I'm incredibly overwhelmed at the moment. That has to be why I even mentioned his family. Sid just proposed, I said yes, Lizzy's calling him daddy and my head is spinning. When he said that he didn't want to tell his family today, the only thing I could think about was Taylor's comment last night. Now that I've said that I want to talk about his family, I realize that he wanted to wait because of the funeral. All I had to do was agree. Instead I've brought up his family and today of all days.

"What do you mean that you want to talk about my family?" Sid asks.

I look at Sid and notice that Lizzy is hanging on every word we're saying.

"Lizzy, why don't you watch cartoons while I make your breakfast?"

She agrees and Sid takes her into the living room. Ok, I have to think very quickly now. Do I make excuses and bring it up later? Do I tell the truth now?

"Ok, she's occupied. What's going on with my family?" Sid asks.

"Sid, I was going to wait until after the funeral. Why don't we wait until then?"

"No Cat, let's discuss it now. You've brought it up for a reason."

He's right. I have brought it up so we need to talk.

"Ok, come here." Sid sits at the breakfast bar and I pour us each a glass of orange juice then join him.

"I overheard a conversation that your mom and Taylor were having" I begin.

"You eavesdropped?" He asked.

"No, I was coming back from taking Lizzy to the bathroom. As I was coming around the corner I heard it. Seriously Sid, you think I was eavesdropping?"

"No, of course not. Sorry."

"Anyway, Taylor wasn't being mean or cruel. She's a nice girl Sid."

He stares at me and waits. He knows that I'm stalling.

"Ok. She was talking about me and why I'm with you. She thinks I'm a gold digger Sid. She says that I'm a single mom and a waitress so I'm with you for your money."

Ok, there, I got it out. I sigh, take a deep breath and wait him out. He takes his time thinking.

"Ok. What exactly did Taylor say?"

"I don't remember the whole sentence but she said single mom, waitress and gold digger."

He listens carefully to me and I watch him bite his bottom lip as he does when he's trying to figure something out. I get more and more anxious the more he's silent and considering.

"Ok" is all he says.

"Ok what?"

"Ok, I understand. Are you sure of what you heard? It doesn't sound like Taylor at all. She's always been supportive of every girl I've ever dated. There haven't been a lot but she's always tried to get to know them and never said anything bad about them."

Now it's my turn to listen and consider. How do I respond to that? She may not have ever said anything bad in the past but she's saying it now. I hate this, seriously! How should I respond? What the hell? Yeah, I really suck at being in a relationship. How do you navigate the in-laws? Shit.

"Sid, I'm not lying to you."

"I'm not saying that you are Cat, definitely not, it's just really out of character for Taylor. She can be a brat for sure but she's never said anything like that about my girlfriend. Could you be mistaken about you heard?"

"Sid, I know what I heard. I may not remember the exact sentence but she called me a gold digger. You don't misinterpret that phrase." I hear my tone rise now. I'm starting to worry about this conversation since Sid seems to be defending his sister. He's saying it carefully but that's what he's doing.

"Ok, Cat. What do we do now?"

He's asking me! It's his sister, his family, and now we're getting married. How the hell do I know what to do.

"Sid, I don't know what to do! I don't have a family never mind a sister. At least I never did before now. When we get married, they're my family and she's my sister. That still doesn't help me know what to do right now."

I stand and pace the kitchen. I'm too riled up and too worried about this conversation to sit.

I look over at Sid and his face is unreadable. He's biting his lip again and staring at me.

"I guess I need to talk to my sister. When we're over there tomorrow I'll take her aside and we can chat."

He doesn't sound very confident and I don't know if he doubts me, Taylor or himself.

"I guess" I reply then I begin to make Lizzy's breakfast. Sid gets up and makes his protein shake. The awkwardness in the room is tangible. Where we felt like one when he proposed, now I feel incredibly lonely. Maybe I shouldn't have said anything. Fuck.

