I stare out the plane window, watching the sky. We're about to land in Houston, Texas.
It was just yesterday that I still had a big hole in my heart. But now, I feel bliss, contented.
Nevaeh is asleep, sitting beside me with her head on my shoulder. Our fingers are intertwined on my lap.
I kiss the top of her head, and she squirms a little. A soft smile touches my lips. I sigh, breathing in her hair as I close my eyes. I'm very grateful that she has given me a second chance.
Nothing could top what I'm feeling now. Damn, I feel like I just conquered the world. Meeting her parents seems like nothing. Nothing can stop me.
The flight attendant passing our seats apologizes for waking Nevaeh up when she reminds her to adjust her seat to the upright position. Nevaeh opens her eyes, and after she squints for a moment, she smiles softly at me. She squeezes my hand.
That smile. I'm the luckiest man in the world to have that smile forever.
Nevaeh lets out a sigh, almost like she feels relieved. "I almost thought that I was still in a dream. It seems surreal that we're actually doing this now." She leans closer to me, as if she needs to feel my warmth to prove that she wasn't dreaming.
My chest tightens as I remember how much I've hurt her. I've vowed that I will make up for it for the rest of my life.
"You mean, like you were waking up into another dream? Like in that movie called Inception? A dream in a dream?" I joke to lighten the atmosphere because I don't want her to remember the sad things.
Nevaeh grins. "That's actually one of my favorite movies. Such an awesome one."
I watch as she glances at her wristwatch. A small frown forms on her lips. Does her father expect her to have arrived by now?
"Do you think that he will like the birthday present I bought for him?" she asks.
I want to say that he will definitely have another thing to worry about once we arrive, but I zip my mouth. I don't want to make her restless. Right now, Nevaeh is happy, and I want to keep it that way.
"That barbeque kit branded with his favorite professional football team? I'm sure he'll love it," I say, earning her smile.
Nevaeh grabs the flight magazine from the seat pocket in front of her and starts flipping the pages. They're filled with various vacation destinations around the world, and I watch as Nevaeh's eyes glint with wonder.
"You seem calm," I say.
Nevaeh raises her eyebrows at me.
"About your father. I still remember how you panicked the last time he almost walked in on us."
Nevaeh sighs, closing the magazine on her lap. "I think I'm in denial. It's just... I've been so happy these past few hours. I just don't want to think about that."
"Is it okay?" I ask.
Nevaeh gives me a questioning look.
"I'm thinking about this birthday celebration in your house," I say. "Of all the other days we could have picked, we're doing this on his birthday."
She waves her hand off. "Don't worry about that. It's supposed to be another thing to celebrate, right?" She chuckles and gives me a sheepish smile.
Yes, it is. But I don't think that her father will have the same thought.
I just don't want to cause him a heart attack and kill him right on his fucking birthday.
Nevaeh, however, seems like she's indeed in denial. She starts reading the magazine again, as if she wants to escape this conversation.
"Does he have a gun?" I ask of the blue.
"Yes, he does," she hums nonchalantly, but then she snaps her head toward me and looks at me in horror like she just accidentally blurted that out. "Oh my God, I didn't mean it like that. I mean, yes, he has a gun. But it's only for precaution, like for burglary or something."
I swallow.
"My dad is paranoid when it comes to that," Nevaeh squeaks. "Stalker, murderer, serial killer. But you're not any of those, so there will be no harm."
I don't even know whether she's trying to convince me or herself.
Maybe it's about time that I call my family to tell them how much they mean to me in case I won't make it out alive.
We're finally here. We're standing in front of the gate to Nevaeh's house.
I'm ready to face anything that will be thrown my way, but what concerns me right now is Nevaeh. She's silent. Too silent.
Her lips form into a thin line while she's staring down at the ground. Her fists are balled at her sides. The reality has finally come crashing down on her. She's done being in denial mode because we're going to face her parents now. I see the truth she was trying to deny. She's terrified.
