Copyright Notice and Disclaimer
Falling for Him 5
By Jessica Gray
Copyright © 2014 Jessica Gray
Kindle Edition
This book is copyrighted and protected by copyright laws.
No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise without the prior written permission from the author.
All characters, names, and places in this book exist only within the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to actual persons or locations is purely coincidental.
Table of contents
Chapter 1 - Rachel
Chapter 2 - Peter
Chapter 3 - Rachel
Chapter 4 - Rachel
Chapter 5 - Peter
Chapter 6 - Rachel
Chapter 7 - Peter
Chapter 8 - Rachel
Chapter 9 - Peter
Chapter 10 - Rachel
Chapter 11 - Rachel
Chapter 12 - Peter
Chapter 13 - Rachel
Chapter 14 - Peter
Chapter 15 - Rachel
Chapter 16 - Rachel
Chapter 17 - Peter
Chapter 18 - Rachel
Chapter 1 - Rachel
I abruptly stood up from the couch in Peter’s apartment, putting my hands on my hips for emphasis as I confronted him, “No! Peter, no way!” I shook my head at him to further stress that I was seriously getting pissed off at his most recent suggestion.
“Rachel, please calm down.” Peter reached his hand out for me, but I moved out of the way.
“We’ve been at this for hours, and we don’t seem to be seeing eye-to-eye on anything!”
Peter and I were planning our wedding; something that should be fun. But it wasn't. During the last few hours we had voiced exact opposite opinions about each detail we’ve discussed so far. Even the minutest details we couldn’t agree upon!
I sighed as I walked toward the window. I can feel him staring at my back, but I need a moment to try and calm down. Not for the first time, the thought went through my head and I found myself wondering if Peter really was the one for me. Is he? Should I blow off the wedding, if we can’t even decide on a location? How will we ever be able to decide the important things in our marriage?
I remembered how wonderful it had been when I first moved in with Peter. No more rushing home in the mornings to change my clothes before work. Waking up every morning besides Peter; seeing him lying there and feeling his touch. Hearing him in the shower or in the kitchen as I readied myself for the day.
What about Karen? A pesky little voice in my head questioned. Okay, Yes! Of course I was a bit sad when I moved out and had to leave my roommate Karen. Karen is my best friend and we’ve shared an apartment throughout the last several years of college.
I knew Karen was sad too, but she tried not to show it. We’d been friends and confidants for such a long time, of course it hurt. But then, she was happy for me, and it was normal to move on. After all, any girl wants to get married and have her own family. No reason for me to feel guilty now.
Sure, Karen had to get a new roommate, which she found in Clara, our mutual designer friend. A small part of me was jealous not to be there with them. Clara was seriously badass when it came to fashion and design! But you have Peter, the little voice in my head said.
Yes, I have Peter. It was all perfect. Until we decided to start planning the wedding, that is. Now, it seems that every suggestion results in conflict.
I had always envisioned my wedding as a small and intimate affair, with just a few friends and family in attendance. But Peter wants to make it into a big spectacle. He thinks we should go all-out with a big reception after the equally big ceremony.
His family is quite influential and they want to celebrate his marriage, with all the important people they can get to attend. And he wants to invite his business partners and clients; all of them! It’s as if our wedding isn’t ours, but the social event of the year.
Just the thought of inviting hundreds of people to my wedding, makes my stomach turn. Even worse, I wouldn’t even know the majority of them! How am I supposed to relax and enjoy the day surrounded by lots of people I've never seen before? And the worst part is, most of them won’t even be his friends, but friends of his father's!
This was only the first point of disagreement and had leaked over into our discussion about the location. I wanted a small, cozy, intimate little place. Images of a small romantic chapel in the wine country, or an outside garden gazebo came into my mind. Something that feels homey and welcoming.
Peter in contrast wants to rent a flashy ballroom in one of the big hotels, one with a stage, dance floor, and PA system! A location that would accommodate a few hundred guests! Arghh!
I turned away from the window, not calmer than a few minutes ago, to see him flipping through the various hotel brochures he came home with last night. I desperately needed a break. My nerves were completely wrecked!
“Rachel, why don’t you come back over here and look through these brochures with me? If we want to do this right, we need to decide on the location today so we can reserve our date. These places fill up pretty quickly, and we don’t want to postpone our wedding just because the ballroom’s already booked.”
I looked at him, wondering who this person was. It appeared that he hadn’t heard a word I’d said over the last hour. “Peter, I don’t want to get married in one of those hotels.”
Peter looked up at me, confusion on his face, “I know you said that, but we don’t have many other options. I mean there aren’t that many ballrooms of the size we need. When you suggested a small chapel, did you realize, that those types of places can only seat fifty to sixty people – tops. We’re talking hundreds of people here. We need a big place to accommodate them all.”
“I don’t want hundreds of people at my wedding!” Why didn’t he get it? He wasn’t listening to a word I said! I reached down, grabbed my jacket from the floor next to the couch, and shook my head at him when he opened his mouth to speak.
Holding my hand up, I headed for the front door, “Don’t! I need some fresh air!”
