Page 7 of Her Inconvenient Wedding Date (Unexpected Dates #2)

Lily

“Obviously, if I was serious about having a relationship with someone long-term, the last people I would introduce him to would be my family.” ~Chelsea Handler

“Eloping doesn’t seem like such a bad idea right now,” I murmur to Jasmine under my breath.

“You can still escape, Jie. It’s not too late.” She gestures over her shoulder. We exchange cringe-filled looks as we hide in the far corner of Pearl Bay, an upscale Chinese restaurant that serves dim sum for lunch. “I’ll create a diversion while you sneak out the back door.”

“You know I’d have to go into the witness protection program if I did that.

Ma would never forgive me.” I slump against the wall, not even caring that my blouse is getting wrinkled.

My gaze flits over to the large fish tanks beside us and their unsuspecting seafood residents.

The poor fish and crabs have no idea they’re the ones on the menu, just like I had no clue my mother was going to turn our casual meal into a glorified engagement party.

And I’m the one who’s about to be fed to the wolves—aka my Chinese aunties.

“I should’ve known something was fishy when we walked in here and a third of the restaurant was empty. That never happens on a Saturday.”

Jasmine nods. “Right? I have no idea how Ma was able to reserve five tables so last minute. Or how she got so many of our relatives to come. You only told her about Hunter yesterday!”

“Never underestimate our mother. When she wants something done, any-fin is possible.”

“Uh-oh. You’re talking in puns. You only do this when you’re stressed out.” Her perfect brows furrow as she sighs. “Are you sure about this, Jie? I don’t want you to marry a random guy just so I can start planning my wedding. It’s not worth it.”

“Hunter’s not a random guy, he’s my coworker. And it will be so worth it to finally see you and Bruce get married. Don’t worry, I’ll be fine. I am fine,” I reassure her and myself. “I’m more than fine. I’m fin-tastic, just fin-tastic.”

“Yikes.” She shakes her head, giving me a pitying look. “That’s two puns in the last minute.”

“Three,” I correct her. “You missed the first one where I said something was fishy.”

She rolls her eyes. “Right.”

“And here’s number four—I’m going to be o-fish-ally cooked when Hunter shows up and Ma and Ba discover he’s not Chinese.

I thought it’d be safer for them to meet in a public place, in case Ma starts getting dramatic, but I didn’t think we’d have an audience.

But, then again, this could be a good thing!

” I straighten my posture and stand to my feet, no longer needing the wall for moral support.

A wave of relief washes over me as I tell Jasmine, “Ma can’t very well admit to her sisters that she had no idea I went against her wishes.

She’ll be so concerned about saving face, she’ll have to hold herself together.

At least she’ll save her guilt trips for later when we’re alone. ”

Jasmine gasps. “You’re right! Maybe we should call up some of their church friends and neighbors, too. The more witnesses, the better, right?”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa. I think we’re good.” Apparently, my sister inherited all the efficiency genes from our mother. She’s already scrolling through the contacts in her phone to find people to add to our guest list. “I don’t think Ma would appreciate paying for any more tables.”

“Good point. But they could stand outside and press their faces against the glass.” She smirks, pointing to the large floor to ceiling windows that look out into the parking lot of the strip mall.

Her expression softens as she clasps her hands over her chest. “Oh, Bruce is here! Who’s that tall guy he’s talking to? ”

My gaze follows hers until it lands on two men walking past the restaurant windows.

They look to be deep in conversation, with Bruce doing most of the talking.

The guy Jasmine’s asking about is none other than Hunter, my fake fiancé.

Let me say that in all caps because it bears repeating. HUNTER PAYNE IS MY FAKE FIANCé!

Cold beads of sweat break out on my forehead as I realize it’s showtime. I swallow hard and utter, “That’s him. My fi…fi…”

“Your fifi? What’s a fifi?”

“No! My fi…” The mouth refuses to cooperate, so I spit out, “Him. Hunter.”

“That’s your fiancé?!” Jasmine now resembles one of the fish in the tank with her mouth agape and eyes bugged out. “You didn’t tell me he’s so handsome!”

