It was three days before Christmas when Nick's family arrived. And Miley was a little nervous about meeting them. Okay, a lot nervous. She knew first impressions were important, and she was terrified that they wouldn't like her.

She had spent at least two hours that morning trying to decide what to wear, before an annoyed Lilly eventually grabbed a pair of jeans and a ruffly blue blouse, and thrust them into her arms.

Miley was sure that she was getting on everyone's nerves at this point. She had spent the past few days completely freaking out about meeting the rest of her boyfriend's family. Now, the day had came, and she was still not ready.

As she sat on the couch with Lilly and the baby, she nervously fidgeted with a loose strand of thread on the sleeve of her sweater. She figured it probably hadn't been loose a few hours ago.

"Miley", Lilly said calmly. "Stop worrying. You're only driving yourself...not to mention everyone else...nuts."

"They are nice, right?", she asked, for what had to be the hundredth time.

"Well, Denise never liked me all that much", Lilly admitted. "But I think all mothers are like that with their sons. His dad and his brothers are really nice though."

"Great", Miley muttered. "If she didn't like you, there's no way she's going to like me."

"Yes she will", Lilly tried to assure her. "How could anyone not like you? But a word of advice. When you're nervous and trying to think of a compliment to give her, don't tell her how great her hair dye job looks."

Her eyes widened, mostly because she was afraid that she would do something just like that. Darn nerves!

From the next room, they could hear the refrigerator door slam shut.

"Oh no!", Miley said loudly, practically sprinting in there. Just in time too. The kids were just about to get into the pudding that she made the mistake of making for them the night before. Which would lead to them getting it all over the place just as Nick's parents showed up.

"What did I tell you guys?", she asked, exasperated. "No eating messy stuff while you have your nice clothes on!"

"Why do we have to have fancy clothes on? It's just grandma and grandpa", Myles pointed out as Miley put the bowl back in the refrigerator.

"And they haven't seen you in a very long time. Don't you want to look nice for them?"

"But grandma and grandpa don't care how I look", the child protested.

"Well, you should talk to your mom. She's the one that picks out your clothes, hun", Miley stated, not even attempting to argue her point any further.

He looked up at her for a moment, before running out of the room. "Mommy!"

She let out a sigh, and propped herself up against the kitchen counter. She just had to make it through this day. Get this first meeting over with, and don't completely screw it up.

"Are you okay, mommy?", Belle asked, her large blue eyes staring up at her.

Miley forced a small smile onto her face. "Yeah, baby. I'm fine. Just a little stressed, that's all."

The little girl wrapped her arms around her mother's waist. "Does a hug make you feel better?"

"It makes me feel so much better. How do you always know what to do?"

"Miley?"

Her heart began to race as she heard Nick's voice combined with the door closing. They were here.

She looked down at Belle. "Okay, you remember what I said. Make sure you're on your best behavior while Nick's parents are here."

Belle nodded. Miley took a deep breath, and went to meet them.

"Hey!", Nick grinned, kissing her on the cheek as she stepped into the foyer. She took a first look at his mother, who was cooing over Ana. His father was chatting with Lilly and Myles. Standing behind Nick was, she assumed, his two other brothers and the older one's wife. She was stunned by how much all the brothers resembled each other.

"Baby, this is Kevin", he said, motioning to the older brother.

He gave her a warm smile and a handshake. "It's nice to finally meet you. We've heard so much."

She glanced at Nick with a smile. "Really? I mean, it's nice to meet you too."

"And I'm Frankie", the younger one said, also shaking her hand.

She smiled. "Miley. Nice to meet you."

She chatted with them for a few moments, deciding very quickly that she liked them. Soon, Nick took her hand, and led her to his parents. He couldn't wait for them to meet her. For them to see what an amazing girl she was.

"Mom, dad."

They both turned around to face him. And when they saw her, they both smiled.

"This must be Miley", the dark-haired woman said, taking her hand. "I'm Denise."

"And I'm Paul", the father said, also shaking her hand. "Nice to finally meet the girl that our son's in love with."

Nick smiled, and slipped his arm around her waist. "I'm a lucky guy. She's pretty incredible."

Miley gave them a shaky smile. "Well, I think I'm more of the lucky one here. Your son is kind of the best thing that ever happened to me."

"She's the best thing that ever happened to me too", he said sincerely.

"So when are we having this wedding then?", his father asked.

Nick felt like slapping himself in the face. He hadn't even proposed to her yet! He just knew that he would regret it since the minute he let his intentions slip during a phone conversation with his mom.

"Uncle Nick?", Belle said, tugging on his shirt to get his attention.

"Hey. There's my princess", he smiled, breathing a sigh of relief.

"And this pretty girl must be Belle", Denise remarked, smiling at her.

