Page 37 of Convincing Him
“Surely you don’t believe it’s bad luck for me to see the dress before the wedding,” Gabe scoffed.
“I want it to be a surprise,” chirped Britney over her shoulder as she put the dress in her bedroom. Coming back out she grew more serious. “There is something we need to do and I’m not certain if you will agree.”
Gabe sighed as he got up from the sofa. “Is it on the list? I already told you I truly do not care what cake flavor we have. The cake is all up to you.”
“This is not about the cake. This is a little more important to me,” admitted Britney. They had both sat down together and started a list of what needed to be done before the wedding, delegating duties to each other. Britney had loved how he had participated willingly in the project. She felt like they were finally on the same team, working together toward the same goals.
“Then what is it?” frowned Gabe. He could see how nervous Britney was getting and didn’t like it. Whatever she had up her sleeve, she was worried about his reaction.
Taking a deep breath, Britney plunged in. “I think we should kiss.”
Whatever Gabe had been expecting, it wasn’t this. “Excuse me?”
“First, it would look odd if our first kiss is at the wedding. I mean, we could tilt our head the wrong way, bump noses, make it terribly awkward and we don’t want to be embarrassed in front of all of our guests,” rushed Britney, trying to convince him. “It would come more naturally if we practiced. Second, we’re going to have to get used to kissing. There is a honeymoon coming very soon. Third… oh dear, I have forgotten what came third.”
Britney’s brows pinched together as she tried to think of more practical reasons to get Gabe to kiss her.
Gabe mulled over what she had said. His stomach clenched at the thought of kissing Britney, but she did have a point. He did not want either of them to be embarrassed at the wedding ceremony over a simple kiss. Kissing Britney was bound to be awkward the first few times.
“Gabe?” ventured a cautious Britney, interrupting his thoughts. “What do you think?”
“I suppose I agree,” he admitted.
“Oh,” said Britney, a little relieved. “I thought I would have to try harder to convince you.”
“What you said makes sense,” shrugged Gabe.
“I was thinking perhaps a goodnight kiss each night?” suggested Britney hopefully.
Gabe swallowed and nodded. There really was no point in putting it off. It was time for what had become their nightly routine. Brit would have the bathroom first then he would. Then they usually said goodnight and settled into their own rooms.
“You don’t have to look so grim about it,” muttered Britney as she went to her room.
Feeling flustered, Gabe began packing up his laptop, concentrating on the task. Britney marched out of her room, pajamas in hand as she stalked into the bathroom, shutting the door with a little more force than necessary.
Gabe shut his mouth, whatever he might have been about to say left unsaid. Annoyed, he went to his room, yanking off his tie and jacket.
Brit was a prickly thing. One moment she was all smiles, the next she was irritating and frustrating to be around. He had agreed with her, hadn’t he? Why on earth was she so upset? He just didn’t understand her.
Undoing the buttons on his cuffs he came out into the hallway as she was about to deposit her clothes into her bedroom. Gabe ignored the sight of her in the pajama tank top and shorts. It wasn’t sexy at all in his opinion. “Why are you mad at me? I agreed with you.”
She huffed, stalking back toward the bathroom. “You had an expression like I had asked you to kiss a fish.”
“What?” Gabe didn’t even know how to respond to what she had said. He trailed her into the washroom.
“You looked like you’d rather kiss a fish than kiss me, the woman you are about to marry,” explained Britney as she brushed her hair. “It’s really confidence inspiring. If that’s the way you look at me right now, like I’m some cockroach you need to deal with, then how is it going to look for all our guests at the wedding? I would like them to think you at least like me as a person, rather than despising me.”
“I don’t despise you,” defended Gabe. He had no idea how they had gone down this rabbit hole of reasoning.
Britney set the brush down, turning to look at him. “You’ve always disliked me, Gabe. Everyone knows it. I ran into Shelby Greshel today while dress shopping. She was astonished we were getting married. The first words out of her mouth was ‘wow, stalking has finally worked for you. You must have worn him down, Brit. I honestly thought it would never happen, especially after prom but miracle of miracles, you must be so happy. I’ll send Gabe my condolences.’”
“She did not say that,” a stunned Gabe managed to reply.
“She did,” affirmed Britney, hurt in her eyes. “She and all the other people of our acquaintance are thinking the same thing, even if they are being nice to our faces. Britney Crawford, whose family has always been barely respectable thanks to my father’s subservience to David Ramesly, has snagged herself Gabriel Ramesly by simply wearing him down after years of making a fool of herself.”
“Who cares what Shelby Greshel or the rest of them think?” asked Gabe, trying to digest what Britney said.
“I don’t,” shrugged Britney. Then she sighed. “I do care. I have always cared. They don’t accept me and they never will. You think I would be used to being not good enough for them or for you by now, but it still hurts.”
