Chapter Nine

Nic was sitting on the corner of the bed telling Ella an abridged version of the shopping trip. Not that El wouldn't have found it funny but she still looked a bit pale.
Ella laughed and reached for her water glass but saw that it was empty.
"I'll go get you some water." Nic said quickly.
Ella smiled grimly and then tried to stand.
"Hey! Where do you think you are going?" Roman asked from the doorway.
"To the bathroom." She muttered. Roman hurried over to her and helped her out of the bed; he carried her to the bathroom and waited patiently outside. She came out a few minutes later looking even paler than when she had gone in.
He lifted her up in his arms and carried her back to the bed, noting with surprise that Nicole had brought back a jug of water and a fresh glass. She was also straightening the bed covers, tucking Ella in after he laid her on the bed.
"So you've sorted a venue and the invites. Now you have to draw up your guest list." Ella said before collapsing back on the pillows.
"Ok, no more wedding talk. You need to rest Step-mama!" Nicole said, she lent forward and placed a kiss on Ella's cheek before leaving the two of them alone.
Roman sat beside her on the bed.
"You know what I'm going to say don't you?" He said to her taking hold of her hands.
"I've got an appointment with the doctor for tomorrow." Ella said cheekily sticking her tongue out at him.
"Good!" he said.
"Perhaps you should tell me what you and this shop assistant really got up to?" she said changing the subject.
"Nice try!" he said.
"I'm alright, I've just picked up a bug." She said.
"And it had nothing to do with the baby stuff you've been looking at lately?" he asked.
She smiled that secret smile again.
"No. Honestly. It's a bug. " She confirmed.
He moved so that he could sit next to her, his back against the headboard and then he placed his arm around her.
"We've been trying a while." He said softly.
She lent into him and placed her head on his shoulder.
"Are we having this conversation?" she asked him.
"I know I've chosen my moment!" he laughed and bent his head to place a soft kiss on her hair.
She leant against him weakly without talking. He sighed and picked up his book from the bedside table and started reading. Within minutes he felt her relax and snuggle against him and knew she had fallen asleep.
Nic peered in at from the doorway. She smiled.
"I'm going over to Geoff." She said quietly.
He nodded at her and felt Ella snuggle against him again.
"Aw! Nicole said softly. "And you'd swap that for a shop assistant!"
"Get out of here!" he grouched and threw a cushion at her and heard her chuckle as she made her way downstairs and then the click of the door as she left.
"You going to tell me about this other woman then?" Ella muttered, turning over and snuggling under the covers.
He put the book to one side and bent to kiss the top of her head.
"As if I'd have the energy for another woman!" he denied.
She said something but it was muffled.
"I'm sorry I didn't quite catch that!" he said.
She pushed the covers down and turned her head and looked at him.
"I said that I haven't seen any demonstrations lately!" much to his surprise. He burst out laughing.
"And you mocked my timing earlier!" he said, in-between laughter.
She poked him in the ribs.
"Ow!" he said. "What is it about the women in my life and doing me violence."
She glared at him.
"Women plural?" she questioned jealously.
"Yes, you and Nicole." He confirmed. Smiling down at her.
"Uh huh!" she muttered.
He bent his head and kissed her on her nose.
"You're cute when you are jealous!" he said softly.
In response she wound her arms around his neck and pulled him towards her. He resisted and said softly. "I thought that you weren't feeling well."
"I'm feeling a bit better and we do have the house to ourselves. No Nic and no Mike." She pointed out.
He chuckled and then kissed her.
"A bit better?" he asked. "Perhaps you should try and eat something then?"
She pushed him away and grimaced.
"You are a sadist!" she muttered accusingly, jumping up out of bed and racing for the bathroom.
When she opened the door he was standing there with a glass of water which he handed to her. She sipped it slowly and made her way back to bed glaring at him. He tucked her in the bed, smoothing the covers over her.
"I love you I don't need anything else." He told her.
She continued to glare at him.
"Maybe I do." She muttered.
"Don't be silly. You aren't in any fit state to do anything…er.. Strenuous!" he said with a grin.
She laughed loudly.
"Strenuous?" she questioned. "Since when?"
He laughed again and sat beside her on the bed.
"Is that some sort of challenge?" he said a glint in his blue eyes. "Because it's not me who says stop."
She glared at him again and he only smirked.
"Now I'm going to call the diner and tell them I can't do my shift because if it is a bug I can't risk taking it into work and I'll be back with a nice cup of Ginger tea that will settle your stomach." He told her.
"Don't bother!" she muttered grumpily and upon hearing his chuckle as he turned to go downstairs she threw a pillow at his departing back.

Nicole walked into the beach house and saw Geoff sat at the table with a notebook in front of him writing something.
"Hey!" she called.
"Hello" he said cautiously.
"I'm sorry I had a meltdown earlier."
He looked at her for a long moment.
"Nic, I don't care when we get married." He said eventually.
"Even though we aren't sleeping together?" she asked. "No scrap that. That's the bridezilla talking." She sighed, "Geoff I want to marry you but I want it to be so special. I know" she held up a hand to forestall him from comment. "I know that as special as the day is it won't be as special as the rest of our lives. I also want to look like a princess though." She continued.
"Did you rehearse that all the over tonight?" he asked in a cynical tone of voice.
She smiled.
"No just in the ten minutes I was outside listening to your Princess Amy-Belle story!" she reached over and picked up the notebook before he could stop her.
"Nic!" he protested. "That isn't finished."
She laughed. And patted his hand away reading until the end.
"That's cool!" she declared.
"Uh huh! Trying to distract me?" he asked pulling her down until she was sitting in his lap.
"Did you book the church?" she said without commenting.
"Yes." He confirmed.
"Good because Dad and I chose the Sands for the reception." She smiled at him.
He laughed.
"Why is it when I am mad you always manage to do something surprising?" he asked.
"We also have the invites ordered and the other stationery so we need to draw up a list of people we want to invite." She ignored his comment again.
"I've asked Aden to be my best man." He said.
She looked at him in surprise.
"Really?" she asked.
He laughed at her.
"Did you think we would have a problem?"
"Maybe. But then again you may have chosen him for a best man but the better person is you!" she said slightly confusedly.
"I want to ask Annie and Ruby to be bridesmaids." She confirmed.
"Annie will be thrilled." Geoff told her. "She's been hinting for a while!"
"So anyway there are 100 invitations to be used up and I know there won't be a 100 people to invite so I thought it would be a nice touch for the kids to get their own, like Ollie and VJ and Brett and" she paused. "Princess Amy-belle."
She looked at him as he laughed.
"Well Bridezilla for someone who wants their day to be so special you seem to want others to enjoy it too."
She looked up in shock.
"Do I?" she questioned. "Sometimes I feel so selfish. Like this morning when Ella went to bed sick instead of coming shopping with me." She paused again, biting her lip. "And I never even thanked my Dad for taking me shopping and being so great. He didn't even flinch as he booked the hotel and I know it cost a fortune."
Geoff put his arms around her and gave her a quick squeeze.
"On top of that he distracted me from panicking when I was having a complete meltdown in the shopping centre. He even had me drive his car." She suddenly thought about his motives. "He hates my driving!"
Geoff laughed.
"Now that isn't true Nic." He paused for effect then said. "We all hate your driving!"
"You!" she exclaimed.
He leaned forward and kissed her.