The wedding planning had taken over Zayne's life in a way he hadn't anticipated.
Between surgeries, he was looking at diamond rings. During lunch breaks, he was reviewing venue options. Late at night, he was comparing invitation designs on his tablet while Nana fell asleep on video calls, exhausted from classes and work.
"We could do it in the village again," Nana suggested one evening, curled up in his apartment during one of her visits. "Simple, like the engagement. Your colleagues could—"
"Would have to travel three hours," Zayne finished. "And take time off. And find accommodations in a small village with limited hotels."
"Or we could do it here in the city," she countered. "But then my family would have to—"
"Travel three hours, take time off, navigate a city they've never been to, find accommodations they can't afford."
They're looked at each other, the problem evident. No matter where they held the wedding, someone would struggle to attend.
"What if," Zayne said slowly, "we brought them here? Your family, the aunties, everyone. I could arrange transportation, accommodation—"
"Zayne, that's—that's too expensive—"
"It's our wedding." His voice was firm. "I want everyone there. Everyone who matters. And if that means bringing the village to the city, then that's what we do."
Three weeks later, he'd booked an entire charter flight. A whole plane. Just for Nana's family and the neighborhood aunties who'd claimed them both as their own.
When Nana told Mina and Jisu, they'd screamed into pillows for five solid minutes.
"HE BOOKED A PLANE!" Mina's voice was muffled by fabric. "AN ENTIRE PLANE!"
"For her FAMILY!" Jisu added. "To come to the CITY!"
"That man is INSANE!" they said in unison.
"INSANELY IN LOVE!"
Nana had buried her face in her hands, overwhelmed by the gesture, by the sheer impossibility of someone loving her this
much.
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By the day the village arrived in Linkon was chaos incarnate.
Zayne stood at the private terminal, watching the chartered plane taxi to the gate, feeling nervous in a way surgery never made him. His cousins flanked him—moral support and crowd control, as Rafayel had put it.
"You really chartered a whole plane," Caleb said, sounding impressed despite himself.
"It was more efficient than coordinating individual tickets," Zayne replied, but his hands were shaking slightly.
"It was romantic as hell," Xavier corrected. "Just admit it."
The doors opened, and organized chaos poured out.
Lili was first, princess dress already on (she'd worn it for the flight), shrieking "ZAYNE!" and running full speed toward him. He caught her easily, lifting her up as she chattered about clouds and how small everything looked from the sky.
The twins came next, wide-eyed and clutching each other. "The buildings are SO TALL! Like the pictures but BIGGER!"
Meimei and Xiaohua followed, trying to look mature but clearly awestruck. Nana's mother appeared, holding hands with several neighborhood aunties who were already gossiping loudly:
"Look at those buildings!"
"I told you the city was impressive!"
"Where's that handsome doctor? Is he here?"
"THERE HE IS! With our Lili!"
The aunties descended on Zayne like a warm, affectionate storm, hugging him, pinching his cheeks, praising him for being such a good boy and taking care of their village.
"You booked a PLANE for us!"
"A whole plane!"
"Such a good son-in-law!"
"When are you giving us grandbabies?"
"AUNTIE!" Nana appeared, face red, dragging Mina and Jisu behind her. "Please don't—we're not even married yet—"
"Details, details," Auntie Chen waved dismissively. "Now show us this famous city! We want to see everything!"
Zayne had planned the day meticulously. Buses to take everyone to their hotel (he'd booked an entire floor). Then a tour of the city, hitting all the major landmarks. Lunch at a restaurant with private rooms large enough for the group. Then—at Nana's insistence—the amusement park.
"They've never been to one," she'd explained. "Lili's been dreaming about it since she saw it in a drama."
So Zayne, successful cardiac surgeon, found himself at an amusement park with thirty villagers, his cousins, Mina, Jisu, and his fiancée, watching Lili lose her mind over the carousel.
"AGAIN!" she demanded after the fifth ride. "AGAIN AGAIN AGAIN!"
"Lili, give others a turn—" Nana started.
"I'll take her," Zayne offered. "I don't mind."
The twins wanted to try the roller coaster but chickened out at the last second. The aunties were taking photos of everything. Mina and Jisu had claimed Lili as "our little sister now" and were buying her cotton candy against nana protests about sugar intake.
And Zayne—Zayne felt something warm and overwhelming settle in his chest. This chaos, this noise, this pure joy—this was his family now. These people who'd accepted him completely, who'd traveled hours to celebrate his wedding, who treated him like he'd always belonged.
"Ice cream!" someone suggested, and suddenly everyone was crowding around the stand.
"Chocolate!" Lili demanded.
"I want to try strawberry—"
"What's that flavor? Matcha? Is that good?"
Zayne found himself buying ice cream for thirty people, watching them try flavors they'd never encountered, seeing their faces light up with discovery.when he noticed Nana. She'd stepped aside, watching her siblings try their ice cream, and she was crying. Silently, tears streaming down her face while she smiled.
He moved to her immediately.
"Nana? What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong." She wiped her eyes.
"I just—look at them. Look at how happy they are. Lili's having the best day of her life. The twins are laughing. Even Mama looks young again. And it's because of you. You did this."
"We did this," he corrected, wrapping his arms around her. "This is—they're our family. Of course I want them happy."
