Then Vani added casually, “Technically, I kind of coerced him into it.”
My head snapped toward her so fast my neck nearly cracked.
“You what?”
She shrugged lightly.
“Well, I did. You didn't consider me a possibility, remember?”
I stared at her, wondering if she had completely lost her mind.
“And the fact that he’s a billionaire definitely sweetened the deal,” she added, smiling brightly at her family.
I braced myself, quickly thinking up an exit strategy. Surely that would trigger some sort of reprimand. Surely her parents would say something.
Instead—
Elena laughed.
Then Allister.
Within seconds, the entire room had burst into laughter. Even her parents were laughing. I had to rub my eyes to make sure I wasn't imagining things. This was not the reaction I had been expecting.
Her father leaned back in his chair, still chuckling. “I knew she’d do something like this.”
Her mother wiped at the corner of her eye as she laughed. “We all knew.”
Vani groaned beside me. “You’re all embarrassing me in front of my hubby.”
Elena shook her head with a grin. “You’re the one who showed up married.”
I watched the entire exchange with growing confusion.
“You’re… not upset?” I asked cautiously.
Her mother smiled warmly. “Oh no.”
Her father nodded in agreement. “We always knew Vani would do something like this,” he said. “We’re just glad you seem to be handling it well.”
"She's a bit of a handful." Her mother shrugged. “Honestly, I’m just glad she didn’t fall for a stalker and married him. It's her second favorite trope.”
I glanced at her, feeling like I was surprised being pranked. “I’m sorry?”
She shrugged like it was the most normal thought in the world. “That would’ve been harder for me to accept.”
Vani buried her face in her hands. “Mom.”
Her brother laughed.
“Relax,” he told me. “This is exactly what we expected.”
“Expected?” I repeated. Were they really so unfazed by my presence?
He nodded. "She made it very clear she was done with the dating scene and the next relationship she got into would go straight to marriage.”
I slowly turned my head toward my wife, noting her sheepish smile. I raised an eyebrow. “So this was part of the plan?”
She shrugged. “I told you I knew on the first date I would marry you.”
