Naomi and Kieran slipped outside into a fenced-in backyard where an older woman with short brown hair waved a bubble wand around for a toddler to chase with glee. A slightly older boy had a second wand and was blowing them for Baxter, who kept barking and nipping at bubbles on the grass.
"Hey, Mom," Naomi greeted as they ventured from the deck to the patio.
"It's Auntie Naomi!" Her mom said to the boys.
"Aunt Mimi!" the older boy cried out and ran straight into her legs to embrace them.
That was adorable, and he noted the nickname too. He hadn't found the right one yet. Everyone else called her Nomi or used her name, but he wanted something that was just theirs.
"Hey, Jace." She leaned down to ruffle her nephew's hair. He must be Jason. "How was the long drive to Grandma's?"
"It took forever, and you took even more forever to get here." Jason's gaze landed on Kieran, and he narrowed his eyes. "Who's that?"
Naomi knelt at Jason's level and gazed at Kieran. "That's my boyfriend."
Jason crossed his arms and pouted. "You don't have a boyfriend!"
She chuckled. "I didn't the last time you visited, but now I do."
"Why do you need a boyfriend?" The boy eyed Kieran again as if searching for hidden wings or a sword that might make him worth the effort.
Naomi continued to laugh as she rubbed Jason's arm. "When some grown-ups get older, they like to have a special friend they share special memories with. Like your mom and dad did before they got married."
The kid wrinkled his nose. "I never want a girlfriend."
"That's okay. I didn't want a boyfriend when I was your age either. Some people are happy with regular friends their whole lives, and there's nothing wrong with that," Naomi said.
Her mom walked over in a pink sleeveless blouse and a pair of flowing linen pants, holding the youngest boy's hand. "Hi, I'm Leanne. It's wonderful to meet you."
Kieran shook her hand and introduced himself.
"I hate to admit I was as surprised as my grandson about you. Naomi's tight-lipped when she wants to be, although Jodie mentioned you've been friends for a little while."
"Yeah." Kieran shared their rehearsed meet-up story, still recalling how awkwardly he offered to hug her and how perfect she felt in his arms. He wouldn't have believed that fewer than two months later, he'd be meeting her parents as her boyfriend.
Leanne adjusted a gold necklace that matched her earrings. "I'm relieved something positive came of everything Naomi went through lately."
Naomi leaned her head against his chest. "Kieran is more than I ever expected."
Jason sighed. "Can we play soccer? This is boring."
She laughed. "Of course, I can't believe I was so terrible to keep His Majesty the super soccer player waiting."
"My coach says I'm one of the best players on the team."
"Wow, way to go, superstar!" She gave him a high five. "Get the ball and show me those moves."
The youngest boy released Leanne's hand and ran to Naomi, who picked him up and spun him around, chanting, "Leo". The youngest boy shrieked, followed by the widest smile.
"She's so good with the boys," Leanne said.
As Jason returned with a ball, Naomi let Leo down to waddle toward Leanne and Kieran.
Leanne watched the boy with a serene smile as he inspected a clover flower in the law. "Do you want kids, Kieran?"
He coughed to cover his surprise. "I haven't given it too much thought. It would depend on my partner. If they wanted them, I'd be open to it, but if they didn't, that's also okay."
He recalled Naomi mentioning she didn't want kids and talking about the parental pressure to have grandkids that had eased with the birth of her nephews. He'd be fine without kids. Enough of his childhood was spent caring for Jake when their mother gave up or screamed in Jake's face until he was in tears. She thought fear would make him conform to her wishes instead of trying to meet his needs. Kieran cared about his brother too much to force him to go places that caused him discomfort or eat things he hated.
The qualities that made Jake a 'stubborn brat' to their mother also led him to excel in his field at a very young age. He could tune out the surrounding noise, focus on one task for hours and weeks, and pick up on the minute details that made the difference between his app's code failing or succeeding more efficiently than others. Since he'd been finding creative solutions to avoid uncomfortable situations, he was a pro at innovative problem-solving.
"Do you have any siblings?"
"A younger brother. We share a condo in the exchange."
"Wow. I can't imagine my girls staying that close. They bickered a lot."
Kieran chuckled, and his gaze shot to Naomi, who was acting as goalie for her nephew in front of the shed. "I can picture that. It's not forever, but it is nice to have family close, and we've learned to tolerate each other's quirks, not without daily bickering though."
"It's good to know you value family." Leanne smiled and kneeled at her grandson's level. "Grandma has to go cook supper. Do you want to come inside or stay outside with Aunt Mimi?"
Leo looked at Kieran with narrowed eyes before saying, "Inside," and following his grandmother. Kieran contained a laugh as his size, piercing, and beard usually made him too scary for babysitting duty.