"But you didn't have to—the plane, the hotel, the food, the park—all of this—"
"I wanted to." He held her closer. "They're not just your family anymore. They're mine. And I take care of what's mine."
She buried her face in his chest. "You're too good to be true. Sometimes I still can't believe you're real."
"I'm real," he promised. "And I'm yours. Forever."
"ZAYNE !" Lili ran over, ice cream already smeared on her face. "Try mine! It's chocolate! It's SO GOOD!"
He dutifully tried her chocolate ice cream while Nana laughed through her tears.
Later after the twins had dragged everyone to the haunted house (which made them scream-cry in terror), after Mina and Jisu had won stuffed animals at carnival games, after the aunties had gossiped about every attractive man in the vicinity—
The group settled in a quieter area of the park to rest. Lili had fallen asleep on Zayne's shoulder, exhausted from excitement.
The twins were showing Meimei their prizes. The aunties were planning the wedding reception menu without asking anyone's opinion.
Nana took Zayne's free hand—the one not supporting Lili—and squeezed gently.
"Are you happy?"
He looked around at the chaos, at this family he'd inherited through love rather than blood, at the pure joy on their faces.
"I am," he said honestly. "More than I thought possible."
But there was something in his voice—a note of sadness she'd learned to recognize.
"What's wrong?" she asked quietly.
"Nothing's wrong. Just—" He paused.
"I'm grateful for all of this. For them. For you. But I keep thinking—" His voice caught slightly.
"I keep thinking how my parents never did this. Never took a day off just to spend time with me. Never planned something just to see me smile. They never—"
He stopped, swallowing hard. "They never wanted to just be with me. There was always something more important. Some conference, some research, some opportunity that mattered more than I did."
Nana's heart broke. "Zayne—"
"I'm happy," he insisted. "I'm not—I'm not dwelling on it. I have this now. I have you, them, this family. I'm grateful. I just—" He looked at Lili, sleeping peacefully against him.
"I just wish I'd had this when I was her age. Someone who wanted to take me to amusement parks. Who cared if I tried new flavors. Who noticed when I was happy and wanted to make that happen more often."
"You have it now," Nana said firmly. "Maybe it's late. Maybe it's not the same as having it as a child. But you have it now. People who love you. Who want to spend time with you. Who would book entire planes just to celebrate with you."
She smiled. "And someday, when we have kids—and we will have kids because Lili and the aunties have decided this—you'll give them everything you didn't have. You'll be the parent you deserved."
Zayne's eyes burned. "You think I'll be a good father?"
"I know you will be." She touched his face gently. "You're already amazing with Lili. With my siblings. You're patient and kind and you notice when people need things. You'll be an incredible father."
"HAUNTED HOUSE AGAIN!" one of the twins yelled, recovered from their earlier terror.
"NO!" the other twin protested. "I ALMOST DIED!"
"You did NOT almost die—"
"I DID! My SOUL left my BODY!"
Zayne laughed despite his emotional moment, and Nana grinned up at him.
"See? Never a dull moment with this family"
"Our family," he corrected.
"Our family," she agreed.
In the vening, after everyone had returned to the hotel exhausted but happy, after Lili had made Zayne promise to come say goodnight, after the aunties had given their approval of the city ("Very clean! Good infrastructure! Still prefer the village though")—
Zayne and Nana stood on the balcony of his apartment, the city lights spread below them, both lost in thought.
"Thank you," Nana said softly. "For today. For all of it. For loving them enough to do this."
"Thank you," Zayne countered. "For sharing them with me. For giving me a family when I didn't know I was missing one."
"You weren't missing one." She leaned into him. "You just hadn't found the right one yet."
They stood in comfortable silence, watching the city breathe below them, thinking about the wedding to come, about the future they'd build, about the family they'd created through choice rather than chance.
"Zayne?" Nana said eventually.
"Mm?"
"Your parents. Do you think they'll come? To the wedding?"
He was quiet for a long moment. "I don't know. I sent the invitation. Called. Left messages. But—" He sighed. "I'm not expecting them anymore. I've learned to stop waiting for people who aren't coming."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be." He kissed the top of her head.
"I have everything that matters right here. Your family. My cousins. The people who actually show up. That's enough. More than enough."
"They're missing out," Nana said fiercely. "Missing out on knowing you. On being part of this. On seeing their son happy. That's their loss."
"Their loss," he agreed. "But my gain. Because their absence taught me what real family looks like. And it looks like thirty villagers on a chartered plane. Like aunties gossiping about handsome strangers. Like Lili falling asleep on my shoulder. Like you—" His voice softened. "—like you, believing I deserve this. Believing I'm worth loving."
"You are worth loving," she said firmly. "So worth it. And I'll spend the rest of our lives proving that to you."
"I'll hold you to that."
"Good." She smiled. "Now come on. Lili made you promise to say goodnight, and that child has a memory like a steel trap. If you forget, you'll never hear the end of it."
They went back to the hotel, where Lili was indeed waiting, and Zayne read her a bedtime story about princesses and doctors who were secretly princes, and tucked her in with the same care he'd use with his own child someday.
And watching him, Nana thought: This is what love looks like. Not grand gestures alone. But everyday moments. Showing up. Being present. Choosing family every single day.
And she couldn't wait to spend the rest of her life building that with him.
One chartered plane, one bedtime story, one small moment of chosen family at a time.
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To be continued __