Wednesday morning, I pick up Maggie’s save-the-date cards and hop on the train with Sadie to meet up with her and the rest of the family at the Li home. In less than two hours, Mrs. Li, Nǎinai, Amy, Jade, and I have the announcements sealed and ready to be sent out in the mail. Amelia, Henry, and Mrs. Wú join us shortly after and we go over more details for the engagement party. Normally, I would invite Jared along, but with his party tonight, I don’t want him finding out.
I excuse myself from the group of women around one-thirty to head home and start preparing for Jared’s party. Before leaving, I give Henry the green light to fill everyone in on the plan and to apologize for the secrecy. We should be safe from Jared knowing, but I remind Henry not to let Maggie talk to Jared until tonight.
As I finish getting my dress on, Joe texts that he’s coming up. I rush to double-check Sadie’s bag and finish transferring items to my gold clutch. There’s a knock on my door just as I’m reaching for my shoes.
Joe greets me with a passionate kiss before the door is opened all the way. “Hey, beautiful,” he says in his sexy voice.
“Hey,” I reply. I’m immediately lost in his ocean blue eyes that shine with his suit.
“Looks like we’re matching,” he says.
Glancing down at our clothes, because I temporarily forgot what I put on, I notice what he’s talking about. I’m wearing a navy blue dress along with a bracelet Jared gave me for my twenty-first birthday that is engraved with the words of a Chinese proverb, Where there is life, there is hope.
“You better put your shoes on or else we aren't leaving this apartment,” he confesses.
Clearing my throat, I reluctantly slide away from his body. “Maybe I should change."
“If you take that dress off you won’t be putting anything else back on,” he declares, sliding his right hand on my hip.
I flush at his forwardness. Joe’s getting more daring — a little too daring. I’m not ready to humor the idea of us doing anything sexual.
Walking into the Mondrian lobby, Joe and I are greeted by the manager immediately. Before following the manager to Skybar that is located on the roof, I inform him that I need to take care of something first and I’ll meet him there in approximately twenty minutes.
Getting into the elevator, Joe steadies me as we rise to the sixth floor. I’m excited and nervous about what is about to happen.
“You ready?” Joe breathes into my ear.
“Mm-hm,” I return as my heart beats faster.
We head down the hallway to the properly marked door. Hesitating for a moment, I breathe in deeply to relax my jitters. Joe’s hand raises slowly and knocks.
“Coming,” a faint voice says on the other side of the door. It opens and we’re greeted by a smiling, older gentleman with salt and pepper hair and dark amber eyes. “You must be Emma,” his raspy, sweet voice announces. He delicately takes my right hand in his and kisses my knuckles. “You’re more beautiful than I expected from the photos on your website.”
“Thanks.”
He steps forward and hugs me.
“You must be Joseph,” he adds extending his hand forward. “Emma’s boyfriend, I presume.”
“Just friends,” Joe corrects with a grin.
“Looks like you’re working on fixing that from the looks of it,” he replies.
I nudge Joe at his open response that is smeared all over his face. “May we come in?”
“Yes, yes. Please come in. Where are my manners?!”
Joe remains standing as I sit in one of the small chairs by a round table.
“Mr. Frasier,” I begin.
“Please, call me Aaron,” he insists.
“Mr. . . . Aaron. It’s so nice to finally meet you."
“Likewise, Emma. You don’t know what this all means to me,” his voice cracks as he sits on the edge of the bed.
“I just hope that our efforts aren’t for nothing,” I admit sheepishly.
“Just to be able to see him again will bring peace to my heart, even if he wants nothing to do with me,” Mr. Frasier says. “If Jared is the person you say he has become, all we can do is believe in him.”
“I agree.” I glance at the clock on my phone. “Everyone is scheduled to be here within the next half hour. I have to meet with the manager upstairs to review a few things, but you are more than welcome to join Joe and me instead of staying here, if you’d like.”
“Sure, that would be lovely.”
As the manager and I wrap up our conversation, Maggie, Henry, and the rest of the Li family are ushered in. Jimmy and Allen arrive five minutes later along with Mr. and Mrs. Wú.
