“Yes.” He stroked his fingertips up and down my arm. “I do.”
“And meet your family?”
“Yeah.” He chuckled. “They’ll be a bit hard to avoid since there’ll be about four hundred of us.”
My jaw dropped open.
“Four hundred?” I repeated.
Dan tilted his head from side to side. “Give or take. It’s family members and basically anyone my or Madhumita’s parents have said hello to since the beginning of time.”
“Madhumita?”
“My brother’s fiancée. She’s an amazing woman. She and Sanjeet starting dating in medical school, and she must have the patienceof a saint if she puts up with my git of a brother.” He chuckled. “I think you would like her.”
“You don’t think it’s too soon to meet your family?” My stomach was doing flips. I couldn’t even imagine subjecting Dan to a meeting with my parents, but he actually seemed to have a great relationship with his family.
“Emma”—his face grew serious and he took my chin between his thumb and forefinger, turning my face until our eyes met—“before you showed up in that men’s toilet, I was dead inside. Life was just a repetitive set of motions with occasional bits of fleeting happiness. I never thought I would ever find someone who makes me feel the way you do. I can’t ever remember being this happy. So no, it’s not too soon to introduce my family to the woman who brought me back to life.” He stroked my cheek and stared deep into my eyes. “So, Emma Walters, will you come with me to London to attend my brother’s wedding?” My heart stopped; at least, it felt like it did. It felt like the world stopped moving. It wasn’t the invitation that terrified me. I would follow Dan Pednekar into a hurricane, but the idea of meeting his family felt more dangerous.
“I haven’t been to a wedding in years.” I couldn’t think of anything better to say.
“It will be just like any other wedding you’ve been to, except four days long, with lots of ceremonies and parties, even more food…”
“Four days?” I raised an eyebrow.
“Give or take.” He nodded.
“What if your family doesn’t like me?”
“Impossible,” he said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. “If my mum asks, you’re an excellent cook who wants to havelots of babies.” I threw my head back and laughed. “And my dad will want to hear all about your Ivy League education.”
“Both of my parents are surgeons.”
“They are?” he asked with a furrowed brow, and I nodded.
“Well, definitely tell him that.” He hugged me closer and kissed my forehead. “So I take it you’ve decided to come, yeah?”
“Yes.” I tilted my chin up to kiss him. “Now take me to bed.”
“Yes, ma’am.” Dan disentangled himself from the sheet before scooping me into his arms and making his way upstairs.
“Dan, when you said ‘lots of babies,’” I asked as he carried me past my bedroom on the way to his apartment, “exactly how many babies were you talking about?”
“Enough to have our own cricket team,” he said with a shrug.
I thought for a second before my eyes went wide and I let out a small gasp. “Eleven?!”
“Glad to hear you’ve been paying attention.” His face was serious until I saw his beard twitch. My eyes narrowed and I shook my head at him.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
You two are too adorable.” Erica shot me a sly grin while we were blowing up balloons for the archway at the entrance to the festival.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” I shrugged and my eyes instinctively fell on Dan, who was across the street helping to build one of the four stages. He looked at me in that same moment, and his face spread into a wide grin.
“Hmm… okay.” She shook her head. “I don’t know why you’re trying to keep it a secret. The way this town works, I’ll bet the last people to know that you and Dan are dating are you and Dan.” I chuckled at Erica’s recycled joke. “And, Emma”—she put her hand on my shoulder—“you deserve to be happy. You and Dan both deserve to be happy. I know I was skeptical of you and your intentions when you first showed up, but you’ve been good for this place… and the people.” Her eyes flicked to Dan.
“He is pretty great, isn’t he?” I confessed, an elated smile spreading on my face.