"Hey," I say softly, touching her shoulder. "Are you okay?"
Nevaeh's jaw tightens as she clenches her fists. She shifts her gaze to the gate. "I'm okay. I can do this. We can do this."
Her determination is radiating from her body, and I can't help but feel proud.
Nevaeh pushes a button next to the gate, and a while later, a security guard comes from the other side of it. He opens the gate when he sees Nevaeh so that we can walk in, but the moment he notices me, he freezes. His eyes widen for a second, but then his expression turns into sympathy. I don't even want to interpret that.
While we're walking, I see the classic home with mature oak trees and a circular drive entry. Nevaeh once told me that his father worked in an oil company, and by the look of it, he makes good money because this property is massive.
There's still some distance for us to walk until we reach the driveway, so I use this time to talk again to Nevaeh. "It's going to be okay."
She doesn't respond for long seconds. She's still wearing that frown. "I hope so."
I stop walking, and so does she. I hold her shoulders gently to make her face me and tilt her chin up. "Talk to me," I whisper.
Nevaeh lets out a shaky breath. Her eyes suddenly water, and I see fear in them. The sight breaks my heart.
"I'm just really scared." Her voice cracks. "What if they don't want us to be together? What if they don't even want to understand our story? What if..."
She can't say it. She's too afraid to say it. But I know what it is.
"I'm not going anywhere," I say firmly, not letting her fear consume her.
Her lips tremble, but I can see relief in her eyes after hearing my words.
"I mean it. I'm not leaving you, Nevaeh." I hate that I once said that sentence to her. If only I could turn back the time.
Nevaeh nods, trying to compose herself.
"I mean it. I'll handle it. Do you trust me?" I ask.
She nods again.
We resume our steps, and when we finally stand in front of the door, I blow a breath. I fucking want to hold Nevaeh's hand to assure her, but the sight will be hazardous to his father when he opens the door. I'm trying to prevent him from drawing his gun right away and shooting me in the head before I can even step into his house.
I'll do this step by step, cautiously, safely. I'll do this the right way.
I glance at Nevaeh, who stands like a statue, and press the doorbell. Not long after that, a man who looks like he's in his mid-40s and has blonde hair -- no doubt the owner of this house -- opens the door. His eyes instantly dart to her.
"Nevaeh!" His grin is so big, from ear to ear.
I don't even have time to worry about how I should greet him because the next thing I know is that he pulls Nevaeh into a tight bear hug.
When he pulls away, he holds her shoulders with his palms. "You're finally here. I've been waiting for hours. How was the flight? You could have had my driver pick you up."
Nevaeh is still silent, and I bet that her mind is in chaos right now. Her father turns his head toward me, finally spotting me. He instantly frowns.
"Baby, is that Nevaeh?" a woman appears beside him, disrupting whatever is going on between us.
She has wavy brown hair and eyes exactly the same as Nevaeh's, sky blue. Her mother.
When she sees me, she stops her movement, startled.
OK. What is the best thing to say right now?
Before I can fix this awkward moment, another voice echoes from inside the house, this time the tone is cheerful and filled with excitement. "Nevaeh?"
And it sounds oddly familiar.
My eyes widen in utter disbelief as I see my little sister, Luna, standing in the foyer. Her shocked expression mirrors mine.
"What are you doing here?" we ask each other at the same time.
Another moment of awkward silence passes. Everybody seems to have lost their mind.
That's when Max Cooper enters the site.
He stops in his track when his eyes find me. Then he squints, as though he's trying to make sure that his eyesight is still intact.
Whatever is going on in his head, he heard my question because the next thing he says is, "Well, since my uncle invited me to celebrate his birthday, I didn't see why I shouldn't bring my fiancee with me. She can be wherever I am," he says cockily, slinging his arm around Luna's shoulder. Then he squints at me again. Confusion crosses his expression. "What are you doing here?"
