This is a semi fluffy chapter, but really it's more the calm before the storm than anything. I hope ya'll like it. P.S. It's fun writing part of this story in New Orleans since I lived there when I was a kid. No more accent though. Not unless I'm tired, around my southern friends, or drunk. Then I sound like I never left. But, anyways, I own all of the Bridesmaids, the bride and Minnie (the maid of honor). I hope you enjoy them.
The next day Tabby, Abby (My older sister), Shealyse, Peggy, Cleo and I went tanning out by the pool. I had bought a purple two piece in New York and a white hat with a large brim. It made me smile when I saw it and since hats so rarely do that for me, I bought it. "Who'd've thunk it?" Shay asked in her usual bad grammar. "Tabby getting married. I mean, Abby, that was obvious."
"Puh-lease," I said. "Abby had been planning her wedding since she was seven."
"And Peggy, no surprise there. Little Stephen helped move that one along, didn't he?" Shay winked at Peggy who chuckled. "I mean, I love the little booger, but damn girl." she said and Peggy laughed.
"Just wait till you get pregnant, I'll bust your balls as hard as you've been busting mine."
"It's called the pill bitch." Shay said and I smiled. I'd have shook my head if I wasn't laying on my stomach, resting my face on my arms, letting the sun work on my back. I loved just relaxing like that. "Cleo, I'll admit, you surprised me too."
"Oh you know me." she said as she sipped the last of her daiquiri. "I live for the adventure."
"But Tabbs, you were one of us," she gestured to myself and her. "You didn't want to get married; you wanted to be single forever!"
"Excuse me; I never said I want to be single forever." I said as I lifted a hand. "I said if all men were like Simon I'd be single forever, because I wouldn't settle for anyone's shit."
"Yeah, besides, Sammy's dating a scientist now." Tabby said and I sat up.
"Oh, Sam, you should flip over now honey." Abby said, she was always the mother of the group. I did as she said, and put my sunglasses back on.
"So, what's he like?"
"I wouldn't say I'm dating him, I mean, we haven't gone on a real date yet-"
"So, what, you're fuck buddies?"
"No!" I said and laughed as my face turned red. "Jesus. We're just... I don't know, taking things slow, Tabby, how do you even know about him?"
"Tony told me about him last week when you went to deal with the UPS guy."
"FedEx." I muttered, then smiled at how used to work I was. "Ugh, I can't believe Tony did that- Actually, I can, then he freaking brought Simon up in front of him and I had to go into that with Bruce."
"Oooh, his name is Bruce." Cleo giggled.
"The plot thickens, what's he do?"
"He's a scientist." I said with a shrug, knowing I couldn't get into it about SHIELD, number one, I had no idea what Bruce did for them, and number two, national security and all that. "He works with Tony."
"You call your boss by his first name?" Abby asked.
"He calls her Minnie." Peggy pointed out.
"Yeah, I never understood that nickname, how'd you get it?"
"Tony gave it to me." I said, and gestured a waited over. "Can we get some more daiquiris?" I asked and the waiter nodded.
"Right away ma'am." he said and walked away.
"So when I was an intern I worked running coffee and stuff like that, well, I met Pepper Potts one day and she was freaking out, Tony had gotten sick in his office and wasn't doing too good so she asked me to help her, well, we went into the office and Tony freaked out thinking he was seeing double, it was the hair." I shrugged as I ran my fingers through my hair. "So the next day Tony asks Pepper who that second her was, and she told him, I found myself running more errands for them, and finally he asked to meet me, he started calling me Mini Pepper, or Mini Pep, things like that, he'd call me and ask for me specifically, so I'd do them for him, all that. Pretty soon he got tired of calling me Mini Pepper all the time, and I became Minnie." I shrugged, and smiled as the waiter came back with our drinks. "Thanks." I smiled taking a drink from the tray.
"Finally telling them about how you got your name huh?" a very familiar voice that I should not have been hearing said to my left. I set my drink down and looked before gasping.
"What are you doing here?" I asked in shock.
"I was invited." he said and held his arms out with a grin.
"Tony, this is supposed to be my vacation, Pepper said- Wait, where's Pepper?"
"Checking in, Dallas said you were out here so I thought I'd come see for myself." his eyes roamed my body and I quickly snatched up my towel and held it in front of me.
"You- I- But-" I sputtered, not sure where to start. I turned on Tabby who was grinning.
