“Just be yourself, and my parents will love you,” Isabel said, trying to settle the nerves of her long-time boyfriend, Chad.
He was already sweating bullets. “Myself, yeah…okay,” he muttered nervously.
After dating for four years, and having a pretty good feeling he was “the one,” Isabel was more than eager to introduce Chad to her family over the holidays. Who would’ve thought that a friend at the office setting them up would actually work? Chad was pretty much a gentle teddy bear and she knew from the minute she met him that he would be different than most of the other guys she had dated. He was a graphic designer who had done a little PR work for her company a few months ago. Her friend Tasha had insisted they meet, and they had been inseparable since.
And he wasn’t bad on the eyes either. Standing at just over six foot, the blond, strong-built man before her was her idea of a dream come true. Though, she always did feel a little insignificant in comparison to him. He was a tall, well-toned hunk, and she was just…well, plain average. She wasn’t athletic looking, scrawny, or a hippo of a woman, so she really didn’t stand out. Mousy brown hair, and dull hazel eyes completed the picture of an “average joe” of a woman. She wondered how Chad put up with her.
“Now, daddy might be a little rough around the edges at first,” she continued, “but I think he’ll really like you. Mom’s already planning our wedding practically.”
He laughed, his cute green eyes glistening as he did so. “So, no pressure then.”
She laughed back. “No, none at all. Oh, and I kind of have several brothers and sisters.”
“Like, how many?” he asked.
“Three older sisters, a twin brother, and a younger brother.”
His face turned a little red. “So, big family.”
She laughed again. “Don’t worry, I’m not going to overwhelm you with wanting a bunch of kids or something.”
The door to her parents’ house swung open, and she was greeted by a man, roughly Isabel’s age: the twin brother, he assumed. He looked similar to her. Same brown hair, same happy-go-lucky grin, and even the same adorable button nose. The brother embraced his sister and the two began to catch up. “Honey, don’t you look gorgeous,” he laughed, but soon turning to see Chad. “And who’s this handsome arm candy?”
“Back off, Greg, this one’s mine,” Isabel teased.
Her brother went back to catching up. “Oh, and you’ll never believe the latest news. Ronny quit school.”
Her eyes widened. “He didn’t!”
Greg nodded. “Yep, told mom and dad he up and left in the middle of the semester. So, if you got any dirty little secrets this year, now’s the time to bring them up. You can’t possibly make mom and dad any madder.”
Isabel rolled her eyes. “What are little brothers for?”
“I know right?” Greg continued. “Last year, when he got caught hanging around with Ronny and his bunch, mom and dad were so mad, took the edge off of me coming out. Now then, let’s get you both settled in the guest room.”
“Where’s mom?” she asked eagerly.
He shook his head. “Cooking like a mad woman, what else? You brought home someone very special. You know what that means.”
“Ugh, don’t remind me.”
Chad finally spoke up. “What’s going on?”
Greg’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Oh, so the beefcake can speak.”
Isabel playfully swatted his arm. “Greg, be nice.”
They all heard a cough from the living room. “Oh, daddy’s in there,” Isabel said. “I’ll go get us settled in, why don’t you say hi?”
“Uh…”
“You’ll be fine, just go. Besides, if I know my sisters, they’re already up there, and we’re just going to gossip and catch up and stuff for hours.”
Chad scratched his head, debating the options. “Um, sure, yeah. I’ll go meet him.”
She beamed. “Great! I’ll be down in a few.”
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