Wow, I'm terrible. Sorry 'bout that. Here's some shameless family fluff to make up for it.

Note: Writing this chapter made me ravenous!

Max sat down between Ari and Nudge, grinning at the food being set out on the dinner table. Nudge's mom had made green bean casserole topped with fried onions, scalloped potatoes covered in mountains of cheese, and a golden brown roast turkey that made Max's mouth water.

After Max and Nudge each poured themselves a glass of iced tea, the adults helped themselves to red wine that Kenji had brought back from his trip to Africa

"This wine had been preserved for almost fifty years," he explained as he topped off his glass. "And it wasn't too cheap to get, so I hope you like it."

As soon as everyone was situated, Max noticed that Ari took Belle's hand in his own under the table. Oh boy, she thought to herself. Here we go.

The couple stood up together, gaining the full attention of everyone at the table. "Ari?" Max's mom said in confusion the same time Nudge's mom said: "Belle, what's going on?"

"Mrs. Harriet, Mr. Kenji," Ari said nervously. "Belle and I have something to tell you."

"Oh my goodness," Harriet exclaimed. "Belle, are you pregnant?"

The woman in question narrowed her eyes. "Of course not, Mama!" she replied angrily. "We're just dating!"

Belle's words were meet by mixed responses. Max gave her brother's arm an affectionate squeeze before giving Belle a hug. Nudge shot up from her seat and almost tackled her sister, all the while squealing in happiness. Harriet gave a shout of excitement before kissing Ari and Belle on the cheek, babbling about how she was so happy to see them together. Val gave Kenji a pointed look and he sighed, handing over a ten dollar bill.

Max saw the exchange and gave her mother a baffled look, only to have it waved off. After the general enthusiasm died down, both families tucked eagerly into their dinners, the occasional question about their relationship asked every few minutes.

When told that the duo had been dating for three months, Kenji paused with a fork full of green beans halfway to his mouth. "Why did you wait so long to tell us?" he inquired.

Belle blushed a pretty pink. "We wanted to make sure we were serious before we told anyone."

Val and Harriet nodded in understanding while Nudge rolled her eyes. "You could have at least given me some warning, Bee."

"I tried!" Belle almost shouted. "But you were too sad about Max to listen to what I was saying!"

Nudge turned red just as Val spoke up. "Why were you sad about Max?" she asked, eyebrows knit together in confusion.

"I was mad at Nudge for a while," Max said, keeping her eyes on her plate. "But we made up earlier." Harriet gave both girls a kind smile. "It's perfectly natural for best friends to fight every once in a while."

"Enough about us!" Nudge said. "Let's talk more about Ari and Belle!"

"Yeah," Max agreed. "Like, when's the wedding?"

Ari, who was currently in the middle of shoving a piece of turkey in his mouth, gave a low choking noise before answering. "Wedding?" he gasped, causing everyone to laugh.

Belle's blush returned. "We've only been dating for three months!"

"Your mother and I got married after two years," Kenji joked. "You never know…"

Val rolled her eyes at her friend's comment. "It's okay to take your time," she said with a gentle smile. "That's what Jeb and I did."

Harriet gave her a teasing look. "I wouldn't call six years taking your time."

Val stuck her tongue out at Harriet, making everyone giggle. "Too much wine for you!" Kenji remarked, carefully moving Harriet's wine glass away from his wife.

Max smiled at the scene in front of her, their conversation making her heart feel warm. Even though Max and Nudge were only feuding for a week, she missed the feeling of warmth and love she felt whenever their families had dinner together (which was quite often). She missed Nudge's laughs, Harriet's teasing, Kenji's humor, Belle's stories, Ari's rudeness, and her mother's smile.

In the midst of the conversation, Max turned to Nudge next to her. "I missed this," she said with a smile.

Nudge returned her smile. "I did too."

GEE I SURE WISH I KNEW HOW TO USE LINEBREAKS

Ari patted his flat stomach and gave Harriet a grateful look. "Thank you so much for cooking, Mrs. Harriet!" he said, suppressing a burp.

Harriet grinned. "It's no problem!" she said happily. As an afterthought, she added: "You might want to start calling me Mom now."

"Mama!" Belle exclaimed.

Trying to stop Harriet from embarrassing the young couple, even more, Kenji stood up in his seat. "Would anyone like some sweet potato and marshmallow pie? Harriet and I made it just before you guys arrived!"

Knowing better than to refuse homemade pie, everyone ate a slice. The pie was still warm, and the marshmallows almost melted in Max's mouth. Nudge let out a moan of contentment, causing a pleased smile to sprout on her mother's face.

"You guys really outdid yourselves tonight," Val said before putting another bite of pie in her mouth. "This is wonderful."

After everyone finished eating dessert, both families helped clear the table in record time. Three pieces of pie and two Tupperware full of beans and turkey were wrapped up for Max and her family. Everyone said goodbye on Nudge's doorstep, giving everyone a chance to enjoy the warm night.

Harriet made sure everyone got a hug while Kenji simply offered everyone a warm smile. Ari and Belle had to be physically pulled away from each other while Max and Nudge made plans to hang out the next day after school.

As their car pulled away, Max could still see Nudge's family waving at them from under the dim porch light.

Sorry, this really isn't a Fax orientated chapter, but I really wanted to write this! Thank you all so much for being wonderful and patient! Writing this chapter really made me hungry so I'm going to see if there's any ice cream left in the freezer!

Love you all so very much,

celestialwhisperer