Could Taylor think that Cat is a gold digger? If you don't know Tay then you could believe that she's just a teenager who thinks she knows everything and has a big mouth. The problem is that I do know Tay and she's not like that. She can be self-involved and a little whiny, what little sister isn't sometimes, but she loves and trusts me and has always tried to get to know my girlfriends.

I feel caught in the middle now between Cat and my family. Cat didn't say my mom disagreed with Tay so I have to wonder what they think but it feels innately wrong to doubt my parents. Are relationships always this hard when you try to integrate your family and your soon to be wife? Maybe it's because it's happening so fast that they haven't had time to build a relationship like Cat and I have.

Cat comes back into the kitchen after giving Lizzy her breakfast and starts cleaning up. Her back is stiff and her shoulders tight. The breath I've been holding blows out. I need to take care of this because Cat is going to be my wife and we need to be able to talk about things, even my family, without it ruining whatever good we have going on. I walk over behind Cat and pull her back until she's leaning against my chest.

Kissing her neck, I whisper "we'll figure this out babe. It's not going to be easy but we'll figure it out. I love you."

Cat turns slowly and places her hands on my chest. When she leans back and looks up at me, I see the concern fade slowly.

"I love you Sidney. I'm sorry to bring it up today. Talking about our future made me blurt it out. I was definitely going to bring it up but was going to pick my moment a little better."

"Well, we always have interesting timing babe. I'm glad that we're able to talk this out though. That's a good step for us."

Cat chuckles "yeah. It is a good step. Maybe we don't suck that badly at this as we used to Sid."

I lean down and kiss her softly. "Maybe we don't" I agree.

I take our kiss deeper and pull Cat closer. This is when I'm always absolutely sure we're meant to be together; I have Cat in my arms.

"Mommy! Daddy!"

Lizzy pushes her way in between us until we're forced apart. Then it hits me so I pick Lizzy up.

"Princess, just for today, please don't call me daddy, ok? It's going to be a surprise. We don't want to ruin the surprise do we? Will you keep this a secret princess?"

She smiles and says "yes! Seecit!"

I hug her close and look at Cat. "Until tomorrow babe. We'll meet with the family tomorrow and tell them we're getting married."

"Sounds great Sidney but I'm still worried" Cat says.

"Yeah, I know. We'll figure it out" I reassure her and kiss her forehead.

We get ready for the day, as ready as you can be for a funeral, and meet the family at the church; the rest of the goes both quickly and slowly. Being friendly to all of the people who want to meet me and take pictures is tedious. It still surprises me how people want to take pictures at the worst possible time. I'm so glad that Cat and Lizzy are with me because they help the day pass more quickly. Lizzy doesn't realize how she's supposed to act at a funeral and she provides much needed levity.

We go to my parent's house after the wake. It's my parents, Taylor, my uncle and aunt and Cat, Lizzy and me. After dinner, we all sit in the living room. Lizzy is in my arms dozing off and on. She only had a quick nap today which was enough to keep her going but she's losing the battle now. I look at Cat and she nods to me. It's definitely time for us to get our little girl home.

"Ok princess" I whisper to her. "It's time to go home."

"No daddy. Don't wanna go" Lizzy says and falls back asleep buried into my chest.

I kiss her cheek and chuckle. When I look up, I notice that the conversation has stopped and everyone is staring at me. I'm confused at first but then it hits me. Lizzy just called me daddy. Oh boy.

The day was stressful having to smile and make small talk with people I don't know but I did exactly what Sid asked of me: I was at his side. There were other kids there so Lizzy had someone to play with at the wake although she stuck close to Sid too. It's like she knew that he would need us today.

We managed to get through the whole day being in the background, as much as possible, and without a spotlight on Lizzy or me. Then it happened.

