To say that Sara was a little overwhelmed at dinner was a bit of an
understatement. It had started out quietly, Nick's parents and his
grandmother were supposed to come over to Chelsea and Kevin's for dinner.
However, when the doorbell had rung, Amy and Richard and their kids were on
the other side of the door. And it didn't stop there. By the time Nick
figured out that this quiet dinner had turned into an impromptu family
gathering, nearly every member of his family was there and the expression
on Sara's face reflected panic. Nick's parents were the last to arrive,
and from the surprise on their faces they clearly didn't expect to see the
rest of their family either.
Sara felt as if the smile on her face was pasted on. She had no idea that she was going to meet all of Nick's family all at once. For someone whose immediate family numbered three, thirty-three was more than overwhelming. She felt like bolting from the house and the only reason she didn't was because she didn't want to embarrass Nick.
The only thing keeping Nick from feeling at ease was Sara's telltale expression. He turned his attention away from the conversation around the room and placed his hand on Sara's arm, leaning in and whispering in her ear. "You doing ok?"
Sara smirked and whispered back. "I thought only your parents and your grandmother were coming for dinner."
"That's what they told me." Nick tried to sound calm. "I really had no idea that everyone else was going to be here. I'm sorry."
Sara tried to maintain her composure. "If you leave me alone, I'll kill you."
Nick chuckled. "Don't worry. I've got your back."
"You'd better." Sara wasn't sure she was going to last the evening. She had never been hugged by so many strangers in her entire life. She liked to keep people at arms length so she could stay in control. At the moment she felt anything but.
"I think Chels is probably responsible for this." Nick whispered.
Sara whispered back. "Well you said she'd told everyone that she thought you were in love with me."
Nick glanced over and noticed that several of his sisters were looking at him and Sara with conspiratorial smiles. He looked back to Sara. "Do you want to get some fresh air?"
"Don't you think that's going to raise a few eyebrows?" Sara queried him with a raised eyebrow of her own.
"I think anything we do is going to raise their eyebrows." Nick quipped.
"Ok, you may have a point there." She conceded with a smirk.
Megan had made her way over to where Nick and Sara were sitting. She looked very much like Chelsea in her complexion and coloring, but she was several inches taller. "Are you two having a good time?" There was something about her voice that just dripped sweetness.
Nick raised his eyebrow at her. "Sara and I are going to go for a walk." He stood up and offered Sara his hand to help her off the couch.
As Sara took it and then stood, a wide smile spread across Megan's face. "There's nothing like a walk in the Texas moonlight." Her inflection clearly implied that it sounded romantic.
Nick rolled his eyes and dropped Sara's hand, putting it at the small of her back as he began to propel them toward the front door. "We'll be back in a little while, Meg."
"Don't hurry back on my account. By the time you get back we probably won't be here. It is a school night." She was grinning.
They had almost made it to the front door when they were intercepted by Nick's mom Pamela. "Where are you headed, Nick?"
Nick smiled at his mom. "We just need to get a little air, Mom."
Pamela glanced over at Sara and noticed the slightly panicked expression on Sara's face. "Don't let the girls get to you, Sara. They mean well."
Sara liked Nick's mom. She seemed to be very genuine, and she had been looking forward to meeting her before this evening. As it was, she had only been able to exchange pleasantries with her and just about everyone else. "Thanks. Everyone is very nice. It's just." Sara shot Nick a 'help me I'm drowning' expression.
Nick interjected. "Mom, Sara's an only child. Giving her both barrels the first day we're in Dallas is a little much."
Pamela chuckled. "I'll talk to them, Nick, but you know how they are."
Nick chuckled. "Yes, I do." He glanced over at Sara and then back at his mom. "We'll be back in a little while. We're just going to go walk around the block a few times."
Pamela leaned up and kissed Nick on the cheek. "Ok, honey." She turned her attention to Sara. "Make sure Nick brings you over this week. I really was looking forward to getting to know you."
Sara smiled. "Me too."
Nick and Sara headed out the front door and as they walked, Sara began to relax. Nick smiled at her. "You doing ok?"
She turned toward him and nodded. "Yeah, that was just a little more than I expected."
"Well, if I had known that's what Chelsea had planned, I would have warned you, or maybe just played hooky." Nick chuckled.
Sara's eyebrows shot up in horror. "You would have left me alone with them?"
Nick laughed and slung his arm around her shoulder. "Sara, I wouldn't do that. I would have taken you with me."
"Good, because if you had left me alone with your entire family, I think I would have had to kill you." She commented wryly.
Nick squeezed her shoulder. "I wouldn't do something like that, Sar."
Sara found herself leaning into him as they walked. "You look a lot like your dad you know."
Nick chuckled. "I've heard that before. I just hope I look as good as he does when I'm his age."
"He seems really proud of you." She observed.
"You think?" Nick sounded a bit doubtful.
She smiled. "Yeah, I think." They were quiet for a few moments, only the sound of their footsteps and the occasional passing car or barking dog could be heard. "Your mom is really nice."
"She likes you." Nick squeezed Sara's shoulders again.
"I like her too." Sara's voice reflected her smile.
"My sisters all like you." Nick offered.
Sara laughed. "Is that because of what Chelsea told them, or because they met me?"
Nick smiled. "Probably both." He stopped and turned to face her, his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry that they're giving you such a hard time. I had hoped that you'd get to meet them a little at a time, not like this."
Sara smiled back at him. "Nick, they obviously care about you and just want you to be happy."
"Yeah, but I don't want you to regret coming here with me because my sisters are intent on pushing us together." Nick looked apologetic.
Sara pulled him into a hug. "I'll let you know if it's too much. It might be in the form of a phone call from the airport so you don't send out a search party for me, but I'll let you know."
