Dennis was up and gone to work by the time Rachel dragged herself out of bed. It was for the best. He was the last person she wanted to see, and she was certain he felt the same way about her. If he didn't play it off as though nothing happened, that was.
Her mother had gone off to work as well, but she did send Rachel a text apologizing for the night before and saying that she would help Rachel get the car situation figured out after work. The only problem with that was Rachel had to work another closing shift. And though she loved her mother, Theresa wasn't known for her long memory. Hence why her and Dennis worked out so well.
Rachel showered and dressed, ready to do a whole lot of walking that day. Walking to the parts store, walking to work to try and fix her car herself…potentially walking to and from work if things didn't go as well as she hoped. She had only done minor things on vehicles, like changing the oil or rotating tires. Changing out a starter was a bit more intimidating. Especially since she had zero idea how to do it. Hopefully the internet could be some help.
In the middle of her already rushed breakfast, someone knocked on the door. It wasn't often that they got visitors (see: never) and it was too early for a package delivery. Usually the mail came around two, not eight. Maybe Jennifer was taking a half day and started her shift early.
Rachel opened the door and found a very different type of package.
"Good morning, Rae Rae." Emmett cheerfully greeted her, Henry at his side.
Rachel's eyes bounced between the two McCarty brothers, unsure what to make of the development. "Uh, hi. What's going on?"
"Heard ya got a bad starter." Henry held up a box that looked like it came from a parts store. She rose her eyebrows at the box then glanced back at Emmett, who was still grinning like a kid at Christmas. Before she could think, she flung herself at Emmett, crushing him in a tight hug.
The boy chuckled, returning the gesture with the same intensity, but much more strength.
"The hell man. He ain't even the one fixing it." Henry muttered. Rachel pulled away from Emmett just enough to pull Henry in too. The older McCarty chuckled, "Group hug!"
Rachel caught Henry ruffling Emmett's curls and giggled as the younger brother protested loudly. Em shoved his brother off the small front porch in retaliation...and there went the brotherly love.
That sentiment continued on the ride down to the diner as well. Sitting between the two brothers in Emmett's truck, Rachel was dying of laughter the entire time. They fed off of each other so well, banter escalating back and forth. She felt bad for Judy. Especially since there were three other boys who were presumably just like the younger two. Rachel couldn't even imagine the family dinners.
She unlocked her car when they arrived at the diner, and the two brothers got to work raising the car up. Rachel sat on the bed of the truck, watching them as they worked. Though she wanted to be helpful, she figured it was best to stay out of the way. Maybe she could be a tool-hander later or something.
Once they got the car up, Henry opened the drivers seat, sitting down to find the hood latch. "Jesus, Kenten." He called over to her, "You drive sittin' on the dash or what? Next time I'll bring a phonebook for ya. Shit."
Emmett laughed loudly at Henry's jabs and even Rachel had a hard time stifling her giggles. When she regained her composure a bit, she shot back, "Hey, not all of us need to drive from the backseat, ok?
"Ain't trying to drive from the backseat. I'm trying to return the car back to adult settings."
Rachel rolled her eyes. Apparently big brothers were mean to everyone, not just their younger siblings. Honestly, she wasn't even that short….
Henry didn't need any more help once the hood was popped, or Emmett was just fine leaving his brother to do all the work. Rachel couldn't quite tell which. Either way, Emmett joined her up on the truck bed, giving her a little nudge. "You doin' okay?" The question was asked innocently, but Rachel knew that it was more loaded than that. Or rather, deeper than that.
She nodded, honest when she told him, "Yeah, I'm doing alright. I didn't see anyone today, so it had been a quiet morning. At least until you showed up." Rachel winked, watching as he grinned.
"I think what you mean to say is, thank you." He had been teasing her, but he wasn't wrong.
"Thank you. Seriously. You didn't have to do this. You saved me a big headache." Rachel gave him a genuine smile, hoping to convey how much she appreciated him. He'd bailed her out twice in twenty-four hours.
Emmett shrugged, playing it off like it wasn't a big deal. "Eh, it's all good. That's what boyfriends are for right? Besides, I gotta maintain my status as the only headache in your life."
Rachel did laugh then, bumping his arm though she didn't pull away when they made contact. "Yeah, whatever. You're not doing a very good job. I think your title is better suited as 'lifesaver' at this rate."
"Don't let my brothers hear you say that. They're likely to disagree with you."
"Guess they don't know what they're talking about. Seriously, I owe you big time."
Em hesitated for a moment and Rachel almost dreaded what came next. She knew he was coming up with payments and she had a feeling she wasn't going to like them. Thankfully, it wasn't actually as bad as she feared.
