Page 15 of Paved Paradise
I chuckle at the slang my mom uses, and my shoulders finally release, and I relax.
“You're right. I’m being selfish, aren't I? Here I am, worried about me, and she's probably in the car, freaking out.” I laugh again, but it finally clicks when my mom raises one brow. “Oh, shit!”
I hear her laughing as I rush to the front door, look out the small window at the top, and curse again as I realize Frankie's van is, in fact, already in the driveway, and inside is my girl, currently freaking the hell out. Smiling, I pull open the door before she has the time to turn the van back on and turn around.
“Don't you even think about running Schnooks. I’ve got your number now!” I yell as I jog over to her driver's side door and wrench it open.
“I didn't have anything to wear. Is this okay? What do you wear to meet your boyfriend's parents for the first time? Wait, we are boyfriend and girlfriend, right? I know we never really labeled it and… shit, I sound like you rambling on and on.” that makes me throw my head back and roar with laughter.
“I’ll tell you a secret. I was just doing this same thing to my mom in the kitchen not three minutes ago. She got tired of it and ran me out.” I laugh along with her as I help her down from the van. When she stands tall and I get my first good look at her outfit, I can't help but breathe out, “Wow.”
“You look absolutely beautiful, Schnooks. Fuck, how lucky am I huh?” I ask more to myself, but her giggle tells me it wasn't so quiet. Oh well.
“You clean up pretty well, too, Beck,” she says, standing on her tiptoes and kissing me softly on the cheek. As my smile widens further and further, I watch her raise her finger and poke my dimples. I smile at her obsession, then start to lean down to kiss her, but a flash of movement by the front window makes me sigh before pulling back.
“We should probably get back in there. My family is way too excited to meet my girlfriend.” I emphasize the word, making sure she knows where we stand. Girlfriend, though, seems so small when talking about your soulmate. I don't tell her this… yet. Let her meet the family first and see if she's ready to run.
“Are you ready? I promise they are going to love you. No need to be nervous,” I say hurriedly,p trying to make her less nervous. From her fidgeting with her shirt, I don't think I'm very successful.
“Let's do this,” she says, pulling her shoulders back and giving me a bright smile and a small nod. I walk through the door and lead her to the dining room. The table is set, and my whole family stands around the table, all but Grace, who is smiling from her seat.
“Everyone, this is my Schnookums, Frankie. Schnooks, this is everyone,” I say, smiling as I hear her groan at my nickname.
“Lord, son, do you really call this girl Schnookums?” my dad says, chuckling as he reaches out his hand. “Frankie, it's so nice to finally meet you. Sorry about this one.” He motions his head to me, and Frankie laughs softly.
“We’ve heard so much about you, sweetie. It's so amazing to finally meet you,” Mom says, walking around to Frankie and pulling her into a warm hug. I let go of Frankie's hand, and I can see her wide eyes. After a minute, I’m about to save her, but she relaxes and hugs my mom back. A small smile plays on her face, and I think this might be something she needs at the moment.
“I’m Grace! Wow, are you pretty! And where did you get that outfit?” Grace pipes up, staring at Frankie as if she's ethereal. I feel that. Smiling at Grace, I give her a wink as Frankie clears her throat.
“Oh, umm Hi! It's nice to meet you as well. I’ve heard a lot about you. Your brother thinks the world of you. And Uhh, thank you. I actually made it myself,” Frankie says nervously.
“Wow! Could you make me an outfit?”
“Grace,” Mom admonitions
“Oh, that's okay! I would absolutely love to make you one. Maybe you can be one of my models. Alina has let me put some of my designs up in her parents' thrift store, and she wants some images for the online store,” Frankie says, making Grace's entire face light up.
Frankie looks at my mom and dad before wincing, “That is, if it's okay with your parents.”
“I don't think we could stop her if we tried. Thank you so much for that offer, sweetheart. I'm sure we will take you up on it. I’ll be buying the design, of course, and maybe I can even talk you into designing something for an old woman?” My mom jokes with Frankie, causing her to laugh and relax even further as we take our seats around the table.
“I can definitely make something for all ages and sizes, though old woman is the furthest brand from what you are. You would fit perfectly in the elegant prime of her life stage.”
“Oh, you are too sweet,” Mom says, placing her hand on top of Frankie's and squeezing.
The dinner goes along like this for the rest of the night. Mom and Grace are absolutely enraptured with everything about Frankie, and they steal her attention the whole night. It is a memory I will keep with me for all time. Now I understand why Dad could just sit there and watch Mom move, talk, clean, and, hell, just eat. Because as my girl sits around the table with my family, talking animatedly, I swear I could watch this scene for eternity.
“That was amazing, Mrs. Anders. Thank you so much.”
“You are more than welcome, sweetheart. Hopefully, it entices you to come back.” Mom smiles softly as she stands and starts to gather the dishes.
“Oh, I can help with that.” Frankie rushes to stand and help, even though Mom protests, arguing the guest shouldn't be cleaning. “It's the least I could do.”
As Mom and Frankie make their way to the kitchen, I stare at the swinging door, waiting for her to return. Grace makes her way to the living room to rest, and I can't help but think that tonight was a major success.
“I can see it all in your eyes, son. You're completely gone for this girl. Let's have a little chat,” my dad speaks up, pulling my attention to him. I can't help the smile that takes over my face as I stand from the table and follow him out to his shop in the back.
“I’ve never met anyone like her dad. Never met someone who feels so important, like I can't focus. She has my head in the clouds. Every day with her is a gift I never want to stop getting.” I pour everything out for him. I’ve always had a close relationship with my family. With Grace and her diagnoses, we’ve made it a point to never take anything for granted, including each other. I know I can talk to my parents about anything, and there's no judgment there, but I need my dad now more than ever.