One Night in New York

Chapter Fifteen

A new beginning can be frightening, but it can also be an exciting adventure. I never expected to be where I was at the time, but I couldn't imagine myself anywhere else. You know that big decision I mentioned? I made it, and it was the best decision I could have made.

My relationship with Liam was going great. We were settling into our new lives, and everything was going smoothly. It was the 20th of December, and I was on my way to Cleveland for the holidays. I'd been living with Liam for a week before heading to Ohio to visit my family to share the big news. What about Liam? Of course, I had planned for him to accompany me. It would be nice to get away from New York for a few days, leaving our endless stories behind. Liam was well-known, so his upcoming baby made headlines, whereas nobody in Ohio would have known.

We flew from New Jersey to Cleveland's Burke Lakefront Airport and then took a car to Mentor. My parents had arrived from the Youngstown area to spend the week with my aunt, so that's where we went. It'd be a little crowded there, but Liam didn't seem to mind, knowing how important everything was to me. We had a twenty-five-minute drive ahead of us, so I decided to update Liam on the rest of my family and what to expect.

My family was, for the most part, a typical suburban close-knit clan. My father was a welder, and my mother worked in accounting for many years. My mother was more laid back, but my father, despite his good intentions, could be difficult to deal with at times. I knew my mother would be overjoyed with the baby, but not so much my father. He was traditional, you know, no sex before marriage and all that. I had five other siblings who would all be there, making for a very loud reunion, knowing they would be as excited as Liam and I were. That year was the first time we'd all been together in a long time, so I decided to break the news then.

We arrived after a nearly thirty-minute ride, watching as my mother made her way out to the yard to assist my aunt in decorating. When she saw us, she dropped what she was holding and ran to greet us. "Oh, Natalie, I missed you so much," she said, embracing us as we met.

"Mom, I want you to meet someone. This is Liam. Liam, this is my mom Rhonda." They both smiled at each other and exchanged handshakes until my mother went in for a hug.

I laughed, and Liam didn't seem to mind, "Nice to meet you, Rhonda. I've heard so much about you."

"Well, I think you're just lovely, but my Natalie here just told me about you a few weeks ago," she decided to throw in.

"Mom? Can you not?" I softly told her.

What's the deal with parents? They are constantly looking for ways to embarrass you. Do they have no idea what they're doing, or do they have a permanent button pressed that forces them to? That was a question I used to ponder all the time.

My Aunt Sharon followed us around the corner and greeted Liam as well. "They enjoy hugging. I apologize for not telling you, "I spoke quietly to Liam.

After their permanent display of affection to their welcomed newcomer, we made our way into the house and were greeted, no scratch that, bombarded, by the rest of my family, with my father waiting last.

"Dad, I want you to meet Liam. Liam, this is my dad, Nick."

My dad shook his hand and continued with the embarrassment, "My Natty brought a guy home. Isn't it a little soon? What, have you been together, like two weeks?"

"No, dad, we've been together longer than two weeks. Stop it."

I wanted the next five days to go as quickly and smoothly as possible. I was dreading telling my family but eager to rip off the band-aid so I could let the wound heal before we left. As we unpacked, I told Liam that I was going to tell them that night, rather than wait until the end.