All the colors drain from Luna's face. She gulps. She hasn't told Max about what is happening between me and Nevaeh. The look on her face tells me that she's terrified of what his reaction would be if he found out that she hid the truth from him.
Max notices her swaying. "Are you alright?" His voice is suddenly filled with concern. "You look pale."
Luna touches her temple, looking down as she grips Max's arm for support. "I think I need to sit down." With that said, she lets Max help her walk back into the living room and sit on the couch.
"Nevaeh?" another voice calling my woman's name rings in the air.
Sienna -- Max's younger sister -- steps into the foyer. The same confusion skates on her face. She stares at Nevaeh before switching her gaze to me then do it all over again.
"Aiden?" another voice calls, this time my name.
My gaze shifts as I find Melanie -- Max's mother -- coming into the foyer too. Her husband, Vaughn, follows behind her.
Shit. This house is full.
I didn't know what I was walking into.
Silence falls again, a gripping one. I can even hear the clock ticking.
"Oh my, it's been so long since I last saw you." Melanie claps her hands in front of her, the first one to break the tense atmosphere. She rushes to me and hugs me.
The Coopers are family to the Kleins and vice versa. At least, I'm grateful that someone actually welcomes me.
When Melanie pulls away, she smiles. "How are you doing? It's so good to see you again."
I can only nod. I'm racking my brain.
"Are you here to see Luna?" she points out. "Wait. You're here to join the celebration too, aren't you?"
Melanie steps away with a warm smile still lingering on her face, and Vaughn gives me a hug too. He claps my shoulder twice and gives me a small smile before throwing a glance at Nevaeh's father, who still has his attention focused on me.
Somehow, I have a feeling that Vaughn senses something but isn't sure about it yet.
"Aiden?" Mr. Spencer finally speaks, looking at Melanie, who nods, and then at me again. "Ah, yes, Luna's brother." Realization hits his face.
That is correct even though it's not what I was planning to introduce myself as. I don't think that he got it, but...okay.
"Max's future brother-in-law," he exclaims with a wide grin, suddenly opening his arms to hug me.
Of course, I hug him back.
"Thank you. Thank you for coming to join my birthday celebration. That's very kind of you." He laughs and claps my back before pulling away. "You arrived at the same time Nevaeh did, huh? Please, welcome. Welcome to our house." He happily ushers us in and closes the door behind us.
I don't think that his nephew's future brother-in-law suddenly joining his birthday celebration is relevant, but the man looks so happy I don't have the heart to correct him.
I'm still alive, for now.
The right thing to do is to approach him at the right moment. First of all, I need to congratulate him on his birthday properly, then have a genuine conversation with him -- it can start from knowing each other first. Then we should have a private talk somewhere in this house, probably in the backyard with beer or whiskey in our hands.
Yeah. That's the way. I have to do this carefully to win.
We enter the living room. Luna and Max are already sitting on a couch. He hands her a cup of hot tea, thinking that she's dizzy. Sienna links her arm with Nevaeh's and pulls her toward another couch, probably to catch up with college gossip.
Nevaeh's mother continues preparing the food for dinner while Melanie and Vaughn help her in the kitchen. Nevaeh's father switches the TV channel to a football game.
Sienna flops on the couch, but Nevaeh doesn't follow suit. Instead, she just stands still and stares at the floor with a stressed look.
"Nevaeh? What's wrong?" Sienna's question catches the attention of everybody else in the house.
Nevaeh clenches her fists, and there's a fire in her eyes. She looks like a woman on a mission.
Oh, no.
Everything seems to happen in slow motion when Nevaeh walks in my direction. She suddenly grips my hand so hard that I almost feel like my fingers break. She zeroes in on her father, whose eyes fall on our connected hands.
"Dad, I wanted you to meet Aiden." Her voice is loud and clear, like she'd been mustering it the entire time she was silent. "He's the man I love, and we've been living together for almost half a year. He's the one I want to marry."
Oh fuck.
I'm dead.