Max looked at the woman in the passenger seat as he drove up the California coast from San Diego to Pasadena. "You need to relax. Why are you so nervous?"

"I'm meeting your family. I've never met a boyfriend's family before. Not only am I meeting your family, but I'm also staying with them for two days," Gabby rambled.

"You've never met a boyfriend's family before because you've never had a boyfriend before," joked Max. "I've told my mom and dad we'll be fine sharing my room, but don't be surprised if my dad, in particular, insists on separate rooms. I'll take the couch and you can have my room if they do."

Gabby looked at the backseat of Max's SUV, "Are you sure it's okay for me to leave my stuff at your house for the summer? I didn't realize how much stuff I had when you offered. I thought it was gonna be a couple of boxes, not half a car full."

"You worry too much. It's fine. I spend hardly any time in my room when I'm home. I don't mind a pile of your stuff in the corner. It's stupid for you to pay for extra baggage fees or to ship it back to Seattle. Do you want to get some coffee before we head to my parents' house? It might help you relax," he suggested, noticing they were only a few miles from the Cooper house. "I know it will make you more nervous, but my mom mentioned everyone is coming over for dinner tonight. All of my aunts and uncles and their kids come over and we get take out the first night I'm home from school."

"How many people are you talking about?" Gabby looked at Max.

Counting in his head, Max paused for a moment before answering, "Um, it could be up to twelve if Stuart and Denise come. They've got the comic book store, so they don't always make it to the big get-togethers. We can go to the comic book store tomorrow for you to meet them if they don't come tonight."

"They're here!" Leo ran across the house from where he'd been watching out the front window. "Max is home!"

Sheldon quickly grabbed Leo and picked him up as he ran past him. "Do you remember what we talked about?"

The seven-year-old nodded, "Yeah. He's bringing Gabby home and I'm not supposed to ask her a lot of questions."

"Can Max and I have a sleepover since Gabby is sleeping in his room?"

"Can Gabby sleep in my room?" Katie chimed in, overhearing her brother's last question.

Shaking his head, Sheldon answered his kids' questions, "Momma and I wanted to talk to Max and Gabby before deciding who's sleeping where."

"We're here," Max announced, opening the front door and leading Gabby inside. His siblings rushed to meet them. "Katie, Leo, this is Gabby. I've told her a lot about you."

Gabby knelt in front of the kids, "I'm so excited to finally meet you. I can't wait to hang out the next few days."

"I'm seven. I'm in first grade," Leo proudly told the young woman in front of him.

"Wow," Gabby smiled at him. "First grade. You're practically ready for college."

Katie reached for Gabby's hand, "I want to show you my room. Come upstairs with me."

Gabby looked at Max, who nodded as he encouraged her, "Go. I'll start unloading the car. Hey, Katie, can you give Gabby a tour of the house? Show her where the bathroom and everything is."

It didn't take long for everyone to start arriving at the Cooper house and the conversation quickly turned to everyone wanting to learn more about Gabby. "How did you and Max meet? He hasn't told us much about you. Not sure if you've noticed, but Max seems to be pretty private about some things," Penny pointed out between bites of food.

"We were chem lab partners sophomore year. That class was a beast so we spent a lot of time together, but we didn't officially say we were in a relationship until just before Christmas," explained Gabby.

Chuckling, Howard interjected, "So you were his friend who was a girl, but not his girlfriend for over a year? Sounds like Max really does take after Sheldon."

"When mom and dad first met, dad kept saying mom was his friend who is a girl, but is not his girlfriend for almost two years," Max answered the question he knew his girlfriend was about to ask. "For the record, Howard, our early relationship was nothing like mom and dad's, but it worked for us."

Bernadette diverted the conversation away from the young couple's relationship, "Max told us you're here for two days before flying home. Where's home for you?"

"I grew up in Portland, but my dad's work transferred him to Seattle before I started high school, so I just say I'm from the Pacific Northwest. My dad works in IT and my mom is a nurse. I have a sister, Emma, who is two years younger than me. She just finished her freshman year at the University of Washington. I'm flying home, but I'm hoping to buy a car this summer. Max has already offered to fly up to Seattle to drive as far as LA with me before school starts. Then I'll only have to drive the rest of the way to San Diego alone."

"That's so sweet," sighed Raj. "I wish I had someone like that. It's been years since I've been in a relationship."

"I'll change into my pajamas quick and let you have my room for the night," Max told Gabby when they reached the top of the stairs later that evening.

Amy heard this and called out to her son from the master bedroom. "Hey, Max. Can you come here, please?"

"I'm letting Gabby have my room," the young man started. "I'll sleep on the couch downstairs. You and dad didn't say anything about the sleeping arrangement while she's here, but I figured you wouldn't let us stay together in my room."

"Sheldon and I talked about it. It's okay if you want to stay in your room together. We know you've slept in the same bed before," Amy smiled.

"What, uh, how?" stammered Max as he turned a bright shade of red.

Chuckling, Amy shook her head in disbelief, "A mother always knows. Good night, Max."

Max returned to his bedroom and informed Gabby of their sleeping arrangements for the next two nights. Getting settled into his bed, Max rolled on his side to face his girlfriend, "Was meeting everyone as bad as you thought it would be?"

"No," she snuggled into his side. "I can see why you're always talking about your family. They made me feel so welcome."

"I told you they'd love you."

I realized Gabby was mentioned in the last chapter I posted of Max Family Addition and I hadn't posted this one yet. I couldn't decide if I wanted to post this there or as a one shot. I was leaning towards posting it there, but since the chapter I posted yesterday takes place after this, it became a one shot.