The Unwilling CEO's Love Game novel Chapter 254

Melvin was a bundle of nerves.

It wasn't his first ride to the rodeo—or, well, to discuss his future with Jocelyn's parents—but today his stomach was doing somersaults.

"You think marrying someone is like picking out a favorite toy from the store? Let me clue you in—wives aren't won; they're wooed. Think about it, her parents have raised her for decades. You think a couple of sweet nothings is gonna cut it?" Yasmine lectured as they drove, "And once you tie the knot, you need to treat her like a queen, no ifs or buts."

"If you're rolling in dough, you give her the best. If you're scraping by, you still give her the best. She's not coming to you to catch grief. She's betting the back nine of her life on you, to build a home and to share the highs and lows with you, till death do you part. If you're not good to her, who will you be good to?"

Yasmine was on a roll today, speaking from the heart.

Though Melvin's big sister, she was a woman first and foremost.

She'd been married. She knew the ropes of matrimony.

She didn't want her little brother to let down someone else's daughter, didn't want his marriage to be anything less than blissful.

No woman takes the plunge without hoping for a prince, without believing it's for keeps. If not for love, then what's it all for?

These days, a woman can find her bliss solo.

"Yasmine, I'm jittery," Melvin admitted as they pulled into Jocelyn's parents' neighborhood.

And there he was, deep-breathing like a champ.

Yasmine shot him a look, "Good. You should be. Complacency's the enemy."

"Got everything with you? Nothing left behind?" Melvin was fretting.

Yasmine snorted, "Little faith in me, huh?"

Melvin inhaled deeply, "I trust you."

"Just don't be a wreck, okay? Be confident, be yourself. Jocelyn's parents are cool, they've forgiven you. But remember, it's all because Jocelyn loves you. All you gotta do is keep loving her, cherish her and treasure her. Remember this jittery feeling you feel now. It’s you who is desperate for her hand."

"I know," Melvin psyching himself up in the car.

He'd faced down terrorists in the SouthMyst region without a quiver, but his knees were like jelly today.

"Alright, let's go," Yasmine urged.

Melvin stepped out, went to the trunk and retrieved their stuff.

He glanced at his sister, who was also not empty-handed, and she gave him an encouraging look in return.

Together, they entered the apartment building.

Back at the ranch, Jocelyn was a cat on a hot tin roof, especially when the car pulled in, her nerves went haywire.

Melvin had said he'd come a-courting that morning, and she'd raced back to break the news to her parents.

Now, the whole family was waiting for the doorbell.

The old couples seemed cool as cucumbers, but Calvin paced the living room round and round.

"Don't be nervous now. You didn't bat an eyelid when you tried to steal your birth certificate two years ago," Daisy said, gripping Jocelyn's sweaty palm.

Calvin chuckled, "He's serious this time."

"He's got a clue this time and knows the score," Daisy quipped, tough outside but soft inside. She wanted her daughter to marry for love and wanted her love to be her happiness.

Calvin moseyed to the door, ear to the wood, "Here they come."

Daisy cleared her throat, straightened her dress and posed with poise.