No Ordinary Love - G.Callen NCIS L.A

Chapter 38

They were lying next to each other on a picnic blanket, under the shadow of a tree. Grisha grunted. "This is what the turkey must feel like at Thanksgiving."

Dee turned her head to him. "Like what?"

"Completely stuffed."

She snickered. "That's a really bad joke."

"I got you to laugh anyway."

"Yeah..." She closed her eyes, letting out a contented sigh. "Have I mentioned this is the best birthday ever?"

"Already?"

"Mmm. A walk through the book market, searching for vintage cookbooks with someone who at least pretends not to be bored out of his mind, then a picnic with food from an Ottolenghi deli... You know how to spoil a girl."

He grinned. "And you haven't seen your present yet."

"There's more?"

"Only if you want it."

Her eyes stayed closed. "Later. I like laying here with you."

He did too. He'd used one of Hetty's contacts to get them into a fancy restaurant he knew Dee wanted to go to, and surprise her with her family. Dee wasn't big on birthdays but he wanted to do something special, particularly since they were in London. The past two weeks had gone by fast, and he was glad he had come. He'd met her grandmother, her aunt and uncle, and the rest of her extended English side of the family. And he fit. He fit with them because he fit with her.

On some level it felt as if they were getting reacquainted with each other. Maybe it was because he was seeing a side of her he hadn't seen yet. She radiated English culture; showing him places from her childhood and going sightseeing with him, using words and expressions he hadn't heard of yet, in an accent he found both adorable and incredibly sexy.

"Dee?"

"Mmm?"

It was a question that had been swimming in his mind for a few days. "Have you decided what you're going to do when we get back home?"

It stayed quiet next to him for a little while. "Sort of. It depends on a few things."

"Like what?"

She opened her eyes and rolled on her side. "Future stuff. It's an awfully serious conversation to have on my birthday."

He nodded, his eyes not leaving hers. "No better day to plan your future than your birthday, right?" He wasn't backing down. Grisha wanted to know.

"Okay." She propped her head up on her hand and he copied her posture so that he could look at her. "This thing we have together, it's serious, correct?"

"It is," he confirmed.

"Okay. Are we going to have a big wedding?"

"If it were completely up to me, no, not really. But if you want to, yeah, sure. Anything you want."

The corners of her mouth pulled up. "Nah, let's do something small. Courthouse wedding, a few days away, just the two of us to get married. We'll send everyone a card afterwards or so."

"You sure you don't want your parents there?" Grisha knew that as long as she was there, he'd be fine. But since her family ties were much stronger than his own, he could imagine that she'd want her parents there.

"Don't think so. I did the whole over-the-top-thing the first time; it would be bliss to just elope and have something tiny with the two of us."

"No dress?"

"Oh yes, a dress. And a suit. And flowers and photos. But just the two of us. Unless you'd like Hetty to be there, of course, which I would completely understand."