More Than This by Dominique Wolf

CHAPTER 64:

Giovanni

I

lied to her.

I wasn't headed to Valencia but instead, I was going to London. The day I realized I was in love with Isabella was the day I knew I was going to marry her. A few weeks after she moved in, I bought a ring and I kept it hidden, waiting for the right moment to propose to her. For months she spoke about how it saddened her that her relationship with her family was the way it was and I knew what I had to try and do. I couldn't propose to her without at least letting her family know my intentions. I was a traditional man when it came to stuff like that. I wasn't going to ask for their blessing because I didn't need it. I just needed them to know I was going to take care of their daughter for the rest of my life.

I landed in London and I was full of nerves. Her mother wasn't my favourite person but I was adamant to keep my cool and respectfully let her know that I was going to ask for her daughter's hand in marriage. I hailed a taxi and slipped inside as a light drizzle started to come down.

“The London Herald offices, please,” I asked the cab driver and he took off down the street.

I left Isabella a message telling her that I had landed safely. I didn't want to tell her that I was here. She had kept in touch with her dad as frequently as she could and Camila had recently started to make an effort. Her mother was truly a lost cause and although she said she didn't care, I knew that deep down she wishes things could be different. I was prepared for whatever insults Gloria Avery was going to throw my way. None of that mattered to me except doing the respectable thing for the sake of Isabella.

The taxi stopped outside a tall building and I quickly paid him for the ride. I took a deep breath in and stepped outside, trying to gather my composure. My palms were sweaty and I wiped them off against my jeans. I had underestimated how nervous I was. I pushed through the doors and was welcomed by the receptionist sitting behind the desk. A huge sign was against the wall behind her that very proudly announced The London Herald.

She smiled and politely greeted me with her thick British accent, “Good morning, sir. How can I help you today?”

“Hi, I'm here to see Oscar Avery,” I explained. “I should have an appointment scheduled for one o'clock.”

I wasn't sure how busy her parents were so I made sure to make an appointment. I lied and said I was interested in learning more about the ad space in their digital editions. I didn't know shit about that, but it was good enough to get an appointment with her father.

“Yes sir, you can head up to the second floor,” she said. “He should be expecting you.”

I said my thank you's and turned towards the elevator. The doors opened and I stepped inside. I didn't think I had ever been more nervous about anything in my life and I had to remind myself to keep my shit together. I was here to speak about their daughter and that should be easy enough since I was completely in love with her.

The elevator doors opened and I was surprised to see Camila waiting on the other side. She couldn't hide the surprise on her face as we made eye contact.

“Giovanni?” she asked, surprised. “What in the world are you doing here?”

“Hi, Camila,” I said and stepped out of the elevator. “I'm actually here to see your parents. Well, your father mainly.”

“He didn't tell me you were coming.”

I had spoken to Oscar Avery a couple of times on the phone and via FaceTime. Isabella's relationship with her father was important to her and I made an effort to get to know him as best as I could over the phone. We had never met in person but he definitely knew who I was.

“He actually doesn't know it's me,” I said sheepishly. “I made an appointment. I have something important to speak to him about.”

Oscar Avery walked down the hall with a file in his hand. He looked much older in person. The grey in his hair had spread to most of his head. The wrinkles around his eye gave away his age but he had a softer look to him than his wife. You knew right off the bat what to expect from Gloria but Oscar's demeanour was much kinder. He was muttering something to a younger man walking with him but stopped in his tracks when he noticed me.

“Giovanni?” He was just as surprised as Camila was by my presence.

“Hi, Mr. Avery,” I said politely and stepped forward, extending my hand to him. “It's nice to finally meet you in person.”

“It’s nice to meet you too.” He shook my hand but the shock on his face remained. “Forgive me, but I am quite surprised to see you here. I have an appointment now.”

“Yes you do,” I said. “With me.”

“With you?”

I nodded. “Yes sir. I really need to speak to you and your wife so I made an appointment to do so.”

He looked over to Camila who shrugged her shoulders. “I didn't know he was coming.”

“Well, I suppose we should move this to the conference room,” he suggested. “Camila, don't you want to go and get your mother please.”

She nodded and stepped into the elevator. Oscar turned back down the hall and gestured for me to follow him. We stopped at a closed wooden door and he pushed it open, revealing an empty conference room. There was a large table in the middle and chairs scattered all around it.

“I must say I am really surprised to see you here, Giovanni,” he said and took a seat at the head of the table.

I followed his lead and took a seat down next to him. “I know and I'm sorry if it's not a welcomed surprise, but I had something important I needed to talk to you about and it felt wrong to do it over the phone.”

I rubbed my hands against my jeans again, attempting to get a handle on my nerves. He was not an intimidating man in any way but the entire situation made me nervous. It's not every day you tell your girlfriend's family that you want to propose to her.

“It is very nice to finally meet you in person,” he said and before I could reply, Gloria Avery stepped into the room.

