The minute he saw Angela, he knew he was where he belonged. When he kissed her, he knew he never wanted to let her go. He also sensed the need to follow her lead.
Of course he was nervous meeting her family, but he also knew they were a huge part of her. From the time they first met, she told him stories of her family. Truthfully, he felt as if he already knew them. Mrs. Turner was a strong woman and he saw her strength in Angela. She made sure her kids stayed in line with a look or a word. He liked that.
Dr. Turner quietly observed. Michael sensed that he was thinking is this foreigner good enough for my daughter? Angela may have told her family that they were just friends, but he wasn't so sure anyone believed her.
He really didn't mind Ted's questions. He would be an open book in the hope that they'd accept him. The charade with Tim was comical, including Angela trying to call his wife. Somehow he imagined that his wife was in charge in his home.
He was pleased when it was time to say goodbye. He thanked them and made an effort to be as polite as possible. Ted wanted them to join him at the pub, but Angela reminded Ted that he was jetlagged. Instead Angela dropped Ted off and then took Michael home.
"Will you come up a few minutes?" he asked.
"You know I'm not like all your American girlfriends," she said appearing nervous...
"I never once thought you were. Just so you know I haven't had a lot of girlfriends. A few, but not a lot," he said not wanting her to think he was anything like she teased her brother about.
He had kissed enough girls to know that kissing Angela felt different than all the rest. Once in his room, he kissed her again and she responded to him. It took all he had not to intensify the kiss. He wanted to use his tongue to taste her, but he knew he needed to go slow. He was afraid if she felt the same intensity between them that he felt, she may get scared. Gentle intoxicating kisses were his plan for as long as he could stand it.
Adapting to a new country was harder than he realized. Angela was too busy to spend much time with him. Being able to write full time was completely new to him. He went out to explore and observe and take notes. He wanted to write about an American in London and he was just that. He changed the story so it was a woman who came and met a man, thinking it would disguise his own life. He felt like the relationship on his pages was moving faster than his reality. Luckily he was a patient man.
As the summer moved on it became obvious that Angela family had stopped pretending that they were just friends. Still he sensed that they were slow to accept him. He patiently continued to be friendly and polite. One day, Mrs. Turner teased him a bit when he called a cookie a biscuit.
"You'll sound like an Englishman soon. I thought Ted was going to choke on his tea the day you said cookie. That boy is so cheeky," she laughed.
Michael wanted to hug the tiny woman, because he knew if she'd accepted him then the rest would follow. He knew enough to know she'd give them no choice. Julie had accepted him immediately. "Good, now I'm not the only outsider." He didn't think of her as an outsider; she'd known Tim since Angela and Ted were kids. He trusted that Tim would have no choice but to follow his wife, even though he called him Yank. Dr. Turner warmed up to him as well after his wife. He had a pleasant good nature and Michael knew as long as he treated Angela well, her father would be fine. Teddy was the challenge, but eventually followed his family's lead.
He had to return to Boston in December for the release of his first book. He was well into his second book and was anxious to get back to London. Without an apartment, he stayed with friends and his parents. He had not stayed at home since summers when he was in college. His mother was upset when he left for London on the twentieth of December. He really didn't care about celebrating Christmas with his family. He knew he would be much happier with Angela.
Sales of his first book were mediocre, but he was told that was common for an unrecognized name. He did receive some good reviews. Still, by the time he finished his second book and started the editing process, he was barely supporting himself. His second book was released in June in both the United Kingdom and the United States. He had been in London for a year and had allowed things to progress with Angela slowly. What he suspected when he arrived but knew a year later was that he was most definitely in love with her. He had long since kissed her the way he wanted to and had even explored a bit. He wanted to tell her that he loved her, but didn't want her to feel that his words put pressure on her.
One beautiful summer day, Angela had a rare twenty-four hours off. The advantage of his schedule was that, if she had a day off, he could as well. They went in the park. She had packed a picnic for which he was thankful because he could barely afford to take her out. They walked and sat and talked and ate and even napped in the sun. He woke first and watched her sleep and was overwhelmed with the feelings that he had for her.
Her eyes fluttered and when she opened them, she smiled and said, "You look deep in thought."
"That's because I am… I was watching you sleep and thinking about how much I love you."
She smiled and said, "You love me?"
"Yes, more than I knew possible," he said very serious.
She reached out and stroked his cheek and he grabbed her hand and kissed it and she said, "I love you too, but why are you so serious?"
"Because I can't afford to take care of you and I don't know how long it will be until I can," he said.
"I can't afford to take care of myself either," she laughed.
"I can't marry you until I can take care of you," he said still serious.
"Do you mean that? You want to stay in England with me… always?" she asked.
"I could never ask you to leave. For you, I'll wear trousers, use the loo, love tea, mind the gap and learn to drive on the wrong side of the road. For you, I'd do anything," he said and truly meant it.