Nick laughed and hugged her back. "Ok then." He released her and gestured toward the house. "Think maybe we should get back before their imaginations get away from them?"
Sara took a few deep breaths. "Ok, ready as I'll ever be."
Sara felt as if the smile on her face was pasted on. She had no idea that she was going to meet all of Nick's family all at once. For someone whose immediate family numbered three, thirty-three was more than overwhelming. She felt like bolting from the house and the only reason she didn't was because she didn't want to embarrass Nick.
The only thing keeping Nick from feeling at ease was Sara's telltale expression. He turned his attention away from the conversation around the room and placed his hand on Sara's arm, leaning in and whispering in her ear. "You doing ok?"
Sara smirked and whispered back. "I thought only your parents and your grandmother were coming for dinner."
"That's what they told me." Nick tried to sound calm. "I really had no idea that everyone else was going to be here. I'm sorry."
Sara tried to maintain her composure. "If you leave me alone, I'll kill you."
Nick chuckled. "Don't worry. I've got your back."
"You'd better." Sara wasn't sure she was going to last the evening. She had never been hugged by so many strangers in her entire life. She liked to keep people at arms length so she could stay in control. At the moment she felt anything but.
"I think Chels is probably responsible for this." Nick whispered.
Sara whispered back. "Well you said she'd told everyone that she thought you were in love with me."
Nick glanced over and noticed that several of his sisters were looking at him and Sara with conspiratorial smiles. He looked back to Sara. "Do you want to get some fresh air?"
"Don't you think that's going to raise a few eyebrows?" Sara queried him with a raised eyebrow of her own.
"I think anything we do is going to raise their eyebrows." Nick quipped.
"Ok, you may have a point there." She conceded with a smirk.
Megan had made her way over to where Nick and Sara were sitting. She looked very much like Chelsea in her complexion and coloring, but she was several inches taller. "Are you two having a good time?" There was something about her voice that just dripped sweetness.
Nick raised his eyebrow at her. "Sara and I are going to go for a walk." He stood up and offered Sara his hand to help her off the couch.
As Sara took it and then stood, a wide smile spread across Megan's face. "There's nothing like a walk in the Texas moonlight." Her inflection clearly implied that it sounded romantic.
Nick rolled his eyes and dropped Sara's hand, putting it at the small of her back as he began to propel them toward the front door. "We'll be back in a little while, Meg."
"Don't hurry back on my account. By the time you get back we probably won't be here. It is a school night." She was grinning.
They had almost made it to the front door when they were intercepted by Nick's mom Pamela. "Where are you headed, Nick?"
Nick smiled at his mom. "We just need to get a little air, Mom."
Pamela glanced over at Sara and noticed the slightly panicked expression on Sara's face. "Don't let the girls get to you, Sara. They mean well."
Sara liked Nick's mom. She seemed to be very genuine, and she had been looking forward to meeting her before this evening. As it was, she had only been able to exchange pleasantries with her and just about everyone else. "Thanks. Everyone is very nice. It's just." Sara shot Nick a 'help me I'm drowning' expression.
Nick interjected. "Mom, Sara's an only child. Giving her both barrels the first day we're in Dallas is a little much."
Pamela chuckled. "I'll talk to them, Nick, but you know how they are."
Nick chuckled. "Yes, I do." He glanced over at Sara and then back at his mom. "We'll be back in a little while. We're just going to go walk around the block a few times."
Pamela leaned up and kissed Nick on the cheek. "Ok, honey." She turned her attention to Sara. "Make sure Nick brings you over this week. I really was looking forward to getting to know you."
Sara smiled. "Me too."
Nick and Sara headed out the front door and as they walked, Sara began to relax. Nick smiled at her. "You doing ok?"
She turned toward him and nodded. "Yeah, that was just a little more than I expected."
"Well, if I had known that's what Chelsea had planned, I would have warned you, or maybe just played hooky." Nick chuckled.
Sara's eyebrows shot up in horror. "You would have left me alone with them?"
Nick laughed and slung his arm around her shoulder. "Sara, I wouldn't do that. I would have taken you with me."
"Good, because if you had left me alone with your entire family, I think I would have had to kill you." She commented wryly.
Nick squeezed her shoulder. "I wouldn't do something like that, Sar."
Sara found herself leaning into him as they walked. "You look a lot like your dad you know."
Nick chuckled. "I've heard that before. I just hope I look as good as he does when I'm his age."
"He seems really proud of you." She observed.
"You think?" Nick sounded a bit doubtful.
She smiled. "Yeah, I think." They were quiet for a few moments, only the sound of their footsteps and the occasional passing car or barking dog could be heard. "Your mom is really nice."
"She likes you." Nick squeezed Sara's shoulders again.
"I like her too." Sara's voice reflected her smile.
"My sisters all like you." Nick offered.
Sara laughed. "Is that because of what Chelsea told them, or because they met me?"
Nick smiled. "Probably both." He stopped and turned to face her, his hands on her shoulders. "I'm sorry that they're giving you such a hard time. I had hoped that you'd get to meet them a little at a time, not like this."
Sara smiled back at him. "Nick, they obviously care about you and just want you to be happy."
"Yeah, but I don't want you to regret coming here with me because my sisters are intent on pushing us together." Nick looked apologetic.
Sara pulled him into a hug. "I'll let you know if it's too much. It might be in the form of a phone call from the airport so you don't send out a search party for me, but I'll let you know."
Nick laughed and hugged her back. "Ok then." He released her and gestured toward the house. "Think maybe we should get back before their imaginations get away from them?"
Sara took a few deep breaths. "Ok, ready as I'll ever be."