It had been a while since I had seen her and she had aged since then. She still walked with the same demanding energy. Her age now sat in the wrinkles on her face and there was a lingering sadness in her eyes that she didn't have before and it surprised me to see.

“Giovanni,” she said and walked over to us with Camila following closely behind her. “I never expected to see you here.”

That was the general response amongst the three of them and I understood why. I had given them no indication that it would be me they were meeting but I didn't want to give them a chance to decline my meeting proposal.

I stood up respectfully. “Hi Mrs. Avery.”

She didn't crack a smile and instead, sat down across from me, crossing her arms as she faced me. Camila sat down next to her and now that I had all three of them in the room, it was time to let the cat out of the bag.

“I know that you're all surprised to see me but I have something very important to discuss with you,” I explained.

They were all peering at me, waiting for me to continue so I took a deep breath in before continuing.

“I need to start off by saying that I love your daughter and I've watched what it's been like for her to have the relationships she has with you guys.” I looked over at Gloria. “I know that she wishes things could be different with you but I didn't come here to discuss Isabella's relationship with you.”

“Then why are you here?” Gloria asked.

“I'm here to tell you that I'm going to propose to Isabella.”

I watched as they all reacted differently to my news. Oscar's eyes widened but I noticed the happiness in them. He and Isabella had the closest relationship and he had been able to see firsthand how happy she's been over the last few months. Camila's jaw dropped and her hands flew up to cover her mouth while Gloria's face fell as she processed the information.

“And, respectfully, I'm not here to ask for your blessing but rather to state my intentions. I have never loved anyone like I love Isabella and she and I know we are meant to be together. The only thing I have ever wanted to do was make her happy and I am ready to take the next step with her.”

“Does Isabella have any idea?” Camila asked.

I shook my head. “I don't think so. We have spoken about marriage before so that's not new but I don't think she thinks I would do it anytime soon.”

All three of them remained silent as I watched them process this new information. It made me sick to my stomach with nerves but I made sure to continue to remain confident on the outside.

“I want you to know that I'm going to take care of Isabella and for the rest of my life, I just want to make her happy. It's what she deserves.”

Oscar agreed. “That's all I've ever wanted for her.”

I turned back to Gloria. “I know you don't like me and you don't think I'm good for your daughter but I want you to know that you're wrong.”

She lifted an eyebrow and shifted uncomfortably in her chair.

“Your daughter is the love of my life, Gloria,” I said. “And you never even gave me a chance.”

She opened her mouth but I lifted my hand to cut her off as respectfully as I could manage. “I'm sorry, I would just like to finish. You never gave me a chance and I understand that you had expected other things from Isabella but you need to know that your daughter is the strongest, smartest, kindest woman I have ever known and I really think you would be proud of who she is today.”

I watched as she took a deep breath in. She tried to hide it but I noticed the small tears filling her eyes. It was the first time I had ever noticed her ability to share emotion.

“I am going to marry her and I am always going to put her needs above my own. All I ask is that you guys respect her choice to be happy and I hope that by the time we do get married, that you will be in attendance because I know that deep down, Isabella would want you to be there.”

Camila smiled at me from across the table and I saw the approval in her eyes. Oscar looked over at his wife and reached out to grab her hand before turning back to me.

“We want Isabella to be happy and that's all that matters,” he said.

Gloria nodded. “I know I am a difficult woman, Giovanni, and I have made plenty of mistakes with my daughter but I love her.”

“You should tell her that,” I suggested.

“I must commend you,” she said. “You came here knowing very well that I wasn't a fan of you.”

“Yes, but I've never given you a reason for that,” I retorted. “And I wanted to remind you and make it very clear that my number one priority here is Isabella so however you decide to react, that isn't going to change my intention to propose to her.”

A small smile played at her lips before she stopped herself. I was winning her over. I could see it in her eyes. As much as it made me nervous to call her out, I had to. I've never given her a reason not to like me. She just couldn't accept the fact that her daughter wasn't with the man she had chosen for her.

“Well, I think congratulations are in order,” Oscar announced and stood up, extending his hand to me. “And even though you didn't ask for it, I want you to know that you have my blessing because I've never seen my daughter happier.”

I smiled and shook his hand. “Thank you, sir.”

Camila came around the table and pulled me in for a quick hug. “As long as you take care of her, I'll be happy.”

“I promise you she's in safe hands with me.”

“And I'm sorry for how I have treated you in the past,” she said.”You must love my sister very much if you came all the way here just for this.”

“It was the right thing to do.”

Gloria stood up and came around the table. “I have many faults, Giovanni but I respect you coming here and speaking to us.”

That was as good as getting a stamp of approval from her. I didn't know what I expected from this meeting, but it had gone better than I ever thought it would have. I half expected Gloria to throw me out but she and I both knew I had never done anything to her in the first place. She had no reason not to give me a chance and all she needed was to be called out about it.

“Well, can we see the ring?” Camila asked excitedly.