Chapter 36 (hey, that's about as old as Nick...XD)
"Attention passengers, this is your Captain speaking, we are now landing in the Dallas International Airport, please fasten your seatbelts and put away all of your trays. Thank you very much."
The click to signal the Captain had hung up the loud speaker phone sounded and Nick rolled his neck to work out the kinks in it. He looked down at Riley's sleeping form resting on him, and deciding it would be best to wake her after the plane had landed (considering how she had freaked out when it had taken off), he settled back down into his seat to let her sleep.
After the plane had landed Nick jostled her should lightly. "Riley, baby...wake up."
"Mmm...five more minutes Mama." She drawled and squeezed her eyes shut tighter. Nick chuckled and shook her shoulder again.
"Baby, we're home."
"Huh?" She asked and sat up, rubbing her eyes.
"We're back in Texas..."
She moaned and rubbed her eyes, then massaged her temples. "Did I happen to get into a head on collision with a semi while we were up in the air by any chance...?"
Nick smiled. "Well, depends on your distinction between a semi and some good ole' alcohol..."
She moaned and rubbed her head again. "I don't fly very well..."
"Yeah, I noticed. But it's alright. Cause we're done with the 'flying' for a while."
She smiled and thought back on a lot of her memories of being a wild teen in Texas, and her 'experiments' of 'flying' in her basement. "Not if history repeats itself..."
Nick shot her a disapproving look and she chuckled and shook her head. "Chill out old man, I'm only kiddin."
Nick rolled his eyes at the re-occurring 'pet name' she had been calling him for the past twenty four hours. "Why do you call me that?"
"Cause you complained when I called you Nicky."
"It made me sound like a little kid."
"Sounding like a little kid vs. sounding like an old man...take your pick." Riley replied while reaching above her head for her carry on bag.
"How about plain old Nick?"
"Hmm...plain old Nick...I like it." She remarked sarcastically.
Nick rolled his eyes, a habit he had picked up from Riley, "Lil' Miss, you could find fault with the Dahlia Lama."
"He's too wrinkly." She remarked while yawning and Nick laughed and swatted her knee. She cracked a crooked smile and winked at him as he pulled her back to relax against his chest before they had to get off the plane.
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Riley slung the bag over her shoulder and swatted Nick's hand away for the umpteenth time. "Nick! I can carry my own bag!" She protested while laughing and Nick sighed in defeat.
"At least let me carry your suitcase." Nick bargained and she rolled her eyes and took off towards baggage claim. "When are we supposed to meet up with your parents?"
"About six at their house. Paige is picking us up in the truck." She informed him and heard a loud shriek from across the airport. Both turned to see a blonde woman shrieking and hurrying towards Riley. Riley cringed and stole a glance at Nick.
"Bryn!" Paige exclaimed and enveloped her younger sister in a hug.
"Moses Paige! You're friggin huge for just three months!"
"Yeah, well..."
"Don't tell me your pregnant with twins..."
"Dear Lord I hope not!" The blonde drawled and shook her head. She turned her crystal blue eyes to the stunning fellow Texan native next to her sister and smiled. She turned back to Riley and nudged her. "Bryn Riley Ann Turner..." She chuckled and Riley blushed. "Nice job." She complemented, her accent thick.
"Okay, let's not scare him off quite yet a'right?" Riley drawled, her accent growing thicker from just being around her sister. "So where's-"
"Paige!" A male voice called and all three of the Texans turned to see a very stressed man about Paige's age escorting five youngins towards his wife. Three of them were running in circles around the mobile father, careful of the wheels of the stroller that was pushing the two squirmy one year olds.
"Tom." Riley finished and cringed at thinking about what would be to come when Nick met her entire family.
Alright, maybe he shouldn't have come...
"Paige, Jayden and Jaelyn need to go into the bathroom, and I don't think the ladies would appreciate me walking in on them...plus one of us has to juggle the troublesome trio..." Tom explained and ushered the little one year old and five year old over to their mother. Nick stole a quick glance at Riley, who was beat red from her family's insane nature. She cleared her throat and got Tom's attention. He shot her a glare. "You got somethin to say Turner?"
"Pssh, your mom's got somethin to say." She replied shooting him a glare also. The two held the glares before cracking up laughing at their old high school game they started and enveloped each other in a hug.
"I missed ya lil' sis. Your sister's bein drivin me insane." He joked and Riley laughed.
"You married her..." Riley chuckled.
"I heard that!" Paige shouted form down the airport terminal and both parties cringed.
"Yikes...its freaky how she does that." Riley replied and Tom shook his head.
"Dude, you have no idea."
"Duh, of course I do, I lived with her before you..." Riley laughed and stepped back to grab Nick's hand and gently pull him forward. "Tom, this is Nick Stokes. Nick, this is Thomas Oakley, Paige's husband."
