Page 35 of Fated Mates and How to Seduce Them
“Dad’s offering to send vans to pick everyone else up and take them home.”
So André’s generosity came from his father, eh? Ian somehow wasn’t surprised by that. “Let me ask.”
Ian stood and waved to get people’s attention. “I can get vans here to pick people up and deliver them home! How many need a lift?”
Roughly a dozen hands shot up in the air. Ian counted them twice to be sure before saying, “Thirteen people.”
“Thirteen?Okay. Tell everyone to sit tight. We’ll be there as soon as we can.”
“Thanks, André.”
“I’m super happy you called me. I’ll reward you for that later. See you soon!”
Reward, huh? Ian hung up and stared suspiciously at the screen. He did not trust André and rewards. Somehow, he doubted it would be the same level of rewards he gave the kids.
He texted André the location and then was at a loss as to what to do next.
The pregnant woman turned around in her seat, pushing a wisp of dark hair from her face. “Who’s coming for us?”
“André,” Ian answered. He almost didn’t say it, but tacked on, smile shy, “The guy I’m dating. He said he’d be here soon.” Maybe saying this aloud would help manifest it.
She lit up with a smile of her own. “He’s a good boyfriend to come without even harassing you for it. Good for you. Wait, let me see a picture. Is he handsome?”
“Very much so.” Ian opened his gallery. The truth was, he had an embarrassing number of photos of André on his phone. Half of them were him playing with Casper. The other half was a mix of him playing with the kids or snuck when André was totally unaware of him.
If Ian were on trial for being in love with André, the pictures alone would guarantee a guilty verdict.
She took the phone so she could see better and pursed her lips in a whistle. “Wow. He’s stunning! How did you catch him?”
“Ha, no, he caught me.”
Oh, he definitely had her attention now. Future mother was all ears. She handed the phone back, tone eager. “Tell me the story. I love a good romance.”
They had nothing better to do for the next hour, so Ian didn’t see the harm. He started at the beginning, of how he’d saved André at the bar, and then wound it down to now. Told like this, it did seem ridiculous how long he’d waffled in indecision when, in retrospect, he’d been falling for the man from the first moment.
She sighed, a woman well satisfied. “How sweet. Love at first sight, at least for him. So you haven’t told him yet that you officially want to date.”
“No. I need to come up with a good plan, but it escapes me at the moment what to do.”
The grandmotherly woman across the aisle from them leaned in. “I didn’t mean to eavesdrop, but I can’t help myself. Young man, you’re right to hold on to him. Your André is a good person. Now, when my husband and I got together, he didn’t do anything fancy. He took me on a picnic near the river, gave me a bouquet of flowers, and asked me to go steady. It’s one of my fondest memories. You don’t need to go over the top.”
Mother-to-be nodded firmly. “No, you really don’t. He’s been waiting for you all this time. He’ll be happy to get a yes, no matter the setting. Do something sincere and simple; that’ll be enough.”
A picnic near the river, huh? Ian could do that. They were right. André wouldn’t care about the setting so long as he finally got a yes. It was Ian who felt like he owed the man some romance after two months of dragging his feet.
“I thought maybe dinner at a nice restaurant somewhere, or something coupley, like matching bracelets?” Ian looked between both women for their opinions.
He got instant smiles in return.
“There you go,” the grandmother encouraged. “That’s a lovely idea. He’s one to wear accessories, then?”
“Sometimes. He likes to buy others gifts; he does it all the time. It’s about time I did the same for him.”
“Good idea. Do that.”
“Thanks.” Ian was at a loss as to what style or where to get the bracelets, but he could figure that out later when he had better internet access.
His phone buzzed with a message from André, saying he was thirty minutes out. Oh wow, he was making good time.
