Professor Astor (Off-Limits)

Leia’s father rises to his feet, anger crossing his face. “Amara,” he says, his tone reprimanding. He looks at Asha next, who looks down at her feet.

Amara smiles at him, and much to my relief, Grandpa steps forward. “It’s good to see you again, Akshay.”

The two men shake hands while my aunt greets Leia’s mother, and I wait for Grandpa to turn to me before I take a step closer to Leia’s dad. From what I understand, my parents are meant to lead this meeting, but since mine are no longer with us, the task falls to Grandpa. It seems somewhat unusual to me, but I’ll do what I can to play by the book if it makes them more inclined to give me a chance with Leia.

Akshay’s eyes drop to the kids, who seem just as nervous as I am, and much to my surprise, he smiles at them reassuringly.

“We brought you some gifts,” Grandpa says, and Amara jumps into action, presenting them with one gold-colored metal plate filled with Indian desserts and fruits, and another on which she’s placed several presents that look like folded fabric to me.

Asha perks up at the sight of them, her eyes wide. “Are those seriously genuine Sabyasachi saris?”

Amara smirks and nods. “Of course they are. Would the Astor family give you any less than this?”

She reaches for them, but her father pushes her hand away. “Don’t take them,” he warns. I can’t quite tell whether he’s angry or not, but he certainly doesn’t seem happy to see us.

“Why are you here, Harold?” he asks, ignoring me altogether.

Grandpa wraps his arm around my shoulder and tips his head toward me. “I’m sure that you’ve been made aware that my grandson lost his heart to your daughter. We are here today to formally ask you for her hand in marriage. We want Leia to join our family.”

Leia’s mother gasps, her hand rising to her chest in shock. “Sit,” she tells us, earning herself a warning glance from her husband, who she ignores.

We sit down in their living room, and I wipe my clammy palms on my trousers. Leia’s dad hasn’t so much as looked in my direction, and that doesn’t bode well. Asha warned me not to speak unless spoken to, and to leave this conversation to my grandfather, but I’m itching to fall to my knees and beg the man for his daughter’s hand.

“I brought you this gift, Grandpa,” Colton says, walking toward him with his LEGO set. Everyone falls silent as we watch Colt, and I hold my breath, praying he doesn’t snap at Colt for calling him Grandpa. Since when are my kids so courageous?

I breathe a sigh of relief when he actually takes the LEGOs from him. “I’m Colton. I can’t wait to become your grandson. Our Princess told us so much about you. She says you love Star Wars.”

“Your princess?”

Colton nods. “She’s our Princess Leia.”

Lucy jumps in and pushes her gift toward him too. “Ley told me you always let all the kids read as much as they want, even after bedtime. Is that true?”

He nods at her and stares at the Baby Yoda toy she gave him, trying his best to keep from smiling and failing. “Wow,” Lucy says. “I can’t wait to become your granddaughter. Maybe I can read past my bedtime then, too.”

He chuckles then, and I tense, strangely even more scared. I watch as he puts the toys down and glances at me, his gaze trailing over my face slowly. He hesitates, but then he shakes his head. “I won’t let you marry my daughter.”

My heart fucking drops and a rush of panic floods me. “I understand that I’m not the man you would’ve chosen for her, but I swear to you I’ll spend the rest of my life proving to you that I am the right man for her.”

He stares me down, and I straighten my shoulders. Until today, I’d never met a man more intimidating than my grandfather.

“Is that what you were doing when you ruined her education? When you damaged Asha’s company’s reputation? A good man would have waited for Leia to finish her PhD. A good man wouldn’t have kept her working as a nanny. What is my daughter to you? Are you trying to turn her into a free housekeeper? Why would I let her be with a man who would risk her future?”

“Akshay,” Grandpa says, holding his hands up. “You know that I love Leia as much as I love my own granddaughter. If I thought Adrian had any wrong intentions, I wouldn’t be sitting here today. He loves her and wants to marry her. I support their union and would gladly welcome Leia into my family.”

I scoot forward in my seat and look at him, trying my best to portray sincerity. “I completely understand where you’re coming from,” I admit. “I can promise you that no harm will come to Leia’s future. I’ve given up my career as a professor to ensure that.” I hesitate then, unsure whether I’m supposed to address his other comments or not. “Leia is absolutely free to pursue any career she wishes. I do not in the slightest expect her to be a stay-at-home parent. I wholeheartedly support her ambitions.”

He crosses his arms then and stares me down. “So, what happens when you find another young nanny? Will you fall in love with her, too?”

