Meanwhile, at her in-law's place, Brad and his daughter Rachel are visiting his family. "How is your wife?" They asked him softly. "She is fine, she is visiting her mother after work tonight." Brad said drinking some tea with his mother, whilst watching his daughter play with his grandparents. "She should support you with your life instead of letting you do things on your own. She is a supporter after all." His stepfather said as if he knew it all as they all sat at the dinning table.
Brad just sat there and looked down in his tea, not saying a word, taking a little breath, watching his daughter play in his parents' large house garden. Brad didn't have the courage to stand up to his parents due to his culture, to defend his wife from his family for many years, as he had always done, thinking about the time he walked out on them to get married to his wife, he still felt a sense of guilt, coming from a third world country to a western country, which had so many benefits, but they still had the poor mentality of their past. Brad on the other hand, still hadn't adapted fully to his western life, keeping the mentality that he dishonored his family by moving out to get married. He loved his wife and was sweet and kind to her in a lot of ways, however, he felt that she was growing somewhat cold towards him.
As he watched his daughter play, his thoughts were to his wife, if she got home alright, but as was his custom, he never called her, for fear of what his parents would think. "Does she have contempt for me?" Brad thought to himself. Not realizing, he was slowly neglecting his wife, which led her to being cold towards him, she tried to hide it, but it was slowly beginning to manifest without her even realizing it.
Whilst Brad was thinking these things, meanwhile, Rayla had left her mother's place and had gotten home before Brad or Rachel got home, "looks like I got the house all to myself tonight." She thought to herself, being 8pm at night. "Looks like I'll order a pizza for myself, he will probably eat at his parents' place with Rachel". Rayla said out loud. As she looked online at menu log (an internet ordering food website), she ordered her favorite pizza and garlic bread, since she had the night to herself for once.
Suddenly she gets a phone call from her husband, "Laura, you home?" He asks her. Rayla loved hearing her husband's voice on the phone, as he sounded husky and beautiful, masculine over the phone. "yeah I am home." She said kindly. "You want to come over to my parents for dinner?" Brad asked her.
"No not tonight, I just got home and ordered pizza, seeing you were at your parents, so I just ordered dinner and am really tired from work. Tell your parents I said hello" She said, however in all honesty, she was just not in the mood to see her in laws, so she put it "kindly".
He sounded a little off after she had said that, "Oh, well ok. I will be home soon." He said and hung up. "What's up his back side?" She thought to herself. "They should understand, I just had a long day at work, now they are going to booze him up on me now, and when he comes home, he will sulk that I never went over!" She said frustratingly as she took her jacket off and went for a quick shower before her meal arrived.
"Is your wife coming over for dinner?" His family asked him. "No, she is tired, and she ordered pizza." Brad said holding his daughter to feed her as they all ate dinner at the table. "We cooked all this dinner she should come and join you. Instead of spending your money, she should come and eat with you." His family suggested. "She's tired from work. She doesn't touch my money if she does not need to" Brad said simply and ate together with his family. They never said anything after that.
As Rayla is in the shower meanwhile, she thought about Evan the new guy at work. Thinking of his eyes, his face, his lips, "he is nice.. his eyes…are almost like emeralds… they are blue yet with somewhat green, like a blue mixed with greenish grey, they are so captivating….What am I thinking, I am married for goodness sakes!" She thought to herself trying to shake the thought out of her head, as her mind slowly drifted off into the distance, as she got out the shower. Rayla chuckled to herself, "stupid silly married woman I am, thinking about someone else, am I crazy?" she thought to herself.
Suddenly the doorbell rings and her pizza arrived. As she sat down on the couch, turned on the smart TV and put on her favourite documentaries, "Ahh, it is nice to have the house to myself once in a while" she thought to herself, with the smell of fresh garlic bread and pepperoni pizza, fresh hot pizza straight out of the oven, as she ate her pizza and garlic bread, diet drink in hand. As she ate and watched TV, shortly after, Brad comes home with Rachel. "Rayla, you home?" Brad said as he walked in. "Brad, yeah I am home. Rachel! Want some pizza baby?" Rayla asked her kindly. "No thanks Mummy, I ate with daddy. Grandma says that pizza is unhealthy" Rachel said as she walked passed Laura. Rayla got the hint as Rachal walked by, knowing it was a secret message from her in laws just in spite, but, they are the ones who wanted pizza, so she looked at Brad with a poker face as they both stared at each other for a moment, then Rayla smiled at Rachel softly. "Alright." Rayla said eating her pizza. "Brad you want some pizza?" Rayla asked her. "No thanks. I am full." Brad said softly sitting on the couch with Rayla. "Ok." Raylas aid kindly.
