Melissa
Kids aren't horrifying.
I work with kids. I can handle kids. I love kids. That's why I became a teacher. However, I've been dating John for over four months and he's decided now was the perfect time to meet his godchildren. His kiddos. Five kids who can truly do no wrong in his eyes.
I, Melissa Miller, a grown ass woman, am terrified of meeting them.
I already know Scarlett and her opinion is the one that matters. If she doesn't like me then the rest definitely won't. We had our moment. She said we were good. That should make me feel better. And it would, if I haven't heard stories about how insane the rest of her family is.
Teachers talk and they have plenty to say about this family.
Sage is without a doubt, going to intimidate me. He's going to be loud and say things just to see how I'll react. The twins, Sterling and Silver, are geniuses. Sterling will analyze everything I do, and Silver will say horrible things just to see how I'll react. And Saffron, from what I've heard, she might throw a knife at me.
This is a make or break moment in our relationship, and I'm ready to fake a stomachache.
"You okay?" John squeezes my hand, pulling into a parking lot.
"Yeah." I force a smile.
"Good, because we're here." He turns the car off.
Staring at the cute Italian restaurant, I gulp. Looks like it's too late to fake that tummy ache.
When I don't go to get out, he stops. "You sure you're good?"
"Do you promise they won't hate me?" I beg.
"Of course not." He smiles. "I adore you, so they have to."
I don't think it works like that. "And you're sure they won't try to embarrass me tonight?" I need to at least be prepared.
"Melissa, my kiddos are absolute angels." He rests a hand over his heart.
Maybe those stories are just exaggerations. "Really?"
"No." He dies laughing. "They're the spawns of Satan but I love them anyways."
My hope vanishes as I slam my car door shut. Asshole. I follow after him, wiping my sweaty hands on my dress. Once we're inside, the scent of carbs makes me relax.
"Hello." A woman tackles me in a hug.
Losing circulation in my arms, I send John a panicked look.
Smiling, he pulls her back. "Mel, this is Bella. The owner of this restaurant and a family friend. Bella, this is my girlfriend, Melissa."
"She's beautiful." She smacks his arm before turning to me. "You're beautiful."
"Thank you." I fidget as she chats with John.
"Are they here?"
"Yes, and in rare form." She says, leading us to the back of the restaurant. Sending me a knowing look, she points to a table. "Enjoy."
Faltering, John forces me to walk towards the table. Five kids watch us, identical smirks on their faces. I think I might be sick.
John holds out a chair for me and before he can take the one beside me, a little girl covered in freckles smiles. "Uncle John, sit next to me."
"Squirt, I should sit next to my girlfriend." He says.
"But I missed you today." Saffron bats her eyelashes.
The twins watch me to see how I'll respond, and I give John an assuring glance. "Sit with her."
He mentioned them testing to see who he'll choose. I certainly won't be the bad guy. He sits down and I move over one so Saffron is seated between us. Flashing me an easy smile, he turns to the group. "How is everyone?"
"Wonderful." Saffron smiles up at him. She definitely knows being cute is her biggest weapon.
"Great." Silver shrugs.
"Just dandy." Sterling nods.
"Like the tie, Uncle John." Sage motions to the vibrant stripped necktie. Taking in his own colorful shirt, I'm rather impressed.
"Fine." Scarlett snips, stirring her straw in her water.
His smile falls. "Bean, what's wrong?"
"She's mad lover boy wasn't allowed to come to dinner with us." Sterling offers, shoving his glasses back up his nose.
"This is a family meal." John sits taller. "The punk is not allowed."
"But she loves the punk." Silver puckers his lips and Scarlett throws a napkin at him.
"I don't care." John sighs.
"Well I do." She crosses her arms. This is the most I've ever seen her act like a normal teenager.
John turns to Sage. "Are you upset your girlfriend isn't here?"
"Nah, she didn't want to come." He says a little glumly.
"Teenagers." Saffron sighs. "They're horrible."
John pinches her cheek. "And you're just a breath of fresh air."
"Absolutely." She stuffs a piece of bread in her mouth.
