Do you think they looked happy?

SCORPION BOWL REGRETS!

Ugh.

I got so nauseated last night, I thought I might lose my entire fried dinner. Aaron made me a tea, I held my head real still, and managed to avoid heaving. Which is good, because I'm only just getting over my last bout with throwing up broccoli, and if I had vommed last night I may never have eaten broccoli again!

Anywho.

Today the plan is to grab a lite lunch, head to the laundromat, a few other little errands, and clean clean clean.

Big changes are coming to the readron\waite household soon and we need to get crackin.

Wish us luck.

This next little vignette has been orphaned. How sad for it. It takes place right after the wedding day brunch at the Riverside bistro, a sequence of some of my favorite scenes I've written. This little thing is from Velvet's point of view. It doesn't offer too much in the way of plot advancement, but hey, it's short, kinda sweet, and what the hell?

If you havent read them I really do encourage you to go back and read the wedding day scenes, especially the brunch ones.

1st; 2nd; 3rd;

lol.  I especially love Hector (2nd) and Grey's inner monologues during this scene (3rd)

The original intention was to have one more from maggie's pov and then this concluding one from Velvet but I think /i got too excited about the honeymoon and moved on and never went back to do Maggie's inner monologue, and now i think it'd be a little redundant.  But her's Velvet!  who is kinda redundant anyway sometimes, heeheehee.

Enjoy

*****************

“Do you think they looked happy?”  Velvet asked her husband after they’d waved good-bye to the newlywed couple and said goodbye to Mr. Hector Ramirez.  They stood in the front foyer of The Riverside Bistro, taking a moment to linger before they had to dash out into the downpour and go their separate ways—she to the market and he back to work.

She looked up into his face and watched his thoughtful expression.  He didn’t answer right away, but looked into her face and smiled kindly.  “Do you?”

Her eyes crinkled.  “It’s so romantic.”  She said softly and squeezed his hand meaningfully.

“Very.”  He replied indulgently.

“Do you?  Think they looked happy?”  She pressed, wanting his opinion, needing his more objective point of view.

He raised his eyebrows and leaned down to kiss her softly.  “Honestly?”

She nodded, holding her breath.

“I think they looked scared to death.”  He laughed gently and she giggled.

“So I wasn’t imagining it?”  She felt relieved to know her perception wasn’t too terribly off.

He shook his head.  “Not that I can blame Grey.”  He said with a sigh.  “Mr. Ramirez seems very protective indeed.”

Velvet smiled and placed her head against her husband’s arm with a contented sigh.  “He’s just doing what fathers have to do.”  She mused.  Jonah made a ‘hmmm’ of agreement and she squeezed his hand again.  “I think our son did very well though, don’t you?”

“I was very impressed.”  Jonah agreed sounding more than a little relived and quite proud.

“What do you think of her?” Velvet asked, hoping she sounded neutral.  She didn’t want to bias his response; she wanted to know his honest reaction.

Jonah was quiet and Velvet didn’t need to look at him to know he was pondering.  “She seems bright and level-headed.”  He answered diplomatically.  “And sweet.”  He added.

Velvet rolled her eyes.  “Don’t you think she’s beautiful?”

He chuckled.  “She’s lovely.”  He answered tepidly.

“Don’t you think they looked good together?”  She prodded.

“I suppose they did.”  He answered in a way that told Velvet he hadn’t even thought about it for a moment.

“Why, do you think?”  She couldn’t quite wrap her head around the spontaneous elopement.

Jonah pulled her into a hug and kissed the top of her head before answering.  “I’m not sure it matters why they did it, Love.  It’s done.”

She furrowed her brows.  “But do you think they love eachother very much?”

Still holding her close against him he laughed quietly.  “You are a hopeless romantic.”  He told her affectionately.  “Then, so am I.”  He conceded and she smiled against his chest.  “What other reason could two beautiful young people have to elope besides loving eachother very very much?”  he teased her sweetly.

She felt cozy and safe in his arms and she never wanted him to let go.  “I love you.”  She told him.

“I love you.”  He responded.

Velvet wondered suddenly if Maggie might be pregnant.  She was surprised to discover she hoped so.  She was also surprised to discover how proud she felt of Grey if he had married her because of that. 

The image of Grey’s father swam to the surface of her mind and she frowned.  Grey was better than him.  Infinitely better.  He would do right by that girl. He wouldn’t do to Maggie what Vaughan had done to her all those years ago.  Jonah had raised him better than that.  Raised him to be a good man. 

She squeezed her husband fiercely.  She suspected Jonah might know for sure one way or the other, know more than Grey’d decided to share with her, but she decided she didn’t want to know yet.  She’d wait.  Wait till they told her. 

“I have to get back.”  He said rubbing her back.

“Come home with me instead.”  Velvet said, looking up at him with sultry eyes and allowing her voice to get smooth and suggestive.

He opened his mouth to respond then closed it again.  He cleared his throat.  Then he smiled sadly.  “You know I’d love nothing more, but I shouldn’t have even taken this much time away.”

She recognized the finality in his voice and pouted.  He raised one eyebrow at her and then kissed that petulant pout.  She breathed in the smell of him, the clean soap smell and bergamot.  Then he pulled back, ran two knuckles softly down the side of her face and kissed her forehead. 

“Be careful driving in this rain.”  He said to her and she bit her lip to keep from grinning.

“I’m a fine driver.”  She asserted.

He stared at her.  “Velvet.”

She laughed.  “I’ll be careful.”

He nodded and stepped away from her almost regretfully.  “See you tonight Mrs. Delaney.”  He said with an affectionate and playful smile.

Her heart thrilled at the sweet reminder of their first days together as a married couple.  He’d said it to her every chance he could.  When she’d been his young bride.  She’d reveled in the change of title and would get giddy and warm whenever he’d say it to her.  ‘Would you pass the carrots Mrs. Delaney’ or ‘How was your shopping trip Mrs. Delaney?’ or ‘Mrs. Delaney, would you care to join me in the bedroom?’.  His adorable playful formality had made her feel girlish and adored and sweet and sexy all at once.  And every morning on their honeymoon, when she opened her eyes and stretched and melted against his side and slipped her fingers through the spread of hair on his chest, even before opening his eyes he’d smile and tell her ‘good morning Mrs. Delaney—you make me the happiest man on earth.’ Whenever he called her that she breathed a little fuller and felt a tickle deep inside her. 

Now, all these years later, after 20 years of married bliss, he could still make her feel like that young bride, just by the way he caressed the address, and smiled, and let his voice go soft and warm and a little bit sexy.  Reveling in that intimate tickle deep within her Velvet fluttered her lashes coquettishly and smiled. “I look forward to it, Mr. Delaney.”