Ryan and Raina

Chapter 6 Getting to know you

Friday came sooner than expected. Jared came early in the morning with his wife, Delilah. She wanted to get to know her new sister-in-law while her husband talked business with Ryan. 

"Just a warning, Kate and mom will be joining us for dinner. They were really excited about it. So have you decided on the date?" Jared asked him. Ryan nodded. "So far so good" He said after mentioning his planned wedding date. "Hopefully, everything will go smoothly. Raina is healthy this far so it's fine." Jared nodded "Del and I will be there. Kate will too. I don't know about mom, though. She really wanted to, but you know how dad is." Ryan nodded. 

"So, about the Jogja Grand Mall… " He continued on their meeting. 

Raina was worried about Ryan's sister-in-law, his sister and mom. The las two came halfway through their chat. Del was really nice. Kate began her greeting with "so you're the reason why Ryan's looking for an obgyn. " Raina looked down in shame. Kate laughed cheerfully. "Don't worry Raina, Jared explained everything to us. We understand." Ryan's mom Helen came to give her a hug. "I know that it's still next month, but you should call me mom now."

"But I… I… " She stuttered. "Hey, we're all human, right? We make mistakes. The most important thing is to own it and take responsibility. You could have taken the easy way out, but you chose to have your child at the cost of your family and home." Kate patted her head. "You don't know how many teenagers came to my friend Santi for after care post abortion. We doctors can talk until we're blue in the face, at the end of the day, it all came back to your sense of responsibility. " Del smiled. "Besides, I can see that you're good for Ryan. He's sensitive alright, but he rarely expressed it. He's rather cold to girls other than family. I watched him with you. He's always supporting you. I like it"

" Huh? Really? But I remember him being nice to everyone. " Raina frowned. "Nice, yes, he's always nice. But not to the point of taking care of someone this far." Kate twirled her hair. "Oh don't give me that look. I know that you think that Ryan just had a shock and looked for a substitute connection because of our father, but even so, he won't just decide to marry you. Marriage is not a simple thing you know. And do you really believe that he'd lie in front of God just for helping you? He's planning a church wedding, right? " "He said it's in his newest hotel." She squeaked. "With a priest, and a full wedding service" Kate smiled "it's alright, Raina, as long as you're serious with your commitment. " Raina nodded "I am" "Then we're good. "

"Are you bothering my fiancee, Kate? " Ryan's voice surprised them. "Hey, groom- to- be, finished your talk? " Ryan took his place beside Raina. "Hey, how are you doing? " Raina gave him a smile. "I'm good. " He patted the top of her head fully. " That's great then." He turned to his mom and gave her a hug. "Hi mom, how are you?" His mom grinned. "I almost had a heart attack when Jared said that this hotel is yours. Raina took us on a tour. Nice place. I'm proud of you" She patted his cheeks. "So this is where all your savings gone to. Your dad thought that you got addicted to something and hid it from us. " She looked out the window. "And the place where you're getting married in Bali, it's yours too? " 

Ryan rubbed his neck nervously "ah, yeah. The deal had just gone through. But to be fair, it belonged to the company. I just managed it." His mom smiled at him. "I understand now why you refused the jewelries. So I'm giving it to Raina as your wedding present. And don't refuse, because she, Kate and Del received a third each, so it's fair. Regardless of your dad, you're still my son, and Raina is going to be my daughter-in-law."

Ryan nodded gratefully. "So" Kate cut in. "Do I get a free room or what? " He laughed. "If you really wanted to, sure. Just tell us when. I'll give you Jared's suite. " "Hey!" His brother protested "kidding. Anytime Kate. So, do you want to try our dining room, or do you want to go out? " 

"Here is fine. I want to try the restaurant. I read the reviews" His mom showed him the online recommendation page. "Huh, I didn't know about this." Ryan shoot a picture of it with his phone and send it to his secretary. "Seemed like we needed to start looking at our online presence. I'll get someone to do it for all our projects. " Helen hit his son's arm, smiling as he dodged, then automatically went to Raina's side to help her stood up. 

"You'll do" She said with a smile. She wasn't quite sure about her youngest son getting married so suddenly, but his behavior made her believe in him. 

Later that night, after his family went home and they were getting ready to sleep, Raina smiled at him. " I like your family" Ryan smiled back at her. "I like yours too. " She yawned and snuggled into his arms. "Tell me about your dad." Ryan raised an eyebrow. "What do you want to know? " "Umm, what kind of person he is, what would he think of me, those kind of things… "

Ryan looked up the ceilings and said thoughtfully. "Hmm… my dad, he's though, and I don't really know him, to be honest. He's away often, and when we saw each other, he never fail to express his disappointment in me." "That's sad" She commented "it is. I think of Jared as my dad when I was younger. He's always there, and he always encourage me to do what I wanted well. I learned a lot from him."

"So your dad is your landmine? " His hand stopped playing with her hair. " I'm not quite sure. It's more like, I've been disappointed a lot since I was younger, and expected this of him. Like, indifferent, maybe? "He thought out loud. " I never think about it, to be honest. " "If he came and apologize and want you to come back home to him, would you? " Ryan laughed and pinched her nose. " I've got you now, why would I go home? I'm not a kid anymore. I think being apart is the best for us. He's not in danger of a heart attack, and I'm happier. What about you? Tell me about your mom. "

Raina thought a bit. "Uh, she died when I was really young, so I don't remember much about her. But I remembered making cookies and cakes with her. She liked cooking, she has the nicest smile and my father loved her. Hey, can I use the kitchen here? " She stared at him with starry eyes. "I feel like baking a cake all of a sudden. " Ryan gaped. "You mean right now? " She nodded energetically. "Do we even have any ingredients? " "We bought some at our last shopping trip so I'm sure we'll be fine. Anything else we can order from online courrier, right? " Ryan nodded faintly. "Sure" Pregnant women sure is weird.