The New Girl

Chapter 13

"Mom, this is Abby," Nick said leading Abby to her in the kitchen. He placed his hand on her back and Abby folded her hands in front of her.

"Hi, Ms. Harper," Abby said with a large grin. Her cheeks were as red as Nick had ever seen. He could tell she was so nervous. 

"Nicholas, you weren't kidding when you said she was beautiful. Oh, my lord! Come here, sweetie, come give me a hug," Nick's mother said as she untied her apron.

"Mooooom," Nick dragged. Abby laughed and walked toward her with her arms out and the two embraced each other with a big welcoming hug. 

"Ooooooh sweetie, we are so happy to have you with us tonight. This is a big event." They broke the hug and Ms. Harper held Abby's shoulders still as she looked down at her. 

"Does Nick not bring girls around a lot?" Abby asked smiling still. Ms. Harper laughed, "You're the first one he's ever brought around!"

Uncle Thomas walked in, "Ah Isabelle Marie, stop embarrassing Nick." Ms. Harper whipped her body towards Uncle Thomas, "Don't you use my full name like that at me, Thomas Daniel." The two began to playfully bicker as Abby tip toed backwards back to Nick's side.

"Beautiful, huh?" Abby said with eyes narrowed as she elbowed Nick's arm. 

"What? N-no, I mean-" 

"I'm the first one to be welcomed at the Harper household too?" She said continue to tease him with a sense of victory in this battle of who liked who.

"Well- you. Yes, but." Nick continued to stagger. Nick was as red as she was when she met his mom. Abby grabbed his hands and leaned into him and didn't say a word. Nick rested his cheek on her head. She could hear his chest beating harder and faster. They heard steps behind them, and Abby pulled away quickly. Lem came walking in, this time wearing dark shaded glasses, a blanket cape, the blue wizard hat, the star shaped wand, the tutu and lastly red nail polish. 

"What?" Lem asked bluntly. The two looked at him staring silently. Lem shimmied by the two and said, "Told you red is my color," holding up the back of his hand to Nick showing off his nails. "Ms. Harper! Where's the grub?" Lem shouted to Mrs. Harper. 

"Lem! What are you wearing?" She exclaimed at him. 

"I'm a- To be honest, I've lost track."

"Get! Go on, get!" Ms. Harper began swatting at him with a spatula out of the kitchen. 

"Geez, okay I get it!" He said hurrying out of the kitchen to not get hit. Abby and Nick laughed at Lem's retreat as the tutu bounced up and down as he fled.    

Nick took Abby to meet the family one by one as he led her to the living room. Each member as kind as the next, and Abby still as shy and red as if she were meeting his mother. It didn't take long for Catherine to warm up to her. Within the hour of Abby being there, Catherine had already sat on Abby's lap and claimed her as her favorite. Nick thinks it's mainly due to her protecting Catherine from Lem pretending to be... well whatever Lem was being. 

The thing Nick only cared about truly tonight, was that Abby was finally having fun. She wasn't worrying about anything outside of the moment she was living in and that's all Nick truly desired. Seeing her laugh, blush, be shy because she's nervous to leave a good impression. It was everything he wanted to see in her. Abby being Abby and not the brick wall that she tried to be when they first met. 

They all sat down in the living room in front of the fireplace. Though it wasn't a real authentic fireplace, it was a gasoline driven one, the heat from it was still very real and very warming. It stood on top of a brick ledge that stood about two feet tall. The kids were able to sit in front of the ledge or even on top of it if they dared be so close to the fire. Nick sat up against it to the far right of it so he wouldn't be directly in front of the fire and Abby sat next to him shoulder to shoulder with her head resting on him. Lem sat on the complete opposite side still wearing the array of everything the girls put on him and now including a furry bracelet that was the color of purple. The girls sat in front of the three and played, laughed and joked with them.