I smoothed down my outfit one more time and fixed my hair so it wasn't in my eyes while I looked in the body-length mirror at my reflection.

"This looks okay, right?" I spun around to ask Theo who was watching me as he laid comfily on my bed.

I was wearing a long-sleeved army green t-shirt dress, some black leggings, a silver braided bracelet, and my favorite pair of leather cedar-colored boots. I'll admit I was nervous. This is the first time I'd ever brought a guy home for a holiday with my crazy family. I was just hoping they wouldn't scare him away.

"Looks gorgeous." He mumbled in a tired tone.

"That's what you said about the last three." I almost growled while squinting my eyes in an attempt to intimidate him.

"Well you looked gorgeous in the last three. Is there a law against telling the truth?" He asked while climbing off my bed.

"Well no," I rolled my eyes at his sarcastic remarks. I turned back to my mirror with my hands on my hips. "But-"

"No buts. You need to stop worrying so much. They're your family. You have nothing to worry about." He said as he slipped his arms around my waist from behind.

How does one even get out of my bed so quickly?

"You've never even met them before." I said while turning around to face him.

"Yeah, but remember how I told you I'm extremely good with talking to older people?" He asked me and I nodded. "Well, believe it or not, I'm also extremely good with other age groups. Like with the guys I got football we can talk about, and with the ladies I can amaze them with my good looks and charm." He said with a knowing smirk.

I sent a flirty smirk back and wrapped my arms around his neck while his stayed on my waist. "Yeah! And you also have the mentality of a child so you'll get along with them well enough too!"

"Hey!" He whined causing me to laugh. "Child?!"

"Yes! I'm thinking around the 4-year old range."

"No! No! No! I'm at least around 8." He chuckled while leaning down so he had access of my mouth.

"Nah. At most 6." I smirked while my eyes flickered from his perfect eyes to his most perfect lips.

"Take that back!" He shouted animatedly.

"Or else what?" I smiled slyly.

"Or else I'll do this!" He picked me up and laid me on my bed and immediately started tickling me.

"No! Make it stop!" I shouted while laughing.

"Stop what?" He questioned in fake innocence.

I looked around trying to find an escape but Theo had me held down so there wasn't even a remote chance of me getting away.

"Tickling...me!" I laughed so hard that it was becoming hard to breathe.

"On one condition." He smirked while continuing to tickle me.

"What. Is. It?!" I said each word in between the girly giggles that kept leaving my mouth.

"Give me a kiss." He said while leaning down to make his face hover over my own.

I admitted defeat and would do anything to stop laughing before I hocked out a life dependent organ.

"Fine."

He finally stopped tickling me and moved closer before leaving a soft kiss on my lips. I grinned onto his mouth as he continued to give me sugary sweet kisses full of happiness and love.

"Well doesn't this look cozy?"

I immediately pushed Theo off of me resulting in him being flung onto the floor and groaning about how he thinks he broke a hip.

"Hey, mom! What are you doing there?" I asked in a quick and jumbled mess.

"I came up here to get you to help me finish up on the food, but didn't know I'd be catching you about to make a baby. Could've at least closed the door. Yeesh!" She rolled her eyes but I could see the corners of her lips turning towards the ceiling.

She just loved embarrassing me, didn't she?

I bet she loved it even more considering how late I got home with all the ingredients she needed. I haven't seen my mother in that bad of a mood in a really long time. I guess staying up till three in the morning finishing the pies and preparing the turkey didn't make her filled with glee either though.

Afterwards mom sent Theo to sleep in the family room in the basement and me to my own room to prevent any "baby making."

I hadn't ever been so tired in my lifetime, so I didn't even have time to blush about her outrageous comments before bolting to lay in my plush and comfy bed. I hadn't slept that good in years. The homey feel that I'd missed so much since being at college was so comforting that it knocked me out quicker than a bottle of NyQuil.

Mom woke me up at the crack of dawn to start getting the rest of the food prepared and I couldn't help but die a little on the inside.

I walked down the stairs to see Theo already peeling potatoes with a look of nothing but pure joy on his face.

Okay. It wasn't exactly joy, but he didn't look angry. He just looked extremely tired. But even though he looked like he was about to pass out from sleep deprivation he still looked like a Greek god. My mother pushed a peeler into my hand and shoved me in the direction of Theo to help him.

Theo sent me a tired but still mischievous smile. "Good morning, princess. Bedhead really does suit you."

"Better get used to it, pal. You'll be seeing it for years to come." I shot back.

"Wouldn't have it any other way." He sent me a wink before leaning down to give me a kiss on the cheek.

"No time for that! Back to work!" I heard my mom yell from behind me.

"She's really a joyful morning person." I muttered and Theo chuckled resulting in both of us being at the receiving end of my mom's glare.

We ended up getting everything in the oven or finished up besides the rolls, which my mother insisted on doing at the last minute to keep them warm. But you wouldn't catch me fighting against it since I could literally fall asleep on the countertop with how tired I was.

Theo went off to get a shower and change for the party, while I went back to my bed to see if I could catch some z's.

I couldn't go back to sleep after being up and moving for so long so I ended up just getting ready for the day. I even had enough time to give little Gracie a bath, who by the way, my mom absolutely adores.

She loves her so much that she insisted on keeping her in her own bedroom for the night. Sigh. My mom even snatched up my dog.

The only positive about getting home late was the fact that she'd sent Gloria home.

