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18. Chapter Eighteen

The weeks passed quickly. I spent most of my free time with Jared's friends or holed up in what I was beginning to think of as our house, working on various pieces I was committed to. In the early mornings, after his shows ended, Jared often called, buzzing with energy. He wasn't due to return for another week or so and I'd put off spending time with his family long enough. At least, that's what Charlie, our American producer from Destination Love, told me. I knew it needed to happen, but I was so worried his parents wouldn't welcome me as fondly as Mamma had welcomed Jared, or worse, they'd reject our marriage altogether. I'd had a good relationship with them when I'd lived under their roof in high school, but I was terrified of their rejection. I knew my fears were irrational, but with Jared and his family having a tenuous relationship, I worried they wouldn't remember me quite as fondly.

Charlie arranged for me to join them for a meal, both of Jared's parents along with his sister, at a nearby restaurant. On a Saturday two weeks before Jared's return, I headed to Lily, a brunch restaurant in the heart of Port Grandlin, to reunite with my exchange family, soon to be my in-laws.

Outside of Lily, Charlie smiled wide as I walked up, wearing jeans, a black crew neck shirt, and a dark blazer. "Matt! You look great! And right on time, too. This is Heidi, our camera operator."

Heidi nodded from behind the shoulder-mounted camera she held. "Nice to meet you."

"Thanks. You too," I said. Nerves raced through me, my stomach doing a flip as Charlie stepped forward to hand the mic pack to me.

"You know what to do with this?"

I nodded and took the pack from her. "Ja. Thanks." As I wired myself up, I glanced up at Charlie. "Any specific directions for this?"

Another smile from her. "You're getting used to this, I can tell. Okay, they're already seated. I want you to hug them when you get inside. Do what feels natural, but it should be a warm welcome. Today's tension is coming from the fact that you're going to be the one to break the news to them about the engagement. You only have a little over sixty days to get married, and you need their support. Lean into that. Okay?"

Heat drained from my face and my stomach sank. "They don't know we're engaged?"

Charlie shook her head and adjusted my collar. "Not yet, but they will soon enough."

"Why didn't Jared tell them?"

She shrugged. "We asked him not to. Have to amp up the drama somehow."

"How are they going to react?"

The smile on her face gave nothing away. "Time will tell."

We made our way into the restaurant, Heidi following close behind me. It was easy to spot Jared's family. I recognized them immediately, not the least of all because Jared's sister Grace looked just like him, and he bore a strong resemblance to his parents, Peter and Debra, as well. Besides that, they were at a table distanced from the rest of the mostly full restaurant, and as I approached, Heidi swooped toward them.

Debra was the first to spot me, and she stood, a brilliant smile on her face. "Matthias! It's so good to see you again!"

I stepped forward and embraced her. "You can just call me Matt."

Peter reached out and shook my hand firmly. "Well, Matt, it's nice to see you. You've changed a lot since we last saw you."

Grace chuckled. "Dad, that was something like fifteen years ago."

"Exactly," Peter said with a smile.

We took our seats, me next to Grace, with Peter and Debra across from us.

"Tell us everything you've been doing." Debra leaned forward to listen. "Jared tells us you're a writer."

"It's not quite that thrilling. I mean, yes, I am a writer, but it's more travel writing than novels or anything. I take pictures and write about places I've been. That said, I try to make my pieces more about the people I meet and the unique lives of those people, rather than just about where to find the best beer or the hot nightlife."

"That sounds amazing," Grace said.

Before we could continue catching up, our server, a young woman who looked like she'd barely graduated high school, came to take our orders. I asked for eggs Benedict, and though I desperately wanted to order an alcoholic beverage to quell my nerves, I decided against it. I didn't want to risk anything turning their opinion against me.

Once our order was placed, Peter asked the million-dollar question. "So, what brings you back to the States?"

"Oh, I'd like to branch out. Write about America for a while. I was offered a position as a travel writer with a magazine here. It seemed like a great opportunity, so I jumped on it and here I am."

"That's great," Debra murmured. "They're sponsoring you for citizenship?"

I swallowed hard and looked at my hands, toying with the hem of my napkin. "Actually, no. Jared is."

Peter's brows furrowed. "Jared doesn't run a business, especially not one that sponsors visas."

With a deep, slow breath, I nodded. My heart raced as I spoke, and I balled my hands into fists under the table to try and calm myself. Sweat beaded on the back of my neck, a single drop rolling down into my shirt. "No, you're correct. But we do qualify for the K-1 visa."

Grace wrinkled her nose. "Isn't that—"

Before she could say anything, I held up one hand. "Yes. It's the fiancé visa. Jared and I… well, we're… together. We have been for a while now. And we're getting married. We have just over sixty days before we have to be legally joined or I get deported."

Debra, brows furrowed, spoke up. "I knew Jared was gay, but I didn't know you were, too."

"I'm bisexual, actually. I always have been."

She nodded slowly. "Well, it makes sense. You two were always as thick as thieves. How long have you been together?"

I wanted to be as honest as possible with them, without giving up the actual truth, which was that we'd only decided to get married to get my visa and boost his music career. "It's hard to pin down an exact date. We've kept in touch consistently since my time here. Once we both were in university, we started having weekly calls, either phone or video. After graduation, it intensified. I don't have specifics. It was just very organic. And now here we are."

Peter nodded solemnly. "Well, welcome to the family. Again." A slow smile broke out over his face as he turned to Debra. "Right, hon?"

"Of course!" She wiped her eyes. "I wish he was here to celebrate with us."

The meal went smoothly after that. My eggs were excellent, and we enjoyed catching up. I told them about some of my articles and they shared stories I was sure Jared would be mortified to hear them tell. When the meal was finished, each of the family members embraced me tightly.

"Welcome to the family," Peter said. "We're just glad you're finally going to make it official."

My face warmed, pleased that they'd been so unconcerned by the whole situation. "Thank you," I murmured. "Truly."

From her seat next to us, Charlie gave me the thumbs-up, grinning wide.

There was a lot to think about on the drive home. I had been welcomed by his family, and Jared would return from the tour in two weeks. Once I stepped back into his—our—house, I looked around, noticing that evidence of my existence was minimal. I'd done it out of fear—fear that we'd end things for one reason or another and my citizenship wouldn't come to fruition. But no more fear—I needed to embrace where I was in life. I decided to change things around immediately. As I went about the house, putting a few of my books on his shelves, hanging my jackets by his door, and just making my presence known, I decided I needed to make one more change, too.

I went into my bedroom and looked around. The first thing I did was relocate my clothes. Then I put my pillow on Jared's bed and moved my toiletries into his bathroom. The only things I left in the room I'd stayed in for the past month were my laptop and my camera equipment. We could keep the guest bedroom as an office so I could work without disturbing him, but from then on, I wanted Jared's room to be our room. I didn't want to sleep apart anymore. I wanted to live up to my words.

"I think it's worth trying,"Jared had said. I'd agreed. I still agreed. And when he returned, I wanted him to see how much I agreed, how much I wanted our relationship to work. How much I wanted to be with him.

I remembered my words to Jared that night. "Ja, I do too." I did, and I meant it. I was ready to prove it. All that was left was to welcome Jared home.

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