We were just having a nice conversation with the family at Troy and Trina's home when Lizzy called Sid 'daddy.' Like everyone else, I first looked at Lizzy who was blissfully unaware of the drama she just introduced to the room. Then I looked at Sid who seemed to take a few moments to figure out what just happened. Then I looked at his parents and Taylor. Everyone's face registers shock.

I want to run as fast as I can but I wait for Sid to say something. It's his nana who died, his sister who thinks that I'm a gold digger and his family that's currently in shock.

"Um" is all he says initially. Great start Crosby.

"Is there something that you want to tell us Sidney?" His uncle asks. It serves to snap everyone out of the stunned trance that we're in.

"Yeah, there is. It isn't good timing of course but it is good. Cat and I have decided to get married." He looks at me and I try to smile. I know it's fake though because I'm too nervous to hear what the family thinks to be genuinely smiling.

Hearing about what Taylor said was a huge blow for Sid. If his parents agree with her or don't approve then we're in a lot of trouble. Sid's family is incredibly important to him. Hid dad is first to speak.

"I'm not going to talk about your relationship because clearly it's strong and you are finding your way together. You're clearly in love and want to be together. I am concerned by how fast you're moving. You've know each other just over three months. I realize that you became serious quickly but it's still not long."

I'm somewhat relieved by Troy's comments. He isn't saying that I'm wrong for Sid or that we aren't good for each other. His concern is how long it's been and he's not wrong; we haven't been together long.

"Sid" Troy continues. "I don't want to be flippant but you've taken longer to choose the right stick."

We all laugh although there is definitely an edge to the laughter.

I look at Trina and she's looking at Taylor. I don't have to wonder why.

"Dad" Sid says. "You're right on both counts. It's not something that I can explain but it feels right. It just does. Being a husband to Cat and a dad to this sleeping girl in my arms is the simplest thing I've ever done."

Troy gives Sid a small smile. He seems to understand even if he still has reservations. I'm not worried about Troy. It's Trina and Taylor's silence that concerns me.

"Mom?" Sid says.

Trina looks at Sid then me and then back to Sid.

"I agree with your dad Sidney. It's fast. I also know that you are very careful and deliberate with your decisions. You have a good head on your shoulders and make good decisions. Also" her gaze turns to me. "Cat, the time we spent with you and Lizzy a few weeks ago was wonderful. You are a great mom and clearly in love with Sidney. I'm only concerned about timing." She finishes.

Now everyone is looking at me. "I enjoyed getting to know you and Troy too."

That's all I say. I don't know what else I should add so I simply look at Sid.

"Mom, dad" Sid begins. "Cat and I haven't talked about the details yet but I'm thinking that we could have a small wedding here at the end of the summer and before the season begins."

Sid looks at me hopefully.

"Yeah" I agree. "That would be nice."

Ok, there's still an elephant in the room. I don't know where I get the confidence but the next thing I know, I'm saying "I'll sign a pre-nup of course."

Sid's head snaps to me like an elastic band holding it has broken. I can feel all eyes on me with varying degrees of surprise. I look directly at Taylor and, with what I hope is a look of understanding, I say "I won't have anyone doubting why I'm with Sid. He would never ask me but I will insist on one."

"Cat" Sid begins.

I cut him off. "Sid, you know that you would never ask me and I'm sure that we'll fight about it later, but I'm going to insist. We won't need it, although I'm sure everyone says that, but if we did then I'll leave the marriage with what I went into it with; monetarily I mean."

I look at Taylor and she has the same thoughtful look on her face that I've seen on Sidney's when he's thinking something through. At least she's thinking about it. Maybe she'll change her mind.

I look back at Sid and he's frowning at me.

"We'll talk about it later" is all he says.

I shrug guessing that Sid knows I'm trying to make a point and wants to leave it alone right now.

"Sid, Cat, you do what is right for you, I trust you both" Trina says. "It is very quick but you seem to both know what you want. We'll have to respect that" and as she says the last bit, Trina looks at Taylor briefly.