"You are watching this WW2 crap again?" Brad said as he relaxed whilst Rayla loved watching her documentaries. "Yeah, it is interesting thank you very much. Unlike your country's history movies, that's just messed up, man." Rayla said in defence, almost in a casual chill manner. "Hmph, boring." Brad said as he looked at his phone to play with it, looking on Facebook and other social media.
Rayla was used to his insults by now, so she was almost immune to it. Shaking her head whilst eating her pizza. "I am going to play the game." Brad said as he went to play on his Play station 4 game. "Are you working tomorrow night?" Rayla asked him, "I am not sure, why?" Brad asked, "Why?" Rayla thought to herself in hidden anger. "I wanted to ask if you wanted to go on a date? We can leave Rachel with my mother if you like?" Rayla asked softly, as she still loved her husband and just wanted to spend some time with him, seeing they were always so busy. "will see." Brad said softly and turned around to go to the bedroom. "Ok…" Rayla said softly yet saddened. "I guess it was only for a little while I had him to myself…" Rayla thought to herself as she ate her pizza watching her shows. "I did this… I will live with it…I made my bed; I will sleep in it." Rayla said to herself in sadness, accepting the consequences of her choices.
Brad sat down in their bedroom to play the game, "Why was I so cold to her?" Brad thought to himself.
As Rayla ate her pizza, "Mummy?" Rachel said kindly tugging at Rayla's shorts. "Yes baby, what is it?" Rayla asked softly. "I love you, mummy." Rayla said as she smiled softly. This just melted Rayla's heart, "Oh baby, come here" Rayla said lifting her up and holding her tenderly in a gentle embrace, "Did you miss me today?" Rayla asked her tenderly. "I missed you mummy." Rachael whispered to Rayla. This just melted her heart, even though Rachel wasn't her blood child, she still loved her. "Rachel…"
Rayla said calmly embracing her in her arms so lovingly and tenderly. Suddenly, Brad comes out the room and sees Rachel falling asleep in Rayla's arms. Brad smiles at them both softly, just watching them from the hallway gently, watching as his wife lovingly holds his daughter in her arms, he smiles at her tenderly. "Do you want me to put her to bed?" Brad asked Rayla softly. "No its alright, I will do it." She said getting up from the couch and puts Rachael to bed.
"She was so tired, what did you two get up to today?" Rayla asked Brad as she closed the door to Rachel's bedroom gently with Brad, "I took her to the park to play with the other kids, took her to her training and then we went to my parents' place." Brad said walking together with Rayla to the kitchen. "Wow, sounds like an adventure." Rayla said to Brad softly and kindly. "Yeah, you could say that." Brad said, as he embraced his wife's face, leaning in to her closely, kissed her lips tenderly, looking into her eyes, Rayla smiled at him softly, he just stared into her eyes that he had fallen in love with the day he met her, but at the same time, thinking of what his parents said to him earlier, yet her smile just melted his hardened heart.
He gently pushed her to the wall of the kitchen and kissed her passionately, wrapping their arms around each other tightly. Their kiss was one that said, "I miss you." Picking her up slowly in his arms and taking her to the bedroom just to spend time with her, as he really did miss her, "did you miss me that much, huh?" she smiled teasing him.
Brad smirked at her comments, "You could say that." He smirked kissing her neck as e hugged her tightly as they relaxed in the bed room and just being in each other's embrace tenderly together. "I wonder what's bothering him for him like this? His family must have told him something again…" Rayla thought to herself, but she kept the comments to herself not to cause an argument between them. About an hour later, Brad got up to go for a shower, when he embraced her face tenderly with a seductive grin, "Want to join me?" He smirked at her, as they chuckle together, "Maybe next time, we might wake up the baby" she grinned. Brad raised an eye brow as he turned around, "Suit yourself" he said as he went for a shower, but while he was in the bathroom, he threw his towel on the bed, "The invitation is still open" he flirted with his wife. She chuckled as she received a phone call, "I have to take this, its my mother" she said kindly. Brad chuckled, "go on, tell her I said hi" he said and went for a shower.
Despite their problems, they still loved each other very deeply, didn't matter what anyone else said, they still cared for one another.