A Beautiful Forever(46)
“Congratulations to both of you,” David says. “On your marriage and the baby. I’m still trying to get this one down the aisle.”
Katrina laughs and nudges David with her shoulder, “You make it sound like I’m avoiding it. David wants to elope but I really want the whole fairy tale thing, and that takes time to plan,” she says.
“What did you two do?” David asks.
“Oh, we just had a small ceremony with a few friends. Kathy and Steve came, and my mother and father were there too. Then we went to a restaurant afterwards.” Paige tells them.
“It was great,” I add. “Small is good. I wouldn’t have wanted it any other way.”
“Oh, you both have matching tattoos,” Katrina points out, “Elliot showed me a photo of the one on your back Paige – it’s absolutely amazing.”
I feel Paige immediately stiffen at my side. “Oh he did, did he?”
“How long did it take you to get?” Katrina asks, either not noticing, or choosing not to notice Paige’s change in temperament.
I hear crying somewhere behind us and both Paige, and I turn to try to find Grace. Paige takes the opportunity to excuse herself to go and retrieve Grace from my mother.
“Trina!” David admonishes chuckling slightly.
“What? What did I do?” she asks.
“You didn’t need to mention the tattoo Katrina, I didn’t exactly show you that photo,” I point out.
“Oh god, I’m such an idiot – let me go and talk to her. I’ll tell her it was my fault.”
“Trina, leave it,” David tells her. “I know you have the best intentions, but it’s better if you sit this one out, ok?”
“Ok,” she agrees as David plants a kiss on the top of her head, squeezing her close to him. “I really am sorry Elliot,” she says.
“It’s fine, Katrina. Don’t worry about it. I'll talk to her.”
Paige
Well, that was awkward. Katrina is f*cking stunning. I feel short, fat and ugly near her. She looks like a female equivalent of Elliot. I think I hate her. Sure it’s irrational because I just met her but seriously – what the f*ck? Why in the world would Kathy invite her here? Does this mean she prefers Katrina to me? Is this one of those weird things where the mother in law is nice to my face but tells everyone else that I was a consolation prize? Maybe she thinks that Elliot only married me because I got pregnant, oh god, what if he did…?
When I reach Kathy, Grace has really taken to crying, she’s obviously tired so I take her inside to Elliot’s and my bedroom to feed her to sleep. She’s wailing and pulling at my top as I shush her and undo my buttons, so she can feed.
I stand in the quiet, shut off from the party outside and look over the photos on the wall. Smiling to myself at the memories behind them, the largest photo in the centre is the one of me in the hotel room when he took a photo of my tattoo, the one that Katrina mentioned – how the hell did she manage to see it? Were they hanging out together? Has she been in this room with him? Oh god, I don’t even want to think about it.
Grace snuffles in my arms as she drinks with her eyes closed and her tiny hand laid flat against my chest. My heart fills with love for her as I watch her drifting off into baby dream land.
Walking over to the window, I look out at the people below me. I can’t believe there are so many people here happy for Elliot’s return. I can’t believe he was willing to give all of this up to stay in the UK with me.
As my eyes move towards where Elliot is still standing my heart deflates, landing with a thud in the pit of my stomach. He’s talking animatedly and laughing with Katrina; David has this fake smile plastered on his face. If he’s the guy Katrina chose over Elliot, and he looks uncomfortable, then how should I be feeling?
I look down as Grace’s mouth falls open and her body fully relaxes. I should put her in her cot and go back out, but I’m not ready yet.
Elliot
It’s time to eat and I haven’t seen Paige for a while, I think she might be hiding out inside with Grace. I excuse myself from talking to my aunt and uncle, and head back into the house in search of Paige.
I find her fast asleep on our bed, cradling Grace in the crook of her arm. My heart feels full at the sight of them together, and I stop caring that we’re supposed to be outside with everyone. I ease myself onto the bed and brush the curls on the heads of both of my girls. They are so beautiful that I just want this moment for myself before I need to wake Paige.
Her eyes flutter open anyway and slowly focus on mine. “Hey,” I whisper.
Smiling, she sighs a little. “Hey,” she echoes back.
“Food’s ready.”
“Oh, how long have I been in here?”
“Maybe an hour.”
She closes her eyes for a moment before sitting up, bringing a sleeping Grace along with her. I watch as she carries Grace to her cot and places her gently inside.
“Do you still care about her Elliot?” she asks me quietly when she returns to stand in front of me.
“What? Why would you even think that?” I reply, sliding across the bed where I can reach her hands and pull her towards me, so she’s sitting on my lap.
Her eyes are brimming with tears as she looks at me. “Because Elliot, she’s beautiful and it’s not like you broke it off because you wanted to… Plus, I was watching you from up here, talking to her… you look so… right together. I guess I kind of feel like a consolation prize in comparison.”
“Paige, how can you not understand how much I love you? Do you want to know what I think when I look at Katrina? I think, thank god things didn’t work out with her, because if they did, I might have missed out on meeting you.”
She rests her head on my chest, and I wrap my arms around her. It's times like these that she seems so small to me.
“Do you think I would have tattooed your name on my arm if I wasn’t sure about you Paige?” I ask.
She lifts her head, “Why did you show her the photo of my back?”
“I didn't. I showed her a photo of you and I together, and she swiped to the next photo and saw it that way. It pissed me off actually, and I snatched my phone out of her hand.”
“Why? Were you embarrassed?” she challenges me.
“No Paige. I just didn’t think it was any of her business.”
“Why were you even showing her your phone? Were you spending time with her while you were home?”
Chuckling at her barrage of questions, I shake my head. “She approached me while I was packing up after training a client, we spoke for like – two minutes and that was it.”
“Do you think your mum likes her better than me?”
“No, not at all, my mum loves you.”
“Then why would she invite her?”
I laugh a little, not really sure why my mother did it. “Because she’s an idiot. I think she was just so excited that we were coming home that she invited every person she came in contact with. I’m surprised the checkout chick, and the petrol station attendant aren’t here.”
Paige laughs through her nose a bit at this and I smooth her hair away from her face. “I love you alright. I choose you above every woman past, present or future – you’re The One for me, do you understand that?” I assure her, my voice still low so as not to wake Grace.
Placing a hand on either side of my face she leans in pressing her lips to mine. I breathe in deeply, holding her tightly to me as I return her fervour but stop us before we move any further.
“We have to get back out there Paige. They'll come looking for us soon.”
“Alright,” she nods, sliding off my lap, taking one last look at Grace before she walks to the door.
Paige
The rest of the BBQ goes by fairly smoothly. Katrina and David leave soon after lunch, so I don’t have to feel uncomfortable for too long. Admittedly, I think they were feeling a bit weird too, so I guess we’re all glad when lunch is over, and they can leave quietly.
I spend the rest of the afternoon catching up with Naomi and getting to know Stephanie. All in all, it’s been great to meet everyone who’s important to Elliot and his family, I just could have done without the ex-girlfriend sighting.
Before he leaves, Elliot’s father, who actually seems quite nice considering what I was expecting, invites us both out to dinner the next week, saying that he wants to give us a wedding present since he missed our nuptials.
Now that all the guests have left, I’m taking over baby duty by lying on the floor in the lounge room with Grace while she plays on her mat, grabbing at little balls and shaking them so the animals and tiny beads inside them rattle about.
Elliot is off helping his mum, and Steven clean up after the BBQ of the century. We’ve decided not to say anything about Katrina to his mum. She went to so much trouble to put all of this together so we don’t want to appear ungrateful and Elliot seems very sure that she didn’t mean anything by it, so I will trust him on this one.