“Is he?”

“I can’t believe Bruce got to meet him before me!

” She tugs on my arm as she practically drags me toward the entrance.

Thankfully, we’re able to sneak along the walls of the opposite end of the restaurant from where our family is sitting.

“Come on, I need to get a closer look at your hunky hubby-to-be!”

Hunky? I’ve never thought of my goofy coworker as a hunk before, but I suppose he has a few things going in his favor.

Now that I’ve seen a couple of his outfits outside of work, I’ll admit he has an impressive fashion sense for an engineer—no offense to my fellow Code Crafters.

Today, he’s wearing a blue sport coat that shows off his broad shoulders and his hair is combed to the side, à la Clark Kent.

He’s also sans-glasses again, so I can see the sparkle in his baby blues the moment our eyes lock through the glass pane of the front door.

My stomach does a weird flip that I chalk up to nerves because I suddenly realize I did not think this plan through.

For someone who prides herself on being good with details, I left out a dozen of them, all of which are necessary if we’re going to pull off this heist.

Yep, this fake engagement now feels like a robbery because I’ve most definitely lost my wits.

Pushing open the door, I rush outside and greet Hunter with a forced smile. “Hey! I need to talk to you before we go inside.”

“Sure thing, my precious.”

My precious?! Before I can question his choice of words, my sister pulls him into a hug.

“Welcome to the family, Hunt! Can I call you Hunt? Oh wow, you’re tall. Isn’t he tall, honey?” Jasmine directs her question at Bruce whose head bounces up and down like a Bobblehead. “Bruce and I are thrilled for you and Lily. So thrilled! You’re making our wishes come true!”

“Didn’t I say Jasmine would be thrilled to meet you?

” Bruce beams like he’s accepting the Nobel Peace Prize, which could very well be in his future given how brilliant he is.

But for now, he’s soaking up all of Jasmine’s adoration.

“You showed up in the nick of time, Hunter. Like I was about to tell you, my grandparents are getting up there in age and their greatest wish is to attend their only grandson’s wedding.

They’ll finally get to see their wish come true, and it’s all because of you. ”

“You don’t say.” Hunter tugs at his shirt collar and laughs nervously. “That’s no pressure at all.”

“You’ll be fine,” Jasmine pipes up. “It’s good you’re meeting our parents for the first time in public. Now if our mom offers to meet up with you later in a dark alley, I’d start worrying. Come on, Bruce! We’re going to head in first, Jie! See you inside!”

As soon as the lovebirds are gone, I pull Hunter a few feet over to a brick wall where we’ll be safe from prying eyes inside the restaurant. There’s so much to go over with him, I don’t know where to start. “So, um, about this lunch…”

“Yes, Lil?”

Hearing him call me Lil makes my anxiety drop a few notches.

There’s an almost hypnotic quality to his smooth-as-melted-chocolate voice, but it’s also the fact that he’s acting like his usual self.

The Hunter I know from the office is approachable and dependable and he doesn't call me nicknames like my precious . The topic of terms of endearment shoots straight to the top of my list of things to discuss. “I realized we didn’t go over some important things, like pet names. I’m okay if you want to stick with Lil, but my precious is a bit… ”

“Too much like Gollum?” he asks. “I didn’t even try saying it in his voice yet . But, okay, no more my precious . How about darling or sweetheart or baby? I figure we should say and do some couple-y things to look more believable.”

“We probably should, but let’s not do anything cheesy. I’m lactose intolerant in more ways than one.”

“You’re funny, too.” He grins in amusement. “Okay, fair enough. Nothing cheesy. What about physical affection? Are you okay with holding hands? Hugs? Any intolerances I should know about for that?”

I shudder involuntarily. “Oh, no no no. I’m not a touchy person at all. In our family, we don’t do any kind of affection, physical or otherwise. It’s a cultural thing. Actually, that’s not completely true. Chinese parents do show they care by their actions.”

