quarantine in love • chris evans (bwwm)

sixteen

After spending the night in Phoenix, Chris and Andi drove to El Paso where they spent another night before finally heading to Dallas.

Chris could hardly contain his anxiety as the thought of meeting Andi's mom and sister made him exceedingly nervous. He felt there was more at stake due to the fact that they were already engaged to be married rather than just dating. His main goal was to make sure he was liked and accepted by her family, especially since they would also be his family soon enough.

Upon entering Andi's Dallas home, Chris was bombarded with love from her mother and sister who received him right away.

"Hi! I'm Alex." Her sister greeted while embracing him in a hug.

"Chris." He introduced with a warm smile.

Andi's mom shook his hand not too long afterwards and pulled him into a hug as well. "I'm Nicole, Draya's mom."

"Mom?! No way." He shook his head. He remembered Andi mentioning the fact that she was 57 but she truly didn't look anywhere near her age. He could definitely see where his fiancée's beauty came from as her mother was absolutely stunning. "You don't look a day over 35."

"Oh stop it." Nicole grinned at her daughter's fiancé. She wasn't at all surprised by his natural charm due to the fact that she and Alex watched countless interviews of his in preparation. They both wanted to paint a picture of what kind of man Andi was bringing home, especially after getting engaged so quickly.

"So I guess I look like an old hag then." Alex mumbled before playfully punching Chris's bicep. "Fuck, that's solid!"

"You should feel his ass." Andi added. "THAT'S solid."

"ABS." Chris corrected, causing the women in the room to laugh. "She definitely meant abs."

"Yes..." Andi wrapped her arms around his torso and kissed his nose. "I totally meant abs."

Alex watched closely as Chris and Andi held each other, whispering inaudibly. It was obvious from their interactions that there was definitely love between the pair but that didn't make her any less apprehensive to the idea of her little sister getting engaged after only a couple of weeks.

"They'll be fine for half an hour, Chris." Andi whispered to her partner who insisted on getting their suitcases out of the car at that very moment. She knew a line of questioning was coming sooner rather than later and wanted to leave that option open in case Chris got uncomfortable later and needed to get away.

"Let's sit." Nicole gestured toward the Nordic style living room, breaking Chris and Andi from their trance.

Andi gave him a quick peck before following her mom and sister to the living room where the pair sat directly across from them. She intertwined their fingers before resting them on her lap. "Five questions, that's it. We drove all day and we're exhausted."

"Lemme start with the most important question: would you take this man to Red Lobster?"

Andi laughed at her sister's question. They used the phrase as a telltale sign to communicate whether or not the sex with their current partner was good. "Every night, Alex."

Chris to smiled to himself. He understood that reference.

"Not only America's ass but also America's di-"

"Let's get to the nitty gritty." Nicole interrupted Alex, intentionally cutting off her last word. "It's a little soon for an engagement, no Draya?"

"No. Marriage is a social construct regulated by cultural norms and expectations." Andi spoke. "By societal standards, getting engaged anytime before the initial 6 months is taboo. The only difference between Chris and I getting engaged now vs 6 months from now is societal approval."

"I think the biggest concern is whether or not you know each other well enough at this point to commit to a marriage." Alex clarified. "Is it really love or is it infatuation?"

"That's a fair concern." Chris admitted. "I met Andi for the first time a little over two months ago. And while it may seem like we haven't been around each other enough to know if we want to spend our lives together, that couldn't be further from the truth. At 38 years old, I am confident that I know the difference between love and infatuation. I am completely in love Andi."

Alex nodded. "Where is the ring then?"

"It's currently being made." Chris answered. "Custom Neil Lane diamond rings take some time."

"How much did you spend on it?"

"Alex." Andi warned.

"Under or over $100,000?" Alex questioned.

"Over."

"$200,000?"

"Over." He repeated. After incorporating all of the elements Andi wanted in a ring, the total ended up being about $250,000. Chris didn't mind however; he would spare no expense to make her happy.

"What?!" Andi frowned. Although she was curious, she'd never asked Chris about her ring. She trusted that he would find the perfect ring to symbolize their love but didn't expect it would cost so much money. "Over $200,000?"

"It's not a big deal honey. I would've paid anything to make your dream engagement ring a reality."  Chris looked over at Andi and began to gently stroke her back. "I barely even noticed the money was gone."

"Follow up questions..." Alex spoke before Andi could respond. "What is your net worth? How much money do you have in the bank? How big is your penis? And can I have a copy of you social security card? Thanks in advance."

"What a lovely series of questions." Chris chuckled.

"I literally hate you Alex." Andi rolled her eyes upon realizing she couldn't answer any of the questions asked other than how big his dick was.

She and Chris had never discussed their finances or whether or not they wanted to combine their assets after they got married. It wasn't something that concerned Andi in the least due to the fact that she herself was worth millions of dollars but she did wonder in the back of her mind where Chris stood.

"What are you going to do after you get married? In terms of finances?" Alex read her younger sister's mind.

"They're both adults Alex. Why do you need to know all the practical details of their relationship?" Nicole questioned.

"My little sister comes home randomly and is engaged to Captain America after dating for three weeks..." Alex trailed off. "I just want to make sure they've actually thought about it and have discussed the important details that are essential in a marriage."

"Thank you for that." Chris offered a kind smile. "There are a lot of things that Andi and I haven't talked about but there are no practical details that will change the fact that I want to be her husband. We're on the same page about everything that actually matters."

Andi wrapped her arms around Chris and hugged him tightly. It was at that moment that she realized she wanted to be married to him as soon as possible. She didn't care about a ring or a wedding or the fact that they didn't have every little detail worked out, she just wanted to be his wife. "I can't wait to marry you."

"I would marry you right now if I could. I'm ready to be Mr. Christopher Robert Hathaway."

"You're a dork." Andi laughed loudly as she began her quotidian habit of stroking his beard aimlessly. "I love you."

"Oh Andi." Chris planted a kiss on her forehead before pecking her lips. "I love you so much more than you could ever imagine."

"Welcome to the family Mr. Chris Hathaway." Nicole spoke. "You'll fit right in."

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