"Yes ma'am."

Miley smiled, slightly surprised that her daughter had remembered to use the manners that she had been ingraining in her head for years. They were certainly easier to instill in a child in Tennessee, where everyone used them.

"Miley, she is just adorable", Denise gushed.

"Thank you. Yeah, these two...", she said, looking at Nick and Belle. "...they're my heart."

After dinner, everyone had gathered in the living room. Miley's nerves had all but left her at this point. It was nice. She barely knew these people, but she already felt like she was part of their family.

She listened as they told stories about Nick and Joe's childhood, a couple that made her boyfriend blush. And there were a lot of stories. She always thought it would be cool to be a part of a big family. She supposed she was, but the majority of them lived in Tennessee. For the longest time, it was just her, her dad, and Jackson. But she wouldn't have changed anything about her family, except that her mom would still be there.

Miley thought about her mom all the time. Her mom that had always been the one to make her listen to reason. Who always knew exactly what to say when she was upset. Who gave the best hugs in the world. She wished that she could be there with them, that she could meet her grandchildren and meet the man that her daughter was in love with. She would have loved Nick.

In the middle of one of Kevin's embarrassing Joe and Nick stories, Denise quietly approached Miley.

"Miley, could I talk to you for a minute?", she asked.

Nick turned to her. "Mom, we had an agreement. No grilling."

"I'm not going to grill her", his mother insisted, trying to keep her voice down. "I would just like to get to know her a little better. That's all."

"It's okay", Miley assured him with a hand squeeze. Then, she followed his mother to the back patio.

She shut the doors behind her, suddenly feeling nervous. She then sat down in the chair next to the one that Denise had pulled up.

"Is something wrong?", she asked quietly.

"No, not at all." The woman sighed. "Miley, you seem like a great girl. And I know my son is just crazy about you. That's what worries me."

"I-I don't understand."

"I don't think I've ever seen him so in love with someone before. My son...he fell very hard when he was still practically a child. And that girl was a bad idea. I tried to tell him God knows how many times. But after that fiasco, he stayed as far away from a serious relationship as he could. You're different though. He loves you, I can see that. I just don't want to see him get hurt again. So, I guess what I need to know is that you feel as strongly for him as he does for you."

She nodded without a moment of reluctance. "Absolutely. I love Nick more than I ever thought I could love anyone. When he met me, I was a mess. I was just trying to get my life back together. I was coming out of a very...unhealthy relationship. And he made me whole again. I always kind of felt like something was missing in my life, and now...I don't anymore. I really believe from the bottom of my heart that we're meant to be together."

Denise smiled softly. "Well, I'm glad to hear that. My son obviously found the right girl, and we all can't wait to officially welcome you into the family."

With that, the woman stood up and walked back inside, leaving Miley in a state of confusion. "Officially welcome me into the family?"

"Did she pass your little test, mom?", Nick muttered beneath his breath as his mother sat back down beside him.

"With flying colors. You have a keeper, son. Better hold onto her."

"So, where are you guys staying?", Lilly asked, glancing around at her in-laws.

"We've got a couple of rooms reserved at the Holiday Inn", Paul replied. "You wouldn't believe how hard it is to find hotels this time of year."

"Well, why don't you guys just stay with me?", Nick suggested. "There's no reason you should have to waste money on hotel rooms when I have plenty of room."

"Oh, that's not necessary, sweetheart", Denise said.

"Yeah, you would lose your mind with all of us there, bro", Kevin chimed in.

Miley walked back into the room, and sat down next to Lilly. "What are you guys talking about?"

"Arrangements for the family", her best friend replied.

"And as my daughter-in-law has already been informed, we have arrangements at a hotel", Denise stated. "There is no need for you all to try to squeeze us in."

"Me and Belle could stay with Nick for a few days, and y'all could stay here", Miley offered, earning strange looks from everyone.

"We are dating", Nick reminded them.

"That's really not necessary", Paul insisted.

"Oh, no. I don't mind. You guys should get to spend as much time with your grandkids as possible. I know when I was a kid, I used to feel so special when my Mamaw would come to see me."

"Are you sure?", Denise asked. "We don't want to put you out."

"Totally."

And she was. She was excited about seeing what it would be like to live with Nick, if only for a few days. She felt like she would be ready for that soon, and this would be like...a trial run. Hopefully, he wouldn't get tired of her in the next three to four days.

"What do you think, princess?", Nick asked as he showed the bigger of his guest rooms to Belle. Truthfully, he had been trying to decorate the place a bit since he had decided to propose to Miley. He wanted them to be happy here.

"I love it", Belle said happily, hopping up onto the bed. "All it needs is some sparkles, and it'll be the prettiest room ever."