"Well, how about this? Instead of me meeting your family, would you wanna come over to mine? We have family dinner every Sunday night. Could come over and meet everyone?"
"I thought I wasn't allowed to meet Jackson and Chelsea." She teased as she shot him a pointed look. In truth, she was just hoping to get out of her payment. It wasn't that she didn't want to meet Emmett's family, she had just hoped to get a little distance between her introduction and Emmett's 'savior' moments. What would his parents think of her, knowing that she constantly required his help like that?
Emmett just shrugged, lowering his voice, "Well, with any luck, they're not showing up."
Rachel burst out laughing, elbowing Emmett in the ribs, "That's not nice!"
"Not nice, but the honest truth." Emmett maintained his position. "So, is that a yes?"
Rachel sighed. She supposed she'd have to get it over with sooner or later. "Alright, sure. Sunday night. Dinner with your family."
"Great!" Emmett beamed at her. Perhaps she had underestimated, once again, how much it had meant to him. She really needed to get better at reading him. "I'll pick you up at 4:30?"
"Sure thing."
With that out of way, their conversation turned far lighter. Rachel told him about her plans to go to the movies with her friends on Friday, and he told her about the work they'd been doing to the farmland that week. By the end of it, she was shocked to know that people had judged him for not going to college. Working on a farm sounded far harder in some aspects.
Eventually, they roped Henry into the conversation as well. Or Henry injected himself, she couldn't remember. But by the time it was all said and done, her sides and cheeks ached. And she hadn't even moved from her spot.
"All done, Princess." Henry called out when the car was finished, wiping his hands on a rag he'd pulled from his back pocket. "Try it out before we leave."
"Make sure he didn't screw it up." Emmett shot with a smirk.
He earned a hard glare from the remark. No physical violence though, so Rachel took it as a win.
The car fired right up when Rachel tried to start it and she sighed a breath of relief. "Thank you so much. Seriously. Y'all totally saved my ass. How much do I owe you for it?"
"Nothing." Emmett was quick to interject. Both Rachel and Henry rose an eyebrow at him.
"Hey, you may be cheap, but I'm not." Henry started in on Em but got shaken off.
"Don't worry about it. I'll make you even."
"So how much do I owe you?" Rachel turned on Emmett then. If he thought he was getting out of it, he was sorely mistaken.
"You're already paying me back." She frowned at Emmett. She hadn't given him a dime, at least not that she could remember. When her confused expression didn't lift, he added, "Dinner Sunday, remember?"
"You're going to that?" Henry's face lit up with a mischievous grin. "Oh shit, you're payin' him back ten-fold there, Kenten. Damn."
That made Rachel nervous. "Is it really going to be that bad?"
"Maybe. But with any luck they won't show up." Henry held up crossed fingers and Emmett gestured to his brother, muttering a 'told you,' at Rachel.
"Is she really that bad? I feel like y'all are ganging up on her." Rachel felt a little bad for Chelsea. Maybe one mistake had spiraled into some big family drama. Maybe everyone was mean to her for no reason. It seemed out of character for the boys, but weirder things had happened.
Henry took a breath, raising his eyebrows as though he wanted to refute. After a moments pause, he changed his mind, saying instead, "Well, suppose you'll see for yourself on Sunday." He elbowed Emmett's arm with a nod towards the truck. "Come on, you know Lenny's going to be pissed if we miss out on them 10 acres. See ya Sunday, Rachel!"
She gave him a wave, watching Henry load up his tools before turning back to Emmett.
"I'll see you tomorrow still?" He asked with a hopeful smile. It wasn't fair how cute he was, those darn dimples in full force.
"Yeah, of course. Connie's?"
Emmett nodded. Behind him, Henry began making kissy noises.
Rachel couldn't help her giggles then. "How can someone simultaneously be the best and the worst?"
"He's got it mastered, Rachel." Emmett turned slightly to shoot his brother a dirty look. With a sigh, he shook his head, "I'll see you tomorrow, Rae Rae." He leaned in for a quick kiss, one that Rachel was more than happy to return.
She watched Henry gag at them in the passenger seat of Em's truck. For good measure, she blew him a kiss too before climbing back in her own vehicle. As she was adjusting her seat forward again, Henry rolled down the window and held out a long, metal pipe-looking thing.
"You need this to push the pedals down?" He laughed hard, and Rachel couldn't help but join him.
"Shut up!" She shooed him away, face flaming.
Yes, big brothers were quite evil.
