Chapter 16
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Mike
I was nervous as I pulled up to Ren’s cottage. I mean, full-on sweating, stomach churning, heart pounding kind of nervous. Was this what falling in love felt like, or just bad stir-fry from last night?
The fear of meeting Ren’s parents under these conditions was not helping the situation. I took a sip from my Stanley and gave myself a pep talk.
“Okay, Walker. Go in, woo your girl, win over her scary parents.” I nodded, confirming I understood the assignment, and unfolded my long legs from the truck, which I’d cleaned before arriving. I wanted Ren to think I was husband material, not a messy bachelor.
‘Mike, you’re so easy to hang out with, the life of the party, but not the guy I’d get serious with and bring home to meet my parents.’
The memories of the women I’d dated saying some version of that haunted me. I shook it off, grateful that, for whatever reason, Ren had said yes.
I lifted my hand to knock, but she wrenched the door open, eyebrows high, her phone plastered to her ear.
“Vicky, wait, listen. Okay, yes.” She switched to Italian, then took a breath, and mouthed ‘come in.’
I stepped in and closed the door, following her to the living room, where she started to pace.
“Listen, I know it’s crazy,” she said, side-eyeing me. She mouthed ‘Vicky.’
My eyes widened, but I figured I’d better get this over with. “Put her on speaker,” I said with a nod when she looked at me, her expression unsure.
“Amica, Mike just got here. Okay to put you on speaker?”
Vicky must’ve told her to switch to a video call because Ren pulled the phone away and pressed the button, her eyes filled with worry. A moment later, I was facing a very unhappy friend. Miles called her his ‘little fairy,’ but right then, she looked like a raging dragon, not a pixie.
Since being warmly included in the friend group, Vicky and I had always had a good rapport.
We weren’t necessarily close, but we seemed to understand and accept each other's personalities.
She was a bit on the quiet side but loved to joke, while I was over-the-top gregarious, always trying to make everyone laugh with my antics.
However, the woman I faced today seemed to have forgotten how many times we'd teamed up against Luke during game night. She was downright scary.
“Michael Walker,” Vicky scolded as if I were just sent to the principal’s office, something I was well familiar with. “How dare you ask my friend to marry you?”
Oh boy. I had one raging Italian woman barking at me from the phone and another one twisting her curls around one finger, looking at me with her huge brown eyes. Eyes that I’d come to discover had specks of gold in them when I held her close the day before.
Stay focused, man. Drool over your fiancé later. Girl code was clear. Want the girl? Got to win over the best friend.
“Vicky, if you’ll just give us a minute, we can explain,” I said calmly, feeling nothing of the sort. I knew better than to tell a woman to calm down.
“Yes, please just listen,” Ren said. She was standing close to me, her intoxicating scent enveloping me once again.
“Hold on. Are you, um, sniffing her right now?” Vicky barked. “And open your eyes. You look like a lovesick puppy.”
My eyes popped open just as Ren turned to me, an amused smile evident on her beautiful face. I hadn’t even realized I’d done that.
How embarrassing.
“Ohhh. Hmm. I see,” Vicky said, nodding with an obnoxious smirk. All fire and rage were now replaced with something worse. Sass. I could see it brewing in her twinkling eyes. I’d seen that look before, but she’d never turned it on me. Maybe she was a fairy after all.
I cleared my throat and took a tiny step away from Ren, who was still looking at me in shock.
“Well, well, well. I knew you were attracted to Ren by the way you acted at game night, but I thought you were practicing for your acting debut with Grammy. By the way, I’m so happy she’s doing better. Sorry, I should’ve led with that,” Vicky said.
Bouncing from one subject to another was her other superpower. It was hard to follow at times, not to mention her demonstrative hands that smacked anyone who dared get close. Ren seemed to have the same trait, and I loved it.
“Vicky, I wasn’t pretending,” I answered. Although embarrassed to be caught smelling my fiancé—wow, that sounded strange and wonderful—I had no intention of denying my feelings. “I’ve told Ren my growing feelings for her have taken me by surprise, but they’re real.”
I was saying this mere feet from the woman I’d come to care for, and her growing smile was like the perfect sunrise over the Pacific. Wow, she was beautiful.
“It’s a little unconventional,” Ren said, still locking eyes with me, both of us chuckling over the word that kept coming up in our conversations. “But it feels right.”
“Yeah, it does. You’ve turned my world upside down in the best possible way. Honestly, I couldn’t wait to see you this morning,” I replied, forgetting Vicky was on the phone. Ren had that power over me.
“I was nervous before, but I…I think this is going to work,” she answered, shyly dipping her head.
Vicky’s gasp reminded me we weren’t alone. Ren and I turned to face our friend, who was shaking her head, a wide smile on her face.
