Nick and Sara were aboard Delta Flight 1532 nonstop from Las Vegas to
Dallas. Sara fidgeted in her seat trying to get comfortable during the two
hour and forty-one minute flight.
Nick glanced over at her and smiled. "You're sure you're ok with this?"
Sara raised an eyebrow and responded dryly. "It's a little late for that now, don't you think?" They were already a half hour into the flight.
Nick grinned. "You'll have fun. I'm sure my family will like you."
"It's not your family that I'm worried about. I'm just not a huge fan of flying in large commercial aircraft." Sara tightened her seatbelt.
Nick looked at her a bit surprised. He leaned over and whispered. "But I thought you were a member of the mile-high club."
She smirked at him. "I needed something to keep my mind off of the fact that I was 35,000 feet higher than I wanted to be hurtling through the air at 500 miles an hour the entire length of the country."
"You know, technically, that's illegal." Nick teased.
"You're funny." Sara's tone was dry, but she was smiling.
"I try." Nick chuckled.
Sara let out a few deep breathes, closing her eyes, trying to ease her nerves.
"Maybe if you had a drink that would help." Nick suggested.
Sara opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "Oh, I'm sure that would go over well, just liquor me up before I meet your family."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say you had to get drunk."
Sara smirked. "I don't drink much, Nick. At a higher altitude, it wouldn't take much to get me drunk. I'd rather be sober when I meet your family full of lawyers."
Nick laughed. "They're not all lawyers."
Sara rested her elbows on the armrests. "Well, what do they do then? From what Chelsea said, it sounded like everyone but you was a lawyer."
Nick smiled. "My mom is a public defender and my dad is a district attorney, so the idea of going into law was sort of planted in all of us. Michael decided to go to medical school, and now he's got a family practice in Arlington. Amy wanted to be a judge, but when she found out she'd have to be a lawyer first, she became a teacher and married Richard who eventually became a prosecuting attorney."
"That must make for interesting conversation around the table at Thanksgiving with your mom being a public defender." Sara observed.
Nick chuckled. "They have their moments."
"So what about the rest of them?" Sara encouraged.
"Megan went to law school and was waiting to take the bar exam when my brother Michael's wife Susan introduced her brother Will to Megan. They dated exactly three weeks before they ran off to Vegas and eloped." Nick sounded a bit amused.
Sara's jaw dropped and she started to laugh. "Three weeks."
Nick just nodded. "They've been married for about almost fourteen years. Megan never did take the bar exam, she got pregnant a few months after they got married and she decided to stay home with the kids since Will made enough in his law practice to support them."
"Wow. Fourteen years." Sara couldn't imagine being married let alone for fourteen years.
"My parents have been married for forty-seven years." Nick commented with a grin.
Sara just smiled. "Ok, what about the rest of your family, don't you have a few more sisters? What do they do?"
Nick chuckled. "Well, Andrea really threw my parents for a loop. When she graduated, instead of going to college, she joined the army. When she got out, she met her husband Ryan who was going to law school."
"Another lawyer." Sara grinned.
Nick nodded. "Ryan went into practice with Will, so Andrea and Megan spend a lot of their free time together, of course the fact that their kids are all about the same age helps I think."
"How many kids do they have?" Sara queried.
"Well, Megan and Will have four boys and Andrea and Ryan have two boys and a girl. Amy and Richard have two girls, they're twins, and one boy. Michael and Susan have one boy and two girls and one more on the way. Grace and Daniel have two girls and Chelsea and her husband Kevin have two boys and a girl." Nick concluded.
"Grace? What does Grace do?" Sara asked curiously.
"Grace writes children's books. She started it as a hobby, but someone suggested that she try and get one published and now she's published several. She met Daniel when she was doing a book signing and he ended up asking her on a date. And wouldn't you know it, he's a lawyer too. They've been married for about ten years. Of course you know that Chelsea is an attorney. She's on retainer with a few consulting firms in Dallas so she can spend more time with her kids. Kevin works in the front office of the Cowboys as a contracts attorney." Nick raised an eyebrow in amusement at Sara. She looked as if she was trying to commit what he was telling her to memory.
