When Noah arrived at his parents' house the next day, his family was sitting outside, enjoying the sunny afternoon. Nico, Elena, and Gus had made it too. They gave him a warm welcome before they fought over who was going to hold Jesse first. Because she started crying, that person turned out to be him.
"You really know how to pick 'em," Nico joked. "First the puppy, then Jaya, now this little diva. You're like the horse whisperer for skittish females."
Noah smoothed his brow with his middle finger to flip him the bird.
"Speaking of your baby mama, here she comes." Elena nodded toward the side of the house.
Jaya and her parents were quite the sight. Her mother wore a curve-hugging red and black dress, while her dad sported washed-out jeans and a snug white suit jacket over a gray V-neck shirt. Talk about a power couple.
Jaya looked every bit the rock star daughter in her black, faux leather leggings and loose yet revealing red blouse. The three of them wore Aviator shades, and all that was missing was the right background music, like "Hit 'Em High," the ringtone Gus had chosen for Jaya, or the "Theme from Rocky."
"Those are your parents?" his mom asked Gus. "I saw them at the hospital, but I thought they were your older cousins. I wonder what they put in their food."
Gus winced. "Yup, that's our parents. Usually, they aren't this dressed up though. We're more of a sweatpants and hoodie kind of family."
"All right, here they come." Noah handed the baby to Dani. "Everyone on their best behavior, please."
"Oh my God, she's so beautiful! She looks like you," his sister squealed at the exact moment Jaya and her parents joined them. Noah kicked his sister under the table.
"What?" Dani shrugged. "I'm just admiring your daughter, bro."
After greeting Jaya and her parents, his mom held her arms out in Dani's direction. "Okay, I want to hold her now. Pass her over."
"I've only had her for like five seconds," Dani complained. Nuzzling Jesse's head, she said, "God, she smells so good."
Noah reached for Jaya's hand to make sure she sat next to him, and her parents took a seat on her other side. Hoping to ease her tension, he held her hand under the table.
"She's definitely yours." Rita stroked a finger over Jesse's tiny arm. "She has your eyes and your lips, but other than that, she totally looks like Jaya."
"You thought the baby wasn't his?" Jaya tilted her head to the side and pursed her lips. "Did you think that too?"
Everyone averted their eyes, and Jaya pulled her hand away.
"Only for a minute after I found out you were pregnant. I was in shock. But I know you, and I know you wouldn't lie about something like that. Also, a lot of shit to go through if the baby isn't mine."
Jaya lowered her head but then drew her shoulders back. The strength that woman could summon impressed him every time. He hoped Jesse would get her strength—but maybe a tad less of her stubbornness.
"I know I messed up, okay?" Jaya turned to him. "I'm trying to make this work, but if you want the perfect little wife with the perfect house and the perfect babies, you should've listened to me when I warned you repeatedly that I'm a mess. You knew what you were getting yourself into the moment we met."
"Well, you're my perfect little mess now, and I want to keep you." He didn't care who was watching; he kissed her with gusto.
The others whooped and cheered.
"Was that a proposal?" Luca asked him, laughing.
He shrugged. "I've asked her twice. She rejects me every time."
Jaya crossed her arms. "You don't ask me. You tell me."
"Uh-oh, take a hint, bro."
"I think your brother is right, son," his dad put in. "If you want her to say yes, you have to do it right. Maybe you should give her a different ring if she doesn't like the one my dad gave your grandmother. A lot of women prefer the big, sparkly kind, right?" he said to Rita, who sat next to Luca's wife, Emmanuelle. The women nodded in unison.
He'd wanted to give her Nonna's ring because it had a long family history and reminded him of Jaya, not to propose. It was a symbol of permanence and stability—something Jaya didn't have early in life.
When he was in New York and stopped by Santino's to say goodbye to his grandparents, Nonna had taken the ring from her finger and placed it in his palm. 'I can tell she's your forever person. I want her to have this,' she'd told him and pecked his cheek. 'And remember what I said about the hugs. Twenty seconds. It'll cure just about anything.'
He was going to buy Jaya the big, sparkly kind to propose, but he knew she wouldn't love it as much as she'd love this ring. So he reached into his pocket and pulled out the thin gold band adorned with a tiny red ruby.
Jaya's eyebrows squished together in confusion, and he wanted to kiss her again.
This was it. He could feel it. "This has been a crazy year for us—definitely the most fun and dramatic year of my life—but I'm never happier than when I'm with you." He sat up straighter. "So here goes the million-dollar question I'm almost too afraid to ask. Will you marry me, Jaya?"
Everyone cried, except for Jaya, whose gaze clouded and went distant. Her dad nudged her, and she blinked a few times as if she'd just woken up.
Jaya glanced down at the ring he held out to her. When she looked back up, her eyes shimmered, and her smile was like the sun. She grabbed a fistful of his shirt and laid one on him with so much love and passion that everyone cheered even louder.
When she let him go, she said, "I want nothing more than to spend my life with you. And I love the ring; it's perfect."
Noah slid it on her finger. He was the luckiest guy; it didn't get any better than marrying his best friend.
He draped an arm around Jaya. "I planned to do it after your graduation, but this seemed like the perfect moment." He looked around the table, rubbing his thumb over the gold band. "I guess I'll have to find something else to give you for our anniversary."
"How about tickets to the next Lakers-Warriors game?" She shimmied her shoulders.
"That's my woman," he said, grinning.
She linked her fingers with his. "Today was perfect, and I love the ring. I'm not a big bling kind of girl," she told his dad.
His dad smiled at her. "Welcome to the family, sweetheart."
"Thanks, Tony. You've done a pretty good job with him." She pointed her thumb at Noah. "Sometimes, he drives me crazy, but most of the time, he's all right." When Noah nipped her finger, she yelped. "Did you see that, Santino? Your kid's got a mean streak."
They ate, talked, and poked fun at each other while Jesse slept through most of the afternoon.
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Thanks for reading! :) Please remember to vote and feel free to leave comments. xo—A