Page 51 of It Had to be You

MARTINA: Sending you great thoughts for meeting Alexander’s parents, but you won’t need my good thoughts. They’re going to love you.

CHAPTER 13

TheMandarin Oriental Hotelin New York City was one of the crown jewels of New York’s hotels. With its available views of Central Park and an elegant glamour that called to mind old world excellence and timeless beauty.There was something about the interior that could take someone’s breath away and make them feel welcome.

Familiar with the layout of the hotel,Alexander waited patiently in the lobby for his parents to arrive.

Well, he hoped he looked patient.

It didn’t help matters that his hand kept reaching for his pocket, touching the outsideso he could feel the edges and corners of the pale blue box he’d secreted there over an hour ago.

Good.

It was still there.

The energetic hum of New York City life filled the lobby with sound for a moment and then cut off as the front doors closed.

"Xue!"

Turning on his heel, he saw his parents making their way across the lobby. With a bright smile on her face, his mother looked like the very model of beauty and grace. He met them inthe center of the lobby and wrapped his mother in his embrace, placing a gentle kiss on her cheek. "You look happy."

Her laughter brought back memories, flooding through his mind and his heart. So much love had flowed through their family because of his mother and he knew that she would love Tatum, just as much as he did.

"I look happy?" She leaned back and touched her hands to his cheeks. Her skin was a touch cooler than his, but shehad always been. Having her touch his face like she had so many times before calmed him. "You, my son, look very happy too."

Knowing he had to move along, or he’d be in dangerof blurting out the secret, he kept an arm around his mother and held out his hand to his father. "You look like you had a good time."

His father had always been the quieter of the two, speaking when he needed to, otherwise Alexander’s mother would do most of the speaking. So, when his father spoke, Alexander always took notice.

"You’re different, Xue. You look happy too."

"Happy that you’re bothhome." Alexander gestured to a group of chairs nearby. "I’d like to talk to you both."

His parents exchanged a look, and like so many times in his life, they seemed to carry on a whole conversation without a word. His mother was the one who spoke for them both. "Here?"

Nodding, he walked with them toward the alcove and waited for his father to settle his mother on the couch before Alexander took the seat adjacent to them. He could almost read their expressions. His father was worried, but his mother was a multi-tasker as she’d always been, was both worried and excited.

Leaning forward on his chair, he reached out and took his mother’s hand. "I’ve met someone."

He felt her hand squeeze his and her face seemed to glow.

"Xue," he really loved that his parents called him by his Chinese name, "I can see she makes you happy."

"Is she from a good family?"

His father’s questiondidn’t catch him off-guard. He’d expected something like that from him. He knew it wasn’t a criticism, just a carryover from other generations.

"She doesn’t have much in the way of family," Alexander explained.

He watched his mother take his father’s hand in hers, connecting them both through her love.

"As long as she makes you happy," his mother’s eyes were full of joy, "then we will be happy too."

His father’s eyes remained focused on him. "Are you telling us this because we are to meet her tonight?"

He’d always been a shrewd man when it came to business and his business partners, so it really wasn’t that much of a surprise that his father had foreseen the reason why Alexander had wanted to have this conversation in the lobby.

"She won’t be joining us until halfway through the evening," he began to explain, and realized he should have found a different way to explain. His father’s expression was already shuttered and his back was as straight as a steel rod. "She’s going to be performing in the exhibition."

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