Sara glanced at him. "What?"
Nick tried to restrain a chuckle. "You don't have to remember all of this you know. They aren't going to hold it against you. Besides, when you start meeting all of their kids, it's going to be a lost cause anyway."
Panic flashed over Sara's face. "I'm an only child."
Nick couldn't help but laugh. He reached over and patted her arm. "Sara, it'll be fine. If you feel overwhelmed, we'll just go out and do something. Besides, I'm sure Chelsea and the rest of them will thoroughly enjoy telling you stories about me."
Sara smirked. "I knew there was a reason why I came to Dallas."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Just remember, whatever you learn here, stays here. The last thing I need is Greg finding out about that story Chelsea told you the other morning."
Sara smiled conspiratorially. "So, what exactly were you doing with that cheerleader?"
Nick tried to swallow a slightly embarrassed grin. "Chelsea failed to mention that I wasn't the only one in the showers. Half of the offensive line was there. The cheerleader in question was the coach's daughter and she offered to do a 'private cheer' for us. Just the thought was enough to get a group of teenage guys a little excited, if you know what I mean. That's when the coach walked in."
Sara looked amused. "I can't wait to hear what else Chelsea has to say."
Nick just shook his head. "Not a word, Sara."
"I'll think about it." She smirked.
A voice came over the intercom. "We're preparing to make our final descent into the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We have blue skies and the current temperature is 65 degrees. Please return to your seats at this time and fasten your seatbelts and return your seat to the upright position. If Dallas is your final destination, we'd like to welcome you home. If you are making a connecting flight, please consult the display consoles in the concourse for your gate number, or ask a ticketing agent for directions. Thank you for flying Delta Airlines, we hope to see you again soon."
"The flight's already almost over?" Sara looked at Nick incredulously. He had kept her interested in the conversation so she didn't have time to be nervous about flying.
Nick just grinned.
Nick glanced over at her and smiled. "You're sure you're ok with this?"
Sara raised an eyebrow and responded dryly. "It's a little late for that now, don't you think?" They were already a half hour into the flight.
Nick grinned. "You'll have fun. I'm sure my family will like you."
"It's not your family that I'm worried about. I'm just not a huge fan of flying in large commercial aircraft." Sara tightened her seatbelt.
Nick looked at her a bit surprised. He leaned over and whispered. "But I thought you were a member of the mile-high club."
She smirked at him. "I needed something to keep my mind off of the fact that I was 35,000 feet higher than I wanted to be hurtling through the air at 500 miles an hour the entire length of the country."
"You know, technically, that's illegal." Nick teased.
"You're funny." Sara's tone was dry, but she was smiling.
"I try." Nick chuckled.
Sara let out a few deep breathes, closing her eyes, trying to ease her nerves.
"Maybe if you had a drink that would help." Nick suggested.
Sara opened her eyes and glanced over at him. "Oh, I'm sure that would go over well, just liquor me up before I meet your family."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "I didn't say you had to get drunk."
Sara smirked. "I don't drink much, Nick. At a higher altitude, it wouldn't take much to get me drunk. I'd rather be sober when I meet your family full of lawyers."
Nick laughed. "They're not all lawyers."
Sara rested her elbows on the armrests. "Well, what do they do then? From what Chelsea said, it sounded like everyone but you was a lawyer."
Nick smiled. "My mom is a public defender and my dad is a district attorney, so the idea of going into law was sort of planted in all of us. Michael decided to go to medical school, and now he's got a family practice in Arlington. Amy wanted to be a judge, but when she found out she'd have to be a lawyer first, she became a teacher and married Richard who eventually became a prosecuting attorney."
"That must make for interesting conversation around the table at Thanksgiving with your mom being a public defender." Sara observed.
Nick chuckled. "They have their moments."
"So what about the rest of them?" Sara encouraged.
