Gemma sighed. On the one hand, Bella was right, and on the other, Gemma had honestly thought she wasn't going to be one of those girls who did grow up and get married and have babies and all that other nonsense society wanted them to do. Did anyone honestly expect that out of her? Gem seriously thought that perhaps her father was the only one and he hadn't said anything to her yet about it, not while Kath was still single as well. Far more rested on her sister's shoulders, and even Joseph's for that matter, than it did Gemma's. Gem fully expected to take her herbology a far as she could and become a traveling spinster who went on all kinds of wild adventures.

Falling in love didn't fit into that plan, not that this was anything like falling in love, she supposed, but it could be, in the long run. Bella's idyllic thoughts on the matter were what any normal girl their age would be thinking, but there was a whole heck of a lot off about this situation and even Gemma realized that. Even if she was the least of her father's concerns in regards to marriage right now, she knew Bernard and she also knew that Alfie was not what he would be looking for to marry his daughter. Her father had high standards and while Gemma truly though Alfie was a wonderful friend, their compatibility on paper was pretty low.

"What if I don't even want that?"  Up until kissing Alfie, Gemma had never even considered falling in love and doing things the traditional way, at all, and frankly, she still didn't think that would be how it would go.