“I’ll get it.”
She’d tried to talk Manny out of doing this today, when she knew he’d rather be by his gran’s side. But he’d insisted, and she admired his principles.
She opened the door, and her chest tightened with emotion. When he’d left her house in the wee small hours that morning, he’d looked happy and relaxed. Now fatigue ringed his eyes and worry furrowed his brow.
“You okay?” She stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him, tightening her hold when she heard his deep, long sigh.
“Yeah, I’m fine.”
“And your gran?”
“Doing as well as can be expected.”
That didn’t sound as positive as when he’d rung her an hour ago when his gran had reached recovery and he’d seen her.
Releasing him, Harper studied his face. “This endocarditis you mentioned. It’s more serious than simply having the heart valves replaced, isn’t it?”
“Yeah.” He swiped a hand over his face. It did little to eradicate the tension. “But Izzy’s always been stubborn, and now that she knows she has a wedding to look forward to, she’ll fight to get better.”
Harper smiled and grazed his cheek with her knuckle. “Do you think she’ll like me?”
“How can she not?” His eyes darkened to pewter, his adoration sending a shot of warmth through her. “I fell for you quickly, and Gran will too.”
“Speaking of relatives approving . . .” She jerked a thumb over her shoulder. “I’ve told them I’m doing a quick intro and then we’re out of here because we have to head back to the hospital.”
His eyebrows rose. “It’s okay if we stay awhile.”
“You’re sweet, but you should be with your gran now, not sitting through an interrogation of monstrous proportions from my mom.”
“What about your dad? How did he take the news?”
“Dad’s cool. He’s a good buffer.”
“And we need a buffer because . . . ?”
“You’ll understand once you meet Mom.”
He smiled. “On that note, are you going to let me in?”
Slipping her hand in Manny’s, she led him into the lounge room, where her parents were standing on either side of the coffee table like sentinels.
“Manny, this is my dad, Alec, and my mom, Lydia.”
She liked that he didn’t release her hand as he shook theirs. “Pleased to meet you both.”
“Likewise, son,” Alec said, and Lydia shot him a death glare that had Harper stifling a giggle.
“You proposed awfully quickly, Manny.” Lydia gestured at the couch, and Harper wanted to laugh again as they all sat simultaneously. “Are you usually so impulsive?”
“Mom.” Harper shot Lydia a warning look that, predictably, her mom ignored.
“It’s not like Harper to make such rash decisions either, so we want to make sure you’ve both thought this through.”
Harper knew her parents loved her, but she wasn’t some naive teen sitting here with her first boyfriend being grilled. But before she could speak, Manny squeezed her hand and glanced at her, his smile calming her.
“I understand your reservations, Lydia. I truly do. As I’ve explained to Harper, I’m not one for making impulsive decisions. I base my decisions on facts, science; it’s who I am. But some things defy logic, and how I feel about your daughter is one of them.”
Harper melted, and she was pretty sure her mom’s sigh echoed hers, while her dad beamed.
“Impressive speech, young man.” Alec’s gaze dipped to where Manny clasped her hand, before eyeballing him. “All we’ve ever wanted is for our little Harp to be happy, and we respect her decision. But if you hurt her, I’ll have to kill you.”
“Dad!”
Harper groaned but Manny laughed.
“I’ll take good care of her, promise.”
While Lydia’s expression had softened somewhat, her gaze remained shrewd. “You don’t have a ring yet?”
“I want Harper to have a say in what she wants.”
Manny leaned over on the pretext of kissing her, and whispered in her ear, “My little Harp.”
She elbowed him away, and they laughed together. Her dad had called her that when she’d been little, ever since she’d demanded a toy harp for Christmas one year. Now she knew Manny would never let her live it down.
When Harper glanced back at her parents, they wore matching expressions of surprise.
“You both look so happy,” Lydia murmured, her eyes misting.
“That’s because we are, Mom.”
Harper stood, and Manny rose alongside her. “We really have to go, but we’ll have that celebratory toast soon.”
“Okay.” Lydia nodded. “Please give your grandmother our best, Manny. Harper told us she’s recovering from heart surgery.”
“Thanks, I will.”
This time when Manny extended his hand to Harper’s dad, Alec pumped it enthusiastically, and when he did the