The large oak door of the De Vries residence towered over him. Even in the depths of winter, Matt could feel the sweat bead at the back of his neck.
A gold embossed knocker in the shape of a lion's head mocked him. How long had he been standing there? Thirty minutes? An hour? A day, even? Either answer was feasible as Matt struggled to summon the courage within him to knock the door to hell- no, the door to his future in-laws.
A month had passed since their momentous space mission; to climb the stars. As expected, there had been parades and accolades thrust upon them, newspapers battling for interviews and scouting offers from airship lines to the French Department of Aeronautics. It was so overwhelming that Matt had only sought to escape from it all, but procedures and debriefings took priority after Shepherd's funeral… He had kept his head down and reminded himself of the silver lining this journey had given him; Kate de Vries as his fiancé. In his joy-filled mind after her acceptance, he'd completely forgotten that he would have to greet Kate's wealthy parents and ask for her father's blessing…
"If you delay any longer we'll be intruding upon the annual De Vries Christmas gathering. The whole family is expected and believe me, there are nightmares more pleasant." Matt whirled around at her voice. Kate was visibly shivering as she spoke, but he wasn't sure whether it was from the frigid air or the thought of her family gathering.
"What are you doing here?!" Matt asked in an urgent, hushed tone. Kate narrowed her eyes slightly and pulled her coat tighter around herself.
"Well, this is my family's home. Am I not expected to be here?" She looked slightly irritated as she ascended the front steps, stopping beside Matt.
"You were supposed to be inside! If I had knocked the door, I would have been alone with your parents!" Even in annoyance, the rush of heat to his cheeks wasn't enough to fend off the bitter cold.
"I'm only running a little behind schedule! I've had quite a few matters to attend to since arriving in Lionsgate City… it's a miracle that I made it on time tonight." Kate muttered the last words under her breath but Matt's keen ears caught on. He felt his exasperation rise.
"Does that mean that you've been here for a week and you're only now seeing your parents? Kate… you were supposed to prepare them." The nerves turned his words into that of a whining child, but he couldn't help feel that Kate had left him at a disadvantage. How was he going to waltz into the De Vries household and declare himself Kate's newest suitor after the fiasco with James Sanderson merely a month before? Matt was beginning to feel quite nauseous.
An icy hand gripped onto his own and despite everything, a warmth flooded through him.
"Why does it look like the fate of the world rests upon your shoulders again, Matt Cruse?". She squeezed his hand, melting away its glacial temperature. "You know you're never alone in any of this."
Matt drank in the look of her rosy cheeks, frozen lips turned up into a soft smile and her intelligent, dark eyes. No, he wasn't alone. He was going to be sharing this life with the beautiful woman standing beside him.
"You're right. We'll do this together, as we always have." He reached out and seized the handle of the knocker.