“Where are you going?” he asked, standing up from the couch and becoming angry.
I stopped, but didn’t turn around , “I can’t be around you right now! We’re supposed to be planning the celebration that will start the rest of our lives together. It’s supposed to be a happy thing. Not a fight over each and every detail!”
“Come back here and let’s sit down and talk about this some more. You’re being unreasonable!” Peter was definitely getting angry now.
“Why, you’re not listening to what I want, anyway? Why waste my breath?”
“It’s you who’s not listening. I have a responsibility to my family…”
“I don’t want to hear about your family!” I screeched at him and covered my mouth with my hand. I struggled to gain back my self-control, but my dream wedding was falling apart before it even had a chance to get off the ground! “I’m sorry for yelling,” I told him, tears blurring my eyes.
“Rachel, don’t leave. Come back and sit down. You’re not used to how these things are done.”
I could tell Peter was angry but I just couldn’t stand any more discussions. There wasn’t anything productive coming out of it anyways when he was agitated to this extent. I don’t know how these things are done? Who cares how they’ve been done in the past? This is MY wedding. Mine. My wants should take precedence over the status quo!
Those thoughts made me even angrier and I stormed out of the apartment, into
the dark night, before he could say another word. I needed space!
The air was crisp and fresh, and I wandered down the sidewalk for a few minutes, bringing myself right up to the gates of the country club.
I looked through the rod-iron fencing, gazing at the buildings and groomed lawns and shook my head. I was still getting used to living in this exclusive part of the city. The lawns were green, well watered, and kept neatly trimmed. Trees surrounded me everywhere and as I stood still to listen, I heard the sounds of the night insects and the gentle whisper of the wind in the trees. If I wasn’t so upset, it would’ve been romantic and peaceful.
When I started walking again, the tranquility of my surroundings finally seeped into my distraught mind. After thirty minutes of brisk walking in the fresh air, I felt calm enough to head back to Peter’s apartment.
Part of my frustration with our discussion, had nothing to do with the wedding. I was simply worn out. My new job at Peter’s company demanded a lot of me, and I had discovered a perfectionist streak in myself; one I didn’t realize I had. I wanted to make everything perfect, nobody should be able to find a flaw or even complain about my work.
That stress compounded with the wedding looming in a few months’ time, and the fact that we still hadn’t been able to define the major details. I had a list, and so did Peter, and we were supposed to be marking some of the bigger items off the list tonight. Location. Exact date. Number of people to invite. Type of Reception. The list continued.
I found myself standing in front of the country club once again and stopped to clear my head. The wedding was adding stress, sure. But what really freaked me out was the impending meeting of Peter’s family. His father and stepmother.
We’ll visit them next week. I let my gaze follow the swans swimming on the closest pond as I thought about Peter’s parents. Yes! This is what has me on edge and is causing me to view everything as a personal attack. Peter’s father re-married when Peter was fifteen.
His family was influential before, but his step-mother owned of one of the biggest fashion magazines in the States. Peter hadn’t mentioned this little detail until a few days ago. I was already nervous about meeting them for the first time before, but now I was in full blown panic mode.
I’d come to terms with the fact that Peter’s father owned several houses and they have more money than they can ever spend, but the rest of it was news to me.
And a fashion magazine? I am sure she always looks immaculate and will frown down on my clothes. I imagined her as “nice” as Meryl Streep in the role of Miranda Priestly in “The Devil Wears Prada”. This movie was the closed relation I had with an editor in chief of a fashion magazine.
I imagined myself the dumpy looking new girl, who was looked down upon and laughed at by all the other high-fashion models. How am I supposed to fit in there? And then Peter had dropped the bombshell – he had booked flights over to New York next weekend. We had been invited to stay with them in their penthouse on the upper east side. Oh hell! He didn’t even give me enough time to truly worry about the situation. Or fix it!
I took a few deep breaths, again focusing on the graceful movement of the swans in the distance and felt myself growing calmer by the minute. I just needed to think this through rationally! Of course, Sara, the new wife wanted to meet us. She and Peter’s dad have a wonderful marriage, and she cared for Peter, so it only makes sense that she would want to meet the woman he’s planning to marry. She probably is a lot nicer than I giver her credit. Maybe we’ll even get along well! Or so I hope!
NYC! I’d never been there before, and Peter was very aware of that fact. His parents must think I’m a country bumpkin. Oh my god, I’m so nervous! I’m going to make such a fool of myself next weekend! Perhaps I could talk Peter into giving me some tips or hints so I didn’t embarrass us both in front of his parents.
Before I could start freaking out again, I shut off all thoughts about the upcoming visit and turned away from the country club gates to head back to Peter’s apartment. Peter! God, I love him so much! I cringed as I thought about how angry he must be with me storming out of the apartment like a spoiled brat. I picked up my step a little, anxious to get back home and see him.
Chapter 2 - Peter
I stood watching the closed door for several minutes, willing Rachel to walk back in, but she didn’t. Why couldn’t she try to understand my position on things?
