly decided it was easier to just do it as a foursome. It actually turned out pretty fun. For the photos, they wanted pictures of both couples, as well as ones of me and Scott. They also asked for some of Jamie with Madison since they knew she was starring in his new movie. The questions were mostly easy and predictable, with a few interesting moments tossed in to keep us on our toes.

"Who designed your gorgeous ring?"

Jamie answered before I could, "Her engagement ring is by Harry Winston and her engagement bracelet is a custom design by Tiffany's."

The reporter frowns in confusion, "Bracelet?"

He continues, "The bracelet is from our daughters, they asked to marry her too. The ring is her promise to me, the bracelet is her promise to them."

I see her swoon just a bit and then she asks, "You refer to them as 'our daughters'. That must be tough on their mother."

Okay, time to intervene. "Actually, Millie has been very supportive of us and our relationship with the girls. She knows I would never try to replace or mitigate her role as their mother. She also knows I will love and protect them as if they were my own. We are very lucky to have such a cooperative relationship."

Jamie draws us away before anything else gets asked. A bit later, Madison of all people comes under some friendly fire. After questions about our engagement, the reporter turns to her, "Does this make you anxious for a ring, Madison?" The reporter looks from Scott to Madison. Scott simply pulls her closer and smiles at her, but keeps his mouth closed.

She handles it brilliantly and with a beautiful smile. "We've only been seeing each other for a month, so it's a bit soon for that." She gives him a sidelong glance and then turns back to the reporter, "I hope it doesn't scare him away when I say I could easily see myself married to him someday, but we're not there yet. He did give me a horse, though!"