"Hi there, fiancée." Max spoke as Zoe was waking up the next morning. They both had a rare day off together.
"Oh yeah!" She smiled. "I still can't believe it."
"Are you happy Zoe?" Max asked.
"Than I've ever been." She assured him.
"Come on then, get up, I'm making breakfast!" Max told his fiancée.
"You're the best." Zoe told him as she went off to get showered.
They were having a lazy morning, Max had made them both breakfast and gone to get ready whilst Zoe checked her emails. She was about the reply to one when the doorbell rang. She was suprised to open the door to her mum and dad.
"Mum! Dad! What are you doing here?!" She asked.
"We heard our only daughter was getting married so we thought we'd better come and meet this man, seeing as you've not mentioned him!" Mr Hanna said smiling at Zoe.
"Congratulations sweetheart." Mrs Hanna hugged her daughter.
"But how..?" Zoe asked.
Max came down the stairs, he was wearing a pair of smart jeans with a shirt and suit jacket. Zoe looked at him twice as if the question what he was wearing.
"Ah, you must be Mr and Mrs Hanna, we spoke on the phone, I'm Max." He introduced himself.
"Wait, you've spoken to them?" Zoe asked him.
"Of course, you didn't think I'd propose without asking you dad first did you?" Max replied.
Zoe smiled, she hoped he'd never stop surprising her, he was so thoughtful.
"You're not what I was expecting!" Zoe's mum said towards Max.
"Mum!" Zoe scolded.
"Zo, it's fine," Max took her hand, "Thanks! I know Mrs Hanna, everyone has that reaction but it doesn't bother me, I love your daughter, I have since the first time I laid eyes on her and I'd do anything to make her happy, to me, that's all that matters!"
Zoe's mum and dad seemed to be impressed with Max's little speech.
"Well if our Zoe is happy that's all we want too." Mrs Hanna told Max.
"See, we've got something in common already!" Max put his arm around his future mother in law, "shall we get you a cup of tea?"
"Oh that would be lovely, thank you Max." Mrs Hanna replied.
"Come on then Mrs Hanna, you can tell me all about Zoe when she was a child." Max grinned at Zoe, he was charming, there was no way around that.
"Please, call me Anne." Zoe's mum told him as he led her into the kitchen.
Zoe was left in the hallway with her Dad.
"I know what you're going to say." Zoe looked at him.
"What's that sweetheart?" Mr Hanna asked.
"That this is ridiculous, he's too young, I'm making a mistake?" Zoe questioned.
"Oh Zoe, of course I'm not going to say that. I'll admit I was surprised when some stranger called me to tell me he wanted to marry my daughter!" He laughed as he remembered the phone call. "He's definitely a character!"
"That's one word I guess!" Zoe said. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you about him sooner, I've only just figured out what's been in front of me this whole time."
"Don't worry about it, we just want to see you happy Zoe, we were so worried when you came to stay with us a few months ago." He told his daughter. "Then we got this phone call inviting us to see you for the day and now I can see that you are truly happy."
"Thank you Dad, Max has been so amazing, waiting for me to realise we're meant to be!" Zoe told her father.
"We better go see what they're up to! You're mother will be chewing his ear off!"
"Or the other way round!" Zoe laughed.
They both made their way to the kitchen.
"So she's always wanted to be a Doctor?" Max was asking.
"Oh,since she was about four, she used to push her friends over so that she could wipe their grazes!" Anne was telling him.
"No way!" Max laughed.
"Mum! I think that's enough!" Zoe said to her mother.
"I've been learning a lot about you!" Max teased.
"All good I hope!" Zoe looked at her mother who shrugged her shoulders.
"Why don't we all go out for lunch?" Mr Hanna asked, "our treat."
"Dad, you don't have to." Zoe said.
"Let us treat you for once Zoe!"
"That sounds great Mr Hanna, thank you." Max told him.
"Call me Richard, you're going to be family now." He told Max.
"Why don't we go to that lovely looking pub we passed on the way here Richard? The Windmill was it?" Anne said to her husband.
"Yes, it's lovely there Dad." Zoe advised.
"Ok, let's go, I'll drive seeing as I see you're still driving that impractical car Zoe." Richard said.
"It's not impractical!" Zoe protested.
"You'll need to change it if you have a baby." Mrs Hanna spoke.
"That car is my baby!" Zoe ignored the comment, she'd have to tell them about Linda's offer at some point.
Lunch was going well, Max was already at ease with Zoe's parents which she appreciated, getting her parents approval was everything.
"I'll get us more drinks." Max said.
"I'll give you a hand." Mr Hanna said.
The two of them got up and Zoe spoke to her mum. "So? What do you think of him Mum?" she asked.
"My darling Zoe, he is wonderful, he clearly worships you, I couldn't be more pleased. I was shocked at first as he wasn't your usual type but that's what makes it work, always follow your heart."
"Thank you Mum." Zoe said.
"I wish I was 30 years younger, I'd have married him myself!" Anne laughed.
"Mum!" Zoe rolled her eyes at her mother before laughing.
The men returned to the table with the drinks and sat down.
"Zoe.." Mr Hanna said. "There's something we wanted to talk to you about."
"What is it?" She asked.
"Richard, not now." Mrs Hanna said to her husband.
"Mum, Dad, what's going on?" Zoe asked worriedly.
"We wanted to offer to pay for your wedding darling." Mrs Hanna told her.
"There's something else?" Zoe asked.
"Yes, we wanted to pay for your wedding and wondered if you may be able to have it soon, I want to be able to give you away and I don't know how long I'm going to be around." Mr Hanna said to his daughter.
"What do you mean Dad, what's wrong, are you ill?" Zoe questioned.
"I'm so sorry Zoe, I know it's meant to be a happy time, I so want to see you get married, the thing is, I have cancer Zoe, I'm dying."