Tonight, I meet her parents. Her entire family, actually. They’re throwing a dinner party for me, and I’m so nervous I’m pacing the hotel room. Ali will be here any minute to collect me and I need her strength right now. I’ve never spent more time getting ready for anything before. I want to look my best. Ali reassures me that it’s casual and they’re all very relaxed. Her father is a doctor and her mother is an antiques dealer. I pray I don’t say or do anything stupid.
The second I hear Ali’s knock, I jump and race for the door.
“You look fantastic, Beth,” Ali says. Her eyes roam my body. I’m wearing a taupe-colored dress that rests right below my knee, shows off my curves, but is still modest. I’m worried that I’m overdressed, but Ali’s wearing very nice slacks and a blouse with a jacket so I sigh in relief. Ali likes how I look, so that boosts my confidence quite a bit. She pulls me to her in a loose hug. “I don’t want to wrinkle you, but I need to feel you.”
“I’m so nervous, Ali,” I say. She smiles and gently kisses me.
“I promise you’ll do fine and they’ll love you. Let’s go or we’ll be late.” She kisses my nose and slides her hands down my arms. I shiver. How can she turn me from a pile of nerves to a puddle of mush with a simple touch?
The drive is only about ten minutes. Right now, I’m looking out the window, but I’m not seeing the traffic or the houses or trees. I’m deep in conversation with Emily. I need her to give me strength. She needs to push me back into the dinner conversation if she sees me slipping tonight. Ali’s parents will probably think I’m crazy otherwise, and I need to make a great first impression.
“It’s okay, Beth. I promise you’ll have a great time.” I don’t realize I’m bouncing my leg until Ali reaches over and gently squeezes it. “My family’s great. Avery will treat you like she’s known you forever. My mom is the sweetest woman on earth, and my dad is charming. And you already know Hannah.” She knows that will melt me a little bit. I manage to smile.
“I just want them to like me.” I need reassurance even though she’s given me enough. I’m surprised that I’m worried. I haven’t been worried in a long time.
“Well, you’ll have me and Hannah, your best friends, there.” She winks. No doubt about that. Just a few days ago, Ali and Hannah had Skyped with me. It was precious. Hannah didn’t want to stop talking to me, and Ali tried several times to get the phone away from her. Ali’s so good with her, and it’s obvious that Hannah adores her. I don’t think Hannah knows that her aunt is a famous singer. Of course, your world at four is pretty small, and you worry more about juice, cartoons, and naps than you do about what people do for a living.
“This is true,” I say. I try to drum up some confidence.
“Here we are,” Ali says. We pull into a very long, curved driveway that is already full of cars. I turn and stare at her openmouthed.
“Are you kidding me? How many people are here?” My voice is getting louder, but I’m on the verge of freaking out.
“Relax. Okay, hang on a minute, let me count.” She points at all the cars, counting people in her head, and I stare at her hoping for a low number but knowing it’s double digits for sure. “Twenty or so.” Her voice drops off as she adds the or so part. I roll my eyes and reach for the passenger-side mirror. My cheeks are starting to turn red. Crap. In about thirty seconds I’ll become blotchy. I sigh. Ali reaches down and raises my hand to her lips. “I’ll be beside you the entire time, I promise.”
I relax a little, but I’m still nervous. She helps me out of the car and I straighten my dress. When I look back up at her, she kisses me softly at first, then with a little more force. For a few seconds I forget where I am. She slows down and breaks away from me. “Ready?” I smile and nod. With just a kiss, she’s reminded me why I’m here. A very passionate one, but just a kiss.
“Aunt Ali!” I hear a child squeal. We finally see Hannah worm her way through the parked cars. She crashes into Ali’s long legs, wrapping her arms around her thighs. I stand there smiling, watching them. Hannah looks up at me and squeals, “Beth!” and I’m immediately grabbed in the same fashion. I lean down and squeeze her tiny, thin shoulders. She looks up at me with big, brown eyes and I’m under her spell. “You’re here! You’re here!”