Okay, maybe this isn't that bad.
"I want reports, how was everyone's day?" John asks after a moment of silence.
"Dasher Williams dumped water on me." Saffron says.
"Did he get in trouble?" I ask.
"No." Well, then maybe I should I have conversation with her teacher. "I hit him in the face with a volleyball."
"That a girl." John bumps her knuckles and it takes a second for me to pick my jaw off the ground. Those rumors were not wrong.
"Do you have an issue with that?" Sterling questions.
Closing my mouth, I try not to squirm under the stares. "As a teacher, I'm not the biggest fan of that approach." The twins share a look like they've caught me and I continue. "However, as a person, I say right on."
Their victory dies out as John glares at them. He's picked up on their game.
"Saffron, how are you feeling after your accident?" I turn to her. It's only been two weeks since an asthma attack landed her in the hospital. My biggest regret was not getting to see her. I was there. It just wasn't good timing to drop this on them.
"Fine." She shrugs.
John turns to Scarlett and she purses her lips. "She's been sleeping with me every night. We only wake up a few times."
I can't help but admire how much he cares about these kids. So much love in his eyes.
Feeling a little more confident, I focus on Scarlett. "How's Ashton?"
"He's good." She smiles, thinking of her boyfriend. "He wanted Italian so I'm gonna bring him a plate."
"Oh God." John mutters and I kick him under the table. I think it's sweet my students are in love.
"Sage, how's baseball going?" I ask, proud that I've remembered enough to not butcher easy conversations.
"Great." He says, studying me. "I have a game on Monday. You can come if you want."
Oh– I was not expecting that. "I'd like that very much."
"Ms. Miller." Sterling starts.
"Please, call me Melissa." I'm not a teacher right now.
"Melissa." He tests my name, clearly uncomfortable. "What's how are you feeling?"
Um... "I'm feeling fine."
"Were you nervous to meet us?" Silver pushes.
"Yes." I admit. These children can sniff out lies. I just know it.
"Why?" Saffron bats her emerald eyes up at me and my heart melts. She's precious.
"You five are very important to your uncle. I wanted to make a good impression."
"You wanted us to like you?" Silver chokes on his drink.
"Not the other way around?" His twin clarifies.
"Of course. If you guys don't like me then I'm done for." I say. "You are all your uncle talks about. I hope you guys like me."
That's all that really matters. If this relationship is going to work, we have to get along. If they hate me, John won't bring me around. Then we'll be limboing between two different schedules instead of forming a harmonious balance.
Scarlett and Sage share a smile and I know I've won them over. This wasn't even that bad.
Our sever comes to take our orders and since Scarlett left to use the restroom, Saffron trusts me to order for her.
After an interesting conversation about John passing out after accidentally seeing Katherine give birth to Scarlett, dinner is brought out. I'm practically drooling over my chicken parmesan.
"You let her order spaghetti?" Scarlett demands, eyeing Saffron's plate.
"No, I didn't." John says, acting like the plate is poisonous. "Did you?"
"I was in the bathroom." She reminds him. "God, she's in white."
"I did." I clear my throat. "I'm–I'm sorry. I didn't realize."
"Sage, toss me a breadstick" Silver demands from the other side of the table.
"It's fine." Scarlett sighs. "Squirt, let Uncle John cut that up for you."
"But I want you to do it." She says softly.
"Uncle John, pass me the water." Sterling asks.
Everything happens so quickly, but I feel like I watch in slow-motion. Sage throws the bread and it hits the plate. Causing Saffron to drop the plate before Scarlett can grab it. As the plate falls it crashes into the water pitcher John tries to pass over.
In silent horror, I can only sit there as water and spaghetti splatters all over me. The breadstick smacking me upside the head.
Closing my eyes, I try to convince myself this is a dream. I'm so nervous about dinner, I dreamed up the worst scenario possible.
"Holy shit." The twins say in disbelief.
"Napkins, now." Scarlett orders.
"This is bad." Sage offers like I didn't already know that.
"I didn't mean too." Saffron sniffles.