Joe and I make introductions with our friends and family to Mr. Aaron Frasier before the rest of the guests are allowed to join us. Maggie immediately cries when she meets Mr. Frasier and realizes how he is part of the surprise for Jared. I only hope that Jared is pleased as well.
By the time all of the guests have arrived, I get a text from Nathan that he and Jared are just five minutes away. I instruct everyone to take their seats at the dining tables around the room. Maggie, Joe, Henry, Jimmy, Allen, the Li family, and I hover near the main entrance before all the lights, but a few, are turned off.
Jared is genuinely shocked and I smile, pleased to know I’ve finally been able to surprise him.
As cocktails and hors d’oeuvres begin to be served, I lead Mr. Frasier over to Jared. The look of shock consumes Jared’s face as the awareness of who I’m with sets in.
“Jared if you’re going to be mad at anyone, please only be mad at me.”
“Jared,” Mr. Frasier musters, holding back sobs.
“Pop-Pop?!” Jared mumbles. “Is it really you?”
“Yes, my dear boy. I’ve missed you so much,” Mr. Frasier confirms, reaching forward to Jared.
Within a blink of an eye, Jared rushes towards his grandfather and hugs him. My anxiety dissipates seeing the warm and happy reunion, and I fight the urge to cry myself. Maggie wraps her arms around me as we stand and watch our best friend reunite with a long-lost family member.
Jared’s Pop-Pop, Mr. Aaron Frasier reached out to me online in March through the blog. It took me two weeks before I sent a reply because I was nervous and not sure what to do. I initially avoided telling Nathan and Maggie because I wasn’t sure if Mr. Frasier was telling the truth.
Over time, Mr. Frasier explained to me and shared stories that he was Jared’s grandfather. I confided in Joe and he helped me hire a private investigator to validate my suspicions and Mr. Frasier’s claims before telling anyone else. Once I had proof beyond some of the pictures Mr. Frasier shared over time, I spoke to Nathan during one of our business meetings when Jared wasn’t around. Nathan and I debated back and forth about our apprehension before ultimately deciding on reacquainting them. The question no longer became should we, it was then a matter of how and when.
Mr. Frasier is Jared’s mother’s father. Not long after losing his wife to illness, Mr. Frasier had also lost his only grandson after the incident with Jared and Jared’s father. Apparently, Mr. Frasier had known that Jared was different at an early age despite his daughter’s and son-in-law’s denial. When he found out that Jared had left, Mr. Frasier has been searching for Jared ever since. Mr. Frasier didn’t want Jared to think he felt the same way as Jared’s parents.
Leaving Jared and Mr. Frasier alone, the rest of my friends and family mingle with our guests. The two men have a lot of catching up to do and I’ve got plenty of time to hear all about it. I’m just happy that the reunion is a positive one.
Sometime later, I feel familiar arms wrap around me from behind.
“Thank you,” Jared cries into my neck.
Spinning to see him, I return the gesture. “You’re welcome.”
Not wanting to let go, Jared and I stay locked for a long while.
“I love you,” he professes.
“I love you too.”
“You don’t know how much this means to me.”
“We’ve got plenty of time for you to tell me all about it,” I encourage.
“Yeah,” Jared sobs. “I wish I could do the same for you.”
“Tonight isn’t about me,” I scold gently. “I’ve given Mr. Frasier accommodations until Sunday here at the hotel and I also got you and Nathan a room for tonight.”
“Yeah, they told me. He insists you call him Pop-Pop,” Jared shares.
“Pop-Pop it is.” After a few minutes of our embrace, I pull back a little and wipe the tears from Jared’s face. “This is supposed to be a happy day."
“It is. These are happy tears,” he explains.
“Good,” I say. “Today is your birthday. Go visit with your grandfather. I’m not going anywhere.”
“You better not,” he taunts, kissing me on the nose.
The rest of the night, the air is filled with love, laughter, and happiness and the man of the hour is Jared. The DJ plays wicked music for dancing, we have half-naked men as servers who also put on a burlesque show for the birthday boy, all courtesy of Nathan, and the drinks and food are endless.
