"Dianne!" I heard someone called in the middle of the crowd.
"Hey! Wait up!" Once his voice became clearer, I saw him came out from the crowd.
"What's up, Tay?" I greeted him.
"Something's up. The other day I checked your identity card. Yes, there is something wrong with it. I called up the staff that registered your ID card before, but he never showed up. Most of the staff claimed that they never seen him for few weeks. And he didn't ask for any day off. We filed his missing to the police in town. And surprisingly..." He trailed off as he smirked.
"What?" I asked.
"The police look through his profile. He is working for the mafia, besides then working with me. I can't believe it. It does make sense though, he is a newbie. But it doesn't make sense why he worked in my place just to create your fake ID." Taylor continued.
I'd fake a laugh. "Mafia? Are you joking?"
The family reunion was held in Ryan's house. All of his big families are coming. Most of them I didn't recognized. Good thing that Ryan's house is enormous.
"No, Dianne. I'm not joking. Having a criminal doing job for me really making me frustrated. Plus, he was doing an illegal thing. That could ruin my business. So, I looked for some reason why he could've done that." He said.
I clenched on my glass even tighter (only juice - can't take any alcohol since my 'illness'). "What are you trying to say Tay?"
"What is Bruce John's daughter doing here?" He asked in a low voice.
I gulped.
"Want to tell me here, or the front yard?" He asked again.
I can't find where Ryan is at that time. Maybe he is having a great time with his cousins. And where is Carlos by the way? I doubt that he is enjoying the meal all by himself.
"Let's talk outside." I said.
The night breeze hit against my exposed skin. I wear simple knee-length dress that night. I don't want to become everyone attention.
"First of all, I wanted to apologize for not telling you..." I started.
Then I continued with my story. From the day I ran to this town. He frowned sometimes, but didn't say anything. He waited patiently until my story comes to the end.
"Why are you keeping all of these? You were only working for them in the past because he is your father. You stopped then continue on a normal life. If you tell any of us, we can accepted it even we're just barely know each other." He argued.
"I don't know how to tell you or Ryan about this, Tay. At first I just planned on living for a few days in his house. Then he offered me a job. Then I'm thinking about renting a new place in this town for myself. I thought we're not gonna be as close as this." I said.
Taylor sighed as he pinched the spot between his eyebrows. "I know you got Carlos to protect you. What if they're too many for Carlos to handle them? You can leave that life, Dianne. But lying to us and not telling us the truth isn't going to let that happen. We can help you..."
"No, Tay. You can't. I won't let you to help me. It's too dangerous." I cut him off.
He huffed. "Tell Ryan about this." He said.
"I... I can't... Maybe not now... I... I don't know, Tay. I should tell him earlier before things happen and the situation got more complicated..." I said as I'm preventing the tears to escape.
"What are you talking about?" He looked at me intensely.
I looked into his eyes as my mouth trembling. My heartbeat increased its beating speed and my hands are sweating.
"I'm... Urm..." I looked down to my feet.
"What is it, Dianne?" Taylor grasped both of my shoulders and I looked up at him.
"I..."
Taylor had gotten impatient. "What is it?"
"I... kind of... having his..." I said in low voice.
"Dianne." He said sternly.
"It's positive." I blurted out.
"What is positive?"
"I thought I'm going to be sick before because I'd puke and my head felt dizzy then Ryan called Dr. Jenkins and he said it's best to go to hospital for better treatment and I was thinking and imagining some scary thing and I used the pregnancy test and it's positive." I ended my story.
Taylor is silent. Too silent. And he is staring at me intensely.
Later, he gasped as the news processed in his brain. "You're having Ryan's baby?!" He shouted whisperingly at me, so no one could hear us. But he is scary like that.
I nodded and sighed. "Yes. There is a little monster in my tummy." I said. I don't know why but it'd make me grinning.
"Did Ryan know about this?" He asked.
I shook my head.
Taylor groaned in frustrated. "This make me felt crazy." He muttered before looking up into my eyes. "Tell Ryan everything, tonight or never." He said.
"Let's get inside." He brings me to his side as we both stepping inside.
******
The living room filled with chatters and laughter. The party began to slow down as it's getting late and most of his families are became tired.
At the back of the living room, which is a large empty space; I heard someone's clearing his throat for getting the attention. Everyone in the room focused on him right now.
Once I glanced there, I saw a very attractive man stood proudly in his suit. I've never seen him in that before.
Ryan smiled warmly at me as he laid his eyes on me for few seconds before looking at the crowd again. "I would like to thank you everyone for attending our family reunion in my place this year. I would like to thank my dad and mom too for grew me up with both of your love. Although they're busy having a holiday together, I can assure you, mom and dad, I've grown up. I could afford your holiday cost and I could take care of myself in home. I'm happy for making both of you happy." He smiled.
Then he continued, "And I would like to celebrate a welcome back home to Jennifer. We didn't hate you, sis. I didn't ashamed of having a troublemaker sister like you. You know what, it's awesome. Dad didn't hate you. He tried to make things better. Yet, we love you, Jenny."
"And the last one of my going-to-be family that I wanted to introduce..." Ryan trailed as he stepping forward... to me.
Taking out his hand in front of me, I took it awkwardly as he leads me to the front. What is he doing?
"This is Dianne John." He turned to me and looked straight into my eyes as he continued. "The woman who came to my life, destroying my peaceful nap, have the urge to scold me, slapping my gorgeous face, making me mad every time and... also the woman who willingly ran into me months ago." He held my hands between his as I keep grinning.
"I love you." He said. That received 'Aww~' from the crowd.
"You have weird taste for woman." I chuckled. Who wanted to date someone so cruel like he said? And why is his lines make the butterflies flew inside me, like every way inside me even though it's a bad confession's line?
Instead of replied to what I said, he knelt down on one knee as he hold my right hand. The families turned to silent and some of them were gasping.
"Dianne, you cure my heart from what happened to me before. I wanted to do the same for you. I love you every single time you spend with me. From the beginning, I can't say that out loud because of my own ego. I get jealous when you're working and hanging out with other men. One of them is my best buddy over there." He pointed a look at where Taylor stood.
"I get mad all the time when I saw you two are together. I wanted you to be only mine but I know I didn't own you... yet." He took out the small velvet box and opened it.
A beautiful small gleaming diamond ring stuck inside. Ryan looked at me with full of love.
"I love you, Dianne." He let out.
"Will you marry me?"