We've Proven Our Love Over Time So Strong.

I woke up a bit nervous Saturday morning. We were going to his parents' house and I was anxious about meeting them. I had never dated anybody who brought me to meet their parents, so I was afraid of making a fool of myself. I kept thinking to myself that 'what if they didn't like me?' My biggest concern was that I was sure they were close with Michelle since she and Brian dated for a long time, and I was afraid they wouldn't be approving of Brian dating somebody so shortly after that all ended, let along somebody that barely knew any of them personally. After breakfast we both showered and were getting ready to leave.

“Baby, you look nervous,” Brian said, watching me as I straightened my hair.

“I am a little bit. I've never been in a relationship where my boyfriend brought me to meet his parents. What if they don't like me? What if they think I'm some gold digging fan-girl? What if they don't want me with you so soon after you got out of a long-term relationship that was supposed to turn into marriage?”

“Whoa, whoa. Calm down.” Brian stepped close to me, resting his hands on my shoulders. “They are not going to hate you. In fact, they're excited to get to meet you. Hell for the last five months they've been asking when I was going to bring you by.”

I calmed my nerves a bit as I finished getting ready. I put the finishing touches to my unruly hair, frustrated that it wasn't growing out fast enough. It also needed to be colored, badly at that. I sighed, knowing that this was the best I could do and walked out of the bathroom back to the bedroom to find my shoes. Brian was dressed in black jeans, pulling on a white button up dress shirt and rolling the sleeves a bit. My breath had hitched in my throat for a moment. “You look nice, babe,” I said, smiling.

“Well you look beautiful,” he said as he pulled me into a tight embrace. “Are you ready to head out now?”

“Yep.”

We were soon on the road to his parents' house and as we got closer, my anxiety began to come back. I tried to fight it off, but when we pulled into the driveway, I began to have a minor panic attack. “Baby, why are you so scared about this?”

“Brian, remember that I said I haven't had a relationship where I met his parents? I just don't want to make a fool out of myself.”

“Baby, you won't. Don't worry.” Brian's reassurance wasn't helping much, but I didn't hesitate to follow him into the house. He called out for his stepmother, but instead was greeted by a teenage girl who threw herself at Brian. “How's it going munchkin?”

“Great. Mom has the turkey in the oven and just left to go pick up dad from the airport. He said something about catching an earlier flight in.”

“Awesome. I'd like you to meet someone special.” He unwrapped her arms from his waist and stepped back. “This is my girlfriend, Lisa. Babe, this is my little sister, McKenna.”

“You can call me Mac if you want,” she said, wrapping her arms around my waist. “Brian's said so much about you, so I'm glad we finally get to meet you!”

“It's nice to meet you too.” I smiled and returned the hug to the young girl.

After I had gotten a quick tour of the house, the three of us sat in the den to talk and watch TV. We had gotten lost in time until a door opened from somewhere in the house. McKenna ran from the den, shouting. “Daddy!”

Brian laughed, standing up and pulling me with him. His fingers laced with mine as we followed the voices. I squeezed my boyfriend's hand as we entered the foyer where his parents stood. He had barely gotten the introduction out before Suzy was hugging me tightly. “Oh, we're so glad you could make it! Brian has told us so much about you.”

As soon as she let me go, Brian Sr. pulled me into a hug. “The Navy girl. It's great to finally get to meet you.”

I smiled as my anxiety had disappeared. “It's great to meet you guys too. Especially since I'm hardly ever going to be in town for a while.”

“Well, I will make some coffee, and we'd love to hear about your adventures,” Suzy said.

After we each had a coffee cup in hand, we gathered in the den where I enlightened them with stories about Boot Camp and my time in Texas where I got to shoot guns. There wasn't much else to say afterwards except that I was leaving for Virginia next weekend.

“Well, it's a very respectable and difficult decision to have made,” Brian Sr. started. “I'm sure it's hard to be away from home.”

“It is, but I'm getting used to it. I mean it is very hard being away from Brian, my friends and family, but it gets a bit easier as time goes by.” I smiled as I squeezed my boyfriend's hand again, leaning against his arm.

