Everything with you

Part 27

Emma

My dad opened the door as soon as we set foot on the porch. He welcomed me with a big hug, my mom was right behind him. Dad and Justin exchanged handshakes and their names. My mom offered him a stiff smile.

"Well, come on in. Don't just stand there," said Dad, and all of us went inside.

My home looked exactly the same as how it always looked: clean and neat. Mom had gone inside the kitchen to finish lunch. Justin and my dad sat in the living room talking about the drive up to Elmsdale. I made my way into the kitchen to help Mom.

"What are you cooking, mom?" I questioned as I made my way into the kitchen as a delicious smell enveloped me. My mom was a terrific cook.

"Oh, I'm making chicken and avacado wraps, and pea soup," she responds, still stirring something.

"Wow.. smells delicious, mom."

She gives me her warm smile. Suddenly her features filled with worry.

"Oh, no. Will Justin like it?. I didn't even check with him," she says with concern.

"He'll love it! Don't worry," I assure her.

"So.. how's it going between you two..?" she questions.

"It's going really great. He's great," I respond honestly.

"Hmm.. what about..." she begins to say something when Dad interrupts us by calling me to the living room and asking if lunch was ready. Mom and I exchanged knowing looks and took out the things to set the table for lunch.

We set the table, and everyone sat down to have lunch. Justin sat beside me, looking a little nervous. I gave him a smile as I passed on the plate.

"Wow, these taste amazing, Mrs. Reynolds!" Justin says after having a couple of bites.

"Thank you," my mom says with a smile.

"She's an amazing cook; you should try her pot roast. You won't leave the house!" my dad adds with a chuckle, making us laugh.

"Oh, Peter's too kind," my mom says with a genuine smile.

"So.. tell us about yourself, Justin.. Em has not brought home anyone before.. so you must be special," my dad says casually, which makes my eyes wide. Way to go, Dad! I am sure I'm red.

Justin casually laughs and responds.

"Well, I'm Justin Shepard. I go to UCLA. I am currently in my third year of mechanical engineering. My family's also from Penn. I live with my mom and younger sister. My mom's a teacher, and my sister studies in the 6th grade," he says confidently.

"Engineering huh? Wow, you must be smart," my dad says with a smile, and I roll my eyes.

"Yeah," answers Justin with a laugh.

"Justin also plays soccer; he's the captain of our UCLA team," I add.

"Oh.. Nice.. I follow Euro leagues. Liverpool's having a good season", my dad says cheerfully.

With that, Dad and Justin went into their own world of soccer across the world. After lunch, I helped my mom with cleaning up, during which she bombarded me with more questions regarding Justin. I answered as much as I could, but we were getting late for the wedding. Since it was just a one-day trip, my parents had offered Justin to stay in our guest bedroom. Initially, he didn't want to trouble my parents, but my dad wore him down. When I came out of the kitchen, dad had already taken Justin to the guest bedroom.

Justin

Meeting Emma's parents went better than I imagined. Well, her dad was really easy to talk to, and he made me feel comfortable, but I could sense her mom was still skeptical about me. I couldn't blame her; it was the first time she met me, and judging by their reactions, Emma had never dated anyone like me before.

I was currently in their guest room, waiting for Emma to get ready. Mr. Reynolds told me that he and Emma's mom had to leave early since they had few things to do before the wedding. I told him that I could drive Emma. He agreed quickly as his phone was blowing up from whom I guess was the bride's dad. I checked my watch. I did have some more time to get ready. I hopped in for a quick shower and wore my black suit with a grey shit underneath. I felt uneasy thinking I might not be dressed well enough, but I didn't have many options. I get a feeling that this wedding will be fancy. Hell, Emma's house was fancy. Every room in that house was spotless, compared to mine, where you'd be lucky if you didn't step on any of Jo's toys or crayons on the floor. They even had a separate guest bedroom above their garage, which was like a mini condo. I pushed the doubting thoughts away and headed out, across the yard, and into the living room.

"Emma?" I called out. I could see the hall and kitchen were empty. I looked out the window and saw the Audi, which was parked in the driveway, also gone. I came to the conclusion that Mr. and Mrs. Reynolds must have left for the wedding.

"Emma?" I call out again, unsure if she heard me the first time.

"Getting ready.. I'll be down in 10 minutes!" I hear her from upstairs.

"Okay. No hurry," I say back.

I look around the living room to see a lot of pictures of Emma with her dad and mom. I particularly find one where she's holding a puppy and smiling like the happiest kid on earth. I take the picture and look closer; something about the photo makes me happy. I could hear Emma walk down the stairs, so I quickly put the photo back and turned back. I felt my heart skip a beat. Wow, she looked beautiful. She wore a green dress that was close to her body, showing her hourglass figure, and her brown hair was in loose waves around her shoulder. She looked completely different from how she usually dresses up. She looks at me nervously as she descends down the stairs.

"Wow! Emma.. you look.. wow," I say, unable to process a full sentence. She must think I'm an idiot.

"Really? You don't think it's too much? I could wear a sweater over this," she starts to mumble the last part.

"What? You look beautiful. If you think you need it, you can take it. You look great as you are," I say honestly.

Emma gives me a bright smile in return.

"I would give you a kiss, but I don't want to spoil your makeup," I say with a grin.

She comes up to me, gets on her tiptoes, and gives me a quick kiss on my lips. After pulling away, she wipes away my lips. I lean down and give another quick peck.

"Ready to go?" I ask her.

"Yes."