Marry Me, Stranger

The Eve

"You what??"
Her brother and sister shouted in unison. Her mother was equally shocked by her announcement.
Ren gave them his calling card and their jaws dropped even further.
"You never mentioned a boyfriend before and now you're getting married?" May - her sister, older by four years, was the first to point out the obvious.
"This is not a scam, is it?" Her brother Jake joked.
Gab glared at him.
"What? A rich and handsome guy in a hurry to get married, I mean.."
"You can check my background if you want, I don't mind," Ren cut in coolly. He wasn't exactly cordial, just pleasant. Like he's in the middle of a business deal.
"Well, I always thought Gab wouldn't settle for less, he has to be at least THIS much," May indicated Ren's entirety.
Gab hit her. "What are you saying?"
"Admit it, you don't usually care about people in general unless they are something extraordinary. You mind the cars more than actual people when you go outside."
"...why would I mind strangers on the street? And isn't normal to watch out for cars?"
May gave her a wry look. "See?"
Gab made a face.
Ren put an arm around shoulders and said, "We know that we only dated for ...about half a year but we just want to get married and start a family together as soon as possible. I mean, we are not getting any younger, are we?"
Their mother nodded. Which was a good sign since it's the first reaction she gave away aside from shock the first time.
Ren saw it and added, "We are planning to have a big family like yours."
Gab elbowed her "loving" fiancé.
"What?" Ren feigned innocence and blocked her assault on his side.
Their mother broke into a smile. "Well, I sure hope you two understand that marriage is something you can't just give up on when times get tough..."
Then her mother proceeded to say her piece about marriage and commitment. She knew then and there that she was already blessing their marriage.
She squeezed Ren's hand in secret which he returned in kind.

"Well, that went well," Ren announced after four hours of listening to what Gab's mother had to say. She was seeing her fiancé to the gate under the watchful eyes of her nieces and siblings from their house a few meters away. His expensive-looking car was just parked outside.
"I told you, didn't I? My family's eager to marry me off already. They all started to feel sorry about me being an old maid."
"Yeah, I actually felt like they were dumping you on me."
She punched him on his chest. He just chuckled and pinned her arms in an embrace for everyone in her family to see. Of course, all of these were necessary for them to convince them they were indeed in love. She knew that.
He seemed to read her mind and said, "I know it's for fanservice and all, but I sure am enjoying every bit of this."
She suppressed a smile and moved to put her arms around his neck. "I really hate this though. I don't like kissing you at all but we should do at least that much, right?"
"Isn't that right?" His eyebrow rose a bit. "Well, we don't really have to, you know. It might not give off a nice impression on your family if we are too touchy with each other."
He tried to put a distance between them but she wouldn't have any of it. She held him tighter and tiptoed to close the distance between them. "No, skinship is totally a requirement for my family to be convinced. Believe me, I know."
He let out a sound laugh and pressed her tightly against him, essentially lifting her up. "What to do? My future wife is such a cunning and lustful woman!"
"Shut up, you like it too." She pulled his head down and claimed his lips for her own. She barely heard the collective shrieks from inside the house before her fiancè robbed her of all her thoughts with his kiss.

They set the wedding in a month. Ren even wanted it to be in a week but Gab argued that she and their guests need to prepare for such an event.
Ren got her a wedding planner and coordinator, much to her surprise. "Do we really have to pay for them? There are a few wedding packages we can look into, you know."
"I was told that every girl dreams for a perfect wedding, I'm just making sure you get it. Besides, if I let you be, I'm sure you'll insist on something simple and inexpensive."
"But of course, I don't need a big and luxurious wedding."
"Yeah, but your mother does. Even if she won't say anything."
She sighed, her mother does have a lot of relatives. "How can I invite so many people when you'll only have a few guests? You're not holding back on me, are you?"
Her future husband, she learned, was practical but thoughtful.
"You're only getting married once, right? We've got to make it perfect. Besides, the wedding day is for the bride, the wedding night is for the groom."
She turned red in an instant.
He turned to the fascinated wedding planner beside her, "Take good care of my bride, okay? Make sure she has everything she wants."
Lucille, a tall nice and gorgeous wedding planner, who was apparently the wife of one of Ren's friends, nodded readily. "Leave it to me!"
He turned to her once again, "And Gab?"
She looked up at him from her chair and was greeted by an abrupt kiss that left her speechless.
"I'll see you later."
And he left them just like that.
Lucille chuckled when Ren was gone. "In all the years I've known Ren Fontanilla, I've never thought he'd ever be sweet to anyone."
Gab frowned at her. "Huh? Why? The man acts like a mega playboy!"
"You really don't know him that much, huh?"
She clamped up. She was not sure how much Ren told his friends about their peculiar circumstances that's why she was uncertain what to say.
Lucille seemed to read her mind and said, "Don't worry about it, "the men" are pretty hyped about it so of course the wives would know. Those men can't keep their mouths shut."
"The men?" she couldn't follow.
"Ren's and my husband's friends. You'll meet them all soon enough. Mike's the owner of the bar where you two first met."
"Is this "Mike" your husband?"
"What, no? Only Caren could match that narcisist."
Then it dawned on her. "Wait, did you say all of his friends know about us?"
"Huh? Oh, yeah. They even took bets if Ren's really gonna go through with it the very next morning. My dear Orphie of course refused to join in their nonsense."
Gab clutched her head. She thought she's going to have migraine.
"But really, Gab," Lucille looked straight into her eyes. "Now that I've seen you and Ren together, I really believe this is a sound marriage. Ren looked... alive now. He used to be so serious all the time, frowning even. You're good for him."
She was touched. She always wanted to be a positive and significant existence to someone else's and having someone says she already is and to her future husband at that, meant a whole lot to her. "I really hope so."
Lucille smiled at her. "Just trust me, okay? I know these things."
Gab giggled.
"Now, now, we still had a lot to decide on before this day ends.. here." Lucille laid before her a wedding dress brochure. Her eyes immediately lit up. "If your wedding's at least a few months away we could have someone design it according to your preference of course but since we are in such a hurry, 'these' will have to do."
Gab's jaw dropped at the wedding ball gowns. "I've always wanted something like this." She looked at a beautiful wedding gown with intricate embroidery and sequins on its bodice with an amazing lacework for the arms up to the neck. "It's so beautiful."
"We'll you can have it. Ren's rich... and he is getting richer by the minute."
She immediately shook her head. "I don't even have to ask how much this thing costs.. I probably faint."
Lucille told her anyway and she almost fell from her chair. That's more than her annual salary!
"I can't possibly accept this." She put the brochures down on the table. "I'm buying my own dress."
"Why not? Ren wouldn't bat an eye over this."
"That's not the point. I don't want to feel like I'm spending his money like it's nothing. It's my wedding too. I know I'm poor compared to him but I'm not depending on him for all the wedding expenses. My pride won't have it."
Lucille stared at her face, confirming her determination. She sighed. "Fine, you're the bride after all."