Rising From the Ashes

11. Winter Wonderland

“Natalie, honey, you look gorgeous!” My mother gushed, looking me over as she smoothed out the non-existent wrinkles in my dress. “That boy you’re going with is going to drop to your feet the second he sees you!”

“Oh shush, mom.” I grumbled, secretly pleased with how I looked. In the week that passed, my stomach didn’t seem to jut out any more than it did before, and I did follow my promise to stop overindulging on junk food. The dress clung to my curves without revealing too much. My hair was curled into loose waves, falling down my shoulders and bouncing gracefully with every step I took. My mother did my makeup, and, despite the fact that she has little to no experience herself, usually running out the door ten minutes after waking up to get to her patients faster, it turned out quite well. My usually dull brown eyes looked almost luminescent with the smoky eye makeup around then, my skin pale and flawless in contrast to my dark hair.

“You haven’t told me anything about him!” My mom said, giving me an accusing look. “He better not be as much of a jerk as that Jace kid.”

“I always knew he was up to no good.” My dad grumbled from the couch.

“You think that about everyone, dad!” I replied indignantly, even though he was right. It was still hard to admit my own mistakes. “You better not give Nick a hard time!”

“But where’s the fun in that?” My dad chuckled.

“Dad!” I whined as I slipped on the black cage back heels I bought and stuffed my lip gloss, phone and debit card into my wallet. “He’s just a friend!”

A loud bell ring interrupted the tirade my dad was about to give me in reply. I felt my heart speed up in my chest slightly. I smoothed out my hair automatically before walking toward the door. “I’ll get it.”

I opened the door to find Nick grinning at me, dressed in a fitted black suit that brought out his lean but muscular build and adorned with a tie that matched the silk belt on my dress to almost an exact shade. I gasped both in surprise and due to how good he looked. Despite the fact that I was wearing four-inch heels, he still stood taller than me, making me have to tilt my head up slightly to look into his green eyes.

“You look beautiful, Nat,” he said softly, his eyes sweeping down my frame and resting upon my face. “Thanks for agreeing to go with me.”

“You look pretty dashing yourself,” I replied teasingly, “so I daresay it was my pleasure. Come in, my parents want to meet you.”

Nick handed me a bouquet of roses before bending down to unlace his dress shoes. “This is for your mom. I didn’t know which flowers she likes, but I figured roses were the safest bet.”

I couldn’t help the grin that spread across my face at how sweet he was being. Jace had never bothered to impress my parents too much, relying simply on the fact that I liked him too much to break up with him no matter what my parents said. At the time, I had taken that as normal teenage behavior, but Nick’s genuine desire to impress my parents even though I had already agreed to go as his date was definitely making me reconsider.

”That’s really sweet.” I smiled at him, pulled in by the depth of his eyes and almost unable to look away from how gorgeous he looked in his suit. I handed the flowers back to him, turning around and gesturing for him to follow me. “I’m sure she’ll love it. Why don’t you give them to her personally?”

“I’d be glad to, Sweetheart.” Nick replied, following me inside. “Now, where is Mrs. Stephens?”

“Call me Melissa.” My mom said as she appeared in the doorway of the living room. “It’s very nice to finally meet the boy who’s been making my daughter smile so much. Natalie has told me so much about you!”