I struggle to stay calm and grit my teeth. “That would never happen. Truthfully, I have known your daughter for years. I don’t believe in fate, sir. Or, well, I didn’t use to. Not until Leia. Fate has pushed us together in every way possible, and I’m certain she’s my destiny. Nothing and no one will ever replace her.”

“Tell us about yourself,” Leia’s mother says, offering me an encouraging smile. “Our impression of you prior to today hasn’t been good, but I can acknowledge that you’re here today in an attempt to do the right thing. You’ve embraced our traditions and brought your grandfather, aunt, and cousin, as well as your two kids. You did your research, and you’ve impressed me enough to warrant some curiosity. Tell me why I should allow you to marry my daughter.”

“The truth is that I want to marry Leia for selfish reasons. I’m well aware that she would be able to find someone much better with ease, but I cannot imagine a life without her anymore. I know that she could find someone younger, someone who is at the start of their careers, their lives… but I love your daughter beyond compare, and I think I can make her happier than anyone else can. Of course Leia would never have to work if she marries me, but there’s no stopping her, and she’s got her sights set on an academic career. As an Astor, I can pave the way for her. She won’t let me, but I can. I can offer her opportunities she’d otherwise have to fight for, and I can make sure she’ll never lack anything. Above that, I can offer her a life filled with love and joy. I will make sure that every single day, she feels appreciated and cared for, and each day, I’ll remind her she’s perfect just the way she is, that her flaws aren’t flaws at all, that she’s enough as she is.”

I fall silent and look away, wishing I was better with words, so I can make them understand how much I love their daughter. “Truthfully, I want to give your daughter the entire world. If she asks me for it, I’d try to take the moon out of the sky to give it to her. There’s nothing I won’t do for Leia.”

She nods, seemingly satisfied with my answer, and turns to the kids. “Lucy and Colton, right?”

They nod, and I place my hands on their shoulders.

“Do you like Leia? Is she nice to you?”

Lucy straightens and nods. “Leia is my best friend. I think I might love her more than I love my dad. She’s always nice to me, and I never have to tell her how I feel, because she always knows. Daddy is right. I can’t imagine a life without Leia anymore, and if you don’t let her join our family, I think it would really break my heart.”

Oh, my beautiful little girl. I should probably feel bad about the way she’s guilt-tripping Leia’s mother, but I really don’t.

“Lucy is right,” Colton says. “Leia is my best friend, too. She’s always there for us, and she always stands up for us. We really love her, more than she even knows.”

These kids, man… I’m so glad I brought them. I don’t think this meeting was going well until they spoke up.

“How do you feel about Leia becoming your stepmother? You already have a mother, after all.”

The kids both tense and look at each other before nodding. “We would like that,” Colton says. “Lucy and I have thought about this a lot. She’s already our kind of like our mother, even if she never marries Dad. It would be nice to have two mothers.”

Both of Leia’s parents look surprised, and truthfully, I’m pretty shocked too. So far, I’ve only mentioned Leia joining our family, but I never explicitly mentioned her becoming their stepmother. I was worried it’d affect them aversely, but it looks like I was worried for nothing. I suppose having Alice needle them the way she did ensured that they started to think about Leia as their stepmother.

“I’ll give you a chance,” Leia’s mother says, and the relief is fucking unreal.

“Pooja,” Leia’s father warns, but she holds her hand up and silences him.

“I’ve seen my daughter move forward in life seemingly completely numb. She’s been lonely and guarded for years now, until you. I saw the change in her and suspected it was a man, but I didn’t say a word because I wanted her to be happy for once. Leia has suffered enough. I never thought she’d find someone who would make her see her worth, but you do. I see the way she smiles, the way she’s stopped hiding behind her work. She’s present now, in every interaction. She’s no longer lost in thought, or escaping when faced with a difficult situation. Somehow, you’ve made my baby feel whole again, and for that, you deserve a chance.”

She places her hand on her husband’s knee and looks at him pointedly before turning back to me. “We will not agree to you marrying her until we see you resolve the mess you made. I want my daughter to graduate without a single speck of dust on her reputation, and the same goes for Asha’s company. If you can do that, we can talk again.”

The relief we all feel is palpable, and Amara sinks back in the sofa. This isn’t quite what we were hoping for, but it’s more than I expected. So long as they’re giving me a chance, I’ll win them over.

“You won’t regret this,” I promise them. What they’re asking for is already in the works. Just a few weeks, and I’ll be sitting right here again, asking for her hand once more.

Next time, they’ll say yes. I’ll make sure of it.