Love Drunk 3.0 (Completed)

Chapter 43

Italy 11 a.m.
Ethan POV –

I’m sitting in our rental car, in the parking lot of the airport. Texting Gray a list of errands he has to run for me in order to make this evening the most special evening ever. We’ve been arguing over text for a good 30 minutes now. I know this proposing thing is something people plan months, maybe even years in advance. But I’m more the type of person who wings it. Gray isn’t that type of man. He writes 500 letters and prepares occasions like these down to the last detail.

<Gray, candles or torches will do. It’s not about how lit the fucking beach is.. It’s about asking her to marry me, right?> I text him back. I can tell he’s fed up with me, because he doesn’t respond anymore. He has probably been complaining about me to Ava, because guess who does text me all of a sudden.. That is correct! Ava!

<Ethan! You can’t propose with only 10 tea light candles lighting up the beach and a single rose! You gotta go all out! Grayson and I will take care of all of it, trust me!> She texts me. I sigh and shake my head. They are the fucking same person. I’ve already got my hands full with a stubborn Grayson and really can’t push myself to also argue with Ava.

<You guys are hella annoying. It better be fucking good! It better be fucking lit!> I text back and throw my phone on the passenger seat of the car. In 20 minutes y/n’s parents arrive and feel unexpectedly calm. I’ve met Ruby before, y/n’s mom. But I haven’t met her dad yet. I’ve spoken to him a couple of times before.
Right after that incident with Mike in Greece. I encouraged y/n to call her parents and fill them in on everything that has happened. She wasn’t too keen about explaining it all to her parents, but they needed to know where she was and that she was being taken care of. I’m happy her parents immediately cleared their schedules when I asked them to join us in Italy. They think I’ve invited them so they can just spend some well needed quality time with their daughter. They’ve got no idea that I’m about to propose to y/n and y/n has no idea that she’ll see her parents in a couple of hours. I grab my phone, get out of the car and make my way towards the arrivals gate, when y/n calls me. “Crap..” I breathe as I see her name pop up on my screen. I asked Kian to spend the day with her, so I could pick up y/n’s parents.
Take them out for lunch, without her knowing. Y/n thinks I’ve settled down in a coffee shop and am taking business calls all day. I’m afraid she will find out what I’m up to if I take the call, but I’m also worried she might be having a panic attack and needs me to answer the phone. “Baby!” I answer as normally as possible. “Hey..” I hear her soft voice say and I’m immediately relieved that she sounds calm and happy. “I-.. I don’t wanna sound clingy..” She starts and a smile appears on my face. Yes, I saw her an hour ago, but my heart bursts as I realize that she misses me already. Not gonna lie, I miss her too. “Are you back in time for dinner together?” Y/n continues and my smile grows wider. “Ofcourse I am, baby. I can’t be away from you too long now, can I?” I smirk and hear her chuckle.
“Same..” she breathes as Kian yells her name in the background. “Okay, gotta go!” She squeals. “Hey, Y/n!” I shout before she ends the call. “Yeah..?” I hear her hesitantly say. “I love you..” I add and I can’t see her face. But I can feel her energy and I know those three words made her feel some type of way. “I love you too..” She says hypnotized before I end the phone call and goose bumps cover my arms. I’m still floating on cloud nine when I see y/n’s mom elbowing her way through a packed arrivals hall. She walks up to me and hugs me tight. “It’s so nice to see you again, Ethan!” She says as she pulls away from the hug and cups my cheek. A tall man with dark hair and dark eyes puts his hand on Ruby’s shoulder. “So this is the Ethan that I’ve read so much about?!” He says with this deep and intimidating voice.

Read about? Who has been writing about me? “I guess that is me, sir.” I say as I reach out my hand. He grabs my hand firmly and shakes it. “Bit of a weak handshake, boy!” He laughs and for some reason I get nervous all of a sudden. I never cared about impressing anyone's parents before, but I really need these two people to at least tolerate me and give me their blessing to marry their daughter. “Stop it, Lawrence!” Ruby chuckles as she elbows him in the side.

40 minutes later we pull up at this rooftop restaurant that was recommended to me by one of the employees of the hotel we are staying in. The view is unreal and I made sure to book a table near the window so we are looking out on the harbour. We all order lunch and I explain to Ruby and Lawrence that I want to surprise y/n.
Not only with their presence, but also with something else. I breathe in deep, thinking about how I maybe should’ve prepared this, instead of winging it and I hear Grayson’s opinionated voice in my head.
Screw it! I don’t need to prepare this! I know exactly how I feel and what I want.. and these feelings for y/n are what start my genuine and heartfelt speech. I briefly touch on how y/n and I met, what y/n has been through in L.A. and what she has been through with that sociopath of an ex. Mike. Mike is the sociopathic ex. Not Grayson. I tell them how I fell in love with their daughter and what she means to me. What we mean to each other. I make sure to make my intentions clear. That I want to take care of her and of our family for the rest of my life. Ruby looks up at Lawrence and smiles at him.
I look up at his face but have a hard time reading his expression. I swallow my nerves and cut to the chase. “Lawrence..” I say.. “and ofcourse Ruby..” I add as I lock eyes with y/n’s mom. “I will always honor, respect and cherish y/n and there is nothing that I wish more in this life than to marry your daughter.” I say surprisingly confident, while I still feel intimidated by y/n’s dad.
Ruby gasps and covers her mouth with her hands as she looks over again at Lawrence. His expression still unfazed and unchanged. “Ethan..” he says again with his low and loud voice. I feel sweat dripping down my back as I lock eyes with him. “The first two proposals didn’t really end well for y/n, did they..” he continues and I quietly curse my brother for being one of those two proposals. “And I think this is all very very soon..” he adds.

I nod calmly, to let him know that I understand what he is saying. But internally I’m stopping myself from submerging him in thousands of arguments, as to why it is the right moment to marry y/n. “I don’t like that she will have to move across the pond again, if she ends up with you..” Lawrence dryly continues to sum up and I’m slowly but surely starting to regret asking her dad for his blessing. Ruby now lowers her hand from her face and elbows y/n’s dad again. “Okay! Okay! Calm down, lady!” He says playfully annoyed to y/n’s mom. “I still stand by all these things I’ve just said, Ethan Dolan!” he goes on. “But I can’t deny you have been amazing to y/n so far. When y/n is abroad, whether that’s in Hawaii, Los Angeles, New Jersey or somewhere in Europe, she writes her mom a letter every single week.” He says and my jaw drops.

I never knew this. She never told me this. “And all these letters, were all about you..” he sighs, now genuinely annoyed. “I’m afraid you stole her heart.” Lawrence adds. “I’m not too happy about that. I’m not happy about any man stealing my daughters heart, Ethan. But if I had to go and choose one for her, I would pick you..” he says as I’m still staring at him with an open mouth. He reaches out a hand and I close my mouth as I’m trying to process what is happening here. I grab his hand and firmly shake it. “Not bad!” Lawrence grins. “And congratulations on your upcoming marriage!”. He laughs.