“Hannah, let Ali and Bethany get inside.” I look up and see a woman standing in the doorway. She’s about my age and looks like Ali, but her hair is shorter and she isn’t as tall. Beautiful, but Ali still has her beat. I know she’s Ali’s sister and Hannah’s mom, Jennifer. She smiles and reaches out to hug me.
“It’s so good to finally meet you,” she says. She sounds so genuine. I smile back at her and thank her for the warm welcome. She grabs my arm and whisks me away from Ali. “Ali and Bethany are here!” Jennifer says. Within a matter of moments, I’m being grabbed and hugged and twirled from family member to family member. This isn’t at all what I expected. It’s better. When I finally reach her parents, Lucy and Bill, I’m genuinely smiling and not nearly as nervous.
“Bethany, Ali has told us so much about you.” Lucy takes my hand and stares at me, squeezing my fingers.
“Yes, she won’t shut up,” I hear from behind Lucy. Another tall Hart woman appears, putting her arm around Lucy’s shoulders. She’s obviously Ali’s youngest sister, Avery. Adorable, energetic, and still innocent-looking. I understand why Ali’s so protective of her. “I’m Avery. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Avery looks the most like Ali. She has the same long, wavy hair, but her eyes are more solid brown and she has dimples, the only sibling who does. I can tell right away she’s the devilish one in the family. She has a twinkle in her eye, and I can’t help but automatically smile at her.
“You’re absolutely gorgeous,” she says. “Ali wasn’t kidding when she said you were beautiful.” I’m completely embarrassed so my smile falters. I hate compliments. I thank her and try to move the conversation onto something else. It seems as if suddenly everybody’s around me and I’m starting to get a little claustrophobic.
“Give her some room, guys.” Ali rescues me. “There’s plenty of time to get to know Bethany. We’ll be here for a few hours.” She hands me a glass of wine and I’m so thankful for something to hold on to, since I doubt Ali will be available the entire time. Half the family scatters, but I can still feel their eyes on me from across the room. “Well, that was the worst of it,” she whispers before placing a tiny kiss on my ear. I have to refrain from shivering. She amazes me.
“Come sit down, Bethany.” Avery plunks herself on a couch, leaving me plenty of space to sit down. “Let’s talk until dinner’s ready.” I give Ali a small shrug and head that way. As soon as I sit down, Hannah bounces over and lands half on my lap and half on the couch. She’s vibrating with energy. “Hey, Hannah Banana. Give Bethany some space,” Avery says. I tell her I don’t mind, but Hannah scoots over until our legs are still touching, but she’s no longer technically on my lap. “So how long are you in town for?” she asks.
“I’ll head back on Wednesday. I have a meeting Thursday that I can’t miss, or else I’d stay through next weekend,” I say. Today’s Friday. That gives me five days to get to know Ali’s family. So far, so good.
“I started reading one of your books.” Avery seems very excited and I can’t help but feel her excitement, too. It’s always nice to hear that somebody’s reading your work. “As a matter of fact, I’m pretty sure a few of us are,” she says. She waves her hand around the room. Emily pops up to gloat with me, and we mentally high-five when Avery tells me it’s hard to put my book down because it’s mysterious and exciting.
Ali’s only brother, Mark, takes that moment to come over and introduce himself. I know he graduated college a few years ago and is an engineer at a firm in downtown Boston. He’s shy around me but completely comfortable around his sisters. He, too, has wavy brown hair and brown eyes. They’re a beautiful family and I’m happy that I finally agreed to meet them.
Bill announces that dinner’s ready and Ali escorts me to the table. There are actually two long tables, and Ali takes the chair to Bill’s right. She’s across from her mother and I’m across from Hannah. This could be trouble. I’ll have to refrain from making funny faces at her because I don’t think Jennifer would be pleased. I’m still under the first-impression rule where I have to behave. There’s a playful fight over who gets to sit next to me, but Avery wins out.
“Trust me, you don’t want to sit next to anybody else,” she says. “They’ll either bore you or ask you a ton of questions you don’t want to answer.”
“But you aren’t going to ask me a ton of questions I don’t want to answer, right?”
