Meet the Family

The coffee shop was alive with festive spirit. Lights and tinsel were woven on the walls and Christmas music played from the speakers above the the shop's inhabitants. The chatter was quiet, but thrilled with the feeling of the season. The air was warm and cozy, the occasional winter draft blowing in from the opening door.

Jonnie sat at a lone table in the corner, tapping away at photos of some of her sketches. She had to decide on three for a portfolio that could get her into an art exhibition. It would glamorous, prestigious, and could get her some serious business if she were to have her work shown there. The only trouble was finding out which ones were worth anyone's time.

“Figure one out yet?” It was Jamie's voice who startled her out of her intense state. He sat down across from her, sliding a cup of caramel macciato over to her along with a blueberry scone cradled inside a napkin.

Jonnie sighed, breaking off a corner of the pastry and letting it melt in her mouth. “No.”

“I may be biased, but I think you could enter about anything of yours and win a place in there.” He offered a smile, half of his perfect lips lifting.

Jonnie smiled back. “Thanks, but its going to take more than your opinion to prove that.”

“I know,” said Jamie. “Too bad I didn't pay enough in art class during high school.” He chewed at his own scone, watching as she continued to scroll through her phone. “So...have you thought about Christmas yet?”

She put her phone down, meeting his warm hazels with her crisp blues. “I have,” she admitted. “My parents are going to Cancun for Christmas—without me—so I am totally open for spending time with you and your family for the holidays—if they'll have me.”

Jamie smiled, white pearls flashing. “I just had to mention the idea and they were jumping for at the chance of meeting you.”

Jonnie chuckled. “Well, I'm really excited to meet them too. Its just...” She paused, playing with the styrofoam cup in her hands. “I'm not...”

“A cop?” Jamie questioned. “That doesn't matter. My sister-in-law's a nurse.”

“No, its not that. Its...the age difference.”

Realization crossed the Jamie's handsome face. He reached over the table and took one of Jonnie's hands that was still stained with paint. “Eight years difference is not that much,” he said. “Yeah, you're still in school, but...we don't have to worry about that and neither should my family.”

“I know,” Jonnie said, squeezing his fingers tightly. “Its just intimidating.”

Jamie flashed his teeth. “Don't let them scare you too much. Come on.” He got up from his seat and Jonnie quirked an eyebrow.

“Where you going?”

“We are going to go shopping for your Christmas present.”

“You don't have to get me anything.”

“Oh, I already got you something,” said Jamie, “but I want you to pick out something for yourself, ya know?”

Jonnie just looked at him in that condescending way that she did. Her eyes got a glint to them that stated she was about to argue. As she opened her mouth to do so, Jamie grabbed her hand and pulled her from her seat. “Let's go,” he said and led her out into the drifting snow and joyful, cold air.



The Reagan house was large and old with history engrained in its floorboards and the blood of New York City's finest cops running through it. Golden lights hung from the roof, the balcony, and framed the large windows.

Jonnie stared up at its leering outline against the night sky. A sense of intimidation set in her gut again. This was not a good idea.

Jamie and Jonnie had been dating for almost a year and a half and she had never met any of his family, though she was well-aware of all of them. Jamie's sister(and eldest of the Reagan siblings), Erin, was the District Attorney, divorced, and had one daughter that Jamie constantly praised for her bright personality and intelligence. Danny was Jamie's older brother, a detective with a gruff personality, two sons, and a loving wife that was a nurse at one of the hospitals. Jamie was quick to inform his girlfriend that Danny's bark was worse than his bite. Then, there was the patriarch of the Reagan family: Police Commissioner Frank Reagan, Jamie's father, and overall “a quiet, easy-going guy” as Jamie liked to describe him, though Jonnie was still paralyzed at the thought of being in the company of New York City's police commissioner.

Jonnie felt Jamie hook his arm with hers, leading her up the sidewalk to the porch. He was completely at ease when she peered at him from the corner of her eyes—an exact opposite of herself.

"So what does your family all know about me?" Jonnie finally managed to ask.

"Um..." She watched as Jamie bit at his lower lip, "they know you're a woman and Catholic."

"That's it?” she demanded. “I'm about to walk into a house full of cops and they know nothing about me? Its going to be like sitting in a fricking interrogation room!"

Jamie smiled at her, a charming blight that made her almost melt on the icy porch. "Merry Christmas," he said, a sheepish smile crossing his face. Jonnie smacked him on the arm, earning a simple chuckle from her boyfriend before he thre open the door. “We're here!”

