Happily Ever After

58: Meeting the Parents

Carina giggled quietly as she smoothed her bambina's hair back, feeling as Lucia drifted off to sleep cuddled up against her big sister. The two wives exchanged a look of gratitude before turning out the bedroom light, their hands finding each other in the dark as they laid down.

———

Two weeks had passed since the teen's heart surgery. Recovery was a slow going process, but it was going along nicely. With the help of their village, Maya, Sarah and Carina felt incredibly supportive, while as usual, Lu was in her own little world (usually with Moose).

In other news, the day of a very significant dinner was here; that very night, Alex would be coming over to meet Maya and Carina in a possible boyfriend-like capacity. It was almost like the dinner to see if he would be allowed to date the redhead. Both teenagers were incredibly nervous for what could happen from this dinner, and if them dating would be well received by Sarah's very protective mothers.

The day of, Alex had enlisted Elijah and Nate in help on what suit to wear, which tie to pair it with, and what to bring as a peace offering.

"Flowers, man. Women love flowers!" Elijah insisted.

"But are you bringing something for Sarah or her moms?" Nate asked, which caused Alex to pace nervously, running his hands through his hair in stress.

"You broke him," Elijah whispered.

"What about sparkling cider? Say it's something your mom likes, that'll impress them," Nate suggested.

"I haven't seen my mom happy since-" Alex replied in frustration.

"Alex, you don't need to tell them all that if you don't want to," Elijah reminded, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder comfortingly. The teen's past was something that he didn't talk about very often, as it was dark and uncomfortable. Alex preferred not to show vulnerability, except with people he truly trusted, like his friends.

"Very true. Only share what you're comfortable sharing," Nate echoed. He clapped, and then pointed at one of the suits on the bed. "White shirt, pink tie, and black slacks. You can bring your black suit jacket, too," he added.

"Plus, bring something for both Sarah and her moms. Remember, you need to win them over, especially the fire captain. She seems to not like you," Elijah insisted.

"Elijah!" Nate chided.

"Just being real here," Elijah shrugged.

"Okay, yeah that makes sense," Alex hummed, and the boys continued to muse about what to bring.

Meanwhile, Sarah was FaceTiming Melanie and Quinn. "Tonight he comes over to meet my moms. What if things go wrong?" The redhead worried.

"Sarah, you can't get all pessimistic before things even happen. What if things are great?" Quinn asked with encouragement.

"I do think she should be prepared for everything though," Melanie countered realistically.

"Melanie!" Quinn said, exasperated.

"I'm not saying things will go wrong. I'm saying not to expect things to follow a certain agenda. You know as well as I do that Alex is great, but teenage boys are always unpredictable," Melanie explained, gesturing generally towards her older brother's room. They could hear loud rock music, offbeat drumming, paired with singing.

"True," Sarah sighed.

"You all are a bunch of negative nellies. Show me what you're wearing!" Quinn insisted, so Sarah panned to her bed, where Moose was laying on top of two of the three selections, his tail flicking occasionally. "I was thinking about a dress, but I'm not sure. Does that seem like too much?" Sarah fretted.