--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: By the way,\" he said, so casually that…" description: "\"“By the way,\" he said, so casually that Lauren was instantly on guard, \"a magazine reporter called me this morning. They know who you are and they know..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png" --- # By the way," he said, so casually that Lauren was… ![“By the way," he said, so casually that Lauren was instantly on guard, "a magazine reporter called me this morning. They know who you are and they know we're getting married. When the story breaks, I'm afraid the press will start hounding you." "How did they find out?" Lauren gasped. He shot her a…” quote by Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png) > ““By the way," he said, so casually that Lauren was instantly on guard, "a magazine reporter called me this morning. They know who you are and they know we're getting married. When the story breaks, I'm afraid the press will start hounding you." "How did they find out?" Lauren gasped. He shot her a glinting smile. "I told them." Everything was happening so quickly that Lauren felt dazed. "Did you happen to tell them when and where we're getting married?" she chided. "I told them soon." He closed his briefcase and drew her out of the chair in which she had just sat down. "Do you want a big church wedding with a cast of hundreds-or could you settle for me in a little chapel somewhere, with just your family and a few friends? When we come back from our honeymoon we could throw a huge party,and that would satisfy our social obligations to everyone else we know." Lauren quickly considered the burden a big church wedding would place on her father's health and nonexistent finances, and the highly desirable alternative of becoming Nick's wife right away. "You and a chapel," she said. "Good." He grinned. "Because I would go quietly insane waiting to make you mine. I'm not a patient man." "Really?" She straightened the knot in his tie so that she'd have an excuse to touch him. "I never noticed that." "Brat," he said affectionately.”” [Judith McNaught](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Describes a couple negotiating wedding expectations amid external pressures. **In simple terms:** Balancing love and social expectations. Key Takeaway Communicate openly about priorities. Themes love social pressure decision‑making Mood tension hopeful Type narrative dramatic When to use this quote - planning a wedding - family discussions - budgeting - career planning Key Concepts relationship dynamics social norms financial constraints Questions to Reflect On - How do you prioritize personal values over external expectations? - What compromises are acceptable in a partnership? A Different Perspective May overlook deeper compatibility issues. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Come Honeymoon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/come-honeymoon-4653025/) [Getting married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-married/) [Marriage](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marriage/) [Married](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married/) [Married Chided](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-chided-4653026/) [Married Story](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/married-story-2969621/) ## Related quotes > [“Springsteen and Julianne Phillips were married. The story moved from Patti Scialfa’s early career to her current state of bliss and ended with gushings…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sue-grafton/springsteen-and-julianne-phillips-were-married-the-story-moved-from/) [Sue Grafton](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sue-grafton/) > [“So Mowgli went away and hunted with the four cubs in the jungle from that day on. 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I know I'm a public figure, but the person I'm getting married to might need privacy.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/navya-nair/let-me-marry-in-a-normal-way-i-know-i-m-a-public-figure-but-the/) [Navya Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/navya-nair/) [Browse all 595 Getting married quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/getting-married/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "“By the way,\" he said, so casually that Lauren was instantly on guard, \"a magazine reporter called me this morning. They know who you are and they know we're getting married. When the story breaks, I'm afraid the press will start hounding you.\" \"How did they find out?\" Lauren gasped. He shot her a glinting smile. \"I told them.\" Everything was happening so quickly that Lauren felt dazed. \"Did you happen to tell them when and where we're getting married?\" she chided. \"I told them soon.\" He closed his briefcase and drew her out of the chair in which she had just sat down. \"Do you want a big church wedding with a cast of hundreds-or could you settle for me in a little chapel somewhere, with just your family and a few friends? When we come back from our honeymoon we could throw a huge party,and that would satisfy our social obligations to everyone else we know.\" Lauren quickly considered the burden a big church wedding would place on her father's health and nonexistent finances, and the highly desirable alternative of becoming Nick's wife right away. \"You and a chapel,\" she said. \"Good.\" He grinned. \"Because I would go quietly insane waiting to make you mine. I'm not a patient man.\" \"Really?\" She straightened the knot in his tie so that she'd have an excuse to touch him. \"I never noticed that.\" \"Brat,\" he said affectionately.”", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Judith McNaught" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-lauren-was-instantly-on-guard-a/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Getting married" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-lauren-was-instantly-on-guard-a/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/ce9/judith-mcnaught-687_getting-married_by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-laur_2171696.png", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“By the way,\" he said, so casually that Lauren was instantly on guard, \"a magazine reporter called me this…” — Judith McNaught", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Judith McNaught", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/judith-mcnaught/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "“By the way,\" he said, so...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-lauren-was-instantly-on-guard-a/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/judith-mcnaught/by-the-way-he-said-so-casually-that-lauren-was-instantly-on-guard-a/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```