An outburst sounded from inside, the warmth flowing over Jonnie's chilled limbs as she stomped her boots. Two women, a blonde a red-head, were quickly in the entryway. Grins were set upon their faces. They welcomed Jamie, who was as happy as Jonnie had ever seen him.

“Jonnie, this is my sister, Erin, and my sister-in-law, Linda,” Jamie said, motioning to the red-head then the blonde.

“Its so nice to meet you, Jonnie,” Linda stated, hugging the girl tightly.

“Its nice to meet you too,” Jonnie said, a natural smile flickering across her painted lips. The two women were more welcoming than she expected. Her muscles lessened only a little.

Jamie took their coats to another room, leaving Jonnie in the care of his sisters. They ushered her into the kitchen. A man, who Jonnie was going to assume was Danny by his obvious studying of her the moment she walked in, was sitting at the counter with a cold beer in his hand.

“Danny, this is Jonnie,” said Linda. “Isn't she just the prettiest thing ever?”

Jonnie visibly blushed at the sudden compliment before nodding to Danny. He got up from his spot and approached, holding out his hand. She took it, feeling her face brighten as he continued to scrutinize her. “So what do you do, Jonnie?” he asked. Obviously, he cut straight to business.

Jonnie swallowed, trying to hurry for an answer. “I, um, work at the coffee shop on Sicamore and also at Jefferson's Art Museum in Brooklyn some days.”

“Sounds like interesting career choices,” Danny stated.

“Danny...” his wife warned.

Jonnie quickly explained, “I'm still earning money so I can pay my way through college.”

“College?” Danny questioned. “You're still in school?”

“Where do you go?” asked Linda, her questions coming out less threatening than her husbands.

“Oh, I go to the...Art Institute.”

Linda hardly missed a beat, “oh, so you wan to be an artist?” The question was far from patronizing, sounding more like very intrigued. Danny remained silent.

“Yes, she does,” Jamie responded, coming into the kitchen. He rested his hands on her shoulders, squeezing reassuringly when he felt her tense beneath his palms. “She's one of the best I've ever seen. Sketching, painting, photography. You name it and she can do it.”

“Maybe she could do those family pictures we've been wanting to do. Huh, Danny?” Linda gave her husband a glance. He simply grunted in response. “So is this your first time in college? How close are you to getting done?”

“Oh, this is my third year. I'll be done about next year or so.”

“I see,” said Linda, “that's good you're doing what you love.”

Danny was continuing to study the younger blonde until he said, “Jamie, can I talk to you, buddy?”

Jamie nodded and the two stepped into the living room. Frank and his own father, Henry, were speaking amongst themselves.

“Dad, Jamie brought his girlfriend,” Danny said shortly.

“That's good. I was expecting her.” The commissioner arched an eyebrow at his elder son's tense form before aiming it at Jamie.

Jamie just shrugged. “Yeah, she's in the kitchen if you want to meet her.”

“Of course we do,” Henry said, making his way into the kitchen. “I want to meet my next granddaughter-in-law!” Frank shook his head, his tall figure following after his father.

Jamie turned to his brother. “What is it?”

“How old is she?” Danny asked, crossing his arms. “Because if this her third year of college and if I'm thinking she went to college when she was supposed to—”

“She's twenty-one,” Jamie answered. “Is that what you want to know?”

“What the hell are you doing dating a twenty-one year old?” demanded Danny, his voice raising.

“Why not?” his brother shot back. “What's so wrong with it?”

“Its eight years, Jamie!”

“And?”

“You're gonna want to think about a family and she's thinking about getting through college still. It may not seem like a lot, but the goals and everything in that amount of age difference is intense.”

“Not for us.”

“And her career—”

“What about it?” Jamie growled. “She's an artist and not something...prestigious?” He spat out the word like poison. “Am I supposed to care? Danny, you just met her ten minutes ago and you're making all these assumptions about her, about us. If you can't handle it...” He swallowed, shaking his head slightly. “Honestly, I don't know what to tell you. What I can tell you is that Jonnie is one of the most sweetest and beautiful people I have ever met. She's helped me out of some pretty dark times. And I love her. Yeah, I love her, Danny” Jamie raised his arms from his sides. “What am I going to do about? What are you going to do about it? She's one of the best things that's ever happened to me and I'm sorry if you're not going to take the time to see it.”

