There's No Way

Meet The Parents

[Camila's POV]

I nervously twiddled my thumbs as I kept my eyes on the flight tracker for my parents and sister. Their plane was set to land in about 45 minutes, and Shawn's family would be arriving later that afternoon. We had plans to all go out to dinner that evening, after everyone got settled at their hotel, at the same Italian restaurant downtown that Shawn and I had gone to on our first date. Our plan was to announce our engagement tonight during dinner and I was beyond nervous. I was already worried sick about whether or not our families would like each other, whether or not Shawn's parents would like me - or whether or not my parents would like him - and now I was also worrying about their reaction to us getting married. Shawn could sense that I was nervous; he was always able to read me like a book. He did his best to calm me down and assure me that everything would be okay, but as much as I wished that were true I knew that there was always a possibility that things wouldn't go as smoothly as hoped.

About four hours later, both Shawn and I's families had arrived and checked into their hotel rooms and we began getting ready for dinner. I was anxiously trying on outfit option number 7 when Shawn walked up to me and wrapped me up in his arms.

"Don't be so nervous. It's going to be fine...and you don't need to freak out about your outfit. You could literally wear a potato sack and my parents wouldn't care," he said before placing a kiss to my forehead. "Actually, I bet you'd look damn good in a potato sack..." he mumbled. I rolled my eyes slightly before slumping into his arms.

"Would it sound horrible for me to say that I can't wait to get this over with? I mean I'm excited, but I'm also terrified as shit. I just want to get it over with and know that everything will be okay, you know?" I whined.

"It's not horrible," he reassures me as he squeezes me tighter. "I mean, I wouldn't tell them that that's how you feel...but I don't think it's horrible!" We both laughed, and in that moment I was incredibly grateful that my future husband always knew how to ease my nerves in the perfect way.

----

I'm fairly certain I was squeezing Shawn's hand so tightly that I was cutting off his blood circulation, but as we walked hand-in-hand into the restaurant I could literally feel my knees wobbling. 

"Should I leave my ring in the car? I feel weird wearing it in considering they don't know yet..." I rambled. Shawn shook his head.

"Your sleeves are long enough to cover most of your hands...they probably won't notice the ring. Besides, the announcement will be more exciting if they can see the ring right then." I took a deep, calming breath and nodded my head in agreement. We stepped through the revolving door and noticed both of our families sitting around a large table in the back before we even got to the hostess stand. They waved at us from afar as we made our way over to them. They were all smiling and laughing, which definitely put me at ease. It was reassuring to know that they were seemingly all getting along so well already. Shawn's mom, Karen, was the first at the table to stand up and greet us.

"Oh my goodness! Look at you!" she exclaimed as she held her arms open for a hug.

"Hi mom," Shawn said as he started to embrace her.

"Not you, dummy," she said as she pushed him out of the way and walked over to me. "You! I can't believe I finally get to meet the famous Camila in person. Shawn can't go two minutes without talking about how much he loves you, so needless to say I've been dying to meet the woman who has my boy wrapped around her finger."

"Really mom?" Shawn said with rapidly reddening cheeks. Karen and I hugged and it felt shockingly normal - familial, almost. Maybe Shawn was right - maybe everything would be just fine for us and our families. I then hugged both Shawn's father, Manny, and his sister, Aaliyah. As I hugged his sister, I saw Shawn hugging my parents and sister over her shoulder. I found it difficult to hold back my tears as I cherished this moment. We had a great time catching up and exchanging stories while we ate our food, including one story about how Shawn went through a phase when he was two years old where he would refuse to put pants on - so he just ran around everywhere in nothing but a t-shirt. Sofi and Aaliyah were getting along great, and had so much in common. I wasn't completely surprised by that; Shawn and I always talked about our sisters with each other and it was pretty clear to both of us that they were incredibly similar people.

"So - Shawn & Camila, how has work been? Anything exciting?" my dad asked as the waiter cleared our plates and took our dessert orders. Shawn and I both looked at each other nervously.

"Well, actually..." Shawn said as he locked his eyes on me. "Nothing super exciting at work...but we do have some pretty big news." He reached over and interlocked his fingers with mine. 

"Oh my god, she's pregnant," Aaliyah leaned over the table and whispered to Sofi. Only as it turns out - Aaliyah isn't as good at whispering as she thought she was. Everyone at the table turned to look at her. Her eyes widened as she slouched back in her chair and looked away in embarrassment.

"I'm not pregnant," I quickly clarified.

"However..." Shawn said slowly. "...we are engaged." I dramatically held up my hand to reveal the ring my fiancé had given me. Everybody was understandably in shock at first, but the shock quickly turned into elation as everybody shared their excitement - as well as a few more hugs. I couldn't help but notice my dad's demeanor shift. He didn't look upset or disappointed, just...concerned.

"When's the wedding?" Karen asked. Shawn and I both looked at each other for a brief moment, unsure how to answer.

"We hadn't really talked about any planning or anything yet...we were kind of waiting to tell you guys."

"Well, I think this is cause for celebration!" Manny exclaimed. He grabbed the attention of a nearby waiter and ordered a bottle of their nicest champagne. Within minutes we were clinking our glasses together and enjoying the most decadent Italian desserts. After saying our goodbyes for the night, Shawn and I left to head home.

"See? That went great! You had nothing to be worried about," Shawn said. I smiled nervously.

"My dad seemed a little concerned." Shawn nodded.

"Yeah, I noticed that. But you can't blame him - you're his first born daughter and you're getting married to a man he hardly knows. It's normal for him to be a little hesitant about the whole situation. You just need to give him some time so he can see how I really am just a perfect specimen of a man..." he said with a cocky smirk. I rolled my eyes.

"I would make some snarky retort...but honestly I can't say that you're wrong, so I'll let you have that one." We both laughed.