As soon as Roman dropped her off, she knocked. When the door opened, she saw Roman drive away. Dean smiled and pulled her in, kissing her.
"I missed you Siren", he whispered.
"I missed you too", she replied.
"So, there's someone I'd like you to meet", Dean said.
Serena was confused. He walked her into the living room and a man and a woman stood.
"Dad, mom, this is Serena Kent. My girlfriend", Dean introduced.
She looked at him, completely shocked that he just introduced her to his parents.
"Serena, my mom and dad", Dean said.
They shook hands with her.
"Its nice to finally meet you. Dean talks non-stop about you", his mom said.
"You too. He told me about how you helped him and never gave up on him", Serena said.
His mom smiled and nodded.
"So, your parents do know about this and that he's your teacher, right? He told us a bit, but I just want to be sure", his dad said.
"Yes they know. My dad wasn't ok with it at first, but after realizing that Dean is what I want, he gave in. He got to know Dean and he's ok with it now.", Serena said.
His dad nodded.
"We would like to meet them", his mom said.
"Yeah, how about tomorrow? My sister gets back from her trip tonight", Serena said.
His parents nodded. She could tell Dean was nervous about this.
"I just came by to see him.", Serena said.
Dean kissed her cheek.
"Are you hungry? We were just about to have an early dinner", his mom said.
"Yes, I'd love too", Serena said.
"Great, I'll set up the table", his mom said.
"Let me help", Serena said, following her into Dean's kitchen.
She served while Serena set up the table. Dean and his dad were watching something on tv.
"I know this is all probably crazy to you, you know because of my age, but I truly love Dean. We've been careful", Serena said.
His mom smiled.
"I know you love him, he loves you just as much", she said.
"Did he tell you about my parents and their relationship?", Serena asked.
"No. Is there something we should know? Are they divorced?", she asked.
"No, actually, my dad is in a polyamory relationship.", Serena said.
His mom stopped. Serena could tell she was thinking about what she said.
"Interesting. I've never met anyone in that kind of relationship before", she said.
"Yeah. We've met other families before. Its not as uncommon as you think.", Serena said.
"No judgement here. If that's what they like and are in love, that's all that matters", she said.
Serena smiled.
"Any siblings?", she asked.
"Yes. I have a sister, Sabrina, she's the same age as me and a little brother, William, he's twelve and their mom is my aunt Malena. My mom is Michelle, and I also have a little sister named Alexandria. She's six", Serena said.
"Oh how sweet. Your dad must be a very busy man to be able to handle all that", she said.
"Oh trust me, he is. He's very patient and a great listener, my mom says that's what made her and my aunt fall in love with him.", Serena said.
"Same with my husband. Some men just like to brush our feelings aside", she said.
"Dean did that at first, but then, he said he didn't want to lose me and he changed", Serena said.
His mom smiled.
"That probably came from his marriage. It was sort of forced. She tried to change him over night and when you force someone to do something, they act out. He didn't cheat or anything, he was just miserable and drank more than he should.", she said.
Serena nodded.
"You are different. He's smiling more and he was so excited to tell us about you. He's so proud of you for getting into Columbia.", she said.
Serena smiled bigger. She looked over to Dean and he sensed her. He turned and smiled. She looked back at his mom.
"I'm proud of him too. Did he tell you about his new job?", Serena asked.
"He did. He's smart for taking Roman's offer. It's a good paying job and he tells me he'll be close to you", she said.
Serena nodded.
"He's excited about it", Serena said.
Sabrina walked into her dad's work where she knew Seth would be. He was sitting alone in the office going over paperwork.
"He's missed you", her dad said behind her.
"Did he behave?", she asked.
Her dad laughed softly.
"Spends every second in this office with me. He wants to make you proud", her dad said.
"I already am", she said.
"I'll give you two a few minutes. I'll be getting my food from downstairs", her dad said.
She nodded and walked into his office. Seth did a double take before smiling and standing. He walked over to her and hugged her tight.
"I missed you so much Rena.", he said.
He kissed her and she moaned.
"Working hard?", she asked.
"More like finishing up.", he said.
"Can I come over tonight?", she asked.
He smiled.
"I hope you do. I want to show you how much I've missed you", he said.
She giggled.
"Anything I should know about your trip?", he asked.
"That party sucked without you. College guys are not my type. I was grateful that I have you.", she said.
He smiled.
"You know for future plans, know that if you want to go out, with or without me, you can", he said.
"I know", she said.
He kissed her again.
"I don't ever want to be without you again", he whispered.
She smiled against his chest. Someone cleared their throat. Her dad stood there smiling.
"I think you've worked hard this week. Go on and get out of here early", her dad said to Seth.
"I'm not done", Seth said.
"That's ok. I'll finish up, you go and take her to dinner or a movie", he said.
Seth nodded and grabbed his phone and keys. Taking Sabrina's hand, they walked out. In the elevator she smiled.
"I'm not that hungry", she said.
He caught on.
"I think I know something we can do till you are", he smirked.
Dean and his parents had agreed to meet at a restaurant. She introduced her family to Dean's. Sabrina even invited Seth.
"So when should I invite my family to meet yours?", Seth asked Sabrina.
"How about graduation?", she asked.
"I like it. Then maybe I can take you to Iowa so you can see where I grew up", he said.
"I'd love that", she said.
They put their attention back on the conversation at the table.
"And remember, no babies till after marriage and after Serena graduates", Dean's mom said.
"I couldn't agree more", Michelle said.
"This goes for you too Sabrina", Malena said.
Dean knew he had to ask Mr. Kent about proposing to Serena. He got even more nervous. He didn't know how he was going to react or if he would give Dean his blessing.
"Mr. Kent, mind joining me at the bar real quick?", Dean asked.
Robert nodded and followed Dean. Once alone and far enough from the table. Dean cleared his throat.
"Let me guess, you want my daughter's hand in marriage", Robert said.
Dean chuckled.
"Yes sir", Dean said.
"I don't want you making a promise to my daughter if you don't plan on going through with it. If this is really what you want, you have my blessing.", he said.
"It's what I want. Trust me, I've gotten into a marriage that didn't feel right from the start. This feels right.", Dean said.
Robert nodded.
"When do you plan to ask?", Robert asked.
"After graduation. We'll stay engaged for a while, let her get through school. I want her to accomplish everything she's ever wanted first", Dean said.
Robert nodded.
"Also, about the apartment you rented for her. I would like to pay you back once I've gotten a good steady paycheck. I told you I would take care of her and I plan to do that", Dean said.
"Don't worry about that Dean or paying me back", Robert said.
"When my paycheck starts rolling in, I'll start paying rent. I can't continue to let you pay for it, I'll feel like I'm using you", Dean said.
Robert nodded.
"It's a deal", Robert said, shaking Dean's hand.