I woke up the next day feeling weirdly blissful. I had just had great sex with the first and only boy I was hopelessly in love with, my mom and I were on weird yet good terms, my brothers and I made up, and my dad finally came back. Things seemingly were falling into place.
Jace rolled over a few minutes after I did to face me. A soft smile formed on his face once his eyes fell upon me as my heart began to soar.
"Good morning sweetheart," he whispered with his hand on my cheek. "Are you okay? Did I hurt you last night?"
"Last night was amazing-" my mind flooded with memories of Jace's touch and how attentive he was during everything. "I feel perfect."
He smiled before he leaned in to kiss me.
"Ah...What are you doing?"
"I'm kissing you..."
"Without brushing your teeth? I'm sorry to say this but morning breath is a thing, my love."
"And so is kissing with morning breath sweetheart. Come here and stop complaining!" he ordered before spending the morning showering me in morning breath filled kisses.
__________
I hate to be the girl that talks about the "other shoe dropping" but I couldn't help but notice it when it was basically dropped on my face. Things had only stayed blissful for only a handful of days. With my father being back in the house, my mother on some weird mission of earning my forgiveness, and the long-awaited acceptance of me dating among my brothers, things seemed to fall out of balance faster than it came.
One morning, Jace and I had been sharing cookies and coffee outside his family's coffee shop when my Dad rolled around. Upon seeing us, he couldn't help but stop and talk Jace's ear off before inviting him to dinner at my house.
My house!
I never thought those words could've been so terrifying. They weren't but when they were placed alongside the thought of Jace being stuck in a room with my unpredictable 6 brothers, my delusional mother, and my father- "the homie", I suddenly felt the life being scared out of me. I don't know how to handle any of this. Dinner seemed to come faster than usual but, I didn't like it.
Why did Jace have to accept my dad's invitation?
The doorbell rang throughout the house, temporarily breaking my worried thoughts. I raced to the door before anyone could get to it and pushed myself outside to talk to Jace before all the madness broke loose.
"Sweetheart, are you okay?" he chuckled with me in his arms. "You've never been so excited to see me before."
"I'm not excited, I'm stressed," I said bluntly.
"Wow, thanks, princess! I love you too."
"That's not what I meant! I mean I'm stressed about you formally meeting my family."
"Why? Do you think it's too fast?"
"No... I just--" I stopped to shake my head. "My family is a little..."
"A little what?" he asked with a teasing glimmer in his eye. "Affectionate?"
I smiled as I recalled the moment we stood in this same position months ago when I first met his family.
"I wish. We're just different from your family, it's not normal."
"Nobody's family is normal Caden."
I sighed and rested my head onto his chest.
"Don't worry everything will be fine, my love. These are the people that made you who you are today and I love who you are, so I know I'll love them."
"You always know what to say," I told him before pressing my lips to his. "I love that."
"Just like you love your pizza rolls." he joked before pulling us back inside to endure a night of guaranteed tension, bad jokes, and good food.
My mother had been keeping her sly comments to a minimum as my brothers obnoxiously interrogated Jace. Jace being the sweet person he was answered every question with ease while squeezing my hand for my own reassurance every few moments. He was handling my family way better than I ever could've.
Boy, did I love him.
Once we all finished eating, the rest of my family moved to the living room to relax and Jace decided to force himself on plate duty with me.
"So, are you done stressing?" he asked me from his side of the kitchen.
"Not yet, the night is still young," I mumbled.
"When did you turn so pessimistic Caden?"
"Since you stepped foot in this house to sit down for a family dinner."
"I didn't think it was that big of a deal," Jace said as he placed his newly dried plates in the cabinet. "You did meet my family the first time we went out together after all."
I sighed to myself, biting my tongue. I could feel myself itching to pick a fight with him to justify my nerves about Jace becoming acquainted with all my family. I couldn't break us up again, I just got him back.
"Caden, I know you're scared but no matter what happens after this night, I don't care. The whole world could go up on flames... all hell could break loose but my love for you will never change."
Jace moved to where I was standing and placed his steady hands upon my cheeks.
"What romantic comedy did you pull that from?" I couldn't help but smile at him.
"One of the millions you've forced me to watch with you." he shrugged.
"Oh, you mean the ones you cried like a baby over?"
Jace smiled at me in a way I'd never seen before for a moment seconds before he softly kissed my forehead.
"Caden Bennet, you are the love of my life... I can't wait to marry you."
My heart filled with a mix of panic and excitement as his words as he kissed me before I could begin to analyze anything.
Marriage... Seriously?
YOU ARE READING
Fried Burrito
ChickLit"Adulting isn't hard," said nobody, ever. Dealing with the highs and lows of life that comes after hitting your twenties seems like nothing for Caden as she continues to strive to new heights within her aspiring career. But, with graduate school ha...
