This Love is Ours

Family Matters

'Out your left window you can see the Country Music Hall of Fame' I say, very tour guide like to my sister and parents, whom I just gathered from the airport.

'Such a pretty place,' my mom noted.

'We're proud of you Jenna,' my dad said.

We conversed a bit about the wedding until we pulled up to the house, 'It looks bigger than I remember' my dad said, observing the stucco exterior.

'Come on in, I bet it looks way different than when he bought it.' Hunter bought the house once he received permission and my parent's blessing for the proposal. We did a fair amount of work on it since my parent's last saw.

'Jenna you did a great job decorating,' my sister complimented, in awe of the tall ceilings and art work on the walls.

'Drinks anyone? Beer, dad?'

'Sure,' he responded.

Stephanie emerged from upstairs to greet my parents, as I finished giving them a tour. 'Ali, there's a room form you upstairs. Mom and dad, you can stay in the basement bedroom. There's a washroom, TV and such there too.' We let everyone get settled and I start the barbeque for lunch. I felt lazy, so chicken burgers and salad it is.

The group of us spent the afternoon outside on the deck until about six when Hunter got home. He chatted with my parents a bit and we had an assortment of food for a relaxed dinner. Pasta salad, coleslaw, hummus and pita chips and grilled veggies covered the patio table.

Hunter recently purchased a classic Mustang in need of a bit of TLC. He and my dad went off to check it out, leaving us ladies to talk about more wedding stuff. I update my mom and sister of the plans for the next few weeks. 'I was hoping you guys would like to check out the venue tomorrow? I am going to see what they have for centerpieces, take some pictures and bring it back for Hunter to see.'

'That sounds good,' my mom said placing her hand on my shoulder, 'where is the venue in proximity to the church?'

'Everything is in midtown all within a ten block radius.' I smiled. Once we had picked the date, Hunter and I hopped on booking a church and venue before he left for tour.

'Can't wait to see it,' Steph notes. 'By the way, did you make that coleslaw? I need the recipe or something.'

'I'm so excited for these next few weeks,' my mom says kissing the top of my head. 'Well, I think I'm going to take a shower, then try to pry your father away from Hunter's car.'

'Good luck with that,' I laugh. 'I can barely pull Hunter off of it. It was his twenty sixth birthday present to himself,' I explain to Stephanie. 'But aside from that, tomorrow I'm going to confirm the hair trials with the salon, and we need to get nails 'n' stuff done.'

'The list never ends,' Stephanie laughs. 'But it's got to be a lot of pressure between this, work and  your EP. you must be the talk of the town."

I nodded. She was right. The pressure of being Hunter Hayes' girlfriend was fine, the engagement made it serious, and there was more and more media buzz and scrutiny. When Ellen squeezed wedding details out of Hunter and I last summer, the media went buck wild.

*flashback*

'Hunter, we are so happy about your engagement, congratulations!' Ellen exclaimed, hugging Hunter, the audience cheering. I was watching from home with Joelle getting wine drunk after addressing all three hundred invitations.

Hunter looked a bit nervous, very giggly and smiley. We knew when we got engaged, we wanted a fall wedding. 'Thanks Ellen. I can't believe how lucky I am to have such an amazing girlfriend, now fiancée. We have a great fan base supporting us, and our families have been great as well'

'Have you picked a date?' she asks, once again, the audience cheered.

'We were thinking fall,' Leave it at that, Hunt. I said to myself. 'Maybe October' Crap.

Hunter and I are so alike when we get nervous, we blab. It's a reflex. Somewhere between getting dresses and visiting our venue, our date got leaked and that's when the media began fighting for pictures.

*end of flashback*

'Jenna?'

'Sorry, I was just thinking,' I say, playing with the frayed denim on my shorts. 'How's school? You should be done soon right?'

'Okay. And yes, yes I finish in June.' She said proudly.

'That's awesome Stephanie. I'm really proud of you.'

'Thanks. I think you have the perfect spot right here. The sunset is gorgeous.'

At that, I realized how cool it'd gotten, and indeed the sun began to sink behind the hills. We cleaned up the table and gathered inside. Hunter was showering; my parents had gone off to relax after a busy day. I put on a pot of coffee for Hunter, and make some hot chocolates for Stephanie and myself.

'Babe you're incredible,' I hear Hunter walking up behind me. 'Just what I needed' he said, his smile beaming.

'Good intuition I guess' I laughed with a wink. 'It's decaf and eight o'clock.'

'Doesn't matter. I just needed it.'

The three of us hang out in the living room, sharing crazy high school and tour stories. We chatted until we realized how late it was. We clamber off to bed, preparing to face the busyness of what tomorrow will bring.