Fight For You (Chris Evans)

Chapter 8

Sophie's POV:

2 months later

My eyes search the terminal, looking for one specific individual. I eventually meet his eyes and he smiles widely at me. I practically run towards him with my bag and drop it when I reach him. I jump into his open arms and he spins me in a circle. We haven't seen each other since he came to Brooklyn 2 months ago because he's been filming his next Marvel movie. He's home for the weekend and invited me to meet his family and I jumped at the opportunity to see him and meet his family.

"God, I feel like I haven't seen you in months" he breathes as he sets me back on my feet. "I know, it's been so long" I reply before pulling him into a passionate kiss. We pull apart and he smiles down at me, his hands still cupping my cheeks. "I missed you too" he grins and I chuckle at him before he grabs my bag and we leave the airport.

"So I know there's not much you can tell me, but how's filming going?" I ask from the passenger seat of his car and he chuckles. "I can't tell you anything about the movie, no matter how much I want to. But filming is going well, we're actually ahead of schedule which is why I'm here for the weekend" he answers and I smile at his comment about wanting to tell me about the movie. "I really appreciate you inviting me here for your only weekend here for who knows how long. And for inviting me to meet your family" I state, leaning over the centre console to wrap my hands around his bicep while he drives. He moves his arm to rest on the console so I don't have to lean as far before glancing at me. "My only weekend here for who knows how long, and you didn't think I'd invite you?" he questions with a smirk, making me laugh. "Well, I didn't want to assume. I wouldn't have been offended if you wanted to spend the weekend with your family" I answer assuringly. "I am spending the weekend with my family" he states with a happy smile and I feel the butterflies in my stomach. He considers me family! I mean, I consider him family but it's still nice to hear. "I've met your family and I want you to meet mine" he adds, moving his hand to rest on my thigh and I kiss his cheek.

After a couple hours at Chris' apartment, spent catching up and getting ready, we leave to head to his parents' house and my nerves are starting to become more prominent. "Sweetheart, relax. Everything will be fine" he assures me from the driver's seat as he rests his hand on my thigh without taking his eyes off the road. "I know, I'm just nervous" I reply with a smile. "If you don't want me to leave your side then I won't" he offers while giving my leg a small, reassuring squeeze. "Thank you but I'm sure I'll be fine" I laugh, lacing my fingers with his. "We normally play some games after dinner so that'll be fun. We're all very competitive and you are too so you'll fit in just fine" he chuckles and I laugh with him.

Chris leads me into the house, his hand squeezing mine in comfort so I squeeze back, letting him know I'm alright. "Ma, we're here" he calls, looking for where everyone is. "I'm in the kitchen dear" His mother, Lisa calls back. He leads us to the kitchen and I see Lisa wiping her hands on a dish towel. "Hi Ma" he greets her, leaning down to peck her cheek and wrap her in a hug. I stand patiently behind him while he greets her and when they pull apart he steps back to stand beside me. "You must be Sophie" she assumes, pulling me in for a hug. "Yes. Hi, it's lovely to meet you" I reply and return the hug. "Wow, you're as beautiful as Chris said you were" she comments when we pull apart. "Ma" Chris groans from behind me and I chuckle as the heat rises to my cheeks. "You told your mom I'm beautiful?" I ask, looking over at him as he steps towards me. "Of course I did. You are beautiful" he answers before kissing me on the cheek as I smile. I don't think I'll ever get used to him calling me beautiful or anything remotely close.

"Where is everyone?" Chris asks Lisa as he rests a hand on my lower back. "You're the first ones here which is surprising since everyone is always late" she answers with a small laugh. "You can thank Sophie for that. She insisted we be here on time" he answers and I look at him a little shocked. "I wanted to make a good first impression" I defend awkwardly and he smiles apologetically at me. "Oh honey, everyone is late don't worry. But I love the effort. We're all gonna love you I'm sure. I already do" Lisa assures me kindly and I give her a grateful smile. "Is there anything I can do to help?" I offer as she checks on something in the oven. "No, that's very sweet of you dear but I'm ok" she answers and I nod.

A few minutes later, the front door opens and in comes Chris' sisters and their husbands, likely arriving coincidentally at the same time. Chris greets them with hugs and kisses before introducing me to them. "This is Sophie" he states, gesturing towards me and I give them a kind smile. "Sophie, it's so great to finally meet you. He hasn't stopped talking about you" Carly states as she wraps me in a hug. "It's great to finally meet you too" I reply with a chuckle. They all must love embarrassing him. As I pull away from my hug with Shanna, the door opens again and Scott arrives.

"Oh my gosh, is this her?" he asks excitedly while looking from me to Chris and Chris chuckles with a nod. Before I can even react Scott has wrapped his arms around my waist and lifted me off the ground, spinning us in a circle. I let out a small squeal before wrapping my arms around him as well and start laughing. "Scott" Chris scolds as he steps towards us, obviously aware that Scott caught me off guard. "It's ok" I laugh and raise a hand at Chris who smiles back at me. Scott eventually sets me back on the ground and I smile up at him. "Nice to meet you too Scott" I chuckle. "I'm sorry, I've been so eager to meet you" he apologises and I laugh. "It's ok, I've been eager to meet you as well" I reply before Chris wraps his arm around my waist.

Chris pulls my chair out for me when we all gather at the table and I give him a thankful smile and he pecks my cheek before sitting beside me. We all start eating and conversations start flowing around the table. "So Sophie, do you have any siblings?" Carly asks me from across the table. "No, I'm an only child but my best friend, Sarah is practically my sister" I answer with a smile. "Oh your parents must love having only one child" Lisa comments and everyone chuckles at her remark, I give a small chuckle, ignoring her use of present tense. "What do your parents do?" Lisa asks and my breath gets caught in my throat. I don't want to ruin the mood. Chris moves his hand to rest on my leg, making me look over at him. I can tell he's asking if I want him to answer but I decide that I should be the one to answer.

"Um, my dad was a doctor and my mom was a high school teacher" I answer simply and I know the use of past tense doesn't go unnoticed by everyone at the table. Chris moves his hand from my leg and rubs my back gently instead and I really appreciate the gesture, assuring me that he's here. "Was?" Lisa asks cautiously, and I understand her need for clarification. "Yeah, they died a few years ago" I explain, wanting to keep the details to a minimum before my eyes fill with tears. "I'm sorry honey" she apologises and I smile at her gratefully. "It's ok. And I do think they enjoyed having one child. They spoiled me rotten" I laugh, trying to ease the tension in the room and everyone laughs along before another conversation starts.

I take a deep breath, relaxing in my seat at the topic change. I look to see Chris still watching me attentively and I give him an assuring smile. "I'm sorry, I should've told them" he whispers when he leans towards me. "No, it's ok. I don't expect you to" I assure him, moving my hand to his leg in assurance. "I think I'd feel more awkward if it was a topic everyone avoided" I add with a smile but he still watches me carefully. "I'm ok, I promise" I reassure him and he seems to believe me as he pecks my cheek before we both go back to eating and talking with everyone.

After dinner we all played a few games and Chris was right, they're all very competitive. The room was filled with laughs and jokes and teasing and celebrating. I come to enjoy the chaos of a large family. I never realised how enjoyable a big family could be since I've always had a small family. Me and my parents laughed and had so much fun but I never knew there was such a difference compared to larger families like Chris'. I love it and I feel very at home with this family, despite only meeting them today.