"Melissa, are you okay?" John asks, trying to wipe the mess but not knowing where to begin. It's literally everywhere.
Sadly, this is not a dream.
"I-I think I'm going to go to the bathroom." I offer tightly. As I stand, a pile of spaghetti falls to the ground and the twins laugh.
Awkwardly walking to the bathroom, I try my best to clean up without having a meltdown. This dress was brand new. I splurged because I felt nice in it. Now I feel like a walking ad for marinara sauce.
It's fine. It's fine. It's fine.
This is just a dress. It cost a pretty penny, but I can buy a new one.
"Ms. Miller." Scarlett knocks on the door. "May I come in?"
Taking one last glance in the mirror, picking a stray noodle from my neck, I answer. "Come on in."
She peaks her head in, guilt written all over her face. "I'm so sorry. I promise this doesn't usually happen."
"I don't think it was on purpose." At least, I hope not.
"It wasn't." She freaks out. "I swear on my life, they were all threatened to be on their best behavior."
"It's okay." I grab her hand.
"We found a sweatshirt in Uncle John's car." She offers a green hoodie. "It won't hide everything, but it should help."
"Thank you." I take it and sauce drips to the ground.
"Bella is going to kill us." She grabs a paper towel to clean the mess.
"Scarlett, don't beat yourself up about tonight." I bend down to help her. "I absolutely adore your family."
"Thank you." She sags in relief. "We like you too."
After learning my neck is stained red and trying to hide the fact I smell like garlic, I walk out to find six sets of guilty eyes watching me.
"I'm sorry." Saffron wraps herself around my legs. "Please don't be mad."
Crouching down, I hug her. "It's okay, Honey. It's just a dress."
"A pretty dress." She sniffles. Yes, a pretty, expensive dress.
Standing back up, I look at everyone. "What's next?"
"Uncle Ricardo's?" Sage pulls his keys out.
"You know it." John sends them towards the car before hugging me. "You sure you aren't mad?"
"It's no one's fault." I assure him.
"Then may I just be the first to say that I've never laughed so hard in my life." He wheezes.
"Very funny."
"Mel, I wish I was lying when I said that was the most epic moment is the history of family dinners." He continues on.
"I'm just happy I could be a part of it." I admit.
He pulls me in for a hug. "So am I."
"I think they like me." I whisper, watching them bicker while getting into their car.
"They do." He kisses me. Pulling back, he makes a sour face. "Mel, babe, you taste like garlic."
"Go to hell." I shove him off.
*****
John leads me up the walkway to a small house. Stopping, he gives me an assuring smile. "These people are clinically insane. Ignore whatever they say to you."
"I think I can handle this." I laugh.
Opening the door, we're greeted by the sound of shouting, a TV blaring a sports channel and way too many people crammed into this house.
"Dear God." A college aged guy mutters, announcing that we've arrived.
"What the hell did you monsters do to her?" A short girl asks from her spot on the couch.
I fidget uncomfortably as everyone looks at what a mess I am.
"It was an accident." Saffron offers.
"Stop the starring, dinner was a success." John closes the door.
It's silent for a solid three seconds before everyone erupts into cheers.
"It took forty years, but Johnny boy finally got a lady!" A man covered in tattoos claps.
"Let me introduce you to everyone." John grabs my hand, leading me to the man who's still clapping. "This is-"
"Ricardo." I guess based off the tattoos and bald head and extend my hand.
"We hug." He pulls me in. "It's nice to meet you."
"Likewise." I tell one of John's oldest friends. "I've heard a lot about you."
"Trust me." He laughs. "I've heard more about you. Johnny, here, won't shut up."
"That's enough." John clears his throat, pointing towards the two people who spoke when we got in. "This is–"
"Stop, I like this game." I swat his hand down as I focus on the two young adults with black hair and caramel toned skin. "She must be Manny and he must be Emmy." I smile at Ricardo. "Your children are beautiful."
"They're alright." He shrugs.
Meeting everyone John considers to be his closest friends; I'm thrown off when I meet two strikingly similar redheaded women. John smirks, thinking he's finally stumped me.