Rachel waved as Emmett and Henry drove off, their laughter still lingering in the air. As the rumble of Emmet's truck faded, she leaned against her seat, eyes trailing after them. Despite Henry's constant teasing, they'd both been…so nice. Emmett driving her home last night without a second thought, both of them showing up early in the morning, Henry fixing her car like it was nothing.
It was strange. That warmth. That care.
It was so…different.
Her dad would've lectured her about not taking care of the car sooner (did just that the night before), would've grumbled the entire time about how she threw him into her mess, would've charged her far more than a family dinner. But Emmett…he made it feel easy. He took care of everything for her, took one thing off of her plate even though he didn't have to. It was like her and her problems weren't some burden to him.
Maybe he just had some downtime.
She tried again to pay him for fixing the car at dinner on Wednesday, but Emmett was having none of it and she left the evening swearing she'd find a way to pay him back. Though in truth, she had no idea how she was going to do it. She asked Madison and Lucy about it on Friday before the movie started, but they weren't any help either. Madison went on about how Rachel should just accept Emmett's help and how great it was that she finally had someone who actually took care of her. And Lucy was so enthralled at Jake's presence a couple rows ahead of them that she offered an absent, "Yeah, listen to Mads."
The one thing she did get, however, was advice on what to wear to dinner. Rachel had panicked about it all week, worried that she'd over or underdress for the occasion. She didn't want to come across as 'uppity' and yet, she didn't want to give the impression that she didn't care either. Coupling that with the hot weather and it left Rachel with not a lot of options. She settled on a nice blouse and a pair of shorts, hoping that she could make up for any fashion errors with her awkward personality.
Emmett picked her up at the door, eager about that aspect of the night. To him, it was a way to meet her parents on a smaller scale and he reveled in the opportunity. He smiled the entire time, politely laughing at the cringy jokes Theresa made after Dennis thanked Emmett for helping Rachel out that week. The whole thing felt awkward and forced and Rachel was more than happy when it was over, and they were on their way to his parent's house.
"See, I told you, parents love me." He'd teased on the drive. Leave it to Emmett to make light of the situation, though she was glad that he took the whole thing with grace instead of bolting for the door.
Rachel just hummed, the nervous jitters flowing stronger through her body the further they got out of town.
"Stop looking so stressed," Emmett said, grinning at her from the driver's seat. "My family's gonna love you. If Henry didn't scare you off, then you've already passed the hardest test."
Rachel gave him a half-hearted smile that didn't quite reach her eyes. "Yeah, I dunno. I mean...what if I say something stupid? Or what if they don't like me?"
"Rae Rae, relax," Emmett chuckled, reaching over to squeeze her hand. "You've got nothing to worry about. They're gonna love you. The worst thing that could happen is that they'll wonder why you're with me. Trust me."
She doubted that was the worst thing that could happen. In fact, she could come up with ten situations right off the bat that would be far worse than what Emmett suggested.
"Do I need to be prepared for anything? Like, do your brothers play some weird hazing ritual with new people?"
Emmett grinned mischievously. "I'm not sure. Maybe. I guess you'll have to find out."
"Emmett," She groaned, swatting his arm lightly. She needed to be prepared, not completely in the dark.
When they saw the first house in the country, Rachel simultaneously panicked and relaxed. There weren't too many cars, which brought her the smidge of relief. She had exhaled a bit of anxiety…until Emmett wasn't slowing down.
Her eyes shot over to him and he gave her a confused look before he caught on. "Oh, that's Nolan and Heidi's house. They built it on a bit of land they bought from Mom and Dad."
He gestured to the dirt road that came into view when they drove by. A large barn sat on the edge of it, but just behind the big building was another house with far more vehicles. "The barn offers a little bit of privacy. Not much, but enough I guess." He smiled at her though it was one Rachel couldn't return.
The only time she'd seen that many cars at one place had been school and house parties. How many people had they invited? Was it truly just Emmett's immediate family? It certainly hadn't sounded like it when they parked, the chatter and children squealing filling Rachel's ears. She gave Emmett a worried look, trying to swallow her fear as best she could.
Two kids were running around the overly large front yard by the door. One was young yet, struggling to carry the car after the older boy. It was adorable to see him toddle along trying to play with the big kid (even though the 'big kid' couldn't have been older than five). Rachel smiled at the pair, also admiring just how much they looked like Emmett and Henry. It seemed that the rumors were absolutely true: all McCarty men looked alike.