“Oh. My. Goodness. You’re falling in love,” Vicky gushed.
“You’re getting ahead of yourself, Vicky,” I clarified, not wanting this to be the way I said those words to Ren.
“Oh, come on, Mike. With that sappy look, I’m waiting for you to tell her that she has bewitched you body and soul. I’ve got goosebumps thinking about you walking over to her in a long coat in the mist,” she answered, eyes unfocused in her own little world.
“What are you talking about? Have you been talking to Niko?”
They both chuckled, and Ren said, “It’s a scene from Pride and Prejudice.”
I guess Niko didn’t gate-keep after all. Miles must be in on the secret. “What is it with this movie?”
“We both love it. Just watch it. Together would be even better,” Vicky said, with a soft, dreamy look. “Mike, you’ve redeemed yourself. I wasn’t sure what your intentions were, but I can see it so clearly now.”
Ren quickly said, “Amica, don’t get any ideas. We can talk more tonight at your house, but we’re not in love. I mean, not yet.” She looked at me, then back to the phone, my heart pounding.
“What?” came the flat answer from our friend.
“No, we’re…friends. Friends who believe that something more could come from this later on down the line. Right, Mike? I mean…” Ren said, her words trailing off. She was looking at me with those eyes that begged me to help her explain.
Facing the phone again, I said, “It’s simple, really.
I feel more than just an attraction to Ren.
She’s starting to understand that, I think.
” I smiled at her, and she reciprocated.
“There’s affection, connection, a depth that I believe once we have the time to discover, we will find everything we’ve been looking for.
She’s not where I am yet, but I know God has brought us together.
My original motivation was to give Grammy what she has been asking for and in turn, have a way for Ren to stay here.
But I’ve realized how much I care for her, so as important as those are, they’re secondary now.
I’m beyond asking her to marry me for convenience. I want Ren to marry me for life.”
Ren’s eyes widened, even though she knew all of this. Saying them in front of her closest friend probably made them land differently. There was a long pause, and all of us seemed to be holding our breath. Finally, Vicky spoke.
“That’s, well, wow, okay. When you say it that way, I guess it’s a little more romantic than just a remake of The Proposal. But you’re getting married for real, right? Living together?”
Ren and I answered simultaneously. “Yes.”
I smiled at her. “We’re just starting a little differently than other couples.”
“That’s really very sweet, you guys,” Vicky said, blinking away tears.
After a deep breath in and out, she said, “Okay, I feel better now. Still have some questions, but we can talk tonight. I know you have another call to make, and boy, do I not envy you, Mike. I’m praying her mom doesn’t burn the skin off your bones.
” She winced, then quickly added, “Love you both, ciao.”
I prayed her parents didn’t have flesh-burning abilities from that far away.
Ren walked to the sofa and sat down. “Sorry about that. I didn’t think she’d be that upset, but you seemed to win her over. Now, think you can do it again?”
I shrugged, feigning confidence. “One feisty woman down, one to go.”
“I’ll do a video call, but let me talk to them first.” When she hesitated, her phone in her hand, I smiled and nodded, letting her know I was there for her. She scooted over a hair so I was out of the video call view, at least for now.
“Just let me say how very sorry I am beforehand,” Ren said, dialing the number. My smile slid off my face in an instant.
“Ciao, Renata. I was wondering when I was going to hear from you,” a raspy-voiced woman said, having answered on the first ring.
“Ciao, Mama. I’m sorry. There’s, ah, been a lot going on. How are you? Is Papa there?”
Ren’s smile was tight, and I noticed a slight tremor in the hand holding the phone. My hand glided toward her free one and held it lightly, reminding her I was there. She didn’t turn to face me, but her smile morphed into a real one.
“I’m here,” I heard a man say, but didn’t see him join the call. “Just finishing up some paperwork. How’s California?”
Ren seemed to relax a bit as she spoke to her father. “It’s so beautiful here, Papa. You know how much I loved it when I came before. I think I’ve fallen in love a little more this time.”
I knew she wasn’t talking about me, but her words still made my heart race even faster. I would let her lead the conversation and say what she felt was best when she spoke to her parents. I would be next to her, ready to step in when she needed me on the call.
“That’s wonderful to hear. I’m glad you’re safe and sound. How’s Vicky?” he asked. I could see her mother was still the only one in the video call window, scowling and watching Ren closely.
“Amazing. She’s so happy. I can’t imagine her anywhere else now that I’ve seen her again. MJ is getting so big and Miles treats her like the amazing woman she is,” Ren answered, chuckling.
“As it should be,” her mother said, finally joining the conversation again. “What did you say your return date was?”
Ren side-eyed me but looked back at the phone quickly.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about, actually.”