“He’s not a frivolous man, Dad. He doesn’t take his stardom too seriously, and he doesn’t play around. Once you get to know him, I know you’re going to love him. And he knows he needs to win you over. He wants to be part of our family and make me part of his,” she said quietly, feeling the truth in her words as she spoke them.
“Have you met any of his family?” He released her shoulders and turned to meet her gaze.
“As a matter of fact, I have. When we spent the weekend on Jaguar Island, I got to meet a number of his relatives, and they were all amazingly kind to me. He has a house there, and that’s where he plans to retire eventually. The house is amazing, and the people were so nice to me. So welcoming. He’s never brought another woman there, Dad. Only me,” she finished in a more serious tone.
Katrina hoped her father understood the significance of her words. It looked like he just might, judging by the speculative look on his face as he shifted his gaze to Ren, who was walking around, meeting the waitstaff with Katrina’s mother.
“All right. I’ll give the man the benefit of the doubt, but if he hurts you, he’ll have to contend with me. I may not be in his league celebrity-wise, but I know a few tricks that could hurt his reputation, and I wouldn’t be afraid to use them if it comes to that,” her father surprised her by saying.
Still, it was a better outcome than she’d feared. Ren would win her dad over. Of that, she had little doubt. Already, her mother and most of the waitstaff were putty in Ren’s hands.
The door opened, and Katrina turned to find Cassius entering the restaurant. She made the introductions and then slipped easily into her old role, seating Cassius at one of the quiet tables near the back. It was the table her family used when they wanted to eat or just sit for a bit during a lull. She signaled to one of the waitresses, who came right over.
Ren, finished with his tour, joined Katrina and Cassius at the large table and sat. Katrina realized that both men were probably more than ready for a big meal, being shifters and all.
“You two stay right here. I’m going to put in a special order for you both,” she told them. “I’ll be right back.” She left them and went into the kitchen to say hello to the chefs and other staff members, quickly organizing an impromptu feast for the men at the table.
The restaurant wouldn’t really be open for another half hour at least, but the chefs were happy enough to get cooking, especially for such a famous guest. The meal turned into a celebration as the waitstaff took turns serving their table and Katrina’s parents joined them. Her mother heartily approved of men with good appetites, and by the time the meal was winding down, she was plain out doting on Ren and Cassius, both.
“I’ve seen you here before,” her mother had said at one point to Cassius, who nodded and swallowed before answering.
“Yes, ma’am. I’ve been here a few times, and the food keeps drawing me back. It’s truly fantastic, and though it’s busy here, the way you’ve designed the seating area, it’s still intimate enough to speak easily to your fellow diners. I think you’ll be seeing more of me now that I’ve tasted this scaloppini. I didn’t think anything could top the clam sauce, but I was wrong. This is truly outstanding,” he complimented the food before taking another bite while Katrina’s mother beamed.
Ren, likewise, had won over Katrina’s mother without much effort at all. Her father was watching them, though. Like a hawk.
Finally, near the end of the meal, Ren captured everyone’s attention. His words weren’t surprising to Katrina, though she still doubted things would unfold as he thought.
“You know,” Ren said, a tone of speculation in his rich voice, “your daughter is about to be launched into the stratosphere as soon as this movie comes out. Her life—and yours, to some extent—is never going to be the same.”
“You really believe that?” Katrina’s father asked. He’d been quieter than usual throughout the meal, watching and assessing.
“I do, indeed,” Ren confirmed. “Her performance was amazing. Everyone on the set thought so. And the director is… Well…she’s something special. Her version of the classic tale of Robin Hood is going to make a big splash.”
“Your presence in the picture doesn’t hurt either,” Cassius put in, grinning at Ren, who bowed his head slightly in modest acknowledgment.
“Be that as it may, Katrina here is going to hit the ground running. She will have her choice of film projects just as soon as word gets around about her abilities.”
The trickle of diners that had started not long after Ren’s food had been served was picking up, and the restaurant got busier from there. Katrina saw the way some were eyeing Ren and realized it was probably time to leave, unless he wanted to get stopped a bunch of times for selfies and autographs. She yawned—which wasn’t feigned after the long day of travel—and made her excuses.
Cassius was kind enough to give them a lift to Katrina’s building. Ren and she had already decided they were going to stay at her apartment tonight and figure out the rest later. One thing was certain. Neither of them wanted to be parted again, even just for one night.
“Do you like living here?” Ren asked as they snuggled together on Katrina’s couch, watching the weather report. It was too early to go to bed, but neither of them wanted to do much else.
“I’ve been in this building ever since I moved out of my parents’ house,” she replied. “Mrs. Rigallo, who manages the building, is a friend of the family. I think she reports back to my mother on a regular basis.” Katrina chuckled at the thought then realized the implications. “Uh oh. She’s going to tell Mom that you stayed over. Oh, well. Dad already knows I intend to marry you.”
“He does?” Ren sounded intrigued. “I thought you wanted to break the news to them a bit more slowly.”
“That was the plan, but things just sort of happened, and it came out. Dad has some nefarious plans to ruin your reputation if you break my heart.” She chuckled. Ren stroked her hair, and she felt warm all over.
“That’s good, but he’ll never have cause to do anything. You aren’t getting rid of me anytime soon. Or, actually, anytime at all.” He leaned in and kissed her temple, then rested his chin on her shoulder from behind. They had ended up spooning on the big couch that faced the television.
Just being in his arms eased the ache that had formed in her heart when they’d been apart, and all was right with her world again. They moved into the bedroom not much later, where Ren made love to her slowly, drawing out the pleasure for them both. The more they were together, the better things got.
She had learned his likes and dislikes, as he had learned hers. If Katrina was being honest, though, there was pretty much nothing Ren did that she didn’t like. She’d never been with a more attentive, open, inventive and thrilling lover. His looks drew the eye, but it was his heart that made her love him with all of hers.
*
Months later, when the movie premiered to wild acclaim, Ren was proven correct. The film was a smash hit, which launched both Katrina and Sonia to the top of the A List in Hollywood. Offers came flooding in for so many projects that Katrina couldn’t keep up. Mel Lazarus earned his agency fees going through them all and presenting the ones that met Ren and Katrina’s very strict criteria.