▫️Forty-three

Ginelle's pov

The first person I shared this exciting news with was my mama but could you imagine her reaction?

I knew.

At first I thought Grey might have told her but then this was what she told me.

I noticed something different with him during your last visit. He would stare at you for so long as if lost in thought.

It was only an hunch then but that evening I heard him in the bathroom where he rehearsed the words.

I remember smiling at that and giggling all together as mama told me that she'd known that Grey was going to propose soon.

I still couldn't believe it had happened.

I was now engaged to Grey.

We were going to get married.

We were going to start a family.

All this seemed to be a dream come true and I couldn't help but smile as I thought of what was to come in our lives.

"Do we need to buy this?" Grey pointed to a row that had tissues and serviettes as he stared down at me beside him.

We had gone shopping for the family meeting that would be held sometime during the day.

After sharing our engagement news, our families had decided to organize a get-together this afternoon so that we could all know each other better.

"Just two of each," I attempted to reach to the specific ones but being so short, I couldn't even reach his shoulder.

Grey chuckled at my attempt as he took everything we needed, one hand of his pushing the cart while the other rested on my shoulder.

"They were just so high up," I felt the need to defend my situation despite knowing that he was only joking.

"I know baby," he whispered into my ear and tickled my sides and that made me bust into giggles as I twisted around.

"You can always depend on me," he ruffled my hair as we neared the end of the aisle, checking if everything was in the cart.

"And you can always depend on me," I held onto his free arm and smiled reassuringly at him.

We had each other's back.

Our time to pay later arrived and Grey paid before we even discussed about splitting our bills but I made a mental note to remind him later.

We had everything carried to his car before we later left for my parents' home where every other person was waiting for us.

Mama had invited almost all of our relatives; my aunts, uncles and cousins were all going to be there.

Grey's side of the family wasn't that big since I knew most of them. There were only two younger friends to Nana whom I'd never met.

Obviously we had also invited all our close friends. I could still the hear the scream Leila and Clarissa let out that day when I told them that Grey had proposed.

Everyone was happy for us but I think we ourselves were the happiest.

We remained glued to each other for the past week as we made some small arrangements here and there.

We hadn't arranged anything about our wedding but I knew my parents or any of our relatives were going to ask us that today.

Feeling the need to clear this topic with Grey, I turned towards him as his fingers toyed with the new ring on my hand.

He'd developed that habit in a week.

"Umm, babe?" I shyly called out and blushed when he pecked the back of my hand before inclining his head my way to show that he was listening.

"About our wedding plans, what shall we say when they ask?" I sped up the first words but I knew Grey heard them just fine.

"W-Wedding?" He looked at me for a second before looking back on the road. "They're going to ask that?"

I nodded my head and then hummed and I could see the way Grey put much thought into it as he tapped on the wheel.

"Anytime, we shall say so." He replied so naturally that I felt the urge to suddenly burst into laughter.

He slowed down at my reaction and stopped playing with my fingers as he waited for me to say something more.

"People don't get married anytime Grey," I held the back of my hand over my mouth as I continued to laugh.

"We have to set a date, look for a venue, buy our wedding gowns, look for a reception amongst other things."

He nodded into every word I said as if he was noting them down in memory and hummed when I kept listing on.

"I had actually thought of a date..." He slowly began after I had finished speaking and that surprised me.

"You had? What day was is it? You never told me." I slapped him arm slightly but still smiled at him.

"I thought of a weekend ten weeks away," he turned to look at me as if to check if that was okay with me.

"You're the one that decides sweetheart, I'm very comfortable with any day." He stroked my arm as he told me that I was the one in charge.

"Any day?" I peeked at him from under my eye and joked, "Even tomorrow?"

He smiled and lifted my hand to his lap and then replied in a playful wink, "The earlier the better."

I slapped his arm again and he chuckled lightly as we got closer to my home.

"I'm okay with that date you set," I finally agreed to his earlier suggestion, knowing that it was enough time for us to get everything ready.

"How happy you make me," Grey pecked my hands all over again as we pulled up to the parking lot at the front.

"Then we shall get our gowns ready this coming month, is that alright?" He turned to face me and I easily agreed.

It sounded like a good plan.

Our wedding arrangement plan.

I had just unfastened my seatbelt and was ready to get off the car when Grey suddenly pulled me by arm.

I turned to look at him but it was his lips that I felt as they moved over my own.

He tugged the side of my neck towards him as he kissed me and I moved along with him until I heard the tap on the window to my side.

"G-Grey-y," I mumbled into his mouth when the sound persisted and it was after other several attempts that he caught on what I was implying.

We rested our foreheads on each other and stared into each other's eyes until I shyly looked at my lap.

Grey cupped my face as soon as I looked down and fondly stared at me, his lips pecking the side of my jaw one more time.

"I love you," he stroked my left cheek and lovingly gazed into my eyes.

"Grey, I also love you." His smile seemed to grow when I said the words and I adjusted the collar of his shirt before we got off.

The first person to see just after getting off was my papa. He pulled me into a bear hug and kissed my forehead.

"My lovely daughter is home," he smiled while patting my head affectionately and I hugged him for a second time.

He then turned to Grey and they too hugged, tapping their arms over each other's shoulders in what was supposed to look like a friendly greeting.

It sounded like a whack but the grins on their faces seemed to say otherwise as they exchanged a few words.

Soon my aunts, uncles and cousins joined in greeting us. They asked Grey so many questions that he could hardly answer one before another was asked.

Mama came to his rescue and took his hand as she led him towards the house saying she needed him to help her with something.

The questions now became directed to me but papa helped me answer a few of them before Grey's relatives finally arrived.