But that catches you up on everything and brings us back to the present...me making out with Theo and getting caught.

"No! Mom, we were just kissing." I say with my face practically on fire.

"Uh huh. Sure. Come downstairs. Gracie needs walked before everyone starts arriving and I need help setting the table!" She said with a wave and leaving with me a guy to pick off the floor and a realization that my family would be here any second.

Great!

I quickly plucked Theo off the ground,

"Are you alright?" I asked surveying his body for any life-threatening injuries.

"I'm just peachy. I think your mom has grown to hate me." He said as he brushed off his arms and looked to me.

"No she doesn't. This is her just getting payback for us getting back so late last night." I tell him as I pick a piece of string from his shirt.

"She's gonna drag it out as long as she can, won't she?" He asked with a look of hope for the opposite answer that I'd be giving him.

"Yes. She will. That's my mother's style." I admitted with a small chuckle. "But it'll end soon enough. Just give her time."

I told him the last sentence as I brushed the remaining dust from his shirt. I was too busy trying to clean him up that I totally wasn't expecting what he asked next.

"So I really am the first guy you've brought home, huh?"

My head shot up so fast that I was able to catch him watching me intently.

"Well...uh. You see...is it hot in here?" I asked as I backed away and started fanning my face.

"Not really, but then again I am in here." Theo said from behind me and I turned around instantly noticing the huge smirk on his face.

"Not helping. Now I'm all nervous and I don't know what to expect."

I hadn't really put a lot of thought into everything that would happen. I did know that my family would be meeting Theo and all but I hadn't actually planned further than that.

"Why? What's wrong, Mya? There's not much to worry about. Like I said I've got this." He told me wrapping me up into a hug.

"What if they started going into detail of questions and I didn't know the answer? What if they asked when we met or how? What if they asked when we became an official couple? We love each other, yes, but we aren't even technically even a couple. What am I going to do lie? You know i'm the worst liar on the face of the earth! I knew all of this was coming but I just kept putting it off and now I'm not prepared for any of this and I'm freaking out." I finished muttering into his shirt with a sigh as he continued to rub my back in comfort.

"Like I said before. I got this under control, princess. You're just gonna have to trust me." He stated before placing a kiss on the top of my head.

"Let's go, kids! They'll be here any minute!" I heard my mom shout from downstairs.

"Coming!" I yelled back before I turned back to Theo.

Inhale. Exhale. Everything was going to be fine, Amaya. Stop being so overdramatic!

"I do trust you, Theo. It's just I'm nervous." I tell him truthfully.

"Well I'll be with you the entire time. If you need me just nudge me or something, okay?" He leaned in and placed a kiss on my forehead. "Now let's get moving before your mom decides to murder us both."

Theo bolted comically out the door leaving me laughing while trailing after him.

After a quick walk down the street and back with Gracie, I got home to find Theo setting the table. He hadn't seen or heard me come in so I watched as he placed each dish precisely on the table. It was almost humorous to watch him in such deep concentration about something as small as plates and forks of all things.

My mom's ability to scare him into doing things was hilarious given the fact that he deals with much scarier threats on the football field.

"So, how's it going in here, Martha Stewart?" I asked as I crossed my arms and leaned against the doorway trying my hardest to contain my smile.

"Good. Snoop just called and wants to meet up later, so that's always fun!" He snapped back rather sarcastically.

"Ooh. Attitude. Love it. Let me guess. My mom has you stressing out about perfect table setting?" I guessed.

"How'd you know?" He asked kind of relieved to hear he wasn't going insane.

"My mom has a gift for it." I laughed. "No worries though. I'll help you out. I've been practicing for 13 years." I admitted before picking up a handful of butter knives and placing them at each seating.

Just as I was placing the last plate onto the table the doorbell rang.

"Amaya! Get that, will you?" My mom shouted from the depths of her kitchen.

"Yeah! I got it!" I hollered back.

I made my way to the door and pulled it open not expecting what I saw.

"Amaya?" He looked and sounded so shocked to see me.

Then again, I probably didn't look exactly the same as I did back in high school. Back then I hardly ever wore anything other than hoodies and sweatpants and my hair was constantly scraped up into a sloppy sideways pony tail.

I actually tried with my appearance today and boy did I pick a spectacular day to do so.

"Dillon?! Is that you?!"

--------------------------------------------------------

OH MY GOSH! Dillon Heron??? Amaya's high crush????!?! It's bout to get crazy :p

I'm so sorry I haven't updated in so long! But I hope that you guys enjoyed this update!! (Sorry for any grammar issues - I didn't proofread bc I was too excited about getting this chapter to y'all!) Next update I should be wrapping up Theo & Amaya's adventures in Louisiana & shipping them back to school!!

But as for you guys being the best (as always!) I wanna thank you for over 600k reads!! Ahhh! It's so crazy!!! And TFPR has been ranked #8 in Teen Fiction?!?! Like oh my goodness that's unbelievable! I have only you guys to thank! You guys are incredible! 💕

In other news!! I've finally changed my cover!! The kindest, sweetest & extremely talented made it for me & I absolutely adore it!! If you guys ever need a book cover, she loves to make them & is the number one person to go to! You guys should go check out her account & keep watch for her new book (Book Covers "R" Us) where you can request a cover! She's the best & you won't regret it!

But as for me, I'm gonna wrap up this update by wishing you all a late happy St. Patty's Day!! Hope you peeps had a very fun & very green day!

Lots of Love,

~K