Until You Met Me
Ninety Four
“So, what have you got so far?”
Molly, who’d been studying the screen of her laptop, jumped a little when she felt Gerard’s chin settle on her shoulder, allowing him to look at the screen too. It still surprised her. After the conversation that they had had on Christmas day, they had talked a little more, trying to decide on a time scale for when they wanted the wedding to be, and after they had picked a date, they had started to work on the details, something which still felt a little surreal to Molly. It was something she had wanted for a while. Since they had settled in their home, her thoughts had been fixed on what came next, and whilst she was thrilled that Gerard had finally landed on the same page as her, she couldn’t quite believe it. He had been hesitant for a long time, and the idea that he wasn’t any more, that he was as excited about wedding planning as she was, was something that Molly would need a little time to get her head around.
“What makes you think that this is wedding stuff and not work stuff?” Molly asked.
Gerard, who’d sunk onto the bed behind her, smirked as he flicked a magazine that sat open by her side. “Last time I checked, lesson plans didn’t involve articles about summer colour schemes” he quipped “So, unless you’ve changed jobs without saying anything, you’re working on wedding stuff” he added.
Molly grinned over her shoulder at him. “Maybe I have decided to become a wedding planner” she played along.
“Without telling me?” Gerard teased, feigning indignation “Molly, how could you?” he added.
Molly tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself, something that made the already wide smile on Gerard’s face grow a little. Shaking her head, she turned back to her laptop, scrolling back up to the top of the page she had been reading. “It’s a checklist” she said “Darcy sent it to me a few days, but this morning is the first time I have had time to look at it” she added.
Gerard nodded his head slowly. “Is it a lot?” he asked.
Molly shrugged. “I think depends on how big a wedding you want” she said “The more people you invite, the bigger everything is” she added.
Gerard, who’d leant over Molly’s shoulder to scroll through the list that she had been reading, turned to look at her. “How big a wedding do you want?” he asked.
Molly’s lips quirked slightly, like she wanted to make a joke, but she thought better of it. As confident as she was that Gerard wanted to start thinking ahead, she wasn’t quite confident enough to test it, worried that if she said the wrong thing, then he could change his mind and try to slow everything down again. “There are people we have to invite” she replied “Parents, siblings, friends. People that wouldn’t forgive us for getting married and not inviting them to be there” she added.
Gerard pressed a kiss to the side of her face, smirking slightly against her skin. “That isn’t an answer to the question I asked” he muttered.
Molly ducked away from him. “How big a wedding do you want?” she countered.
“As big a wedding as you want” Gerard quipped, still smirking.
Molly’s eyes narrowed, even despite the ghost of an amused smile that played at the corner of her lips. “You’re going to be really annoying through this whole thing, aren’t you?” she asked.
Gerard grinned at her for a moment before he shook his head, his fingers tracing the line of the engagement ring on her finger. “I am going to say something” he said “And it’s going to sound really cheesy, which I know you’re going to tease me for, but I am going to say it anyway, OK?” he asked.
Molly nodded, watching his fingers trace hers.
“I just want to marry you” Gerard continued “And when I do that, I want it to be in the way that will make you happiest. You want to elope? Tell me, and we can go tomorrow. You want something small, just our families and closest friends? Then that is what we will do. You want the biggest, fanciest wedding you’ve ever seen? Just say the word, and we will do whatever you want” he added.
Molly kept her stare on their hands, but it wasn’t enough to completely hide the goofy smile that had brightened her features. “You’re right” she murmured “That was really cheesy, and I will remember that you said it and tell all of our friends about it” she added.
“That’s fine” Gerard played along “I still love telling the story of your 21st birthday party” he added.
Molly laughed, finally looking up at him. “You really don’t care what it looks like?” she asked.
“I care” Gerard corrected “It’s our wedding, Mol. Of course I care about what it looks like. I just...I want it to be what you want. I might love being the centre of attention, but you don’t so much. I want to make you happy” he added.
Molly’s amused expression softened into something more tender. “Then maybe something smaller” she said “Not too small, but maybe not the biggest, fanciest wedding you’ve ever seen. Our families, our closest friends, maybe a few people from work and a few of your teammates, but only significant other plus ones. I have cousins that will show up with just about anyone and I don’t want to be looking back at our wedding pictures, trying to guess the name of the strangers” she added.
Gerard nodded his head. “Sounds good to me” he quipped.
“You’re not just saying that?” Molly asked.
Gerard lifted her hand up, pressing a gentle kiss against her palm as he shook his head.
“Are you busy now?” Molly asked “Because if you’re not, we could work on writing up a guest list” she added, trying, and failing, to keep the excitement out of her voice.
Gerard smiled at her gently. “I’d like that” he quipped.
Molly grinned back at him happily before she returned her attention to her laptop, affording Gerard the opportunity to just watch her for a moment, marvelling at the smile on her face and noting how happy he was that her initial worries about trying to move things forwards seemed to have eased. He wasn’t surprised that she had them. What had happened with Ava had been a sizeable knock to Molly’s confidence in them, and he knew that she had needed some time to regain it, but he was happy with the progress that they had made, even if they weren’t completely where they’d been before. They were getting there.