Nana came with the Williams' family together with her two friends who were closer in age to my parents.

They were so friendly and easy to get along with. I greeted Reece, Mayella and their parents, Mayella clearly having no clue what was happening.

Enzo and Jo were next to arrive then Clarissa arrived just some minutes after them.

Lora and her husband came with a sleepy Dalton who seemed to wake up after seeing his little friend.

Leila and Louis were the last to arrive and it wasn't a surprise because these two had married just a month ago.

Mama and papa led everyone to the back of the house where they had organized seats for everyone.

One of my elder cousins was asked to look after the kids as they played into the lawn on the opposite side.

We did some basic introduction to know each other, Grey slipping next to me just as the first person began talking.

He took my hand as soon as he sat down and kissed my side as another of his habit, an action that had my aunts giggling.

We talked for around half an hour, the mood so peaceful now that everyone knew the other and were talking freely.

Grey and I obviously stood before everyone as we introduced ourselves to everyone.

Every of my relative seemed curious about Grey and I could totally understand why.

He was so handsome. Not to mention how kind and polite he was.

They all stared at him for the first couple of minutes and because Grey was not that open to attention, he ended up wrapping his arms round my waist.

Imagine having your uncles peering up at you, your aunts pretending to cough and some of your cousins even whistling.

Mama again saved us from all those eyes as she asked Grey and I to help her bring out the food from the kitchen.

I took Grey's hand in mine and followed mama's orders as we set everything she asked of us.

Two of my aunts later helped in serving and asked us to sit down with the rest since the event was organized for us.

"I can't believe you are tying the knot soon," Reece teased Grey like he usually did but there was that congratulatory note.

"Welcome to this other side," Louis offered his input as Enzo, Jo and Lora congratulated us for our new relationship status.

"Girl, even I can't believe!" Leila crushed me into an hug, Clarissa joining us as she too wished me the best.

"I'm the one who should be saying that," Nana took my hands and warmed them up with her own as she smiled at both Grey and I.

"I never thought you would charm any woman but look at you now marrying such a beautiful lady,"

"Take care of her, my boy." Nana patted his shoulder affectionately and stood up as Rosie and her husband wished us a happy life.

After standing for a while, I felt the growing ache in my feet so I went up my room to get a pair of light sandals.

I had just finished adjusting my messed up hair when I felt a presence behind me and I immediately squealed when I was lifted up by large strong arms.

Knowing it was Grey, I wrapped my arms around his neck as he held me the bridal way, making me blink up at him.

"You look so ethereal when you do that," I looked up at him in confusion and blinked again in the process making him sigh happily.

"You're doing it again," he rubbed our noses together and carried me out of the room when we heard mama calling us.

"Put me down," I tapped his shoulder when we were halfway down the stairs, remembering we weren't the only ones present.

Grey seemed to frown when I suggested so but he seemed to come up with a better idea. "I'll carry you when we're home, okay?"

I nodded in a goofy smile and lowly mumbled, "You'll get tired though,"

"Never," he followed me down the stairs and I almost missed it when he added, "Unless you grow a foot taller."

He skipped the rest of the stairs faster so that I couldn't get him because he knew I was going to scold him for being mean.

Nevertheless, he still peeked up at me to check whether I was catching up as he took moderate steps.

Everyone looked up when we got back, not to mention that I almost tripped on my own foot but Grey was quick to hold me before I fell embarrassingly.

We took our spots next to each other as we joined the others for lunch.

Grey made sure to share some of his meat with him since I had been craving that all week.

I noticed some of my cousins stare at us so I tugged him arm so that he'd stop adding more pieces to my plate.

He clearly didn't catch on because he took out a serviette and wiped away a smear on my cheek, turning more eyes our way.

Lunch passed by so quickly and Grey stood up to help clear the dishes despite everyone telling him that he didn't have to.

Everyone was in awe as he walked away carrying all the plates and it was then my cousins turned to me.

"Where did you get this man, Ellie?" The first asked before the rest followed suit. "He's so fine," another wiggled.

My aunts coughed as if wanting to join the conversation but didn't utter a word, perhaps because their husbands were there with them.

"Sweetheart help me take these," he took the last round of everything else and whispered into my ear.

Together we took everything to the kitchen but mama prohibited us from washing the dishes, letting us walk around the house freely.

We passed by room once again and this time Grey led me in sat me at the edge of the bed before taking a look at my toes.

The smallest of my toes had reddened and swollen slightly due to my previous pair of shoes.

Grey squatted to look at the skin there and then he took out a pain relief cream from his pant pockets.

He gently spread the substance over my toes being careful not to press so hard. I didn't even ask where he got that cream from, because I already knew it was mama's.

I thanked him after he was done and he plopped himself beside me, resting his head on the pillows.

"Tired?" I too lay on my back, turning to the left to admire my husband to be, who shook his head.

"Are you excited for our married life?" I saw him shift and his attention dropped from the ceiling to me.

"Very excited baby," I blushed at the endearment and when I felt him shift closer to my face, I blushed the more.

"I've been imagining that for a long time, it's about time I see things from a practical view."

His gaze dropped from my eyes to my nose and then to my lips before whispered, "Do you want to know what I've been imagining?"

I gulped at the intensity of his eyes that barely left my face as he kept leaning even closer.

Just when I was about to agree into knowing what this was about, Mayella and Dalton rushed into the room.

Grey and I reluctantly looked up but what they asked surprised us even further.

"Masha, Reecie said you and Elle will become one. Is it true?" Mayella climbed up the bed to sit near our heads.

"One like peanut butter and jelly?" Dalton too climbed to my right and asked curiously.

We both turned our heads to each other and smiled secretly.

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