"Stop bouncing your knee," Mark scolded as he turned on the right blinker and merged to the right side of the road, he glanced at Avery from the corner of his eye and tried to fight off the smile that was curving up his lips.
"Sorry," she murmured and ran her palms down the silky fabric of her maroon dress. It clung tightly to her hips and down to mid thigh, a thin layer of lace laid at the hem and she began to toy with it, "I'm just nervous. I haven't met his family yet."
Mark reached over and held her hands in his, giving them a comforting squeeze. "They're going to love you, pumpkin. Don't overthink it."
She gave him a tight smile and looked out the window of the mustang, noticing how the houses began to grow further apart and more lavish the further inland they went. The car turned right and in front of her eyes sat an intricate black gate with copper leaves sitting in between beautiful metal vines. Her breath caught in her throat, eyes wide in amazement and disbelief.
Mark rolled down the window and a static noise sounded from a black box beside the car.
"Sommers residence, name please?" Her father turned around with a raised brow while he rolled his eyes, making Avery chuckle softly.
"Avery and Mark Mitchell, we're here to celebrate Thanksgiving with the Sommers." The static went out for a few seconds before the box crackled again.
"Of course, the gates will open in a moment."
They watched in silence as the black gates slowly began to open inward, the car moving forward gently as they took in their surroundings. Incredible willow trees lined the entire gravel road that led towards the beautiful three-story colonial house in front of them, fairy lights wound up the trunks of every other tree they passed.
"Well shit," Mark whispered beside her as he leaned forward and stared up at the cream colored mansion, slowly bringing the car to a stop beside the fountain in the circular driveway. The water cascaded around beautiful cherubs that looked to be flying around a woman wearing intricate drapes, the lights inside the fountain making small diamonds gleam against the flowing streams.
Avery sat motionless as she let her eyes wander over the white pillars that sat holding a balcony on the second floor, the wooden double doors, the floor to cealing windows. She hadn't even realized that Mark had exited the car and opened up her door until he placed his hand on her shoulder.
"You okay?" He asked and she nodded meekly, using her father for support as she climbed out of the car. She adjusted the straps of her dress and tried to keep her balance in the black heels she was wearing, not wanting to trip and fall and completely embarrass herself.
Mark leaned into the car and pulled out the two blueberry pies that they had baked earlier that day, closing the door behind him and using his free hand to nudge her forward. They climbed up the white stone steps together, Avery trying to stretch out the time as much as she could. Except her father was having none of it, shooting her an exasperated look over his shoulder.
When they stood in front of the giant oak doors, she held her breath. The next few seconds were agony, watching as Mark raised his finger and pushed the doorbell, hearing the commotion from the other side.
She'd seen Madison's car in the driveway and then heard her voice call from the other side of the door.
"I'll get it! Don't let him see her yet!" There was a short pause, "I don't care, keep him away!" The door opened seconds later and Madison stood there in all her beautiful blonde glory, an olive skater dress and gold heels with her hair up in an immaculate ponytail. Her red lips split into a grin and her arms flung themselves around Avery's frame, knocking her back a few feet.
"Shit, Mads!" Avery squealed out but laughed at the same time, wrapping her own arms around her best friend. Madison pulled away and turned to face Mark, giving him a much less aggressive side hug and a kiss on his cheek.
"And you brought pie!" Madison said in amazement, "I love you guys' blueberry pie so much I might not let anyone else eat it!" She snatched the dessert from his grasp and began walking towards the door again, motioning for them to follow her.
When they stepped across the threshold it was as if they had walked into a museum. Beautiful pieces of art hung on the walls in the entryway, along with black tables that had family pictures sitting upon them. Avery's heels clicked against the dark oak floor, her eyes drinking in the white walls until they emerged in the foyer. Then her sight was set on the double sided staircase in front of her, copper railings and steps the same wood as the floor, a mesmerizing chandelier above her head that glimmered with the light.
"Some house, huh?" Madison said from in front of them with a cheeky grin. Avery and her dad could only nod, too entranced by the beauty surrounding them. "C'mon, everyone's in the living room." She turned to the left and down a shorter hallway, pushing open another set of double doors as laughter filled their ears.
