The Eye of the Beholder

"What he's trying to say," Maggie interrupted, "Is that the Real Estate Association Dinner is coming up, and your father is getting a Lifetime Achievement award, and we'd love it if you'd be there."

"I'll talk to Davina about it and get back to you, is that okay?" Scott asked his dad as they shook hands.

"That's fine, son, and of course, we'd love to have Davina at our table too."

Scott and I talked about it on the drive home. We knew that if we went, my parents and brother would be present. It was clear over lunch how much of an effort Maggie and Nigel were making in repairing the relationship with their son. Scott had told me how disappointed his father had been that he hadn't carried on in the family business, but it was all water under the bridge now.

Even though Scott hinted that I shouldn't be subjected to my parents like that at a dinner, I wanted to be there for Nigel as he received his award, and I knew Scott did too. Sabine had designed another evening gown for me, this time in a bold red. Marnie had teased Scott about the lingerie she was designing for me to wear.

"Move in with me." Scott asked as I did my makeup for the dinner. "I know your lease is up soon, and, well, you must know how much you mean to me."

"I'll think about it. Is that okay?"

"Of course. Of course. Sorry, I shouldn't have blurted it out like that."

I was quiet on the ride to the dinner. I'd prepared myself to see my family and had oscillated from ignoring them to listening to them to giving them a piece of my mind. Scott had gushed over my gown and how sexy I looked and had told me he couldn't wait to take it off me when we got home. Seeing him in a tux was enough for me to almost need to change my knickers. I still kept pinching myself that someone as hot as Scott could be interested in me.

"Oh, darling. You look beautiful." Maggie greeted me with a kiss. I'd been shopping with her for her dress and had enjoyed getting to know her more.

"Well, son, I think both of us have the hottest women on our arms tonight. Champagne, ladies?" Nigel took a glass for each of us from a passing waiter.

Although I recognised a lot of people there, not many recognised me, and I was fine with that. From the corner of my eye, I saw Debbie across the room wearing a short, sequinned dress that looked like it would be better suited to a nightclub. From the drape of the dress, it was clear she was hiding a stomach; however, I could only assume it wasn't round from overeating.

Scott had seen them too and moved me so my back was to them, for which I was glad. Eventually, we were ushered into the ballroom. Our table was at the front, and we were sitting with the other agent who was receiving an award along with her husband and daughters.

"They're at the very back, and I don't think they can see down the front here." Nigel leant over and whispered in my ear.

It was a small thing, but I was so glad that I had these people on my side. Over entrées, I listened as the daughter of the other recipient talked about her life as a research scientist.

"You didn't want to follow your mum into real estate?" Nigel asked.

"I wouldn't have minded either of them following me," their mother stated. "But I wanted them to do what they wanted, and both are successful women in their own right. What do you do, Scott?"

Scott explained his architecture work, and it was clear how happy his job made him.

"I wanted him to take over, once upon a time, but I now recognise that this was my job, and it wasn't for him. He's an amazing architect. You know he's working on the government social housing project in the north-east?"

My hand reached over and squeezed Scott's thigh. I knew how much his father's admission meant to him. Between courses, some other awards were given out. My hand remained on Scott's thigh, and his arm remained around the back of my chair.

After dessert, the Lifetime Achievement awards were given. Nigel stood with the glass plaque in his hand, looking almost overwhelmed at the praise that had been levelled upon him by the president of the association.

"Thank you. Thank you. I can't accept this award by myself because I wouldn't be here if it wasn't for my wonderful, amazing, and beautiful Maggie. She's been with me for well over forty years now and made me the luckiest man alive. Then there's Scott. I used to think I wanted him to follow in my footsteps into this business. I was wrong. He's doing so well for himself as an architect. And his beautiful partner. She's something else. Maggie, please tell me if I don't look at you the way Scott looks at her..."

Nigel continued for some time, speaking from the heart, but having the family at the centre of his thoughts. I caught Scott wipe a tear from his eye at one stage. The acceptance by his father had taken time, but it had come.

"Grandma Rose's house is back on the market." Maggie turned to Scott as many of Nigel's colleagues were still congratulating him. "I know you always loved that place and the garden. Your father and I would like to help you buy it if you are interested."

