After Dinner. The parking garage.
As we stood there waiting for the valet to bring the car, we found ourselves alone for the first time since the disturbance at dinner. Kishan cleared his throat somewhat awkwardly.
"I'm sorry," he said.
"For what?" I asked confused.
"You were insulted because you were with me." He looked genuinely apologetic. I was dumbfounded for a moment before my temper slightly rose.
"Don't you ever apologize for that kind of thing again! How was that your fault?" I scolded.
His eyes widened slightly with surprise. "Are you angry at me for apologizing?" he said after a moment with one eyebrow slightly raised.
"Yes." I stated simply. Kishan paused for a moment, then laughed.
"Alright, it wont happen again." His smile when laughing was infectious, so my temper was quickly cooled.
The valet drove up and Kishan opened the passenger side door for me. Not long after we left the parking garage Kishan's phone started to ring through the car speakers. I automatically looked down at the screen on the dashboard that displayed who was calling.
Fairy Princess <3
I raised an eyebrow and looked over at Kishan. His expression was awkward, as though unsure of how to explain.
"Ah," he said after a moments pause, "I need to get this. I will explain everything after." With that he pushed the hands free answer button on his steering wheel.
"Hey," he said.
"Daddy!" came the clear tone of a little girl. My eyes nearly popped out of my head in surprise. I silently looked over at Kishan and blinked a few times. "Are you still finding second mommy?"
Kishan smiled awkwardly at me and answered, "Yes sweetie. Didn't I say I would be home late and to go to bed on time? Why are you still awake?"
The little girl let out a dramatic sigh, "I can't sleep."
"Does Auntie know you can't sleep?" he questioned his eyes narrowed slightly.
"No silly," she huffed. "Auntie wouldn't let me call you so I pretended to sleep."
Kishan let out a sigh and rubbed his forehead with his left hand. He glanced at me and our eyes met. There was a few different emotions behind those eyes including worry. I assumed it was about how I would take this piece of sudden news. So I gave a small smile.
Depending on the situation I was not against him having children. Though he would need to explain the situation before the night was over. Thankfully we had a long car ride home.
"Lata, Auntie wouldn't let you because I asked her not to," he gently scolded.
"But Daddy!"
"No buts." He was calm but firm. "Didn't you promise me that you would listen to Auntie?"
"...Yes... I'm sorry Daddy..." the little girls voice was heart wrenchingly downcast. Kishan sighed again, but the look in his eyes softened.
"So why did you call?"
"To say night night."
"Alright, but then you have to go to bed. I wont be home for another couple hours."
"Ok," Lata answered happy again. "Night night Daddy, I love you."
"Goodnight, I love you too. Now go to bed," he reminded her again.
"I will. Bye bye." Click, she hung up not waiting for an answer.
The car was filled with an awkward silence as Kishan merged onto the interstate. After we were smoothly headed forward he cleared his throat and spoke.
"I was planning on telling you at dinner tonight, but you're really easy to talk to. So before I realized I hadn't yet."
I nodded, "So you have a daughter. How old is she?"
"4," he paused for a moment then continued, "and a son who is 18 months."
I slightly raised an eyebrow. "So where is first mommy?" I asked referring to how Lata had use the phrase 'second mommy'. I was looking over at him but he kept his eyes on the road. Even then I could see the sorrow that filled them.
"My wife died from breast cancer 6 months ago."
"I'm sorry... Isn't it to soon to be dating?" I could not help but ask.
He shook his head, "No, not with an arranged marriage. My family is urging me to find a wife to be a mother to my children. Culturally being a single parent is frowned upon in India." His grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel as he continued.
"When we discovered my wife was terminal, she herself insisted that I quickly remarry. She even told the children herself that after she went away a new mommy would come to take care of them. But Lata cried and refused to except anyone else as her mother, so my wife explained to her that she would always be her first mommy.
"That she wasn't being replaced but rather fate had blessed Lata and her brother with two mommy's. My wife explained that because she had to leave first their second mommy would come so that they would not be lonely growing up.
"My wife made her promise to love and respect their second mommy because she was thankful for her who wouldn't let them, or me feel lonely. Then she made me promise not to take to long to find another wife." Kishan took a slow breath, "So actually, I'm a little late on fulfilling my promise."
It was not until he had finished saying this that he glaced over at me. After he did he slowly reached into his pocket and handed me a clean white handkerchief. I looked at it then gently touched my cheek. It was not until that moment I realized a few tears had escaped me. I quietly took it and dabbed my eyes.
"Sorry," he said apologetically. "This wasn't the way I was going to tell you."
"It's ok," I said embarrassed. "I'm just surprised that's all." There was a moment of silence as I flipped down the mirror to check my face. Thankfully I had misplaced my non-waterproof mascara and been forced to wear my waterproof kind, so the only change was my eyes were a little red.
I closed the visor and looked back over at Kishan. I met his gaze that was full of tenderness. I blushed slightly and looked down at my hands. He breathed a single laugh.
"I procrastinated getting remarried by using the excuse that I had to finish my PHD first. Then I said not until we had finished moving." He paused again before saying,
"I'm glad I did though. I like you Bailey. You're easy to get along with, and I think we would make good life partners. But I know you're American, so I understand if it is too difficult for you to accept the idea of an arranged marriage."
I blushed at his directness, but I also appreciated it.
"Mmm, well," I started to answer awkwardly. "I've certainly never considered that I would have one. But after getting to know Ariel, or more specifically her parents who had an arranged marriage, the concept isn't so foreign to me."
I glanced over at him. His eyes were on the road but he smiled softly with one corner of his lips. That smile of his would make anyone's frozen heart melt, I swear.
"So does that mean you're open to it?" he asked as he looked over with a slightly raised eyebrow. His eyes lit with something between hope and amusement.
"Aaaa, I guess so?" I really had never considered the possibility so my answer came out undefinitively. It caused him to chuckle.
"Then I have a proposition for you," he began.