Stalking to the fridge, I pulled out a bottle of water and took a long drink. I was angry and upset with Rachel, and what should have been a pleasant evening, planning our wedding, had turned into a disaster.
I realized she was nervous about meeting my father and stepmother, but she was worrying for nothing. Just like she was worrying over the wedding for nothing.
Rachel needed to understand that our wedding was about more than what we wanted. She simply doesn’t understand the way these kind of things work in my father’s circle. I sat back down on the couch and muttered to myself, “It’s not like I want to turn our wedding into a sideshow, but people expect certain things!”
Pushing my hands through my hair, I finished the bottle of water, crushed it in my hand, and settled back against the cushions. I’m not that keen on a public and prestigious wedding, but I owe it to my family and my business. This is how it works if you are part of the society.
But do I really want to be part of the society? That little voice in my head was making me second guess choices I’d thought locked in. Sure, I wanted to be successful in my business and it was definitely nice to have a lot of money. How many people could afford to live in this wonderful 1500 square-foot apartment, located in the best part of the city?
The apartment was a prime piece of real estate; a penthouse with a private lift, which came with three dedicated parking spots in the underground garage. The three bedrooms and three bathrooms offered me plenty of room to live in. The apartment also included a dining room and a separate living room. It had been much too big for myself, but now with Rachel and possibly, with kids in the near future, it was perfect. I loved the neighborhood, especially since it was a short distance from the country club. The entire subdivision included lots of open green spaces with trees and flowering bushes; a perfect place for me to walk and get my thoughts in order.
Why does Rachel have to be so stubborn? That thought made me smile. Yes why? I replayed certain aspects of our sometimes-tumultuous relationship in my mind and smiled again. If it weren’t for her stubbornness, we wouldn’t be together today!
I remembered how she had found a way to follow me to Spain; where we spent a wonderful time together – until the accident. And then, after Lara’s attempted suicide, her stubbornness had helped save me from my depression.
Ah Lara. Now that was another thing we disagreed upon, and most likely always would. I had forgiven Lara after her apology, but Rachel still disliked her and this made things very difficult for me. Mr. Bishop, Lara’s father, had been giving my company lots of business, and I wanted to invite him to the wedding. Rachel didn’t. She was afraid that Lara would somehow go back on her apology and show up at our wedding to ruin it!
I stood up and walked to the kitchen, tossing my empty water bottle across the room into the trashcan. A silly boy’s game that always enhanced my mood. Not today, though. Not even the perfect pitch raised some joy. Suddenly the apartment felt empty.
Rachel had moved in with me a couple of weeks ago. During that little time she had managed to fill the entire space with her presence. I could see it everywhere, she had rearranged some of the furniture and brought in cute little decorations and ornaments. She’d transformed the sterile apartment into a real home. A home that I actually enjoyed returning to in the evenings. To cuddle with her on the couch. To touch and feel her. To hold her hand. To snuggle up with her and just sit in the silence at times. God, I miss her already and she hasn’t even been gone an hour!
This had been our first big fight. I looked at my watch, and noticed it was almost 11 p.m., and wa
lked to the window to look down on the street below. I was starting to worry about her. Where had she gone? Has something happened to her? Of course, this is a very safe neighborhood, but you can never be 100% sure. Things do happen, everywhere. I shouldn’t have let her go! If something happens to her, it’s my fault!
I dialed her cell phone, but much to my discontent, could hear it ringing in the living room. Of course, she’d left it behind. Patience wasn’t one of my virtues, and I began to slowly pace the length of the apartment, hating the fact that I could do nothing but wait for until she came back.
The longer I waited, the more sorrow I felt for our earlier fight. Our wedding should be the most wonderful day in our lives, and we had already started to fight over the details? How stupid was that? How could matrimony between us last if we couldn’t even agree on a location for the wedding ceremony and reception?
Chapter 3 - Rachel
Back at the apartment building, I felt awkward as I approached the covered entrance. It was childish of me to run away. After all, I love Peter. God, I need to apologize to him!
I opened the door and stepped inside the building, pushing the button to call the elevator. Outside, the full moon is shining, and the world seemed like such a peaceful place. Inside, my brain was working overtime as I tried to figure out how to make things right with Peter.
As the elevator doors opened, I hesitated a moment before stepping inside and keying in the code that would take me to the top floor. It felt strange and wonderful at the same time, and I rocked on my feet nervously as I waited for the doors to open again.
When they did, I stepped into the foyer and paused. I retrieved the keys from my pocket and played with it. My keys! Since I moved in, Peter had given me my own set of keys. I looked at the ornate door and then at the equally plush foyer area and bit my lip as the reality hit me. This is now my home, too.
I recalled the first time I had seen Peter’s apartment. It had been very neat but sterile, almost like one of those showroom apartments where nobody actually lives in. Something I had changed immediately upon moving in. Little touches here and there had softened the atmosphere of the apartment, giving it a homey feeling and the coziness it had lacked before. I hadn’t asked, but I could tell Peter was happy with the changes as well.
Falling for Him 5 (Rachel and Peter in Love) Page 1