Race Against Time

I got out of the subway right by Isabella's apartment building. She came out, looking around. I came up behind her and poked the small of her back. She yelped and whirled around, fist balled. Her face relaxed when she saw me.
"Sorry, I'm a bit on edge today", she apologized. I pressed my mouth to hers.
"Then calm down", I suggested. She frowned.
"Easy for you to say", she replied. We walked to her truck. It was easy to be with her like this. After a bit of my genius navigating, we reached my dad's house a half an hour later. She gave me a funny look as she got out.
"Geez, I hope you never become an explorer. You won't know where the hell you're going", she teased me. I rolled my eyes. I opened the door a bit before kicking it open playfully. My dad jerked up out of his chair.
"Sorry, that came open a bit more loud than I planned it to", I called. He peered through the doorway and smiled.
"Well, now, who's this?" he asked, nodding to Isabella. She smiled shyly.
"I'm Isabella", she said, extending her hand. He shook her hand, his eyes wide.
"Nice to meet you, sweetie", he replied. He looked up at me. He was seeing the resemblance between Isabella and her mother.

"You as well, sir", she said.
"Your accent is adorable, where you from?" he asked.
"Wilmington, North Carolina", she replied. I heard the door open. It was my sister, Sam. She saw Isabella and looked at me. "Girlfriend?" she mouthed. I nodded, looking down a bit. She nodded before approaching Isabella.
"I'm Sam, Don's sister", she introduced herself. Isabella extended her hand, but Sam insisted on crushing her with a hug. Isabella's eyes bugged a bit before hugging her back.
"You are absolutely gorgeous!" Sam said, appraising Isabella. Isabella chuckled.
"Thank you", she replied.
"And she has an accent! Dang, hold onto this one", Sam said to me. I chuckled, a bit embarrassed. Leave it to my sister to say everything everyone else is thinking.
"Thank you for inviting me over, you have a lovely home", Isabella said. She was nervous, something I'd never seen her be. I've seen her fight, cry, pissed and happy. I'd seen her take down suspects several times her size without so much as a flicker of emotion. Dad smiled widely.
"Well, thank you, sugar. Damn, I just met her five minutes ago and I already like her more than you", he replied, shoving me playfully. Isabella laughed.

"Time for the interview", I muttered to her. Yep, this was where my dad asked her all sorts of questions about her hometown, her job, her family.
"I'm sorry if he asks so many questions. The cop in him never quits", Sam said. Isabella smiled, chuckling a bit.
"No, it's okay. Talking about Wilmington doesn't bother me a bit", she replied.
"Well, you say that now. Soon, you're going to have to memorize every aspect", I spoke up. I kissed the top of her head. She laughed.
"Well, I've met some very interesting people. Like, I'd met Chad Michael Murray from One Tree Hill while working a case on their set", she said. Sam squealed.
"Oh, what was he like?" she asked.
"He was a major jerk. Such a diva", Isabella replied, rolling her eyes. Soon, the girls were engrossed in a conversation. Dad pulled me aside.

"Keep this one around, she's a good woman. You need one of those", he said. I smiled.
"Yeah, I know. She's great", I replied, watching her with Sam. I couldn't imagine anyone being a better hit with my family.
"You like her?" I asked. Dad smiled.
"Yeah, I really do. She's really sweet and genuine", he replied.
"Her family's nice too. I'd met them in the hospital", I said.
"Your mother would've liked her too", he replied. I thought of my mother.
"Yeah, Mom would've liked her", I agreed. Isabella was paying close attention to Sam, listening to every word she was saying.
"Yeah! I have a dog too, he's a Lab. He's totally my baby", she was saying. Everyone who'd ever met her knew about Boomer. They were showing pictures of their dogs.

After another couple of hours, Sam had to leave. Isabella hugged her and they exchanged numbers. After another hour, she had to go too.
"Did you want a ride back to your place?" she asked me. I shrugged.
"Yeah, only if you don't mind", I replied. She smiled.
"Nah, you can walk", she teased. She was in a very good mood now. Dad hugged her goodbye.
"You be safe, little lady", he told her.
"You as well, sir", she replied. We walked out to the truck.
"Okay, I cannot imagine anyone being a bigger hit with them", I said as we got in.
"I really liked them", she replied, smiling. I could tell she meant it. I kissed her head.
"I'm glad. I could tell Sam really liked you", I said. She smiled wider.
"Yeah, I really liked her too. We have a lot in common", she replied. We pulled up to my apartment building.
"Wanna swing back around after you take care of Boomer?" I asked. She smiled and nodded.
"Sure, I'll be around in half an hour or so", she answered. We kissed and I got out. I didn't understand till just then how lucky I was.