“You two are happy. And you show it well.” Suzy smiled as she stood up. “Excuse me while I go start more of our food.”

“Would you like some help, Mrs. Haner?” I asked.

“Please, call me Suzy, and I could use an extra hand if you'd like. Mac can take a break from assistant duty.”

Brian pulled me in for a kiss before I followed Suzy into the kitchen. We began preparing the side dishes and dessert while chatting about anything and everything we could think about. “Mmm Suzy, that turkey looks amazing.”

“Should be done in about another half-hour.” She closed the oven and leaned back against the counter. “This is the happiest I've ever seen Brian. It's great to see that.”

I bit my tongue so I wouldn't ask about Michelle. I already knew that I made him happier than she had, but I really didn't want to bring up painful memories. “I'm glad to have the same affect on him that he has on me. I went through a very rough breakup after being pretty miserable in the relationship itself, but to finally have somebody who treats me this well...it's just amazing.”

“He is a great guy. You two are lucky to have each other. Now if you'll excuse me for a moment.”

I nodded as Suzy walked out of the kitchen. After I taste-tested the stuffing, I began to walk back towards the den, stopping right around the corner as I listened to Brian and his father talking about our relationship.

“I loved Michelle, I really did, but she was cheating on me and I wasn't about to let her play me like that.”

“I wouldn't allow that to happen to my son. You're a lot happier now though, and you have been for the last few months.”

“I did not expect to fall in love again so soon. Ever since I laid eyes on Lisa I just knew. I don't know what it was, or how to explain it.”

“You both do know that your careers will keep you apart a lot right? She can get stationed on the other side of the world, and then you with your touring.”

“We're both aware, and we're both determined to make this work. I love her.”

I felt tears beginning to form. Tears of joy and tears of sadness. I was ecstatic that he felt so strongly about me, but it was also devastating that we'll probably spend more time apart than together. I knew he wanted to go to Norfolk with me, but how long would that last before he had to come back home to help his band? I loved this man to death, but I couldn't help but wonder if we really would make the distance work. It was making me think that I was leaving him again in a week, not knowing when I'd see him next, and missing Christmas.

Sighing, I turned and went back to the kitchen where Suzy was pulling a pie out of the oven. The sweet smell of pumpkin spice filled my nose as I smiled. “Spying on your boyfriend?” Suzy asked with a giggle.

“I was going to join then, but they were talking about our relationship and didn't want to interrupt.”

“Well, we can interrupt in a few since dinner is almost ready.”

I smiled, relieved that she didn't ask me what exactly they were talking about that had to do with Brian's and my relationship. After we set the table, I went to tell them that dinner was ready. They were watching something on TV when I entered the den, and after I had turned to go back to the dining room, Brian grabbed my wrist, pulling me back towards him. His arms snaked around my body in a quick embrace before his lips touched mine. The moment froze for me, as it did every time Brian kissed me. It was only when I heard an 'awww' ring out that I snapped back into reality. “Honey, aren't they adorable?” Suzy's voice broke into my thoughts.

“Okay, let's go eat!” Brian exclaimed, lacing his fingers with mine as we walked towards the dining room.

We talked over dinner, mostly hearing about Brian Sr's shows. He was a comedian and a musician, so all of his stories had me laughing. Dinner was delicious and the chatter was entertaining. It was a fun day all around and I was almost bummed to be leaving.

“Did you have fun?” Brian asked as he drove away from his parents' house.

I reached across the center console and grabbed his hand. “I had a blast.”

“Good. I'm glad you did.”

We went on in silence until arriving back at Brian's house. He mumbled a curse under his breath as I noticed another car sitting in his driveway. I figured it was one of his friends until I saw a silhouette that definitely didn't belong to one of the guys. “Uhh...” I turned towards Brian as he shut off his car and opened the door.

“I apologize in advance if she causes any trouble,” he said as he got out of his car. I followed closely, wanting to reach for his hand, but holding back. “Michelle, what are you doing here?”