There will always be Hope

Chapter 9: Hope

A/N: I'm slowly but surely trying to work my way toward the actual adventure... Now first this second "meet the parents" scene. This time it's Hope who is meeting his parents. In this we find some surprising new facts about Rueben. Thanks again to "hookedonapirate" for beta reading this...

Enjoy.

Chapter 9: Hope

(Note to chapter: reference to color meaning: )

Hope combed her hands through her hair one last time, looking into the mirror hanging on her closet door. She was dressed in a pair of tight fitted jeans—the nice ones with no wear and tear holes—and a loose, dark blue button-down shirt. Slipping into her flat ballerina shoes, she walked out into their kitchen.

"Hey girl." Rose simpered when she spotted Hope. "Looking pretty today."

"Thanks."

"Soooo, ready to meet his parents?" The grin on Rose's face told Hope she was attempting to rile her a little.

"Yeah, it will be great," Hope tried to convince herself, but inside, she didn't feel confident in how this would go. Sure it had been a success when he met her parents; there were only a few minor embarrassing moments. Her parents seemed to accept Rue as part of her life. He had said a few times this past week how much he'd enjoyed his time with her family.

"Good luck," Rose said with a genuine smile.

There was a knock on their front door, and Hope walked over to let Rueben in. When he smiled, her stomach did a little flip. Stepping closer, she pulled him down for a kiss, both aware they were being watched by Rose. But Hope honestly didn't care. The friends had all seen how much Rose and William got carried away with their own PDA when they were together.

Finally pulling apart, Hope turned to Rose and said, "See you guys later." Then she followed Rueben to his car.

Once on the road, she kept silent for a while, still wondering how this meeting would go; she wanted his parents to like her.

"What's wrong?" Rueben reached over to take her hand in his. She closed her eyes for a second before she turned toward him.

"I just want them to like me." She shrugged and looked down at their clasped hands, letting her thumb caress his skin.

"They will." He squeezed her hand. "I know they will like you."

Hope gave him a small smile; this man made her so happy, and she willed her heart and mind to enjoy this evening.

When Rueben turned down a dirt road, Hope gazed out the window, trying to soak in the scenery. He'd told her his parents lived close to the woods, outside of the city. Trees and grassy areas came into view, and in an enclosure nearby, she spotted some beautiful horses grazing in the late afternoon sun. She turned to Rueben, "You have horses here?"

"Yup." He grinned. "and a few other animals too." He shrugged as he parked the car in front of a beautiful farm house made of rustic timber. Potted plants were scattered around the house and wrap-around porch, some hanging from the beams of the veranda.

"Wow, this place is awesome," Hope said as she climbed out of the car. She twirled around and took it all in.

"It is quite a place my parents have here; they were lucky to find this place when they moved to Royal City." Rueben was beaming as he wrapped his arm around her shoulders, "shall we."

"Hm."

"My father might not be home, I don't see his truck here." Rueben shrugged. "He does have long hours some days."