She laughs. “You got me there. I promise to go easy on you.” I don’t think I believe her. As lively and spirited as she is, I’m sure she’s just as protective of Ali as Ali is of her. Her questions don’t disappoint me. Unnerve me, yes, but don’t disappoint. “So, I know the story of how you and Ali met. Tell me how you, successful writer, beautiful woman, are single?”
And there’s the punch to the gut.
“Avery!” Ali hisses over me at her. She looks guilty but shrugs. “You don’t need to worry about that.” Ali looks angry and I know she’s protecting me, but I guess she has a right to know. I place my hand on Ali’s arm.
“It’s okay,” I say. I turn my attention back to Avery. “I was in a long relationship, but it didn’t work out. So I went into hiding, licked my wounds, engrossed myself in my writing, and, when I came up for air, Ali was waiting.” I’m sure my explanation is acceptable because Avery smiles at me and I can feel Ali relax. Maybe one day Avery will know the full story.
“Aunt Beth! Are you going to the fall festival?” Hannah asks. I’m not sure when I changed from Beth to Aunt Beth, but I’m pretty sure I’ll move mountains for this tiny bundle of energy. She’s talking to me like I’ve been around since her birth.
“Can I come, too?” Ali asks. Hannah giggles.
“Of course,” she says, matter-of-factly.
The rest of the night goes smoothly. When Ali isn’t protecting me from Avery’s inquisition, she’s deep in conversation with her father. Ali’s mother draws me into a conversation about my jewelry. She’s been admiring it all night. I explain that my grandmother gave it to me, and I compliment her on her good eye. Most people have no idea that what I’m wearing could probably buy a house. It’s very simple, but it’s from the 1800s and has been in our family since then. Ali wears her great-grandmother’s wedding ring on her ring finger, and it’s from the same era. It’s nice to know we both like the same kind of jewelry. Lucy invites me to stop by her store, and I find that I really want to.
“Do you know that you’re the only woman, besides Gennifer, that Ali has introduced to the family?” Avery asks me, her voice low. I look at her with surprise.
“Wow. No, I didn’t.” I’m not quite sure what to say to that or how to act. Avery’s definitely looking for a reaction, and I’m trying not to smile too broadly. The news really does surprise me. I’ll have to ask Ali about that later.
“Yeah, that’s why there’s such a turnout tonight. I mean, we wanted to meet you because we know this doesn’t happen often and Ali is definitely happy.” She stumbles over the word happy and I wonder why.
“That’s nice,” I say. I can see she’s somewhat disappointed. I think she wants more of a confession or declaration on my part.
We eventually move back to the living room as some of the family shuffles around to leave. Both Ali and I thank everybody, and I’m kissed and hugged again and again. I’m eating it up. I’m not used to a lot of attention, and who knew I’d like it so much? Hannah has the hardest time saying good-bye. Her little face is red from crying, and Ali promises we’ll see her tomorrow at the festival. That perks her up, and she hugs us both good-bye before she sleepily heads to the car. I selfishly want her. She’s adorable, potty-trained, and can talk. All the hard stuff is done until the teenage years. Then, I’ll gladly give her back until college.
At ten thirty Ali points to the clock. I can’t believe we’ve been here so long. I’m nestled into Ali’s side. We’re sharing the couch with Avery, who’s draped her legs across us. She’s as comfortable with us as Hannah is. I’m already in love with Ali’s family. I can’t believe I didn’t want to meet them at her concert. In all fairness, I like this setting better. Ali untangles us and we stand to leave. Lucy grabs me and hugs tight.
“Thank you,” she says. I nod. I think she’s thanking me for being with Ali, but she could just be thanking me for having dinner. My romantic side says it’s the first explanation. It takes us another fifteen minutes before we’re in the car. We drive off, and I have a colossal grin on my face.
“Thank you, Ali, that was really nice. You’re right. Your family’s amazing.” I’m completely relaxed. She strokes my cheek. “Please don’t kill us.” She laughs and looks back at the road. We’re back at the hotel in no time. I know I’ll be asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow. Ali holds my elbow while I slip off my shoes in the elevator. I want to start stripping as we’re walking down the long hallway to my room, but I refrain. I’m leaning on Ali, my head on her shoulder because I’m exhausted. She holds me close and I can hear her hum.