I face-palmed. “Can we stop marrying me off for five minutes?”
Eng lifted the pie slightly. “I brought dessert.”
Mom reached out to take the pie from Eng. “Here. I’ll put this in the kitchen. Oh, it’s from Dangerously Delicious Pies! Caramel apple crumb—my favorite.”
Grandma patted Eng’s shoulder in a move that mirrored Grandpa’s earlier affection. “You’ll do. But if you don’t treat our Willa right, then we’ll have to kill you.”
Worried at my grandmother’s threat I caught Eng’s eye. He looked overwhelmed, but also oddly proud, like he’d passed an exam. And in a way, he had.
Once Mom and Grandma had gone back into the kitchen, the interrogation began.
“You’re the orc goalie?”
“Are you really a prince?”
“Do you bench press cars?”
“Are you gonna leave any of the pork roast for the rest of us?”
Thankfully Nana and Pops arrived, and the conversation shifted from Eng to their mini leaf-peep cruise, where Pops won an oyster eating contest, and Nana reenacted the Boston Tea Party by throwing a bag of Earl Gray over the side of the ship just outside the famed city.
Dinner was loud, chaotic, filled with overlapping conversations and at least three arguments about recipes. Eng and I drew the short straws and ended up at the kids’ table where he sat like a calm, green boulder as Olivia and Jamie climbed on him like he was a jungle gym.
“Guys! Get off Uncle Eng. And Olivia, eat your green beans,” I scolded.
“It’s okay.” Eng’s grin made my heart melt. “I love children. And I’ll eat Olivia’s green beans if she doesn’t want them.”
My family adored him. I adored him. And Eng looked happy. Comfortable. Overjoyed, even as Olivia scraped her green beans onto his plate.
After dinner I left Eng to play basketball outside with the kids and began helping with clean-up. I’d just put the leftover pork roast in the fridge when the door to the dining room swung shut.
Shut.Firmly shut. With intent. Slowly, I turned to see Mom, Michaela, Grandma, and Nana blocking the exit.
“Oh no,” I said. “Absolutely not. Whatever this is, the answer is no.”
Michaela pointed to a chair. “Sit.”
“I’m not a dog.”
“Well, I’m going to sit.” Grandma pulled out a chair at the kitchen table and plopped down. Nana and Mom did the same. It felt silly to be the only one besides Michaela standing, so I took the last remaining seat.
“We have questions,” said Michaela with the tone of someone about to read medical test results. “You brought this man to family dinner night.”
“He was invited.” I looked around the table. “I called Mom and asked if I could bring him and introduce him to you all.”
“This is the man with the leftovers, the one you were mad at and had broken up with, the one who left a leg of lamb on your doorstep.” Mom leaned forward. “Willa, this seems rather fast. You’re dating him, then not dating him, and a week later you’re introducing him to the family. Can you not see how we might be worried?”
“He’s redeemed himself,” I insisted. “I love him. He loves me. This is serious.”
Nana gasped dramatically. “Are you secretly engaged? Have you set a date yet? Let me get the calendar out because we might need to cancel a cruise and I want to make sure we’re not past the deadline to get a refund.”
“You’re engaged?” Grandma clapped her hands. “Oh good. Now I won’t have to poison him.”
“Do you have a guest list yet? Gift ideas?” Michaela asked.
“We’re registered at OrcMart.” I said dryly. “The wedding will be held in his palace, so make sure you have your passports ready.”
Nana sucked in a breath. “Are you serious? Because Pops and I will schedule a few extra weeks to tour his kingdom.”