Scott had often talked about Grandma Rose. We agreed to meet at the Open House the following afternoon to talk more about it.

"Mate! Congratulations!" My father's booming voice saw me tip over my wine glass. Scott simply leant over and placed his serviette over the spill. I could see Nigel try to steer my father away from me.

"Dumpy? Is that you?" My mother had not been far away. "What are you doing here? I came over to meet Scott's lady friend. Is she around?"

"Her name's Davina, Danielle." I'm sure my mother missed his double meaning.

"What? You and her? That is a good joke, Scott." My mother was laughing.

"Come on, love, I think it's time we were going." Scott took my hand and stood.

"You're serious? Davina! You can't. He'll be just like your father. Well at least you won't need to get any fatter before he looks elsewhere. You need a trim figure to keep a man."

I looked at my mother with astonishment. "No, you're wrong. Scott's nothing like Dad or Daniel."

"You know Debbie's pregnant. A little girl. We're so thrilled."

"Is she my niece or my sister?" I asked as Scott and I turned to walk away.

"Don't be stupid. Your father had the snip after you were born."

That was it. As much as it put a dampener on Nigel's evening, we needed to leave.

"I never realised how much of my mother's insecurities rubbed off onto me," I told Scott as we drove home.

"You know I'm attracted to you and you only? I've never cheated, and I never will. I want to look at you in forty years the way my father looks at my mother, and I don't think that will be any hardship."

Grandma Rose's home was gorgeous. The people who'd bought it and were now selling again so they could move interstate had modernised the kitchen and bathroom and added on a family area at the back and a master bedroom in the attic space. The roses were still in bloom in early autumn but would soon be heading into winter dormancy. The rest of the garden provided privacy from the neighbours.

"What do you think?" Scott asked as he wrapped his arms around me from behind.

"It's a gorgeous home."

"Could you see yourself living here? Perhaps, as my wife?"

"Are you proposing?"

"It's not something we've talked about, I know, but just a small ceremony, perhaps with my parents, Aunt B, Sabine and Harold, Marnie and Mei. Perhaps Nico and Maria."

Scott still stood behind me, our faces together as we looked into the backyard of the house he loved. "That sounds quite perfect to me. You know I found a naturist resort up north. We could spend part of our honeymoon there if you like?"

"Davina de Duchy! You know only if you're comfortable with the idea. Perhaps we try it for a night, to begin with. and we can always go back another time."

After the performance surrounding my brother's wedding, mine went off without a hitch. It was indeed simple. Scott and I arrived together as no one was giving anyone away. We'd had no weird rehearsal dinner and Scott and I slept together the night before and the night after the wedding.

Once our guests had left, we walked up the steps to our bedroom. We'd thought about spending the night in a hotel but preferred the luxury of our own place. Ivan was asleep on our bed. He'd ignored all the festivities.

"I've got something special planned." Scott led me into our ensuite bathroom where I found the large bathtub full of steaming water and rose petals. His camera was set up on a tripod.

He had managed to source the photo that my family had joked about at the rehearsal dinner and had Daniel digitally removed.

"Can you see that even over twenty-something years ago, we were looking at each other with smiles on our faces." Scott had undone my dress and let it fall to the floor, placing gentle kisses around my neck. Removing the white underwear, so incredibly designed and made by Marnie as a wedding gift, he helped me climb into the bath. My makeup had started to smear throughout the day, and my hair was not as precise as it had been when first done, but Scott gazed at me as if I was a princess, his princess.

We knelt in the bath together as we had done as children. My arms covered my breasts on the edge of the tub. Scott clicked a remote control and the camera whirled into action. Although I was nervous at first, I soon moved an arm and flicked water at my husband. He returned fire, the camera capturing the memories for us.

Tonight, as I nurse our third child in bed, I see the large, framed image from our wedding night stationed opposite our bed. My breasts and stomach are on display as I splash water over my husband. The smiles on both of our faces tell more than any words could.

Scott has always said that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and as long as we are beholden to each other, our love will overcome any insecurities others may have about us.