Gravity

Gracey usually woke up on a Saturday morning to the sound of the spring birds outside her window, singing in delight that the sun was rising once more. Some days, she woke to the smell of eggs and bacon and the sound of harmonic blues drifting through the large house.

Gracey does not usually wake to the sound of hammers, screwdrivers and men shouting in the rooms below her. On this particular day, Gracey had been excited to finally receive her wedding pictures and finish off the drapes in the downstairs foyer. She awoke in her bed, noticing the side where her doting husband should be laid out, snoring loudly, was now empty, only the creased outside of his lean body gave any evidence of him once being there.

“John?” Her croaky morning voice piercing through the almost silent room, however it made no difference to the almost deafening sound of workmen that were outside her door. She cringed as she heard something scraping against the hallway walls, her ears being almost sonar when it came to her house…their house.

Gracey laid back and tried to find the reasons for why she put up with her husband’s often stupid and sporadic behaviour. Closing her eyes and remembering back almost 2 years ago, she lay back in bed and sighed. She had been working an internship as an assistant editor at ‘Hazzard” Magazine. Moving from Boston to the City of New York she had been overly nervous when she was asked by the senior editor to represent Hazzard at the annual Charity Ball. Raising money for less privileged children had always been a matter close to Gracey’s heart, because she had grown up in a neighbourhood where rich and poor mixed and it was only the river of concrete that separated both classes. Moving from a life filled with nannies and maids, she moved to the big city looking for a change of pace. She had met John as she stepped in through the doors, though not as formally as they had both wanted.

Stepping from the hired car that Edie had reserved for her, Gracey smoothed down her black dress and stepped from the curb. Her stomach was filled with butterflies as this was her first event, first of many she had hoped, where she came and represented the magazine.

“Mis. Gracelyn, Welcome, can I escort you to the door?” An elderly man stepped beside her, an umbrella in one hand as he held out the other. The New York weather hadn’t been holding out that well, and for the past 2 days, the autumn drizzle had been pouring down, ruining Gracey’s shoes on her way to work. She looked up to the kind doorman and nodded, a smile spreading on her angelic face.

“Yes please. Thank you.” Holding her petit hand out she placed it in his and started walking the small journey to the entrance. However, she hadn’t even taken 2 steps when she noticed a man standing to the left of the door. He had pulled the once crisp collar of his black tux jacket up, shielding himself from the cold. He was tall, taller than she was anyway, and that’s saying something as Gracey stood at 5’10. His curly hair was in his face as he looked down, as his hands delved into both pants pockets, searching. That was when he looked up, catching Gracey’s green emerald eyes and held the stare. She smiled timidly, almost embarrassed she had been caught staring. However, the stranger smiled widely, almost happy he had caught her.

As Gracey got nearer to the door, she was blushing and hoping to make a quick get away, avoided the eyes of the tall, dark stranger. However, he did not see it that way.

“Excuse me miss?” His smooth voice almost sent a ripple of pleasure down her back. She hid it well though as she turned to his direction noticing they were only a foot or two from each other.

“Yeah?” She smiled innocently, and looked at him, making eye contact with him in a bid to show her deflating confidence. She had always been no good at talking to strangers, especially good looking ones like him.

“Do you have a lighter? I left mine inside” His eyes searched her face as he smiled a lop-sided grin. This simple action almost made Gracey weak at the knees. She smiled and shook her head softly, as she felt the hand of the doorman try and guide her inside.

“No, sorry!” She smiled before turning and willingly let herself be lead into the posh building.

Later, they had both admitted that they were happy this small exchange happened, and Gracey silently thanked John for asking her such a feeble question, though till this day she never admitted it. She was far too shy in the early years at the magazine, and was told almost everyday to be more confident. Being married to John had definitely made her more confident, in more ways that one. She was no longer the silent assistant at the back of the office meeting, quietly scribbling down notes from the big boss. Nor was she the no body that begged for the light to be off while she and John made love. She was John Mayer’s wife and her face was almost as famous as John’s colourful past.

Gracey smiled to herself having finally realised the reason she was with John in the first place, and that is because he makes her feel like the only one in the world that matters. The soft jolt in her stomach brought her back to the present, and realise she was no longer the only one, but one of two that are most important.

