“We all have issues, believe me. It wasn’t easy for me and Ethan either. We had a past. We’d hurt each other. We had to rebuild the trust. Slowly. One day at a time.”
Now Loran didn’t know two people who were more in love or more trusting of each other than his friends. “So, you think me and Bella can get there?”
“I know you can, if you’re willing to work at it. If you guys are willing to make your relationship your top priority.”
That wouldn’t be hard for him, nothing was more important to him than Bella. “When is the parole hearing? I have a pit-stop to make on my way out of town, if I have time?”
“You have time,” Grace said. “Parole hearing’s not ‘til tomorrow.”
***
Loran showed up on Bella’s parents’ doorstep after a quick call to confirm they’d be home. He didn’t know if she’d told them about the attack yet, so he intended to remain tight-lipped about her whereabouts, if they asked.
Bev opened the door even before he could ring the bell. “Hi,” she said, smiling warmly as she opened her arms to him. “This is a nice surprise. So, what brings you by?”
He’d confirmed Bella’s father was home when he called. He couldn’t have this conversation without him. “I just wanted to talk to you guys about something kind of important.” For him it was life-altering. He just hoped they would be pleased.
“Of course, come in.” She clasped Loran’s arm as she closed the door. “Dan is in the living room.”
Bella’s father stood when Loran walked into the room, offering his hand. “Good to see you, Loran. I’ve got to admit I’m curious though. What’s this all about?”
Loran didn’t know if he was making a huge mistake. They’d just found out he was dating their daughter. Now he was about to drop a bombshell that might backfire. “Um, I wanted to talk to you about Bella.”
Bev gestured to one of two chairs flanking the fireplace as she pointed to a tray with coffee and baked goods.
“Is everything okay with her? I called her earlier, but she seemed kind of distracted. I assumed she was working, but when I call her at work she’s usually willing to take a quick break to chat. Today it was like she couldn’t wait to get me off the phone.”
Bella clearly didn’t want her parents to know she’d left town or why and he wasn’t going to be the ones to tell them. “I think she’s just got a lot on her mind.” And he couldn’t wait to be with her, to help her process everything she must be going through.
“Ethan tells me you two have gotten close,” Dan said, looking at him over the rim of his silver-framed glasses. “That true?”
“Yes, sir.” Loran looked down at his laced hands, trying to find the words to put their minds at ease. “Very close. In fact, that’s why I’m here. I’m in love with your daughter.”
They shared a smile before Bev said, “That’s not exactly a secret, honey.”
“I guess it’s not.” He’d always had a great relationship with Bella’s parents, but that was when he was one of Ethan’s best friends. Not the man who wanted to marry their baby girl. “I can tell you both, in all honesty, that I’ve never felt about anyone the way I do about Bella. There’s no doubt in my mind she’s the woman I want to spend the rest of my life with.”
Bev gasped as her hand flew to her chest. “Are you saying you want to marry her?”
Loran glanced at Dan, trying to gauge his reaction, but his expression was unreadable. “If I have your blessing?” When Dan didn’t respond, Loran said, “Look, I know you probably have a lot of reservations, given what you’ve heard about me. But I can tell you I would never, ever, cheat on Bella. She means everything to me and I’d never want to risk losing her.”
“You have to understand,” Dan said. “This is a bit of a surprise. We know you and Bella have a bit of history, but you haven’t been dating all that long.”
“I understand.” But he didn’t need to date Bella for years to know she was the one. “But I’ve known for a long time how I feel about her. It was a bumpy road for us to get where we are…” And it still wasn’t smooth. “But we’ve made it, and I think it’s made us stronger.”
“It usually does,” Bev said.
“I’m not perfect,” Loran said. “Neither is Bella. We accept each other’s flaws, forgive each other’s mistakes.” At least he hoped Bella would forgive his latest mistake. “Neither one of us is an expert when it comes to relationships, but we’re figuring it out together.”
Dan smiled at his wife. “We certainly had a lot to learn when we got married. But we were committed to each other, so we made it work.”
“And I can tell you,” Loran said. “That I’m more committed to Bella than I’ve ever been to anything or anyone.”
Dan shook his head. “That’s saying a lot, given how committed you’ve been to your career.”
“My career is a chapter in my life. It will end eventually.” And the thought of that didn’t scare him as much as it had. He was beginning to process it, to accept it. “And I want Bella to be the person standing beside me when that day comes. I want the rest of my life to be about us, the life we build together.”
“How does Bella feel?” Dan asked. “Have you talked about marriage or will this come as a surprise to her?”