"Uncle Emmett!" The oldest one squealed when he saw them and bolted for his uncle. It was by far the cutest thing Rachel had seen in her entire life, Emmett picking the boy up and crushing him in a bear hug. The baby stopped short of the group, eyeing Rachel with a nervous curiosity that was similar to her own.
She smiled at the little boy, offering him a small wave. Aside from Madison's younger siblings, who weren't that young anymore, she'd never really spent much time around little little kids.
"Rachel, this is Rylan. He's Nolan's oldest, obviously." He chuckled at himself before pointing to the baby, "And that's Briar."
Rachel smiled at the two, waving at Rylan that time instead. He grinned at her, waving back eagerly.
"Uncle Emmett! Come play cars with us!" He apparently only had one volume – which made sense for a McCarty kid.
"Can I play cars after dinner? I gotta take Rachel to meet everyone, yeah?" Emmett looked regrettable at the ask, almost as if playing little cars with Rylan was one of his favorite things. Though the way he often spoke of his little nephews, it definitely could have been.
The little boy thought for a moment, then nodded. "Okay! But I get to be the big red car." Rylan held up said car before wiggling out of Emmett's grasp. Briar took a few seconds to stare at Rachel after his brother ran off, but he too joined back in the game.
She gave Emmett a smile before looking after the kids as they raced around. "They're cute."
"They're the best." Emmett agreed, leading her up to the door.
It opened before Emmett could get his hand to the knob, a short, graying woman greeting them. "Come in, come in!" She had a huge smile on her face, green eyes friendly and kind as she ushered them in. She closed the door behind them, pulling Emmett in for a hug before moving on to Rachel. Right before she invaded Rachel's little bubble, she paused, "Oh Lord, I'm sorry! I'm a hugger so I'm just used to going for it. Where are my manners? Is a hug okay?"
Rachel smiled sheepishly, a little unsure what to say. "Uh, yeah." Is what she settled on, letting Judy wrap her arms tightly around her.
Judy squeezed her just a bit, "Oh we are so glad you're here! You're right on time. We were just going to set the table here in a minute. Come meet everyone!" In the next blink, Judy was off, slipping through a side door in the hallway.
Rach glanced back at Emmett, who gave her a wide grin. "She loves you." He whispered, placing a hand on the small of Rachel's back to guide her forward. She wasn't sure how he knew that from their brief interaction and decided that he'd just said so to try and calm her nerves.
They started to walk towards what appeared to be a living room, decorated with a plethora of family photos. Rachel made a mental note to observe them all if she ever got a free moment in the night. As they got closer to the space, she recognized Henry sitting on the couch against the far wall, an older man in the recliner next to him.
Henry grinned like a Cheshire cat when he spotted them, doing nothing to stop Rachel's stomach from doing flips. "Well, Rachel Kenten! Came into the lion's den after all."
The man sitting in the recliner stood as they made their way fully into the entryway of the living room, just as tall and broad-shouldered as Rachel expected from Emmett's father. His face was set in a stern line as he gave Rachel a once-over before extending his hand. His deep voice greeted her, far kinder than she had anticipated. "Nice to meet you, Rachel. I'm Tim."
"It's nice to meet you, Sir." She said politely, reminding herself to look him in the eye as she shook his hand.
"Ah, none of that 'Sir' stuff," Tim smiled, "Makes me feel old."
"Yes, S-…Tim." Rachel quickly corrected with a sheepish grin. He chuckled at her, extending his hand out behind Emmett so he could sneak back down the hallway they'd come from.
Before she had time to watch him fully disappear, Henry had gotten up as well to approach them. As she watched, she noted another man and woman on the same couch as Henry, though she wasn't sure who they were – Nolan and Heidi or Jackson and Chelsea.
Scanning the rest of the room quickly, she saw another one of Emmett's brothers had been seated casually at a second couch, closest to Rachel and directly across the room from the couple. She hadn't remembered a single brother. She thought they were all married aside from Henry and Emmett. Was that a cousin? Em hadn't mentioned extended family.
Henry pulled her in for a light hug before she got the chance to contemplate too much, leaning in to whisper, "We weren't lucky."
She picked up on his meaning immediately – figuring the couple in the room was Jackson and Chelsea. Still, she couldn't help but laugh at his words as he pulled away and she tried, pressing her lips together so she didn't tip anyone off.
Emmett took a breath and nodded at his brother, hearing every word with how close he was. "Yeah." He breathed, stepping into the room a little more. He rose his voice slightly to introduce her to the ones being discussed. "Rach, this is Jackson and Chelsea." His arm was extended to the couple that had been sitting by Henry and Rachel tried not to smirk at Henry's supposed misery.
