Nuzzling my nose into his neck that smelled of the woodsy soap from my shop, I grunted a laugh. “He already knew. My mom couldn’t keep it from him. I guess he made some comment about how beautiful she is, and all she could think about was the disfigurement she might have after surgery. And the floodgates opened … she told him everything. However, he’s doing surprisingly well. Very optimistic, at least that’s the face he’s giving us. Graham is flying them out to California tomorrow to tell Katie. I have all of my mom’s upcoming appointments put into my calendar, and I talked with Sophie about covering for me more often since I’ll be in Denver quite a bit.”
He pressed a slow kiss to my lips. I needed it. I needed it to calm my racing mind. Mom’s treatment was a marathon, not a sprint.
Ronin pulled back, brushing my hair from my face. “Today, you did your part.”
I lifted one shoulder. “I think so.”
“Tonight, you meet my parents. They will love you. My mom will talk a lot about grandchildren. You just have to ignore her.”
I bit my lower lip for a few seconds. “What if I don’t want to ignore her?” Tipping my chin up, I met his gaze.
Ronin inspected me … maybe for a glimpse of humor or a spark of honesty. “I want one boy and one girl,” he said. “Two years apart. The boy first, so he can be protective of his sister.”
That was our truth.
We had known—a silent certainty—that there was something special between us from the day we met in Vancouver. Attempting to be intelligent and sane, we hadn’t labeled that silent certainty as anything like fate or destiny. Not love at first sight. Not perfect timing.
For me, I felt like we were a fact—the sky was blue, water was wet, the wind blew. Ronin and Evelyn just were.
“I have a sister and you have a brother, but you think we can manage one of each?” I chuckled.
“Absolutely.” He flashed me that irresistible smile.
I believed him.
A much-needed grin took over my face. Ronin had a way of doing that. Grins on my face. Butterflies in my tummy. Love in my heart. “I’m good with that.”
“Good. Then dinner will go well tonight.”
I told myself I wasn’t nervous about meeting Victor and Ling Alexander, but I lied.
“How important is it that your parents like me? If they don’t, will you leave me?” I kept watch out the window, waiting for their arrival.
“They’re going to love you.”
“Of course they are, but just play along with me for shits and giggles. What if they don’t like me? Are we over?”
“Yes,” he said, adding wood to the stove.
I turned, jaw unhinged, eyes wide. “You can’t be serious?”
Ronin closed the stove door. “No.” He chuckled. “I’m not serious.”
“Every lie is actually a truth in a parallel universe.”
“You believe in parallel universes?” He brushed wood dust from his hands and jeans.
“I’m a scientist, so a lot of possibilities cross my mind. However, if I believed a parallel universe existed for the alternatives to all our decisions and lies, then it wouldn’t be possible. I mean … there are potentially a lot of parallel universes, but not a quantity as large as the infinite choices we make and lies we tell every day.”
“I don’t know whether to be intimidated or turned on right now.” He slid his hands around my waist.
“Both would please me immensely.” I kissed his neck, taking a deep inhale. “You smell really good.”
“I smell like your soaps.”
“Yes, but they smell even better on you.”
“Evie, are you trying to seduce me seconds before my parents are scheduled to arrive?”
“No. I’m just sniffing you.” I grinned, dragging my nose and lips down his neck to the exposed area of his chest where the top buttons of his shirt were undone.
“Sniffing leads to fucking.”
I giggled. “No. It doesn’t.”
“Yes. It does. But my parents are here, so I’ll wait until later to show you the connection between the two.”
“Oh …” I whipped around as my heart exploded into a sprint. “They’re here. Okay. I’ve got this. They will like me. Right? Dear god, what if they don’t?”
“So much at stake, baby. My fingers are crossed on this one.” He nuzzled his face into my neck as I stood at the door, ready to throw it open the second I heard their footsteps on the porch. “Here they come …” I held my breath and opened the door, shoving Ronin in their direction so I didn’t have to make a self-introduction.
“There’s our boy.” Ronin’s mom hugged him as I remained statuesque with a petrified smile pinned to my face.
“Hey, how was your trip?” After he released his mom, he hugged his dad.
Ronin got his height from his dad because his mom was maybe five-two with heels, a little toothpick with short black and gray hair and an exuberant smile. A Ronin smile.