Having gotten married 2 months earlier, they found out few days before the big day that Gracey was 3 months pregnant. Overjoyed with the idea of being parents, John and Gracey immediately went out in Los Angeles to find the perfect family house. After only looking at a handful houses, they picked the first house they saw: a beautiful 5-bed house in the middle of a private estate in a suburban area. They put a deposit on the house immediately. The house needed a lot of work and a lot of the rooms weren’t finished, but Gracey and John could already image their young son running round the halls.

“Hey buddy, you hungry in there?” Gracey smiled down to her own stomach, swollen with their firstborn. She was 5 months pregnant with a little boy. Feeling the same soft kick she had felt seconds before, she took that as a yes and pulled herself from the comfy bed. The knocking and bolting sounds that filled her house were still present, and she knew she was going to give John hell for this.

The sound only grew louder as she pulled open the bedroom door, revealing around 10 workers in the hallway.

“Good morning Mrs. Mayer” One stopped and smiled and she stood on the spot, completely speechless and a little shocked. Another 2 workers pass, both greeting her by my name, smiling widely and carrying on with their work.

“Where’s John?” Gracey asked timidly, tiptoeing down the hallway, past the room closest to her and John’s bedroom. Peaking into the brightly lit bedroom, she was met with about 4 different shades of pastel blue. She suddenly realised what this was: the nursery.

“Downstairs with the designer Mrs. Mayer. He told us to send you down there when you woke.” Another work said, as he carried in some white shelves to the small bedroom.

Nodding, Gracey moved from the hallway and down the spit staircase, carrying herself down the right hand set that lead into the main body of the house. Her hand absentmindedly rubbed her stomach, still feeling the same feeling of hunger and butterflies move round her stomach.

“You’re daddy is so in for it buddy!” She muttered down to her middle, as she passed more workers, all greeting her to same way the men upstairs had. She smiled tightly, nodding as she ventured towards the sound of her husbands voice.

“And then after you’ve done that, could you work on the pool-house? We wanted that to be a sort of annexe for guests, and her parents!” John’s hearty voice boomed round the house, and soft laughter filled the rooms afterwards. She tutted to herself hating it when he made jokes about her over-baring parents. She floated from room to room, being met by only paint pots, covered sofa’s and tables and lots of workers that all smiled broadly at her.

“John, where are you?” She called loudly over the sound of hammers and sawing.

“Oh, hold on a second Adam,” I heard John mutter, “I’m in the kitchen baby.” He finally addressed her and she huffed, carrying herself past the living room and cinema, spotting briefly to spot a set up drum-kit and mic stand in the cinema room. She felt herself grow redder with anger at her husband’s plans to turn the cinema room into a recording booth. She finaly stopped at the room at end where her large white, new kitchen sat. Reaching the doorway she spotted John, dressed in jeans and a white t-shirt sipping on coffee and chatting to some business suit at the kitchen island.

“Hey gorgeous. You sleep alright?” John asked, turning from the young businessman next to him. A baseball sat upon his newly shaved head, and the tan he had caught whilst on their honeymoon still radiated from his skin. His white t-shirt only complicated it.

“Erm, I’m fine. What the hell is going on?” Gracey asked, completely ignored the man next to John, who shifted uncomfortably in his seat and smiled nervously. John laughed quietly, setting down his cup of steaming coffee and made his way to her at the doorway.

“It was going to be a surprise. Do you like it? You said on the honeymoon you wanted the house to be finished by the time junior came along, and so I hired Adam here,” He paused and gestured to the man,” to get the house finished.” John smiled, ignoring any annoyance that coated Gracey’s face. John could read her like a book and also knew exactly what to say and how to act to get Gracey out of any hormone-induced mood.

“Well it would have been nice to been told, but…I guess I should be thankful” She muttered to herself, her hands still rubbing her belly.

“Yes you should!” Placing a simple kiss to her forehead, John moved from the doorway, his hand softly pulling Gracey with him and sitting her at the table opposite Adam.

“Adam, I’d like you to meet my glowing, pregnant wife, Gracey. Baby, this is Adam, he’s helping us do the house before junior arrives” John made the quick introduction as he set about making fresh fruit salad for Gracey, knowing this was her normal breakfast since they knew they were expecting.