"Nice to meet you." She said instead, hoping the humor stayed clear out of her voice.
Jackson gave her a kind smile and a wave, but Chelsea didn't even look up from her phone. Instead, Rachel got a half-hearted two-finger wave. Maybe she didn't do a good job not laughing. Or maybe they heard Henry too. It seemed unlikely, given how big the room was and how much Henry has whispered, but maybe.
Rachel didn't have time to give Emmett a questioning look before the only other man had risen, giving Henry a light shove. "Now this is some bullshit." He said, gaze sternly set on his target. "How come Henry got to meet Rachel before I did?"
She turned to watch Emmett's expression, eager to see his response with the mystery man. He played it just as cool as he did with Henry, giving nothing but a shrug. "Don't complain to me, Nolan. She works at the restaurant right in town. You could've shown up too."
"Yeah, but you just couldn't be fucked."
"Language!" Tim called from another room in the house.
"But you couldn't be fricked." Henry amended his statement, much to Rachel's amusement. She was glad that she had met Henry prior to dinner. It was nice to have one familiar face (though to be fair, they were all a little familiar since they all looked like Emmett).
She was also grateful that Nolan seemed to tolerate her presence and had the same easygoing nature as his brothers. At least she didn't have to worry about two brothers and their wives hating her.
From somewhere behind them in the house, Judy called, "Come on, y'all! It's time to eat!"
"Come on, saved ya a seat next to me." Henry nudged Rachel and Emmett, leading the way back to the dining room.
The table was beautifully set for everyone, looking far nicer than any family dinner table Rachel had ever seen. They had placemats and napkins beside the plates. Rachel had never seen a table that could have so many people around it. Not since elementary school anyway.
And just like in elementary school, Henry patted the seat next to him, encouraging Emmett and Rachel to sit there. Emmett let Rachel go first to claim the spot right beside his brother. Then Em took his place beside Rachel, effectively sitting her in the middle of them again.
She playfully groaned, giving each boy a teasing smirk. "Oh great. Stuck between you two again."
"You like it. Don't lie." Emmett nudged her. He stole a kiss to the cheek as the rest of the family filed in.
"Coming through!" Nolan rushed by, holding both boys under his arms. The kids laughed hysterically at the position, their little squeals easily filling the room. A woman walked in behind them, shaking her head. She took a seat at the end next to Briar's highchair, while Nolan placed Rylan in the seat beside himself. Due to the closeness of the new woman and the two kids, Rachel assumed it was Heidi.
She felt less comfortable when Jackson sat across from her, and even less so when Chelsea sat down beside him without sparing Rachel a single glance. She wasn't exactly sure what she had done to earn Chelsea's hate, if it hadn't been Henry's jab. Had Rachel forgotten to say 'nice to meet you'? She swore she had said that to everyone, except Nolan because she hadn't actually been introduced and Emmett had just mentioned his name in passing. Was it awkward to try and fit that in to Nolan at that point? Probably.
"Dish up, y'all." Judy whirled into the kitchen with a bowl full of bread. She placed it down in the last empty spot, giving Rachel a kind smile. "Do you like ham and potatoes? Emmett didn't think you were allergic to anything, but we have plenty of other stuff if you are or if you'd rather. Absolutely no trouble at all."
Offering to make a separate meal just for her? Asking about allergies? What kind of dreamland had she entered? "Oh, no, you're fine. I'm all good. Thank you though, I appreciate it." Hopefully she conveyed it to Judy too. It was very sweet of her to consider Rachel that way.
"Will's working, so I think the only one I missed is Heidi." Emmett drew her attention back after grabbing potatoes for himself, nodding towards the woman Rachel had guessed was Heidi.
"Hi, good to meet you." Rachel said with a small smile, worried that because Chelsea didn't like her, then Heidi wouldn't either.
She quickly learned that Heidi was far more similar to Nolan than she was to Chelsea. "You as well! It's so nice to finally meet the girl Em hasn't shut up about all summer!"
The table laughed at Emmett's expense while Rachel eyed her boyfriend. That was news to her. Emmett had been talking about her a lot to the family?
"Don't listen to her." Emmett tried to defend himself. "She lies a lot. It comes from being married to Lenny."
Nolan got one smack to Emmett's arm in before Tim shut it down with a stern, "Not at the table." Something told Rachel that Tim had a lot of practice doing that.
"Why is she here?" Rylan asked loudly, leaning forward to get an eyeful of Rachel. They laughed at his bluntness, but Heidi was quick to scold the little one for being rude. She gave Rachel an apologetic look unnecessarily. Rachel wasn't offended.