"Mr. Stark, I'm so glad you could make it." she said as she stood up and stuck her hand out. "It's good to see you again."
"Good to see you too Kitten." he said which made the rest of the girls stand up and start chattering to him. "Oh look, it's Bruce." he said and my eyes widened, my towel was yanked away from me by someone and I stared at them in shock as the girls all looked around for him. I sighed and turned, and couldn't stop myself from smiling when I saw him.
He was wearing a dark gray pants with a blue button down shirt tucked into them, his sleeves were rolled up and I noticed he hadn't buttoned his shirt up all the way, choosing to leave two buttons undone like he normally did. I sighed, and walked forward, they'd figure it out anyway.
"Hey." I smiled when I got to him.
"Hey, you look... Ready to swim." he said as he looked me over.
"If I don't kiss you right now, I'll never hear the end of it from any of them." I said nodding to the girls and Tony (who pretty much gossiped like any of the girls).
"Well we wouldn't want that would we?" he asked with a small smile before he leaned down and kissed me. I smiled into the kiss, wrapping my arms around his neck, he held onto my hips, and finally we broke apart. The girls were cheering and I was blushing. "There, that's not so bad now was it?" he asked as he wrapped his arm around my waist.
"Ask me again after you've met them all." I said and he laughed.
"You mean I have to go talk to them?"
"Oh come on." I said as I took his hand. He followed, and I stopped in front of the girls. "Okay, no crowding." I said to them, and then turned to Bruce. "Bruce," I put my hand on his arm. "This is Tabby, Cleo, Shelayse, Peggy and Abby. Tabby and Abby are my sisters. Peggy's my cousin, and Cleo is her cousin. Which makes us second cousins I think." I thought for a second, and then shrugged. "Girls, this is Bruce. My... Friend." I said after a moment.
I wasn't exactly sure what to call him, we had only been sort of seeing each other for what, a week and a half now? God this was way too soon for him to have to deal with my family, this was insane. I sighed as the girls all asked him questions or said how good it was to meet him before Tony stood up from the chair he was laying on.
"Pepper's waving very impatiently at us." he informed Bruce who turned around. She gestured and Tony sighed.
"I'll go." he said and walked over to her.
"I'm gonna go inside." I said to the girls who nodded, all of them eyeing either Bruce or Tony, talking and giggling to themselves. We walked inside and I looked at Bruce. "Are you sure you want to be here?" I asked him and he looked at me.
"Why do you ask? Would you prefer I wasn't?" he asked and I shook my head.
"No, no, nothing like that." I said quickly. "I just- I know my family, they can be a handful, and tiring, and-"
"Calm down," Bruce said as he stopped me and turned me so he was facing me. He took my shoulders and raised his eyebrows. "Take a few deep breaths." he said and I took a few deep breaths like he showed me how. "What's this really about?" he asked and I sighed looking up at him.
"Tony told everyone you're my boyfriend, I sighed. "And, I know we've only been together or whatever for like a week and a half, and I don't really expect you thought we were um- What's the word I'm looking for?"
"Together?"
"No, kind of, but no."
"Exclusive?" he asked and I nodded.
"Yeah, thanks." I said. "I don't want to scare you off, that's the thing, I really like you and yeah, Tony's been pushing us to get together, which I don't really understand- not that I don't understand why we would be together, just I don't understand why he would suddenly care about-" he had done it again.
Cutting me off by kissing me. It was a cliché move really, I had seen it in books and movies, but now when it was happening to me, I was so totally willing to just melt in his arms and forget words even existed. "Why are you so good at that?" I sighed and he smiled.
"What?" he asked as he stepped back.
"Calming me down." I said and he smiled.
"Does it bother you?"
"What?" I asked.
"What Tony told your family?"
"I know it should seeing as we've only been together for so little time, but it really doesn't." I sighed and he smiled.
"Then don't make such a big deal over it."
"You're a guy, you're the one who should be making a big deal about it." I said and he raised his eyebrows.
"Do you want me to make a big deal about it?" he asked and I shook my head quickly. He smiled and wrapped his arm around my shoulders as we walked to the elevator. "We don't have to label anything, not right now." he said as we stepped inside. "But if it makes your family feel better, putting a label on it, let them."
"What did I do to deserve you?" I asked as I looked up at him. He smiled and looked down at me.
"I was just wondering the same thing." he said.