Danny stood in silence, hands placed on his hips as he studied his little brother with a cold stare. Jamie waited for him to say something, but his hopes diminished. “Fine,” was all he said and turned back for the kitchen.

Jonnie was busy helping Linda set the final plates of food on the table. They were making a full conversation, smiling and clearly enjoying the others companionship. Nicki, Erin's daughter, was talking with her mom before she spotted her Uncle Jamie come in from the kitchen. She skipped over, hair cropped short and teeth still in braces.

Wrapping her arms around one of his, she beamed and said, “Your girlfriend's really pretty, Uncle Jamie. I like her.”

Her flare of rebellion against what her other uncle had spoke of was obvious. Jamie managed a smile at his niece. “Thanks, Nick.”

“Okay, everyone! Let's eat!” Linda called.

Everyone gathered, Frank taking one head of the table and Henry the other. Jamie took his usual spot to the right of his father, Jonnie sitting herself beside him. Danny was the last at the table, keeping quiet and to himself. Linda gave him a surly look that he ignored for the moment.

Frank noted this, but said nothing of the matter. Instead, he asked, “now who wants to say grace?”



The Reagan family was seated in the living room, beside the crackling fireplace and lit up tree that towered over them all. The tension had greatly eased. Jonnie was asking questions about Erin's job as the Assistant District Attorney, showing sincere interest in Erin's information about law. Frank had asked Jonnie similar questions that everyone else had, never even batting an eyelash when she spoke of her fight for an art degree.

Instead, he had leaned over to Jamie and mumbled from behind his mustache, “can I say I was worried at first when you said you were bringing your girlfriend home?”

Jamie looked at his father, slight unease on his face. “And now what?”

The tiniest of smiles lifted Frank's lips. “I like her. She seems good for you.” he said and that was it.

Presents were exchanged; Danny's two sons, Jack and Sean, and Nicki taking the job as the deliverers of boxes wrapped in sparkles and ribbons.

Nicki presented a box to Jonnie, grinning at the older girl. It was a rectangular box, wrapped in purple and white paper with a shimmering bow on the top. “This one's for you, from me. Uncle Jamie said your favorite color was purple.”

Eyes wide, Jonnie to the gift hesitantly. “You didn't have to get me anything.”

“Sure I did,” Nicki responded. “You're Uncle Jamie's girlfriend and...even if you two don't get married, for now you're part of the family.”

“And if Uncle Jamie would have clued us in on you a little more before your arrival, we all would have followed Nicki,” Erin responded, handing Jonnie a couple of envelopes. Jamie said nothing, seeming fixated on his shoes. Jonnie rubbed his knee reassuringly.

Everyone seemed to get what they had asked for as packages were opened. The envelopes for Jonnie held lovely Christmas cards, all withholding gift cards to Wal-Mart or JCPenny's or some other clothing store. Danny had remained silent through most of it, throwing in a comment here and there. He had begun to soften as the night wore on, noticing the way his brother looked at the woman he had brought into their home. He was seeing what Jamie had been talking about. Jonnie was sweet, quiet, timid, but it was obvious she was had a strong will with the way she kept Jamie in check—not that that was needed often. Jamie himself had a timid spirit sometimes, but they managed to equal each other out. As Danny continued to survey the couple, guilt began to settle in his chest.

When it came time for Jonnie to open her single gift, she did so hesitantly, almost like she feared of ripping the pretty paper.

A glimpse of the box made Jonnie's blue orbs widen and she tore the rest of the paper away in haste. “Uncle Jamie did inform me that you were into photography and were saving up for a new camera,” Nicki said. “So...I hope you like it.”

“Nicki...” Jonnie was at a loss for words as she stared down at the box. Canon Powershot SX510 screamed up at her. “This is way too expensive. You shouldn't have done this.”

Nicki waved her hand dismissively. “My friend's brother works at Best Buy and Mom helped pay for it so...its really not that big of a deal.”

“Oh, it is,” Jonnie argued, laughing slightly. Jamie saw her eyes brim slightly. “This is so wonderful. Thank you.”

“No problem,” Nicki said. “I'm glad you like it.”

“You guys are too sweet,” Jonnie said, sincerity laced in her voice. “You've made this one of the best Christmases ever.”

“We're very glad to hear that,” said Frank.

“Yeah,” Danny added, making everyone look to him. “Like Nick said, you're part of the family now.” Jamie looked at his brother in bewilderment, while Jonnie grinned. Danny raised his glass and added with a wink, “whether you like it or not.”