I finally sneak out to use the restroom and to take a breather. As I step through the doors to head back into the party, I hear Jared getting on the microphone.
“Excuse me, everyone,” Jared begins.
A hush gradually drapes the crowd.
“Excuse me. I just wanted to say thank you to all of you for coming tonight. It means so much to me.”
A few people whistle and yell Jared’s name.
“There are a few people here that I want to acknowledge and thank. Emma, Maggie, and Nathan. I love you! Thank you for making tonight happen.” Jared clears his throat before continuing. “If you haven’t met him already, please make sure you meet Pop-Pop.” Jared pulls Pop-Pop up on stage. “I haven’t seen my grandfather for ten years.”
The crowd erupts with cheers and whistles.
“And…he wouldn’t be here today if it wasn’t for Emma…where are you, Kitten?”
Dread consumes me. Jared knows I hate being the center of attention with large crowds. I duck into a corner to hide.
“I know you’re out there. Stop hiding and get your ass up here, Kitten,” Jared requests with an assertive but loving tone.
Joe snatches my hand and drags me to the stage as I shake my head profusely. How did he find me? Maggie pushes me from behind.
“No, no, no…” I mutter.
A few people meow as I’m pulled closer to the stage.
“Here she is!” Jared announces as he helps me up the stairs. “You’re going to need to get used to this for Maggie’s wedding,” he broadcasts over the microphone.
I wince at the truth as everyone politely laughs. Seeing a chance, I try to flee.
“Oh, no you don’t,” Jared says, grabbing a hold of me. “You’re staying right here.” He wraps his left arm around me holding me tight. “Words cannot express my deepest gratitude to my girl…my sister…my Kitten…my Emma, for making tonight even better by bringing my Pop-Pop back to me. I love you, Emma.” Jared squeezes me and kisses my cheek.
The crowd cheers and applauds as the discomfort settles into my bones.
“So with that said…thank you, everyone, again, and enjoy the rest of the evening!”
I’m grateful for Jared’s short speech and know that I’ll get over it after another drink or two.
Later in the night, Pop-Pop and I share with Jared and the rest of the family the whole story of how Pop-Pop came to be here at the party. Jared apologized to Joe for not including him when thanking Nathan, Maggie, and me, but Joe was a gentleman about it.
Everyone stays until the place closes, except Maggie’s family. Thankfully, all of our guests graciously leave as the staff politely leads the way out.
Pop-Pop is a trooper and stays up until our time in the restaurant comes to a close. Joe and I walk Pop-Pop back to his room, and when we get there, Nathan comes out of the room across the hall and reveals that the hotel arranged for him and Jared to be near Pop-Pop, allowing their conversations to easily continue into the night.
Joe takes me home, but we stop by his place first to get Sadie.
“Stay the night.”
“No,” I hesitantly disagree.
“Why not?” he questions, kissing me before I can answer.
“Jimmy and Allen are here.”
“Not yet,” he disputes, then tries to seduce me more with his tongue.
“Soon enough. Besides, even if I considered it, they’d see me in the morning and I have nothing to wear.”
“You won’t need clothes,” he states, barely letting go of my lips.
“Exactly. Which supports my refusal.”
“I’ll lend you a shirt,” he offers.
Pecking him on the lips, I say, “No.”
“Then, can I come over to your place?” he asks with his sexy voice.
Joe is starting to become more forward which is turning me on and also heightening my resolve to follow my rules. I can’t break my rules — not anymore.
“No."
“What if I promise to behave?” he asks.
“Definitely not.”
Joe huffs into my neck and groans at his failure to sway me.
Dropping Sadie and me off at the apartment, Joe tries to persuade me into letting him come inside. I contend with the notion that if he did stay that our friends would assume we are sleeping together. After some time kissing in the doorway, Joe reluctantly heads home.
“Goodnight, beautiful,” he sings, rounding the corner to the elevators.
“Goodnight, Joe.”