I watch Taylor first raise an eyebrow at her mother but, finally, she nods and offers a smile. Again, my mouth moves before my brain can kick in.

"Taylor, will you show me where the tea is? I'd love a cup" I ask her.

Trina doesn't offer to get if for me as she usually does so I know that she understands what I'm trying to do.

I follow Taylor into the kitchen and I put water on to boil while she pulls out the tea. Ok, I have her here, now what am I going to do?

"Taylor, I wanted to give us an opportunity to chat. We really haven't had a chance to talk with everything going on."

She smiles at me but doesn't reply. I guess I'll have to keep going.

"I know we just met yesterday and since then everything has been very busy and emotional." I pause here for a moment. Taylor is looking at me which worries me at first but it seems friendly. "Taylor, I'm so sorry about your nana. I know both you and Sid were very close to her."

"Thank you Cat. Yeah, we were really close."

We're so formal and it's so awkward. How do I break through?

"Taylor, I really love your brother. I know that you may not believe me but I really do" I tell her.

She looks like she's going to say something but then stops herself.

"No Taylor, please talk to me."

"Ok. This is very weird to me Cat. Sid has never been impulsive or done anything this quickly. He's always very focused, you know?"

"Yeah, I've noticed. If he's watching game film then nothing will disturb his concentration. It's a blessing if Lizzy is noisy because he can tune her out if he wants to but it's infuriating when I want to talk to him. I don't know how anyone can be that focused on one thing so that you can't hear anything else."

Taylor chuckles and replies "yeah, he's always been like that, at least since he went to Quebec to play. He was always focused on hockey and school but it was even worse after he went into major junior."

I should have thought of this earlier. We can bond over Sidney.

"He would say it got better" I tell her. "Of course he's not the one who is trying to get his attention."

Taylor laughs. "But have you noticed that if it's something that he's interested then he can hear or see it just fine. Like anything to do with food."

"Yeah" I agree. "Or Lizzy. He always has an ear open for Lizzy calling him."

That last comment has introduced Sid and my relationship back into the conversation through my daughter. Now Taylor's going to stiffen up I bet.

"He has a lot of fun with her" Taylor says.

To say I'm stunned by her comment would be an understatement.

"Yeah he does. Of course Lizzy is completely devoted to Sid. She could never quite say his name so it always came out as Sidwee" I tell her.

"That's adorable Cat."

I take a breath. "I'm devoted to him too Taylor."

"Yeah, I get that. Mom said your first fight was over Sid giving you a big tip?"

I chuckle thinking about that fight.

"Yeah, I went off the deep end. One minute I was kissing him and then next minute I was yelling at him and closing the door in his face. He paid for all of guys' lunch and then paid double for a tip. I actually accused him of trying to buy me."

"Seriously?" Taylor asks.

"Yeah. I didn't know him that well Taylor. What else do you think when some big shot hockey player gives you a huge tip?"

"Yeah, I guess. You know that would never cross Sid's mind" Taylor asks.

"I know that now. But then" I say and shrug my shoulders.

"I, um" Taylor begins but turns to the steaming kettle and pours it in the cup with the tea bag. "I wondered if you were with Sid for his money. I hadn't met you of course but, you know, a single mother who's a waitress. You're also so different from the other girls he dated that I wondered."

"And now?" I ask her a little scared of the answer.

"Cat, we still don't really know each other but I can see how great you are together. Plus, my dad is no push over and he loves you and Lizzy."

"Thanks Taylor. We need to make time to get to know each other. Let's go back out to the living room before someone sends a search party to look for us."

"Ok, here's your tea" Taylor hands it to me.

I take it and pour it down the sink.

"Thanks but I hate tea."

Taylor looks confused and then she gets it.

"Oh" she says and we both laugh.

When we enter the living room, Troy and Sid's uncle are pouring glasses of wine.

"We need to toast the happy couple" Tory says and then they do just that.