Suddenly it became quiet, eleven pairs of eyes snapping in their direction. Avery stopped dead in her tracks, eyes wide and overwhelmed as she let her gaze fall on every single person in the room.
Kelsey, her mom and her two siblings. Madison's parents. Kaleb and who she assumed were his parents and sister. And then her eyes fell on Aiden. His hair was sitting messily on top of his head like it always was, curls almost falling onto his forehead. His green eyes were shining, mouth slightly parted as he watched her. She noticed the way his white button down shirt was rolled up to his elbows, tattoos on full display, and the way his dark jeans sat low on his hips.
He stood up quickly and almost stumbled his way to her, never breaking eye contact. A small smile formed on her lips when he reached out and wrapped his arms around her, pulling her into the kind of embrace she could easily melt into. His warmth and familiarity forced her to forget about everyone else in the room who was watching the intimate interaction.
"You look beautiful," he whispered against her neck and she felt her cheeks flush, hiding her face in his shoulder and chuckling softly. He pulled away and held her face between his large hands, pecking her lips quickly and smiling at her, "let me introduce you to the family."
He intertwined their hands and pulled her further into the room. She glanced around and saw that Mark was already animatedly talking with Mr. and Mrs. Sommers, a smile on his face.
Aiden cleared his throat when they were close enough and all three adults turned their attention to the couple, warm smiles on their faces. Avery fidgeted with the lace on her dress nervously, a tight smile on her face.
"Guys this is-"
"Avery!" The woman squealed, moving forward and pulling Avery into a tight hug. "I've heard so much about you! Aiden can't seem to stop mentioning you," she said and then held her at arms length. Avery looked at Aiden, noticing how his hand came to rest awkwardly on the back of his neck and the way his cheeks were tinted with pink.
"It's really nice to meet you, Mrs. Sommers. You have a beautiful home," Avery said softly and the woman laughed. Her light brown hair bounced around her shoulders, brown eyes amused.
"Please call me Christina, and this is my husband Logan," she pointed towards the man beside her, his green eyes crinkling at the corners as he regarded her.
"Were happy to finally have you here, Avery." His voice was smooth and deep, just like Kaleb and Aiden's was and his features were strikingly similar to the boys' as well. His slightly tan complexion complimented his dark hair wonderfully and she realized that the green eyes and dark haired gene was strong within the family.
"Well it's about time this asshole found someone to keep him on the straight and narrow," another voice sounded from behind her. She turned around and saw a beautiful brunette with eyes so green and vibrant that Avery couldn't help but stare. A bright smile was on her cherry red lips and an array of freckles sat upon her nose and cheeks, she knew this must've been Kaleb's sister. "I'm Valerie," she said and pulled her in for a quick hug.
Soon enough everyone was seated in the living room, chatter filling the entire space. The light blue walls and cream colored curtains gave the room a much lighter feel to it, especially when the sunset could be seen from the wide windows that overlooked the backyard. Kelsey bounded towards them with her little brother holding tightly to her hand, sitting him on her lap when she sat beside Avery.
The girls laughed, Valerie telling stories about what she'd seen in the past two years she's been at university. Every once in a while Avery would look towards Aiden, finding that he was already looking at her with nothing but complete adoration towards her. She watched as her father mingled with the rest of the parents, noticing how he seemed happier now that he was around new and old friends.
Kaleb and Madison couldn't keep their hands off each other, small touches here and there that Avery noticed every few seconds.
She wanted to laugh at herself for being so nervous when she first arrived, her insecurities had gotten the better of her. But there was a nagging feeling in her heart; it knew something was missing. Or someone.
Her thoughts drifted to her mother, realizing that she hadn't thought about her since Aiden had come into the picture. A heaviness settled itself into her heart, but before she could think too much of it, the doors to the living room opened and a maid walked in wearing a smile.
Dinner was ready.
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I promised you guys an update tonight and here it is! A new chapter will be out tomorrow that you won't want to miss!
I'm back now and better than ever, thank you guys for hanging in there while I went through a pre-quarter life crisis.
I appreciate you guys SO MUCH it's not even funny
xoxo