"She's Uncle Emmett's girlfriend." Nolan informed him.
"Oh, so she likes Uncle Emmett?"
"Not really." Rachel replied automatically. She immediately slapped her hand over her mouth, eyes wide as she stared at Heidi. Henry did the same, trying not to spit his water everywhere. Most of the family, notably Nolan and Tim, erupted in laughter, the noise reverberating off of the walls.
Emmett gave her a deadpan look, shaking his head. "Thanks, Rach."
"I'm so sorry, I didn't mean-" She started to apologize, but was cut off by Henry's hand on her shoulder. The boy was still shaking with laughter, trying very hard, but failing to keep the water in his mouth.
She bit her lip, internally debating whether she should help him or let him have it. On one hand, it was super improper to say the thing on her mind, but on the other, she could totally get him back for being sassy….
Rachel leaned into him, Emmett following so he could hear. She lowered her voice as she tried to keep her face neutral, hoping not to give off her intent. "Get it together, Henry. Spitters are quitters."
He lost it then, barely getting his other hand up in time to stop the water from getting in his food. Emmett burst out laughing as well, pulling Rachel back his way so he could give her a side hug.
"What'd she say?" Nolan asked Em, nudging his brother repeatedly. "What'd she say?"
Em leaned in and repeated it quietly. Nolan's reaction was not very quiet.
"Sorry, I had to get Henry back for Monday." Rachel told the boys sheepishly, offering a small shrug.
"When I fixed your car for you?" Henry exclaimed. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see him giving her a look. "Your right, I'm so very sorry."
"I meant all the short jokes." Rachel spoke up, giving him a playful glare.
Judy gasped at her son, "Henry James!"
"Well, now hold on, you haven't seen her car! She sits on a booster seat."
"Actually?" Heidi asked in a low tone, looking more concerned for Rachel than anything.
"Well, no." Henry shrugged, "but damn near."
"The seat is pretty far up." Emmett agreed with a shrug and Rachel elbowed him. "What? It is. I thought I was sitting in a go-kart."
Heidi scoffed, actually stepping in to defend Rachel, "Not all of us are giants, you know."
Emmett tried to play innocent, holding his hands up and shaking his head. Rachel just rolled her eyes, fully expecting such behavior from him. He was such a goof.
As the laughter died down, Jackson finally spoke up, eyes flashing between her and Emmett, "So, y'all been together long?"
Rachel snickered, fully intending on letting Emmett answer that question. Jackson seemed confused by her reaction, but Emmett was quick to step in. "We've been going out for a little while. Few months."
A little deceptive. Not that Rachel was going to say anything otherwise. It sounded better than 'officially dating since Monday.'
"Oh, little bit then." Jackson agreed. "How'd y'all meet? Did ya go to school together?"
"He's a year above me. I'm a senior this year." Rachel answered the latter part of the question.
Nolan was quick to call her out on it, complaining that she didn't answer the 'most fun part' of the question.
"Yeah," Henry leaned back with a smirk. "You gotta tell us how on Earth you fell for the biggest flirt in the county."
Emmett groaned but was clearly not bothered by Henry's jab. Rachel, however, couldn't resist the opening.
"Oh, I didn't," Rachel said, throwing a playful look at Emmett. "I didn't fall. Someone harassed me."
"One time-"
Rachel scoffed and gave him a nudge, "It was more than one time! It was twice a week for a month."
The boys laughed at that, and Judy had to raise her voice over them to be heard as she scolded Emmett. "You better not have been harassing her!"
"I didn't! I was just eating at the restaurant." Emmett defended himself, once again trying to look innocent.
"And you just happened to sit in my section every time. You never had another waitress that entire month you were there." Rachel laughed with a shake of her head.
"A coincidence." Emmett told her with a smile that wasn't as unknowing as he pretended. "A happy coincidence."
"Happy for who?" She asked through her giggles, earning a little laughter from the table.
"Happy for both of us."
Nolan scoffed, "Ain't nobody happy to be dating you, Em."
"Really? Cause I can think of at least one thing that would be worse." Emmett looked off into the distance, as though he was imagining something truly horrible.
"What's that?" Nolan asked, curious at Emmett's sudden shift in facial features.
"Being married to you." Emmett grinned, instantly leaning towards Rachel, as though he fully expected the slap on the arm that followed. From what Rachel had seen of the night that far, Emmett probably had anticipated it.
She looked around the table at the crinkled eyes, toothy grins, and flushed cheeks. When was the last time she'd seen that from a family? From any group of people, really. It felt like a scene out of a movie – a family who actually liked spending time together, who seemed to know and enjoy each other's quirks. Where was the awkward silence? Where was the small talk? Was this just for her benefit, or was that really what Emmett got to come home to?
