Page 38 of Yours, Truly

“Let’s go,” I chuckled, as I pulled back to unbuckle my seatbelt. Climbing out as he wandered to the boot of the car to retrieve the gifts he had bought; a bunch of flowers for my Mum and some whiskey for my dad.

I let myself into my parent’s house, calling out as we stepped in, as I didn’t want to walk in on anything. That happened to me too often when I came home from uni for a visit. It’s not something you can unsee. I think I was more embarrassed than they were. My Mum came running out the kitchen to greet me in her hot pink cooking apron, she pulled me into her arms and kissed my cheek.

“Hello, baby,” she cooed at me, before walking over to Nate.

“Hello, darling. You must be the wonderful Nate I’ve heard somuch about.” I blushed as Nate raised an eyebrow at me and accepted my Mum's embrace, moving her flowers to the side and hugging her with his free hand.

“Nice to meet you,” he smiled, before handing her the flowers. He stepped to my side, placing a hand on my lower back. A natural step. His nerves seemed to have calmed. My Mum’s eyes widened at the beautiful bouquet of lilies in her hands and she thanked Nate before yelling for my dad, who still hadn’t made an appearance. Maybe he was in the garage fixing his bike. That seemed to be a new hobby of his.

“There’s my Little Bug,” he chuckled as he came over to hug me, kissing my cheek before taking my coat as he always did.

“Hey Dad” I smiled, embarrassed that Nate was hearing the nickname for the first time. “This is Nate,” I introduced. Nate offered to shake his hand like any gentleman would but my Dad took him by surprise, pulling him in for a hug. I shot an apologetic smile as I wasn’t sure how comfortable Nate was with that. I forgot to warn him that my family tended to avoid personal space.

“None of that, we are huggers in this family,” my Dad chuckled, before taking his coat from him and accepting the small gift, eyeing up the brand of whiskey.

“The best bottle ever. Fancy a swig?” my Dad chuckled excitedly. Nate nodded and we followed my parents into the kitchen. Mum handed me a small glass of wine before stepping next to my dad, as she placed an arm around him and pulled him close, giving us her full attention.

My parents decided to ease Nate in, not really asking too many questions yet, letting him settle. That didn’t stop my Dad from spilling the beans, all the embarrassing stories he could think of. One was a story of me getting so drunk at prom that I had fallen in the bush outside the venue as Dad arrived to pick me up. At first my parents were mad I had been drinking but they found it funny afterwards, so much that the photo even landed on social media. He even pulled his phone out to show it to Nate along with some more embarrassing photos of teenage me. I couldn’t help but hide in Nate’s chest and cringe at my younger self. I wasn’t even mad at Dad for showing these as I wanted Nate to know everything about me. Feeling Nate chuckle against me as I leaned into his chest was like music to my ears. His hand gripped tightly around my waist, squeezing slightly in reassurance that he wasn’t going anywhere. I rested my free hand on top wanting to have contact with him. It felt nice to have him here, to be able to be in his arms around family.

I turned to see the dining room table beautifully decorated with all the best plates and cups we owned. I remembered Mum doing this the first time we met James, and when I had introduced Kyle to my parents. She danced back to the oven to check on the lasagne she had been preparing for lunch. I couldn’t believe she had gone through so much trouble to welcome Nate, it warmed me.

Mum prepared the side salad as she and Dad kept the conversation going with Nate and me.

“So how did you guys meet?” Mum asked, her head busy in the fridge, pulling out the salad dressing. Nate and I looked at each other, we hadn’t really prepared for this answer. Do we go for the very honest truth or keep it simple. Nate nodded at me to tell them, I guess that’s only fair as I can tell them as much or as little as liked.

“You know Brie’s birthday when I was flown to Barcelona for work. We met there and…hit it off.” I phrased it carefully trying to keep the details to a minimum. I didn’t want them thinking I just slept around with strangers all the time.

“We met again when I got home a couple months later and just kind of became friends first.” I smiled. Nate placed his hand on my knee which was shaking slightly under the table. We told my parents about how we met and a basic story of our journey, the complications we had already overcome in terms of work. I told them about the romantic trip Nate had just taken me on, Barcelona 2.0, where he confessed his love for me. The more intimate details of our complicated start didn’t need to be shared. My parents were content with the new relationship which felt good.

“So, what is it you do, son?” Dad asked, taking some hospitality pressure from Mum while she focused on serving.

“I’m a lawyer in the city” he replied, proud of his work and the amount he had achieved.

“Your parents must be so proud of you for your career.” My Dad grinned, But I knew that wasn’t exactly true.

“Yes, My Mum’s happy if I am, and my Dad is happy I’m a lawyer like him.” Nate diplomatically said, hoping the subjectwould be changed. I left the two of them chatting knowing Nate would be okay. I was just on the other side of the kitchen island grabbing drinks as Mum dished out the prepared meal. This was going perfectly and I was relieved that Brie couldn’t make it. We had a drama free afternoon.

My Dad and Nate talked about football, cars, and history. My Dad was a massive history buff, plus he used to teach it in schools. The conversation flowed and I could relax in my chair as I watched the people I love get on so well around me. Nate planned a small kiss on my cheek as my parents cleared the table ready for dessert. He laced his fingers in mine.

“I told you they would love you” I whispered.

“Your parents are awesome, shame about your sister” Nate chuckled playfully. I nodded in agreement. I couldn't argue there. “Thank you.”

“For what?” I asked, looking into his eyes.

“For being mine” he replied, causing a warmth in my chest, my heart skipping a beat.

Mum served coffee with her luxury homemade shortbread biscuits. Nate kept his eyes on me, watching me in admiration as I accepted the hot coffee cup in my hands like I would do in the morning, it was like a precious treasure to me. I reached for one of my favourite biscuits that Mum had made. The sweet vanilla bursting in my mouth followed by the subtle salty butterytaste.

I never got tired of her baking, and every bite was like a memory of my childhood where I would watch her bake and try straight from the oven. Mum had her own bakery company, and even she had a couple of shops scattered around the outskirts of London.

“So, son, I can’t help but notice that beauty of yours parked next to my piece of junk.” My Dad chuckled, patting him on the shoulder as he took a seat with his coffee cup. The word ‘son’ seemed to make Nate smile. I guess he had never had the fatherly affection I was so lucky to have.

“Yes, she’s a beauty. Very feisty, just like your daughter actually,” Nate teased, making my parents chuckle. I playfully swatted his chest as he took a bite of a biscuit grinning at me.

“I love this guy, such a charming fella,” my Dad directed to my Mum, still laughing at Nate’s comment.

“You want to take it for a spin?” Nate proposed, not only sending my Dad into shock but me also.

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