Thank you all bunches for your reviews. Please keep them coming - they feed my inspiration monster! Lol :)
"Hi, Mom!"
Natalie blinked several times, trying to find her voice around the lump in her throat.
"Julie, w- what are you doing here?"
"Uhhh, I'm here to visit my mom, obviously," Julie replied, smiling. "Why? Is this a bad time or something?"
"What? Uh, no, I..." Natalie trailed off, still not fully processing the fact that her daughter was standing here in front of her just moments after having made love with Adrian for the first time.
Julie crossed her arms thoughtfully, her curiosity growing as she glanced down at her mom. She was wearing athletic shorts and a tank top, her skin was flushed red and she was covered in a light sheen of sweat.
"Did I interrupt your work out?"
Natalie sputtered a half laugh, half cough, her face glowing an even brighter red.
"Mom, what is it?"
"Nothing, nothing, honey," Natalie assured her, willing herself to gain some composure. She reached out and hugged Julie. "I just, uh, wasn't expecting you, that's all."
"Wait just a minute," Julie pulled back, raising an eyebrow and squinting her eyes into a knowing look. "Mom...is there a man here?"
Natalie blushed yet again, her face now positively purple as she struggled to formulate a response. She opened her mouth to speak, but ended up just laughing awkwardly as she looked down at her hands.
"Oh, my God!" Julie exclaimed in a loud whisper, a smile breaking out across her face. "There is!" Seeing no one in the living room and kitchen, Julie realized he must be upstairs. After a brief flash of horror, Julie began to giggle, amused by her mom's embarrassment. "Look, Mom, it's okay. Really, I mean, we're both adults here. There's nothing to be ashamed of."
Natalie laughed again, shaking her head as she tried to gather her thoughts.
"Well, honey, it's not that, exactly... I just-" She paused, taking a deep breath. "I've been needing to talk to you about something, but I haven't quite known how to bring it up. I guess now's going to have to be as good a time as any."
Natalie took Julie's hand, leading her over the the couch. She sighed, closing her eyes momentarily. She realized this was quite possibly the worst way Julie could have found out she and Adrian were together, because she already essentially figured out that Natalie had just had sex. God, this was going to be awkward. Natalie mentally kicked herself for not telling Julie sooner.
"Uh, Mom?" Julie asked, bringing Natalie back to the present.
"Yeah, sorry, honey. Um..." She laughed nervously, rubbing her face in her hands. "Okay, look, Julie, this is probably going to be a bit of a surprise..." She paused, gathering her courage. "But, um.. Adrian...You know, Mr. Monk...Well, he and I are-"
"Oh my God!" Julie shouted, her face lighting up. "You and Mr. Monk are together?!"
Natalie nodded hesitantly.
"Ha!" She laughed triumphantly, clapping her hands together. "I knew it would happen eventually!"
"You did?" Natalie asked, somewhat shocked but also relieved by Julie's positive reaction.
"Uh, duh," Julie replied, rolling her eyes. "Everyone within a fifty mile radius of here knew it."
Natalie scoffed, feigning offense, though her eyes were twinkling.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Julie asked, her tone slightly insulted.
"Well, sweetie, I was planning on it, but it just... I didn't know how you'd react. I mean, it's a big change."
"Uh, not really," Julie retorted, smirking. "You guys were dating before you even knew you were dating. Honestly, when you stopped working for Mr. Monk, I was worried you two were going to miss your chance."
Natalie smiled, endeared by her daughter's sensitivity.
"But really, Mom," she continued, "When the heck did this happen? Wait...Was it when you two ran into each other and you sprained your ankle? That was it, wasn't it?" She questioned, her smile growing broader. "You saw each other again after all this time and you two finally realized what you'd been missing."
Natalie laughed, shaking her head at Julie's description of events.
"Well...something like that," she replied. "I really do love him, though, Julie," she confessed, smiling softly. "Like...really, really love him."
"Oh, Mom, that's so sweet!" Julie exclaimed, clutching her hands to her chest.
"So, you're okay with this?" Natalie asked gently, thinking for a moment of Mitch.
"Yes, Mom, are you kidding? I just want you to be happy! I love Mr. Monk. He's such a good man."
Natalie smiled.
"He is."
Julie leaned in and hugged Natalie, the two of them staying like that for a few moments before Julie pulled back.
"Wait, Mom-" she began, her voice lowering to a whisper. "So, you mean...Mr. Monk is here, upstairs, right now?"
Natalie blushed, looking down at her hands.
"Yeah..." She replied sheepishly.
"Oh, my God," Julie exclaimed, her eyes growing wide. "He's gonna flip when he finds out I'm here."
"Ya think?" Natalie asked, chuckling.
"How about I go out and pick up some groceries for dinner so I can give you two some more...alone time together?" Julie waggled her eyebrows up and down, smirking at her mom.
"Ugh, God...Julie, stop," Natalie groaned, trying to push the thought out of her mind that her daughter knew she and Adrian had been intimate.
"Mom, relax," Julie reassured her, placing a hand on her arm. "I'm just saying, I'll go out for a while so you can give Mr. Monk some time to process that I'm here. And then maybe I can come back and cook dinner for all of us?"
Natalie smiled, relieved by her daughter's level head.
"That would be great, honey. I love you," she replied, kissing Julie on the cheek.
"Love you, too, Mom. Seriously, I'm so happy for you two." She smiled, squeezing Natalie's hand.
As the door closed behind Julie, Natalie took a deep breath. Now, she had to go upstairs and convince Adrian not to freak out.