“Like cutting fruit for you or asking if you’ve eaten yet,” Hunter states matter-of-factly.

“Um, yes. How did you know that? Have you dated a Chinese girl before?”

“No, I just did some research.” He holds up a red gift bag that I hadn’t noticed him carrying before. “Said research also taught me to bring a gift as a sign of respect.”

“You got a gift for my parents?”

He nods. “I came prepared. It’s not every day you meet your fiancée’s parents who happen to be from a different culture than your own. And I do mean that literally. I only have one set of parents to meet since I only have one fiancée, in case you were wondering,” he adds in a playful tone.

“I wasn’t, but thanks for clarifying.” I can’t help but smile.

I’m not sure how things changed so much in such a short amount of time, but Hunter’s growing on me.

His jokes, as silly as they are, make me roll my eyes in a good way.

And his heart is beyond generous. I can’t believe he prepared for this lunch—oh, the lunch!

I’m so impressed with my fake fiancé’s efforts, I nearly forgot what’s waiting for him on the other side of this wall.

I take a deep breath, then start my crash course on the Lam fam.

“Like I was saying about this lunch, there are a lot more people here than I thought there would be.”

“Oh? Like how many more?”

“Well, my mom’s the oldest of four, so my three aunties and their husbands are here.

Then there’s my dad’s side. He has an older and younger sister, so that’s two more aunties and their husbands.

Then there’s my mom’s cousins, five of them from her mom’s side and three from her dad’s, and all their spouses.

And her four best friends from college, who are like honorary aunties to me, and their husbands.

Oh, and a handful of other people my mom says have helped me get to where I am in life, including my piano teacher, the superintendent of the Chinese school I attended, and my SAT tutor. I think that’s everyone.”

When I’m done spouting off the guest list, Hunter has stopped blinking. His pupils, however, have grown so much that they almost eclipse his blue irises. I wave my hand in front of his eyes, wondering if his contacts have gotten stuck. “Hunter? Are you okay?”

“I’m fine,” he squeaks out in a strangled voice. “I’ve never been better for someone who’s about to meet over four dozen strangers who will be watching my every move.”

I wince at the truth of his words. Guilt weighs down on me, knowing that I’m the reason Hunter’s going to feel more charred than barbecue meat after all the grilling he’ll be going through.

My eyes lock onto his as I give him an offer he can’t refuse.

“Leave, Hunter. You don’t have to go through with this.

I’m sure you have better things to do on a Saturday than face a bunch of overly-enthusiastic Chinese aunties. Hurry and go while you can.”

His jaw drops. “You’re dumping me, Lil? We haven’t even been engaged for a day yet, and you want to call it off?”

I balk. “I’m not dumping you; I’m setting you free.

I appreciate you trying to help me, but this whole thing is my mess; you shouldn’t have to suffer because of me.

I’ll find a way to deal with it. Maybe I’ll call Simon up and see if he’ll give me another chance to finish his presentation.

Or I can go out with the three other guys Jasmine found.

The odds of me finding a husband go up the more I date, right? I just need to try harder.”

Hunter shakes his head. “Trust me, Lil, the only suffering I’m going through is hunger pains, imagining all the good food that’s waiting for us inside.

I’m not going anywhere. I said I’ll help you and I’m going to see this through to the end.

Also, I’m slightly offended that you think I can’t hold my own against some well-meaning aunties. Aunties love me.”

The sincerity in his voice makes me tear up while his humor draws laughter out of me. “I don’t know what I did to deserve a friend like you. Thank you.”

My heart swells with so much gratitude, I want to show him tangibly how much I appreciate him.

The next thing I know, I’m launching myself at Hunter and throwing my arms around him.

He’s so tall, my face gets buried in his neck where I get a good whiff of his unique scent.

The woodsy, spicy notes of his cologne, along with a fresh soap fragrance, smell so good, my heart does a little flip of happiness.

This reaction surprises me because for someone who doesn’t do hugs, I find myself enjoying this one a lot…

and I don’t quite know what to make of it.

Could I be developing feelings for my fake fiancé?