It was a bigger shock when no one bolted for the door right after dinner. They'd fulfilled their obligation – family dinner – yet they still stuck around. In fact, they even suggested games to play together and then they…didn't end up in anger. She felt like she was living a weirdly vivid dream.
Therefore, she didn't feel bad exclaiming, "Ugh! You suck!" and tossing her head back in defeat as Nolan won yet another Mario Kart race.
"I told you he cheats." Emmett mumbled dejectedly as Nolan tried to high-five his wife.
Heidi was quick to reject him, also upset about losing the one race she'd played. He tried to soften her up by stating 'a win for me is a win for us, baby' but she wasn't having any of it.
Rachel had gotten so caught up in the games and the weirdness of it all that when she checked the clock, her eyes widened. She couldn't believe that it had actually gotten so late. And to think she had thought she'd be counting down the minutes.
"Yeah, should probably get you home." Emmett said quietly and she realized that he had followed her gaze. "You gotta work tomorrow morning."
"Oh good," Henry butted in cheerfully, "We'll come pester ya!"
Judy quickly shut that idea down, sending yet another apologetic look to Rachel. She was quickly becoming Rachel's favorite family member. Even though Rachel didn't mind Henry's, or the other McCarty's teasing, it was funny to see Judy wrangle them.
"We should probably head out too." Nolan looked to his wife for agreement. "Gotta get the kids in bed."
Jackson also agreed, standing and stretching.
"I'll get your leftovers." Judy started back to the kitchen, Heidi and Nolan following to dig the kids out of the playroom. Rachel silently wished them luck in the endeavor. From the sounds of their play, they were certainly enjoying themselves.
Henry excused himself to the bathroom, leaving the two couples alone, much to Rachel's dismay. Chelsea hadn't spoken a word to her all night, Jackson hardly saying anything after dinner. The air was undeniably awkward and Rachel understood why Emmett might not have been fond of the pair coming over.
"It was great meeting y'all." Rachel said politely, "Hopefully we'll see y'all again real soon."
Jackson nodded, though to Rachel's surprise, Chelsea responded first, "Yeah, hopefully. Guess we'll see if Emmett actually keeps you around for a while."
Rachel had no idea how to respond to that, though it seemed she didn't have to. Chelsea lightly tugged on the bottom of Rachel's shirt, adding, "I didn't get to tell you this earlier but cute shirt! I wish I had your confidence to wear something that…bold."
Rachel blinked, her brain whirling to try and process the comment. Was it a compliment? No, it couldn't be. No one said something like that as a compliment. But could Chelsea really be so blatantly rude? Her eyes flicked to Emmett, completely unsure what to do. On one hand, it was Emmett's sister-in-law and she wanted to make a good impression. On the other, it was incredibly backhanded.
While she debated, she could feel the tension in the air, as if the whole room was waiting for a response. She watched Emmett's jaw tighten, and he shot a quick look at Jackson, silently asking him if he was going to say something.
The older McCarty did say something, just not the something that Emmett or Rachel had in mind. "Well, we should probably keep it moving. Say goodbye to Momma and them." Jackson rubbed the back of his neck. "Later, Hen."
Rachel turned slightly, not even realizing that Henry had rejoined them. Part of her wondered if Henry had heard anything. But when Henry scoffed as a response to Jackson's goodbye, Rachel had her answer.
"Nice to meet you, Rachel." Chelsea gave her an exaggerated smile before walking off.
Emmett took a breath beside her, still seething. "Yeah. Real nice."
Jackson offered a shrug before he turned to follow his wife, until Emmett caught his arm. Rachel's stomach dropped, knowing exactly what was coming next based on Emmett's expression.
"Man, what the hell?" He whispered, not taking his eyes off of his brother. Jackson was only a couple inches shorter than Emmett yet at that moment, Rachel was sure the difference was a few feet.
The older brother rubbed the back of his neck again, glancing towards the direction Chelsea had gone. "Look, I'm sorry about her, but…I mean, you know how she is, man." His voice was low and maybe even a little…tired.
Rachel decided to step in then, placing a gentle hand on Emmett's arm, "Em, it's fine."
"No, it's not." He shook his head at her, voice raising slightly. "You didn't do anything to her. You were nothing but nice. That's crap. And this isn't even the first time Chelsea's been like that for no good reason."
"What do you want me to do Emmett?" Jackson asked, pulling his arm out of his brother's grip.
