Drew laughed. “Your mom proposed?”
“Yes, apparently when the ladies in my family want something, they go after it.” She laughed.
“I’m glad the apple didn’t fall far from the tree.”
Lacey rested her head against his shoulder. “I can’t believe we’re engaged.”
“Believe it. What would you think about going to Chicago to meet my family? I know for a fact they’re dying to meet you.”
Her brows furrowed. “They are?”
“Yes, of course. They want to know the woman who stole my heart in a matter of minutes.”
“I love you, Drew.”
“And I you, Lacey.”
Drew pulled up in front of the house where he was raised: a large brick colonial style home with dormers above the windows. The lawn was snow covered, and a wreath of Valentine hearts adorned the dark wood front door. Lacey could feel her heart hammer against her rib cage. It was one thing to meet her boyfriend’s family, but Drew wasn’t just her boyfriend. She was going to be part of this family one day, and to say her nerves were getting the best of her was an understatement.
Off toward the side of the home was a large tree with a swing hanging from one of the branches. Out of nowhere she pictured Drew pushing a little boy who looked exactly like him on it while she sat on the porch step taking pictures.
She couldn’t help but smile at the image. Would he want to live in the suburbs, or would they stay in the city? Everything had happened so fast, she never thought of their living arrangements. Now that Drew had accepted the position with Carson Enterprises’ NPO, she wondered how his family felt about it. Would they resent her for taking him away?
“Sweetheart?” Drew ran his knuckles down the side of her cheek. “Are you okay?”
“Yes, it’s so nice here. Very serene and the complete opposite of Manhattan. I just never pictured Chicago like this.”
“Technically, this isn’t Chicago. We’re about twenty minutes north of the city. My parents wanted to give us the suburban life. Oddly, aside from my brother Mark, we all opted for city living.”
Lacey ran down his siblings in her head. “Just give me their names one more time…” Drew laughed. “I know, you quizzed me, but I don’t want to make a mistake. Mark is married to Monica and their daughter is Victoria, who I met on video chat and is adorable.” Drew nodded. “Your other brother, Charlie, is married to Annie and their son is… Jasper?”
“Are you asking me or telling me?” Drew smirked and Lacey swatted his arm. “Yes, Jasper, and their daughter is Jackie.”
“Right, Jackie. Thank you. So that leaves Natalie and Greg, and they don’t have kids yet.”
“Right,” Drew said as Lacey let out a breath. “Can we go inside now? Because they’re all staring at us.”
Lacey’s head snapped to the right; two women were waving from one of the front windows, and a little girl was bouncing up and down beside them.
Drew turned off the car and walked around to her side to open the door for her. “Relax, okay?” Lacey nodded. “I promise they will love you. Just like I do.” Drew kissed the tip of her nose and intertwined their fingers. Before going inside, Drew grabbed the large gift bag Lacey had put together for his family from the back seat.
They didn’t even make it to the door before it swung open. “Uncle Drew!” Victoria launched herself at him, forcing him to let go of Lacey’s hand and catch her up in his arms. Lacey smiled as the little girl, still wrapped in her uncle’s arms, turned toward her. “Hi, Lacey. You’re even prettier than on the telephone.”
“See?” Drew whispered to Lacey. “She remembered your name.” He winked and Lacey narrowed her eyes.
“Hi, Victoria. It’s wonderful to meet you in person.” Just like she always did, Victoria shimmied her body until her feet hit the ground.
An elegantly dressed woman walked toward them and pulled Drew into a hug. “Hi, honey. I hope your trip was good.”
“Hi, Mom. Yes, it was great.” A man came up behind her and shook Drew’s hand. “Lacey, these are my parents, Andrew and Gretchen. Mom, Dad, this is Lacey.” How sweet that he was named after his father.
Both of Drew’s parents welcomed her with all the warmth she imagined they’d have. The rest of Drew’s family greeted them the same way. She loved their family dynamic, and rather than feel melancholy about not having one of her own, Lacey was so grateful she’d soon be a part of theirs.
“It’s so nice to meet you both. Your home is lovely.” Lacey could smell the wood-burning fireplace and felt its warmth as soon as they walked deeper into the home. The walls were decorated with family photos that were definitely hung with pride. Some along thestaircase looked like old school pictures. Lacey knew right off the bat which little boy was Drew and let out a giggle at the gap caused by a missing front tooth.
“Hey, I was six.” Drew said, slinging his arm around her neck and pulling her into him.
“And so cute too,” Lacey added, still laughing a bit. He really was a cute little boy; his dark hair was a mop of curls that hung in his eyes.