"I got that." Nick whispered in her ear and she smirked and poked him in the ribs. The two men shook hands and exchanged hello's.
"Alright, I vote we ditch her here, take the truck, and go initiate ourselves officially back in Texas..." Riley proposed and Tom laughed.
"It's a little early to be drinkin to the day Riley..." Tom informed her and she swatted his arm.
"Too late...anyway, I meant we go pull a 'Friday-night-with-nothin-to-do-but-waste-a-tank-of-gas'..."
"Cruise the Sonic?" Nick asked and Tom smiled.
"You're from Texas." Tom stated, knowing that every Texan knew the tradition of being a bored teenager on a Friday night. Nick smirked and nodded wile Riley sighed softly in relief, glad that at least someone from her family (whom technically wasn't a blood relative) was making a good impression.
A few minutes later Paige and her two little girls returned all three of them hungry and anxious to get back to their house.
---------Oakley Minivan----------
"Now Bryn, remember, Mama's expectin y'all at the house at six sharp...she'll absolutely freak if you aren't there on time. So Nick, this is your job, make sure she starts leavin wherever y'all will be at least an hour before she actually has to..." Paige instructed and Nick smiled and nodded.
"Trust me, I know the drill." Nick vowed while Riley rolled her eyes and nudged him in the side. Nick smiled at the thought of how they were constantly late because of Riley taking forever and a half getting ready...either that or them getting side tracked. "We've been late enough times for me to get the point."
Riley scoffed and rolled her eyes. "It takes two to tango old man."
"And what a fun tango it has been young lady." Nick whispered seductively into her ear and she raised an eyebrow and gave a knowing smirk.
"You do know my Daddy calls me young lady right?" Riley drawled.
"Eew, no, not till just now. Eew..." Nick said with a disgusted face and shivered. Riley laughed and turned to look at the scenery whipping past as Nick sat satisfied in simply watching her.
"Why are you looking at Aunty Bryn? Mommy says it's not nice to stare." A tiny girl's voice came from behind the couple. Riley and Nick turned to see Paige's eldest daughter, five year old Jayden Macy Oakley's doe-like blue looking at Nick curiously. Her blonde curls bounced as she bobbed her head from side to side like curios five year olds do. "Do you think Aunty Bryn is purty?"
Nick blushed and Riley pursed her lips and looked at Nick. "Yeah Nick, do you think I'm purty?"
"Do you wike hewr?" Three year old Travis Bae Oakley who looked just like his blonde, blue eyed father asked.
"Do ya Nicky? Do ya wike me?" Riley asked in a baby voice, cocking her head to the side as the little kids were doing. Nick blushed and ducked his head to hide the flushing of his cheeks. He coughed and shifted uncomfortably, not too thrilled about having to explain to curios toddlers what he was feeling about their Aunt.
"Uh...no, no I don't like her." Nick lied, hoping that would dodge their questions. Riley smiled and chuckled.
"Then why were you staring at her...?" Jayden asked.
"Yeah Nick, why were you staring at her?" Paige asked teasingly form the passenger's seat.
"Are you sure you don't like her?" Jayden asked as Riley put a hand in front of her mouth to stifle her laughter.
"Hows come you were stawrin?" Travis asked in a child's tone and Nick looked over at Riley.
"Well...you see...she has somethin on her face." Nick replied and Riley furred her brows. Nick quickly leaned in and pecked her on the cheek. He pulled away quickly, smiling and sat back in his seat facing forward. "I got it off your face for ya Darlin, don't worry." Nick reassured Riley, who blushed and looked away as her sister shot her an amused look and turned back around.
"Duh he likes her; he's been holdin her hand since they got off the plane." Terence Hayden Oakley replied from the seat next to his little brother. Terence rolled his eyes at the 'ignorance' of his little brother and sister. The two little kids peered as best they could around the seat to see their Aunt's hand tightly enclosed in Nick's.
"Yup, he likes her..." Jayden said matter-of-factly as if her deeming it so made it even more official.
Alright, so what'd y'all think of the first 1/100 of Riley's family? Wonderfully weird...? Extremely eerie...? Crazy...? Insane...? Crazy-Insane...?
LEAVE A REVIEW AND LET ME KNOW!
Then stay tuned for the meeting of the rest of Riley's family. Chapter 37... "Coming soon to an inbox near you..."
AND PS, I know they seem a little up-beat for a family that's just lost someone close and dear to them all...but...(shakes head) you just gotta know them...I'll explain it all in the next chapter, but don't worry you Nick-and-Riley-angst-ridden-junkies!
There will be lots o' Angst and Drama to come!
-Futuremisscsi60