Nick smiled. "Sparkles, huh? I'll have to get on that."

"Wow", Miley breathed as she came to the doorway. "This is gorgeous. Why isn't this the master suite?"

Eh, he supposed this room would be more appealing to a woman. It had the big bay window that girls went crazy over, not to mention a bigger closet. But he was a guy! What did he need a big closet for?

"It could be. It has its own bathroom too", he said, pointing to the double doors. "I just liked the balcony in the other room."

"Gosh, I love this house", Miley remarked.

And she really did. She had lived in a Malibu beach house, not to mention a multi-million dollar estate with all the bells and whistles. But something about this house made it better than the others. It had that old-school charm that can't be replicated. And it always seemed so quiet and peaceful.

"Are we gonna live here when you guys get married?", Belle asked hopefully.

"Belle...", Miley warned.

"It's okay", Nick said. "If you girls like this house, then absolutely. But you can come over any time you want until then."

Belle smiled and hugged his neck. "Okay. I think I'm gonna go to sleep now."

"Good idea. Night, baby", Miley said, hugging her before she got her settled underneath the blankets.

"Goodnight, princess", Nick said softly, kissing her on the forehead.

"Night, daddy", the child said as her eyes closed.

Miley looked at him with wide eyes. He couldn't believe what he'd just heard. The first time anybody had ever called him daddy. He couldn't even describe how amazing it felt. He had to fight back tears as they made their way out of the room.

"Did that really happen?", he asked, still in awe.

Miley bit her lip as they walked back downstairs to the living room. "I'm sure it was just a slip of the tongue. I didn't tell her to say that, I swear."

A look of confusion was etched into his face. "Baby, what are you talking about?"

"Belle. I never told her to call you daddy. I don't want you to think that I'm trying to trap you or something because I would never-"

"Miley", Nick said, cupping her face in his hands. "I know. And you don't have to trap me because there is no place in the world I would rather be than right here with you. And as far as Belle goes, I would never want to pressure her. But if she wants to call me daddy, then I don't have any problem with it. In fact, I would really like it."

"Really? Because I don't want to confuse her. Or put you in a role that you aren't ready for."

"I've been ready for this for a long time", he said with a hint of a smile. "I'm never going to leave you. You or Belle. I hate to break it to you, beautiful, but you're stuck with me."

She threw her arms around his neck as a tear fell from her eye. "I love you."

"I love you more."

She kissed him. With more passion than he had ever seen her show. His hands rested on the sides of her waist, relishing the feel of her body against his.

After a few moments, Miley slowly drew back. "I'm ready."

The words, spoken barely above a whisper, thrilled and terrified Nick at the same time. He had longed to make love to her for months, though he had never voiced it. The last thing that he wanted was to push her into something that she wasn't ready to do.

"Miley..."

"I've already made you wait long enough, Nick", she said quietly. "I don't want us to wait anymore. I wasn't ready for a while, but I am now."

He sighed. "I can't let you do something that you might regret. Don't get me wrong. I would love to. You have no idea how much I would love to. But I want our first time to be special. There should be candles and rose petals and everything else that girls like so much. You deserve that."

She shook her head, forcing back a smile. "I don't need any of that stuff. All I need is you. Our first time could be in the backseat of a car, and it would still be special to me."

"Why now?", Nick found himself asking.

Miley gave him a thoughtful shrug. "I don't know how to explain it. It just...it feels right."

He raked his hand back through his hair. God, he wanted to say yes. So badly. But he was scared that she wasn't really ready. That she would have regrets. That taking this step would somehow change things between them.

"I don't want to hurt you", he said softly.

She slowly took his hand, and held it against her chest. "You're not going to hurt me. You could never hurt me."

"How do you know?"

"Because I know you", she said simply. "I know that you aren't capable of hurting me. Wait. Oh my God, I'm so inconsiderate. Are you ready?"

Nick held back a smile. "Yeah, I am. But only if you are."

"I am", Miley assured him.

He didn't appear convinced. She knew he wouldn't be. Because he wanted to be certain that it really was what she wanted. That she was emotionally ready. And now she was. She wasn't sure when it happened, but standing in front of him at this moment...she knew in her heart that it was right.

"I am ready", she repeated, her voice firmer this time. "I trust you. Now, I need you to trust me."

He cupped her face in his hands. "You're absolutely sure about this? Because I don't want to-"

"Nick", she said, cutting him off. "I've never been more sure about anything in my life."

The look in her eyes told him that she meant it. So with that, he let her take his hand and lead him upstairs.

Whew. This was the chapter that just wouldn't end! But there was A LOT going on here so...yeah. In case you're wondering, the proposal will probably be coming in either the next chapter or the one after that. Anyway, let me know what you think!