Chapter 18 #3
Feigning shock, I said, “Can’t believe you’re choosing pizza over me, Ms. Valenti.” I walked over and stood in front of her, my hands on my hips. She looked up at me with a wide grin.
“Do you mean to frighten me, Mr. Darcy, by coming in all your glory to hear me?” she asked, making the girls “ooooo” and high-five each other. “Do you have a long coat by any chance?” Her question made the girls whoop even louder.
“Oh, come on. Is it that Pride and Prejudice movie again?” I said, rolling my eyes and stepping away from her.
“Yup. But you, my goofy friend, are no Mr. Darcy,” Leyla said, pushing me away from Ren even further.
“Pfft. What’s he got that I don’t?” I groused.
“Plenty,” Vicky and Leyla said simultaneously.
“I can get a long coat and go walking in the mist for Ren, whatever that means,” I offered, making her howl with laughter.
Miles gave me a once-over, his eyebrow high, and said, “Huh. You’ve got the height for it. Yeah, you might be able to pull it off.”
Pointing to him, I said, “See, he’s my friend.”
“If you’re going to do a proper Mr. Darcy, Mike, you’re going to need to get the hand flex down,” Niko said, sneaking a carrot from the salad and doing something weird with his hand.
I frowned. “Hand flex? What’s with the hand flex?”
“Yes,” all three women crooned and pretended to swoon as the others caught them.
“I forgot about that part. Yeah, you’ll have to get that right or else the walking in the mist is useless,” Miles said, nodding. He was now also making some weird motion with his hand.
“Dude, got a cramp or something?” I asked, my eyes fixed on whatever they were doing. Leyla, Vicky, and Ren were watching them both with wide eyes.
“Stop that, you’re creeping me out,” I told them, confused, and a bit grossed out.
“Jealousy isn’t a good look on you, Walker,” Niko said smugly.
“How is it possible I’m the only one who doesn’t know about this movie? Niko, just remember I was the one who taught you about romcoms when you were trying to win over Leyla,” I said, watching Leyla’s eyes go wide as I returned the smug smile to my best friend.
“Are you seriously taking credit for my husband’s swoony moves?” she asked incredulously. Niko glared at me, so I let him off the hook. After all, he did help me out with this movie I apparently needed to watch soon.
“Nah, he had his own rad moves. All that Turkish stuff and whatnot. So, what kind of pizza we got?” I asked, redirecting the conversation. Luckily, Sofia and Luke rang the doorbell, and I was saved.
I winked at Niko, and he shook his head with a grin. Ren walked over to me and said, “I sure hope you’re better than Miles and Luke with their horrendous choice of pizza toppings I’ve heard about.”
“Hey, I just got here. Why am I being thrown under the bus?” Luke asked, washing his hands and grabbing a plate.
“It’s true. You Austin brothers are ridiculous when it comes to what you load onto a pizza slice,” Vicky said, blowing a kiss at Miles.
“Here, here. I hope you guys ordered a margherita pizza for us Italians who know what real pizza is supposed to taste like,” Sofia said, opening and closing boxes. She smiled when she got to the one with cheese, sauce, and fresh basil.
“Yes,” Ren said with a groan. “I do miss good pizza.”
Miles quickly said with a sneer, “Don’t take her to the Roman-style pizza place downtown, Bella Roma. Stay far away from there if you know what’s good for you. Guy who owns it is very friendly.”
Vicky laughed and said, “Yeah, but Gio’s pizza is amazing.”
Miles frowned at that answer, and I made a mental note never to take Ren there. I didn’t need any more competition than what I’d already encountered. Everywhere we went, men stopped and gawked at her, to my horror.
I sat back and watched this motley crew of friends, laughing and pushing each other out of the way, pouring drinks and talking over one another.
Ren was right in the thick of it, enjoying the camaraderie.
I caught her eyes when she walked over to me, two plates in her hands. “For me?” I asked with a smile.
She shrugged. “Don’t get used to it,” she said with sass, handing me a plate with two slices of pepperoni and sausage.
An hour later, we had started talking about the wedding plans.
“Like I said, it’s no secret that I was taken with Ren from the moment I met her on that call. When I went to pick her up from the airport, I’d already made a mess of things, blurting out her name to Grammy.”
I inhaled deeply, measuring my words as I looked around the table.
“But it was when I saw Ren in that waiting room. I wasn’t expecting to find her there.
I just…knew she was the one I wanted. I’ve told everyone that my feelings run a little deeper than Ren’s right now, but when she prayed over me that night, I think she began to feel the connection, too. ”
She nodded as she spoke. “It’s hard to explain how I feel. There is a connection. I felt a strong pull to be there with him that night. But our foundation right now is friendship. I mean, friendship and our mutual faith.”
Everyone looked around, shifting uncomfortably, and she’d seen it.
“Oh, please, amica. There’s more than that. You can add attraction to that growing list,” Vicky teased. She was my new favorite.
Ren blushed and looked at me with a smile. “Yes, that too. There’s a strange rightness to this, even though we’re not declaring love yet.”
Our friends were either holding hands or had their spouses pulled in close and they seemed to relax. Most of them had witnessed what happened between Ren and me in the hospital, so it was not difficult to see the bond that was forming.
“Even if I don’t know the Darcy flex,” I said, making us all laugh. I stretched out my hand, palm up. Her smile widened as she placed her delicate hand in mine.
“All I can say is when I’m around Ren, I feel like I’ve found something that’s been missing from my life.
This goes beyond making Grammy happy or giving Ren an opportunity to start a business with Vicky,” I said, watching Vicky do a happy dance in her seat.
“This feels like it was meant to be. So, we’re being brave and walking in faith. ”
Ren looked around the table. “Grammy is stable now and will be home in a few days, but we want to do this sooner rather than later. Maybe about two weeks from now. There may be some apprehension about this being so soon, but we don’t want to take any chances after what happened to her.
” Her words were sure, but I didn’t miss the slight tremble in the hand I was holding.
“I know this isn’t the fairytale kind of story you have experienced, but to me he’s making my dream of owning a business come true. ”
Ren squeezed my hand and I didn’t miss her eyes misting up as she looked at me in awe.
“It’s like in our grandparents’ days. People see each other across the room, fall in love, and marry three days later. Then they spend the rest of their days getting to know one another,” Leyla said. “I think it’s romantic.” Niko kissed her forehead and nodded.
“We’ve all been cautious about this because we care about you both, but we’ve never seen Mike like this before. My goofy friend has turned into a sappy romantic,” Niko said, gesturing towards us with a smile.
“She brings it out in me, that’s for sure. But as far as the wedding, yes, Ren is right. It will be soon. Her parents are coming in once we set a date. I believe the doctor about Grammy being with us for a while, but like she said, we don’t want to take any chances.”
“If you’ve been able to win over her parents, you can face anything,” Vicky quipped.
“Oh, Mama is coming but she’s not happy about it. Papa gave his blessing, so we’re doing this,” Ren said, her eyes looking between me and Vicky.
“Okay, then, let’s get this party planned,” Vicky said, the girls huddling up and talking over each other.
“You’re good?” Miles asked, sitting next to me, where Ren had been seated.
“Yeah, sure, all good,” I answered with a weak smile as I watched my fiancé nervously chew on her fingernail as they talked about food, flowers, and dresses.