No Ordinary Love - G.Callen NCIS L.A

Chapter 48

"Dee, we're going to be late!" Grisha rolled his eyes at his father as he tugged the cuffs of his shirt out of the sleeves of his jacket. "Do you remember Mom being late for things like this?"

Garrison looked up from the paper he was reading. "Your mother had not many occasions that she could dress up for," he said. "But when she did, yes, she could be less punctual."

Their conversation from three days earlier had been intense. Grisha had had trouble to get his feelings across, and they'd been at the point of giving up more than once, but eventually, after a lot of yelling and shouting, they had reached a truce. They were nowhere near fine, but the understanding meant that they could at least move forward.

Grisha sighed as he looked at his watch again. Then he heard sound by the stairs and Dee stepped into view; the long skirt of her dress gathered in her hands so she wouldn't trip over it. He gulped and blinked. She was gorgeous. So much so, that she was bound to give Kensi a run for her money, and she wasn't even trying.

She let go of the fabric and stuck her tongue out. "Much as I realize Kensi is the only one allowed to be late today, it takes time to look like this."

Grisha opened his mouth to complement her, but his father beat him to it. "You look beautiful."

"Thank you," Deja smiled. "Are you going to be okay staying here today?"

"Do not worry about me. I have a key, Grisha has told me to look in the fridge if I get hungry. Go, have fun. Tell them congratulations from me."

Grisha handed Deja her wrap and five minutes later they were on their way. "He was right, you know."

"Mmm? About what?"

"You look gorgeous. When did you have time to shop?"

She shifted in her seat, tugging at a strand of hair. "I didn't. I ran into Nordstrom the other day for your tie and it was there in all its floral perfection and I bought it on a whim. You really like it?"

"I really do." He squeezed her thigh. "Are you excited?"

"I am. It's good to have a day to celebrate."

"It is."

She smiled. "Maybe we'll get some ideas, too."

Turning a corner, it dawned on him that since they'd come back from Spain, things had been about the house, and his father, and her café, rather than about them and what they wanted for their wedding. He sighed. "I'm sorry, babe."

She was studying her appearance in a small mirror, but from the corner of his eye he could see her brows furrow. "Sorry? For what?"

"For this week being about me. We haven't even discussed the house. Or our wedding. Not since we've been back."

"You don't have to apologize. Your father showing up out of nowhere was guaranteed to throw you for a loop. I wouldn't have expected anything else. As we're waiting for approval on the house, there's little to discuss and as for our wedding... We'll set a date when we find a venue and I'm not going to look until the café has a new place to go."

Still, he felt bad. "Well, maybe, but I should've shown more interest."

Shaking her head, she squeezed his hand. "You're showing interest now. Let's watch Marty and Kensi get married, have a great day, and we'll find time tomorrow to discuss the house and the café. Over lunch, somewhere. That a good idea?"

"Just us?" He found himself in the mood for 'them'-time. Strolling through the vintage market, lunch in the sun and easy conversation.

"Just us. Much as I like your father, it'll be nice to have an afternoon for ourselves."