"I want you to go get your fucking balls out of your wife's purse and do something about her attitude for once."
Rachel's eyebrows rose, shocked that Emmett would go that far. Her stomach twisted, hating the fact that the brothers were fighting because of her. Chelsea's comments weren't anything she couldn't handle or process on her own. They really weren't worth talking about, especially if it meant Emmett would argue with Jackson.
At the same time, Emmett standing up for her…it was sweet. She appreciated him playing defense, especially to his own family. She could only guess how uncomfortable he was about having to confront his brother for a girl he hadn't known that long.
And what did it say about how Emmett felt about her – that he was willing to do it? Knowing…that he respected her enough not to let her be treated like that…it felt weird in her chest.
Henry scoffed as he joined the conversation, nudging Emmett's arm playfully, "Oh come on, Em. She ain't got them in her purse…she's fucking wearin' them at this point."
Rachel pressed her lips together, praying that things didn't escalate any further. She didn't want to encourage anything or make it worse, but she also wasn't exactly sure how to stop it either.
For the first time that night, Jackson showed a bit of emotion as well, jaw tightening at the quip. His voice was tight as he spoke, eyes solely narrowed at Em. "You don't know what it's like, okay? You're not married. You don't get it."
Emmett opened his mouth to fire back, but before he could, Henry stepped in between the two boys, placing a hand on his younger brother's chest, "Alright, alright! Come on now, we're supposed to be de-escalating, not…not de-escalating. Let's save the showdown for Thanksgiving, yeah? Can't have all the fun in one night. Besides," Henry thumbed over at Rachel, "we wouldn't want to scare off the new girl. She's gotta ease into this level of crazy, damn."
Henry's words seemed to resonate with his brothers. Emmett's eyes flashed back to Rachel and he visibly relaxed, wide shoulders falling as he reached around Henry for her. He gently pulled her into his grasp, squeezing her softly, almost as though it was silent apology.
Jackson was also more than willing to drop the subject, shaking his head before stalking off towards the door. Rachel watched the older brother go, a little unsure of how to feel about the whole thing. Though something told her that she wouldn't be invited back to family dinner anytime soon.
Henry disagreed, taking a step back to throw his arm around Rachel. He grinned at her, as if completely unbothered by the fight he'd just broken up. "Welcome to the family, Rachel."
The car ride back to Rachel's house started out a little awkward. Both parties were processing the night, Rachel still left with the uncomfortable tightness that came with family fights. Though it was something she had more than enough experience with, there was just something different about it being someone else's family. Emmett having to fight with Jackson over her…was there something about Rachel that just brought out the worst in people? Not that Emmett had been unreasonable, but it was obviously a place he hadn't wanted to go.
Rachel just seemed to bring out frustration wherever she went. First with her father, who was always exasperated by her, then with Emmett and Chelsea…did she just attract chaos? Did she do something to cause it?
"I'm sorry you had to see that side of my family." Emmett was first to break the silence, stealing a quick glance at Rachel. "That was exactly why Henry and I were hoping they wouldn't come down. She can be really awful sometimes.
Rachel offered him a reassuring smile. It was odd, how he thought he needed to apologize to her. "It's okay. I'm used to interesting family dynamics." She hesitated, searching his face. "But I appreciate you standing up for me. You didn't have to do that."
"What? Of course, I did. You didn't deserve that. She can't just disrespect you like that for no reason." Emmett shook his head, still a bit steamy it seemed. "And Jackson…he drives me nuts. He didn't even say anything, just let it happen. I get that I'm not married, but being married doesn't mean you just let your spouse walk all over you – especially when they're so clearly in the wrong, right?"
Rachel just shrugged. In all honesty, that was all she had seen in a marriage. Her mother tried to step up when Dennis flew off the handle, though her efforts were usually small and fruitless.
"Sorry." Emmett apologized again. He took a deep breath. "I'm sorry you had to see that. I'm sorry you have to see me all upset. I'm just sorry the night turned out this way."
"Don't be." She told him sincerely. He didn't need to apologize for anything. If anything, Chelsea was the one who needed to, not that she would. "You didn't do anything wrong, ok? Like I said, you didn't have to stand up for me, but you did anyway. It was really sweet. And it was still a good night overall. I really like the rest of your family."
He smiled at her, his tension finally cracking, "Well, I'm glad we didn't scare you away. Next time I'll give you some survival tips. Might need a hazmat suit or something."
Rachel bust out laughing, raising an eyebrow at him, "Hazmat suit? Are we working with chemicals next dinner?"
"Hey, with my family, you never know."