The Girl Next Door Chapter 54

“How’s it been?” Sidney asked when Kate called him.
“Ugh, I don’t even want to talk about it,” Kate tiredly said. “Mary and Andrew have been such a pain. I’m so glad some normal relatives got here, and Neal’s coming home tomorrow.”
“Can I meet your family?”
“What?” Kate asked, stunned.
“Can I meet your family?” Sidney asked again.
“Why? They’re crazy.”
“Well, you’ve met some of mine…”
“True,” Kate interrupted.
“And well, I kinda want to meet yours. You know, to see if they’re as insane as you say they are.”
“My family doesn’t know we’re dating. Well, my relatives don’t, except for my cousin Kristen, because she heard us talking earlier, and of course Bobby and Nikki, but they’re not coming.”
“Do you not want me to meet your family?” Sidney asked.
“It’s not that, it’s just well, they’re nuts. And they’re loudmouths. Are you sure you want to meet them?”
“Well, I’m pretty curious. Sure, why not?” Sidney
“Are you positive?” Kate seriously asked.
“Yeah,” Sidney laughed.
“Okay, it’s what you want,” Kate laughed. “Want to come over for dinner tonight? My dad’s grilling a bunch of stuff.”
“Sure, what time?”
“I’m not sure yet. The rest of my family gets in around five, so it would probably be around six thirty. Can I call you later and tell you?”
“Sure, sounds good. I can’t wait.” After a long pause, Sidney asked, “Kate, are you comfortable with this?”
“Yeah. Are you?”
“Yeah. I’d meet them sooner or later. We’ll just tell them to, you know, keep it quiet.”
“Good luck with that,” Kate joked.
A minute later, they ended their call, and Kate found her mom and told her what was going on. Her mom said it was fine, and that she wished Kate good luck. Kate knew that they would probably need it.
*****
In the afternoon, Kate took another trip to the airport to pick up the rest of her relatives. She had to pick up her dad’s sister Mary (who was two years older than her dad, and never married, although she had been engaged twice), her dad’s brother Paul (whose wife, Nicole, could not make it down because she was a schoolteacher and could not take time off during finals), and her mom’s sister Barbara (whose husband Don could not make it because he was a sod farmer, and this was his busiest time of year). Kate met them down at baggage claim, and was greeted with hugs and numerous questions. When she was asked the boyfriend question though, for once, she did not lie.
“Yeah, I do have a boyfriend, and you’ll meet him tonight. But please, no more questions about it until then, okay?”
Her aunts and uncle agreed and they picked up their bags and headed back home. When Kate got home and helped her family with their bags, she went out back to talk to her dad, who had been told about everything by Sarah, so he was ready to help. Kate then walked over to get Sidney, whom she had called on the way home from the airport. He was in the driveway playing with Austin when Kate walked up.
“Hey Austin, we’ll finish this up tomorrow, okay?” Sidney asked.
“Sure! Hi Katie! Bye Katie!” Austin chirped.
“Bye Austin,“ Kate laughed as Austin went inside.
“Hi Katie!” Sidney mimicked in an annoying voice.
“Shut up, Sidney,” Kate said in an equally annoying voice.
He gave her a quick kiss, and put his hand in hers.
“You ready for this?” Kate asked as they walked to her house.
“Yep, I think I can handle it,” he confidently said.
Before they made it to Kate’s house, Sidney let go of her hand and gently brushed a lock of hair off her face. He leaned in, and he kissed her. Kate kissed him back, and they kissed for awhile. When they broke apart, he gave her a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’m sure everything will be okay Katie,” Sidney assured her.
“I hope so,” she replied.
Kate opened the front door and the two of them walked inside, hand-in-hand.