"It was lovely to meet you, Kieran," Leanne said.
"You too, Leanne."
The rest of the evening went well as they enjoyed a meal where the conversation was light, jokes flowed, and no one lost their temper. Cameron had a dozen work and softball-related questions for Naomi, which showed he wanted her to succeed and enjoy her life. He was a touch friendlier with Kieran too.
Jodie prepared plates for the boys and didn't fret when they didn't finish them. Leanne took the scene in with an enormous smile, thanking Kieran for joining them and telling him he was welcome back anytime. When she'd whispered to Naomi as they left, Kieran caught the words "wonderful young man."
While he loved that he'd impressed her family, nights like this left him mildly bitter. Everyone else grew up with normal parents while Kieran and Jake had been stuck in chaos. Naomi said her dad would be intimidating and overbearing, but he was just concerned for his daughter's safety and emotional well-being.
Kieran wasn't sure if he would ever meet another family as dysfunctional as his own. Katy's parents had taken him in with open arms. Her dad knew that past the age of ten, Kieran had never had a consistent father figure. Occasionally his mom's boyfriends had tried to act as fathers, but the nice ones never stayed with his mom (why would they?). Katy's dad would take him fishing, teach him woodcarving, and invite him to work on the family cottage. Her father corrected each of Kieran's mistakes by saying, 'It might be easier if...' instead of insulting and blaming him. The end of his relationship with them was almost as hard as losing Katy.
He and Naomi walked hand in hand to the car, stuffed with their plentiful meal of steak, potatoes, asparagus, pie, and cinnamon buns. She turned to him with an uneasy smile.
"You've been quiet. How bad was it?"
"Bad?" Kieran couldn't help but laugh. "Your family is super nice. It's obvious where you get it from."
"By that logic, your parents must be the absolute sweetest."
Kieran swallowed the lump in his throat. His mother would have thrown a fit over his extended absence, made passive-aggressive comments about anything he brought up, and mocked Naomi for being anything but a cynical crank to her face. If they survived the evening without a screaming match, it would have been a miracle.
"They're certainly something."
Naomi glanced at her parents' home. "So it wasn't awful?"
He relaxed now that the spotlight returned to their night. "No, it was a wonderful night with my girlfriend and her family."
She wore a nervous smile and drummed her fingers on a container of leftovers. "Sorry, the second I had to introduce you, I realized we forgot to discuss that."
"If I've agreed to meet your folks, it's fair to assume we're dating. And we're monogamous, right?"
The tiny head bob preceded her words. "That's what I'd like as long as you..."
No answer could bring him more joy. "I've never liked competitions."
She sighed with a smile, set the container on the hood of his truck, and wrapped her arms around him. Her hands soon found their way to the fuzzy sides of his face to pull him into a kiss on the lips. He tried his best to control himself, but the more he restrained himself, the more his lips snapped back to devour hers.
"Sorry," he muttered, almost breathless after the last intense kiss.
"For what?"
None of her muscles seemed tense when he ran his hands over her arms.
"I'm trying to keep this low-key, but it's hard.
She studied his face with her warm brown eyes. The flecks of different shades create a mosaic. "You mean the way you're kissing me?"
He nodded.
"I like that."
His shoulder muscles untensed. "It's not too much?"
"No. Too much is shoving your hand up my shirt or undressing me while hoping for more." She shifted her weight from one foot to another.
He wouldn't try that anytime soon, nor did he expect to. "Of course, and tongue is probably...."
"Okay," Her eyes darted to the front window, whose blinds were partially open. "But maybe not in front of my parent's house," Naomi teased.
That was a pleasant surprise, but he wanted to be sure he wasn't pressuring her. "Are you saying that because you think I want to or...?"
"I enjoy making out. It's when it seems like it's shifting from that to more that I get uncomfortable. At least until my body gets more used to this."
"And if you're just making out, do you feel good, or is it that ambivalent sensation?"
"It's good most of the time. Everything with you has been great so far." She wore a reassuring smile he loved seeing on her.
"That's a relief. You'll tell me if it doesn't feel that way?"
Naomi nodded. He wasn't naïve enough to think it wasn't coming, and he'd need to discuss the topic with Austin sooner than later so he handled the moment properly. But for now, he'd enjoy the honeymoon phase with his official girlfriend.
Does anyone else love writing kid characters? They can be so blunt XD
I hope you enjoyed the family get-together and Naomi and Kieran clearing up a few things. I am a little shocked that I skimmed over writing the food section of the chapter, but the chapter had already grown so long at that point, it felt like it was time to wrap it up.
Next Wednesday, we'll be fast-forwarding a little bit to another party, a friends get-together where Kieran will get to meet a few people who are close to Naomi.