Not so fast. Turning to the woman on the right, I smile. "Mrs. Kline, it's so nice to see you again."
"How did you..." John asks in astonishment.
"Please, call me Callie." She smiles warmly before tuning to my boyfriend. "You've met my son. Did you seriously not think I would've been called in for a parent-teacher conference?"
"That wasn't my fault!" Her son, Gabe shouts from the other room. Yes, if only I could agree flirting during a test was not his fault.
"Fair point." John admits, sulking slightly.
"That must make you Hallie." I tell the other woman. Two halves of the triplets. John's told me all about them. "Which makes your son, Drew, the one engaged to Manny."
"Someone's done her homework." Hallie grins.
"I wanted to make a good impression." I blush. Maybe I should've let him handle introductions.
"You survived dinner." She winks. "You've earned my respect."
"We're surprised John finally managed to land someone as pretty and tough as you." Callie adds.
"Oh, I'm not–" I try to correct them. I'm definitely not tough.
"Hon, you're covered in marinara sauce." She squeezes my arm. "You still look like a model and didn't freak out. That makes you pretty tough."
"Thank you." It's really not that big of a deal.
There are no more introductions to be made so I turn to John for our next step but he's storming across the room. "Why is the punk here?"
"Hi, John." Ashton McClain waves, eating from a to-go container.
"You said he couldn't go to dinner." Scarlett shrugs, an evil gleam in her eyes. "We aren't at dinner."
John looks like he's ready to blow a gasket and I lead him away.
"Why do you hate that poor kid?" I demand.
"I don't." He looks around. "I actually like him."
Of course, he does. Hugging him, I hide my grin. "Then let's go play cards with your friends."
*****
Hours later, after laughing more than I ever thought possible and learning more than just a secret or two about him, we're headed back to my place.
After a long shower, where I try to remove all the remnants of dinner, I join John in bed. "I had fun."
"You like them?" He asks.
"I love your kiddos. I understand why they mean so much to you." I respond. He treats them like gold. They are by far what he's most proud of. "I like your friends too."
"So, you could see yourself playing poker on a Friday night with them?"
That's oddly specific but I nod. "I could."
He seems to relax and I focus on something I realized tonight. "You're very lucky to have such a close group of people. I've never experienced friendships like the ones I saw tonight."
"They're the best." He turns the lights off.
Overly exhausted and still slightly smelling like Italian, I'm ready for bed. John, however, has a different idea. The lights are switched back on.
"What's wrong?" I groan, covering my face with a pillow.
"Melissa, look at me." He says urgently and I do. He looks freaked out. "I was going to wait to say this. You know, after how traumatizing dinner was, but I can't."
"Then say it." I try not to panic. There's no way he would break up with me after tonight. Right?
He looks like he's about to throw up and I prepare for the worst. "I love you."
The words hang between us. "You what?"
"I love you." He says with more confidence this time. "Melissa Miller, I love you. I don't know what that means because I've never really done this before, but I love you."
Holy shit. I-I was not expecting this. It's only been four moths. I always figured I'd have to say it first. "I love you."
"Thank God." He leans against the wall. "That would've made this next part even weirder."
Overwhelmed, I raise a brow. "What else is there?"
"I want to move in with you." He states. "It makes sense. We're always sleeping over most nights. I-I think it would be a good step for our relationship."
Leave it to him to try to sell this as formal as a business agreement. "Where were you planning on living?"
"Wherever you wanted." He says. "I'd prefer to be closer to the kiddos and your work. We could stay here for now if that's what you prefer. Then, maybe, we can look for a better place."
"Our place?" I question.
"Yeah, our place." He grins "Is that a yes?"
"Come here." I hold my arms out. Kissing him, I squirm with joy. "That's a hell yes."
He kisses me and I try to process everything.
These past four months have been the best months of my life and it's all because of this guy. I can't wait for forever if it feels like this.
*****
Hi, it's been a hot second.
LiB is something I update without a strict schedule. I rewrote this chapter twice after wring chapter five because I felt like this moment needed to be captured.