“Hi” She muttered, running her hands through her chopped blond hair and wishing to herself she hadn’t cut it only a few days earlier.

“Hi Mrs. Mayer. Lovely to meet you, I’ve heard a lot about you” Adam spoke confidently, smiling when Gracey looked up to meet his eyes. She smiled back, slowly creeping out of her bad mood.

“Call me Gracey, please. John, can you make me some melon with that?” She called past Adam to John who was messily cutting up strawberries and kiwis.

“When are you due?” Adam’s voice brought her thoughts back to the table and she smiled at him again.

“I’m 5 months gone.” Her hand rubbing in circles at it grumbled with hunger.

“Lovely. My wife just had our first daughter. It’s very exciting!” Hearing he was married with children instantly eased Gracey into feeling comfortable around him.

“Aw how lovely. Congratulations” She beamed happily, and the change her mood instantly showed as she accepted the bowl of fruit from John and placed a gentle kiss on his lips.

“Thank you. It’s an exciting time for us. John was telling me you are expecting a boy.Any names yet?” He drank from his own cup of coffee as he waited for an answer.

“I want Fender or Hendrix” John called from his corner of the kitchen, instantly gaining a laugh from the young designer. Gracey only shook her head at John dramatically.

“No way. I like Samuel or George,” She smiled at Adam, then scolded at John, “Proper name!” She made a point of saying it before looking back at Adam, who only sat and laughed at the two exchange words.

“Well Sam and George are awesome names!” He smiled as John rounded from behind him carrying a bowl of fruit for Gracey, setting it in front of her. He pushed his dark cap from his head and scratched his newly shaved hair. When the couple arrived back from their long honeymoon last weekend, they both made a trip to the hairdressers to get haircuts. Both regretted their styles but daren’t tell the other.

“Well if you’ll excuse me I’m going to go see how my guys are doing. John, I’ll be next door if you have any more ideas” Adam spoke. By now, John was sat next to Gracey, slowly pitching pieces of fruit from his bowl, one arms draped round the back of her stool. He looked up and nodded at Adam, and with no more words exchanged, Adam disappeared the newly wed couple were left by themselves in the kitchen; the only empty room in the house.

“You alright darlin’?” He asked once more, pitching a square of pineapple and munching as he lazily gazed down to Gracey. Licking his fingers clean of any juice, he pushed some hand from her forehead and then placed it on her stomach.

Gracey turned from her food and nodded at him, her eyes drinking in her husband’s tanned face and lazy eyes. The dark circles round his eyes made him look incredibly tired but Gracey knew this was a usual look for the almost nocturnal man.

“I’m fine, just a bit of a shock waking up on a Saturday to house full of men” She chuckled quietly as she ate her fruit.

“I know, Sorry. It was meant to be a surprise but now you’ve woken, I can see how it would have been annoying. Sorry baby, I wasn’t thinking.” He voice was low now, and the smoothness of it drove Gracey wild. There was no denying to either of them that Gracey’s pregnancy had messed her hormones up good and proper, and John knew exactly what to do to make her hot and wanting. She turned and her eyes cast a look towards his full, pouty lips. John grinned, now realising what had happened and he laughed heartedly.

“Easy tiger. House full of men, remember!” He murmured against her ear before leaning in and placing another kiss to her temple. Gracey growled playfully and shoved a piece of melon into her watering mouth.

“Don’t do that then!” She grumbled through her mouth of fruit, only causing John to laugh at her more. He stood and walked to the fridge. Her eyes followed him and that’s when she spotted the parcel on the counter.

“Is this…?” She asked, looking up at his as she reached across the table.

“Yep. Arrived this morning, I didn’t want to open it until you were awake” He smiled, looking down at her lovingly as he poured her a glass of juice. Gracey squealed with excitement and slowly eased off her stool so as not to disturb the now sleeping baby inside of her.

“Let’s open them!” She clapped her hands joyously and picked up the large envelope. John laughed and stood behind her, one arm wrapping round her waist and laying on her belly. Kissing her temple once more, then rested his own temple against hers he nodded.

“Do it, see what the damage is!”

Needing no more prompting, Gracey ripped open the top of the envelope and outpoured 100 or more professional images from their wedding day, taken 2 months earlier.