"Megan went to law school and was waiting to take the bar exam when my brother Michael's wife Susan introduced her brother Will to Megan. They dated exactly three weeks before they ran off to Vegas and eloped." Nick sounded a bit amused.
Sara's jaw dropped and she started to laugh. "Three weeks."
Nick just nodded. "They've been married for about almost fourteen years. Megan never did take the bar exam, she got pregnant a few months after they got married and she decided to stay home with the kids since Will made enough in his law practice to support them."
"Wow. Fourteen years." Sara couldn't imagine being married let alone for fourteen years.
"My parents have been married for forty-seven years." Nick commented with a grin.
Sara just smiled. "Ok, what about the rest of your family, don't you have a few more sisters? What do they do?"
Nick chuckled. "Well, Andrea really threw my parents for a loop. When she graduated, instead of going to college, she joined the army. When she got out, she met her husband Ryan who was going to law school."
"Another lawyer." Sara grinned.
Nick nodded. "Ryan went into practice with Will, so Andrea and Megan spend a lot of their free time together, of course the fact that their kids are all about the same age helps I think."
"How many kids do they have?" Sara queried.
"Well, Megan and Will have four boys and Andrea and Ryan have two boys and a girl. Amy and Richard have two girls, they're twins, and one boy. Michael and Susan have one boy and two girls and one more on the way. Grace and Daniel have two girls and Chelsea and her husband Kevin have two boys and a girl." Nick concluded.
"Grace? What does Grace do?" Sara asked curiously.
"Grace writes children's books. She started it as a hobby, but someone suggested that she try and get one published and now she's published several. She met Daniel when she was doing a book signing and he ended up asking her on a date. And wouldn't you know it, he's a lawyer too. They've been married for about ten years. Of course you know that Chelsea is an attorney. She's on retainer with a few consulting firms in Dallas so she can spend more time with her kids. Kevin works in the front office of the Cowboys as a contracts attorney." Nick raised an eyebrow in amusement at Sara. She looked as if she was trying to commit what he was telling her to memory.
Sara glanced at him. "What?"
Nick tried to restrain a chuckle. "You don't have to remember all of this you know. They aren't going to hold it against you. Besides, when you start meeting all of their kids, it's going to be a lost cause anyway."
Panic flashed over Sara's face. "I'm an only child."
Nick couldn't help but laugh. He reached over and patted her arm. "Sara, it'll be fine. If you feel overwhelmed, we'll just go out and do something. Besides, I'm sure Chelsea and the rest of them will thoroughly enjoy telling you stories about me."
Sara smirked. "I knew there was a reason why I came to Dallas."
Nick raised an eyebrow. "Just remember, whatever you learn here, stays here. The last thing I need is Greg finding out about that story Chelsea told you the other morning."
Sara smiled conspiratorially. "So, what exactly were you doing with that cheerleader?"
Nick tried to swallow a slightly embarrassed grin. "Chelsea failed to mention that I wasn't the only one in the showers. Half of the offensive line was there. The cheerleader in question was the coach's daughter and she offered to do a 'private cheer' for us. Just the thought was enough to get a group of teenage guys a little excited, if you know what I mean. That's when the coach walked in."
Sara looked amused. "I can't wait to hear what else Chelsea has to say."
Nick just shook his head. "Not a word, Sara."
"I'll think about it." She smirked.
A voice came over the intercom. "We're preparing to make our final descent into the Dallas/Fort Worth area. We have blue skies and the current temperature is 65 degrees. Please return to your seats at this time and fasten your seatbelts and return your seat to the upright position. If Dallas is your final destination, we'd like to welcome you home. If you are making a connecting flight, please consult the display consoles in the concourse for your gate number, or ask a ticketing agent for directions. Thank you for flying Delta Airlines, we hope to see you again soon."
"The flight's already almost over?" Sara looked at Nick incredulously. He had kept her interested in the conversation so she didn't have time to be nervous about flying.
Nick just grinned.