She reached over and took the glass from Rory's hand and took a long drink from it.
“Hey!” Rory mock scowled before leaning over and kissing Gemma on the lips. “Good job I love you.”
“Mmm.” Gemma moaned into the kiss, and Rory felt it all the way to her core. Even after three years of being together, her body ached to have Gemma naked in her arms.
“I can’t wait to go back to our room.” Rory waggled her eyebrows, making Gemma bark with laughter.
“Me too, but we still have to do flowers, fittings, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner and then pretend to sleep inseparate rooms before the ‘big day’ tomorrow.” Gemma sighed. “This is everything I didn't want our wedding to be.”
“I know, babe.” Rory pulled Gemma onto her lap and held her tight before gently running her fingers over her toned forearms. They sat for a moment as the chaos of wedding preparations went on around them. When she had asked Gemma to marry her a year ago, she hadn't realised what a monster she had unleashed. On every trip home, they were bombarded with the combined force of their mothers with wedding ideas, plans, dresses, suits, flowers and all the other nonsense that was inconsequential to Rory and Gemma. After months of fighting with their parents, they had given in and let the mothers have almost free rein over the proceedings. The only thing Rory and Gemma kept an eye on was the budget and that they were leaving for their honeymoon the day after the wedding.
Gemma’s head rested on Rory's shoulder.
“At least we will have nice pictures to show the kids one day.” Rory's heart swelled with joy at the thought of having a family with Gemma. After a bit of a rocky time at work when some partners objected to her new look, she had finally got the promotion she wanted. She now led a team of junior solicitors, and it was their job to work late and do the legwork so she could be home at a reasonable time. Usually, Gemma got home first, and it was glorious to walk into her house and find Gemma pottering around the kitchen. Her lips curled into a grin as she thought of all the times she’d fucked her fiancée in the kitchen as they waited for food to cook.
“What naughty thought are you having there, Mrs Armstrong-Davies?” Gemma spoke into Rory's ear, and her breath tickled the freshly trimmed hairs at the base ofRory's neck. Gemma’s fingers scraped through Rory's short hair, and desire exploded in her core.
“You in the kitchen,” Rory mumbled before nipping at Gemma's neck.
Gemma slapped her shoulder lightly. “Don't you dare leave a mark there Rory!” She hissed in her ear. “It’s bad enough this performance is being forced upon us. I am not going down the aisle with a hickey!”
Rory hadn't seen Gemma's dress, so had no idea which parts of her would be on show. She dutifully gentled her caresses and was content to sit with Gemma in her arms.
“Ahh, you two.” Gemma's mother arrived, and Rory groaned. She held a clipboard, a pen, and a frazzled expression. Rory suspected she was in seventh heaven. “Are you making a speech tonight?” Isabelle looked at Rory expectantly. “It is the sort of thing a groom would do.”
“Except Rory isn't a groom, Mum, she's a bride!” Gemma sighed. “You know we don’t want to pile into gender norms at the wedding.”
Gemma’s mother blinked a few times, and Rory sighed. This was the same conversation they’d had multiple times with Gemma's parents. She didn't want to get into this again. The addition of a rehearsal dinner had been the last straw for Rory, and she had put her foot down firmly that nothing else was to be added to the weekend. Rory had argued it was an American tradition, and they didn’t need a rehearsal dinner. Their mothers had countered that it was becoming a thing in the UK now and did they know that Lydia’s daughter’s fiancé had made a wonderful speech at their Rehearsal Dinner.
“Tonight is just a nice family dinner.” Rory said, re-emphasising her point. “No speeches, no formality, just us as a big family having dinner together.”
Fortunately, just at that moment someone put a flower arrangement in the wrong place and Isabelle raced off to correct it. Rory looked into Gemma’s eyes and saw a matching look of exasperation cross her face. Gemma’s face then broke into a beaming smile. Rory looked around and spied the grandmothers with a harried-looking waiter trailing them. They moved effortlessly through the grand hall, oblivious to the surrounding chaos. The waiter carried a champagne bucket in one hand and a carefully arranged bunch of champagne flutes in the other. Rory marvelled at his dexterity and the physics of how the glasses were placed before leaping up and moving a couple more chairs so the grandmothers could sit down.
“Stop moving the furniture, Rory!” her mother bellowed from the other side of the room but soon shut up as Phyllis sent her a withering glare.
Phyllis indicated to the waiter to pour the champagne, and soon they each had a chilled glass of bubbly liquid.
“To Mrs and Mrs Armstrong-Davies.” Phyllis kept her voice low. Rory took a long drink and smiled. The chilled champagne was everything she needed right now.
“Don't drink too much.” Gemma chided gently. “Can’t have you hungover for the vows!” They chuckled together.
“I read somewhere that a wedding had to be called off because the groom was too drunk to make his vows.”
“Good job that’s not an issue tomorrow.” Phyllis sighed and looked around. “This is everything you didn't want, isn't it?”
Rory followed her eyes and nodded in agreement. She had wanted somewhere quiet with Gemma.
“Our dream wedding was just us, focusing on our love and the vows we made to each other.” Gemma’s voice was wistful.
“Good job you got that then.” Mary cackled and leant forward conspiratorially. “When are you going to tell them?”
Rory grinned. “We’ve spoken to the celebrant, and she is going to make an announcement at the start of the ceremony.” She kissed her wife’s hand before fiddling with her own engagement ring. “I can’t wait to get my wedding ring back on.”
They shared a knowing glance between them, and Rory imagined they were all remembering the day, a month ago, that she and Gemma were married. Gemma was getting so stressed at the interference of her mother that Rory had arranged a surprise weekend away with the grandmothers. They had headed to the coast, and in an intimate ceremony with just Mary and Phyllis as witness they had become wives.
Gemma looked around to see that no one was within earshot before leaning in. “I knew I loved Rory, but when she did that, I absolutely knew this was the woman I wanted to spend my life with.” She bumped shoulders with Rory and took her hand. “That was perfect, just us and our greatest supporters.”
Their relationship with their grandmothers had become even stronger over the past few years, and they had often come to stay at their house in London.
