Isabella put her coffee down and looked seriously at her youngest son. "Do you really understand what you're getting yourself into?"
"Yep."
"And are you ready for what might happen when she finds out the truth about her dad?"
"Absolutely."
"And will you protect her when that moment comes?"
"With my life," Zayn said without hesitation.
Isabella smiled warmly. "Then I'm really happy for you. At least my sons have finally fallen for someone genuinely good."
Zayn lifted his coffee in a mock toast. "Took me long enough."
"Twenty-five years," Isabella agreed. "I was starting to think you'd end up alone with just your restaurants."
"Really?" Zayn asked.
"A little," Isabella admitted. "You dated a lot, but nothing serious ever came of it. You never looked at anyone the way you do when you talk about this girl, Emma."
Zayn was quiet for a moment. "She's different, Mom. She's real. No games. No pretending. She called me an idiot the first time we met."
