Is this destiny?

All the guests saw that Sarah and Aiden are feeding each other.

It was sweet in a cringey kind of way, but they are the newlyweds, so they can do whatever they want. Everything about them is sweet to the point of cringing.

Jarred observed Mrs. Ronin as she worked on her second dish: risotto with a herb-baked trout. Her movements are fluid and gracious as always. Like a queen.

"You don\'t look excited about the wedding?", Jarred asked.

Mrs. Ronin looked at him questionably. She swallowed the food from her mouth before responding. "Why would I be excited? I don\'t know them very well, and this is my second time seeing Aiden, but I can see that they are in love and I wish only the best for them. I am happy but not excited."

She wondered if she is frowning. Mrs. Ronin didn\'t really pay attention, but she is almost confident that she is smiling most of the day. After all, the atmosphere is joyous and the surroundings are great. This is her first time in Switzerland, and she came here with a luxurious private jet like a celebrity (courtesy of Jarred). There is no reason for her not to be happy. 

Mrs. Ronin pointed at herself. "This is my happy face."

Jarred burst into a laugh. How can a woman be so adorable? "I was talking about the wedding of my Charlie and your Emma."

"Oh…" Mrs. Ronin paused.

"That does not look like a happy face.", Jarred voiced his observation.

Mrs. Ronin decided to explain: "I don\'t know much about Charlie. Only recently Emma brought him home and introduced him as her fiancé. I am still adjusting to the idea that the two of them are about to get married."

"As Charlie\'s Uncle, I know him since he was a baby. If you have any questions, feel free to ask."

Mrs. Ronin tilted her head and responded half-mockingly: "As Charlie\'s Uncle, you will speak only about good things."

Jarred took a deep breath. She is not only adorable, but smart as well. And witty. 

He smirked. "Are you saying that I am unreliable?"

Mrs. Ronin stifled a laugh. "Yes. When it concerns talking about Charlie, you are the last person I would ask for an opinion."

"You are beautiful when you laugh.", Jarred voiced his thoughts. 

Mrs. Ronin cleared her throat awkwardly and did her best to stay on the topic. "As I was saying… I don\'t know much about Charlie. That is one of the reasons I decided to come more often to Los Angeles. So that I can observe them and see for myself if they are really in love and if his intentions are not to play games with my Emma or to take advantage of her in some way."

"If you confirm that he is serious and his intentions are true, you will support them?"

"Yes. I have no intention to stand in the way of Emma\'s happiness. But I need to confirm that there is a chance for a happy ending." In her mind, Mrs. Ronin added: "And that it\'s not predetermined for a disaster how my marriage was."

"What are some things that you expect to see from a loving couple?"

Mrs. Ronin didn\'t understand the point of his question. "Every couple is different. But if you need an example, there… look at Sarah and Aiden. The way they are feeding each other with their gazes locked like there is no one else…" Mrs. Ronin\'s words paused at the fork with food hovering in front of her mouth. 

She looked at Jarred in disbelief for a second before asking: "Mr. Smith… are you acting like a loving couple?"

"One of the two.", he gave her a knowing look, indicating that she should be the second one. "Donni, will you take my offering?"

Mrs. Ronin felt a sudden gush of heat invading her face. Why is she blushing like a teenager? "Uhm… I am not sure what all is included with this bite."

Jarred was elated by her reaction. Even with obvious discomfort, she keeps her reasoning and asks for clarifications. Truly, a woman deserving to be a queen. His queen.

Jarred\'s intense gaze was locked on her eyes while he spoke in a voice which is deeper than usual: "We start with this bite, and I can give you more… until you say that you are full. And then we can dance and take it from there. I am not a teenager to offer you the moon and the stars and tell you how life from now on will be full of rainbows as long as we hold onto each other. My family is complicated, and my work will not allow me to retire even after I give my official job to Charlie. But I can promise you that you will not be in the back seat. I expect you to be next to me, as an equal, all the way. I hope you realize that my intentions are not to play around and that I can help you accomplish anything you ever wanted… depending on how the things go beyond this bite."

For some reason, unknown to Mrs. Ronin, she opened her mouth and took the food from Jarred\'s fork. Maybe it was the fact that he said how life will not be full of rainbows, or that he admitted that his family is complicated or that he will treat her as an equal… but she will not deny that she enjoyed the sight of his boyish grin directed at her the moment she accepted his offering.

Two tables away…

Charlie leaned close to Emma: "Do you think we should plan for a double wedding?"

Emma looked at Charlie and blinked. They didn\'t start planning their wedding yet, what double wedding? On an instinct, she glanced at Mike and Tiffany, but the two of them are just eating and chatting happily… nothing unusual. Emma had to ask: "With whom?"

Charlie pointed with his chin to the side. 

Emma\'s mouth hang open at the sight of Jarred feeding her mother. 

"What the…?", Emma said under her breath.

"You don\'t approve?", Charlie asked.

"Uhm… it\'s not that I don\'t approve, but I never saw my mom like this… with a man."

Charlie laughed. "I never saw my Uncle like this either. I can tell you that how much I know, this is the first time he openly showed interest in a woman since his wife\'s passing."

Emma\'s eyebrows shoot up in surprise when she saw her mom feeding Jarred in return. Oh, God! Both of them are grinning like teenagers. Did her mom just push Jarred playfully after he whispered something to her? Ugh… this is worse than teenagers. Her mom is forty-nine years old and Jarred…

"How old is Jarred?", Emma asked Charlie.

"Fifty-five.", Charlie responded.

Emma sighed. She is happy for them. Everyone should have a chance for love, no matter the age, but… "Does Jarred know about my father?"

Charlie shrugged, indicating that he is not sure. "I don\'t think so. But I should not be the one to tell him."

Emma agreed. "I will talk to my mom when I get the chance."

Ever since their visit to Seattle, to meet the Ronin family, Charlie is using his resources to find out information related to Emma\'s father (aka Angelo). They don\'t know his identity yet, but they are getting close. At this point, they know that the man is alive, currently somewhere in Europe. But the main point why Emma wants to talk to her mother is because Mrs. Ronin never got divorced. 

Looking at her mother flirting with Jarred, Emma wonders if her mom forgot that tiny detail: that she is still married to the man she probably didn\'t see for about twenty years.

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