Molly, who’d been studying the screen of her laptop, jumped a little when she felt Gerard’s chin settle on her shoulder, allowing him to look at the screen too. It still surprised her. After the conversation that they had had on Christmas day, they had talked a little more, trying to decide on a time scale for when they wanted the wedding to be, and after they had picked a date, they had started to work on the details, something which still felt a little surreal to Molly. It was something she had wanted for a while. Since they had settled in their home, her thoughts had been fixed on what came next, and whilst she was thrilled that Gerard had finally landed on the same page as her, she couldn’t quite believe it. He had been hesitant for a long time, and the idea that he wasn’t any more, that he was as excited about wedding planning as she was, was something that Molly would need a little time to get her head around.
“What makes you think that this is wedding stuff and not work stuff?” Molly asked.
Gerard, who’d sunk onto the bed behind her, smirked as he flicked a magazine that sat open by her side. “Last time I checked, lesson plans didn’t involve articles about summer colour schemes” he quipped “So, unless you’ve changed jobs without saying anything, you’re working on wedding stuff” he added.
Molly grinned over her shoulder at him. “Maybe I have decided to become a wedding planner” she played along.
“Without telling me?” Gerard teased, feigning indignation “Molly, how could you?” he added.
Molly tried not to laugh, but she couldn’t help herself, something that made the already wide smile on Gerard’s face grow a little. Shaking her head, she turned back to her laptop, scrolling back up to the top of the page she had been reading. “It’s a checklist” she said “Darcy sent it to me a few days, but this morning is the first time I have had time to look at it” she added.
Gerard nodded his head slowly. “Is it a lot?” he asked.
Molly shrugged. “I think depends on how big a wedding you want” she said “The more people you invite, the bigger everything is” she added.
Gerard, who’d leant over Molly’s shoulder to scroll through the list that she had been reading, turned to look at her. “How big a wedding do you want?” he asked.
Molly’s lips quirked slightly, like she wanted to make a joke, but she thought better of it. As confident as she was that Gerard wanted to start thinking ahead, she wasn’t quite confident enough to test it, worried that if she said the wrong thing, then he could change his mind and try to slow everything down again. “There are people we have to invite” she replied “Parents, siblings, friends. People that wouldn’t forgive us for getting married and not inviting them to be there” she added.
Gerard pressed a kiss to the side of her face, smirking slightly against her skin. “That isn’t an answer to the question I asked” he muttered.
Molly ducked away from him. “How big a wedding do you want?” she countered.
“As big a wedding as you want” Gerard quipped, still smirking.
Molly’s eyes narrowed, even despite the ghost of an amused smile that played at the corner of her lips. “You’re going to be really annoying through this whole thing, aren’t you?” she asked.
Gerard grinned at her for a moment before he shook his head, his fingers tracing the line of the engagement ring on her finger. “I am going to say something” he said “And it’s going to sound really cheesy, which I know you’re going to tease me for, but I am going to say it anyway, OK?” he asked.
Molly nodded, watching his fingers trace hers.
“I just want to marry you” Gerard continued “And when I do that, I want it to be in the way that will make you happiest. You want to elope? Tell me, and we can go tomorrow. You want something small, just our families and closest friends? Then that is what we will do. You want the biggest, fanciest wedding you’ve ever seen? Just say the word, and we will do whatever you want” he added.
Molly kept her stare on their hands, but it wasn’t enough to completely hide the goofy smile that had brightened her features. “You’re right” she murmured “That was really cheesy, and I will remember that you said it and tell all of our friends about it” she added.
“That’s fine” Gerard played along “I still love telling the story of your 21st birthday party” he added.
Molly laughed, finally looking up at him. “You really don’t care what it looks like?” she asked.
“I care” Gerard corrected “It’s our wedding, Mol. Of course I care about what it looks like. I just...I want it to be what you want. I might love being the centre of attention, but you don’t so much. I want to make you happy” he added.
Molly’s amused expression softened into something more tender. “Then maybe something smaller” she said “Not too small, but maybe not the biggest, fanciest wedding you’ve ever seen. Our families, our closest friends, maybe a few people from work and a few of your teammates, but only significant other plus ones. I have cousins that will show up with just about anyone and I don’t want to be looking back at our wedding pictures, trying to guess the name of the strangers” she added.
Gerard nodded his head. “Sounds good to me” he quipped.
“You’re not just saying that?” Molly asked.
Gerard lifted her hand up, pressing a gentle kiss against her palm as he shook his head.
“Are you busy now?” Molly asked “Because if you’re not, we could work on writing up a guest list” she added, trying, and failing, to keep the excitement out of her voice.
Gerard smiled at her gently. “I’d like that” he quipped.
Molly grinned back at him happily before she returned her attention to her laptop, affording Gerard the opportunity to just watch her for a moment, marvelling at the smile on her face and noting how happy he was that her initial worries about trying to move things forwards seemed to have eased. He wasn’t surprised that she had them. What had happened with Ava had been a sizeable knock to Molly’s confidence in them, and he knew that she had needed some time to regain it, but he was happy with the progress that they had made, even if they weren’t completely where they’d been before. They were getting there.