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Joe walks in as Nixie moves around in his kitchen, preparing what looks to be a delicious breakfast spread of fluffy pancakes, crispy bacon, and fresh fruit. "
What are you doing?" Joe asks warmly as he takes a seat at the kitchen island, touched by her effort.
"I'm making you breakfast," Nixie answers cheerfully over the sizzling sounds of the stove.
"Awe, you didn't have to do that," Joe says, watching her work with admiration.
Nixie's phone suddenly rings loudly, interrupting the cozy scene. It's a FaceTime video call from her mother.
"Watch the food, please," Nixie requests, handing Joe the spatula before stepping aside to answer the call.
"Hi, Mom," Nixie greets her mother Texie with a smile, temporarily hiding her cooking activity.
Texie informs her daughter that she is already at Nixie's house, hoping to go shopping together.
Caught off guard, Nixie lies that she's out already to avoid the surprise visit.
As she talks, Joe accidentally passes behind her, revealing his presence. Noticing movement in the background, Texie immediately interrogates Nixie about the man in the kitchen.
Before Nixie can come up with an excuse, Joe playfully pops his head into the camera frame, no longer willing to be kept a secret.
He warmly introduces himself as Nixie's boyfriend despite her warnings about her mother's overprotective, meddling nature.
Texie reacts with caution, insisting the new couple join the entire family for dinner that night so she can properly meet and assess this new suitor.
After ending the call, a worried Nixie tries to prep Joe for her mother's interrogating nature, certain she will eat him alive.
But Joe remains unphased, confident that he can win over even the toughest of potential mother-in-laws.
As they finally sit down to enjoy the now slightly burnt breakfast Nixie cooked with such care, she can't help but continue nervously chatting about how Joe can impress her hard-to-please mother, while Joe reassuringly squeezes her hand, repeating "I got this, baby girl."
Nixie gave him a look. "You better because I would hate to have to break up with you," Nixie told him.
Joe smiled. "Girl, you ain't going nowhere," Joe said.
"Okay, Mr. Confident," Nixie said.
Changing the subject, Joe asks Nixie what she does to keep in shape. Nixie tells Joe that she does Pilates because her cousin, Keiarna is a Pilates instructor.
"Oh you do that assassin training," Joe said. Nixie giggled at Joe's joking characterization of the exercise method.
"You should try it," Nixie encouraged, knowing Pilates offers a full-body workout that builds core strength and flexibility.
Joe shakes his head, no, perhaps envisioning the intense ab workouts or challenging balancing poses Pilates is known for.
"Come on, I have a session today with my cousin. Come with me," Nixie persisted, hoping to get Joe to step outside his workout comfort zone.
After thinking it over, Joe agrees to give it a try, not wanting to miss out on spending time with Nixie.
Nixie cheers excitedly, looking forward to introducing Joe to Pilates and seeing how he enjoys the workout.
Later that day, Nixie and Joe meet up with her cousin Keiarna at the Pilates studio. Keiarna guides them through a beginner-friendly mat Pilates session, leading them through controlled movements focused on alignment, precision, and breath.
Though initially unsure, by the end of the class Joe realized it was as intense as he imagined but it provided an invigorating full-body workout.
Nixie smiles knowingly at Joe, happy she convinced him to try something new and that they could share this activity.
Later that evening, Nixie and Joe arrived at Nixie's childhood home to have dinner with her parents.
As they sat parked in the driveway, Nixie nervously went over who would be attending the dinner.
Sensing her apprehension, Joe tried to reassure her, "Relax, your parents are going to love me."
Letting out an anxious breath, Nixie nodded, though she still felt uneasy. "Come on, let's do this," she finally said, mustering her courage as they exited the car.
Just then, Nixie's sister Jovie pulled up with Joshua.
"Oh look who's here for dinner," Jovie remarked sarcastically as she and Joshua joined Joe and Nixie.
"Good luck man, Mrs. Texie don't play around," Joshua warned Joe with a chuckle.
Joe laughed nervously in response, starting to feel the pressure. "See what I mean?" Nixie said, giving Joe an 'I told you so' look.
They headed up the front walkway and the front door swung open to reveal Nixie's father Kelo welcoming them inside.
After Nixie introduced her dad and Joe, they shook hands firmly before following Kelo into the living room where the rest of the family was gathered.
Nixie's mother Texie immediately approached, eyeing Joe critically up and down before giving a polite but strained smile. "Hello Leati," she greeted him formally, making it clear she had done her research on him.
"Momma, you can call him Joe," Nixie corrected gently. Texie nodded in acquiescence. "Okay, Joe, nice to meet you," she said, though her tone remained reserved.
As they all settled in the living room, Texie wasted no time grilling Joe with probing questions about his background, career, and ambitions. Joe did his best to answer honestly while Nixie watched anxiously, ready to jump in at any moment.
Kelo just shook his head knowingly at his wife's antics. Hoping to silently reassure him, Nixie gently placed her hand on Joe's leg.
Noticing this display of affection, Texie immediately suggested, "Oh Nixie, come help me in the kitchen."
Obediently, Nixie followed her mother, only to face further interrogation about her relationship with Joe.
Nixie opened up about how they met and how things were progressing so far. Giving her daughter a knowing look, Texie declared, "You're in love with him." Flustered, Nixie tried to deny it, but Texie persisted, pointing out all the signs she was picking up on.
With a resigned sigh, Nixie conceded her mother's point. To her surprise, Texie then smiled and said, "He's good for you." Nixie couldn't help but smile back, feeling relieved.
When the food was ready, Texie called everyone to the dining room. After saying grace, the family dug into the meal, while Kelo took the opportunity to ask Joe about his family, career plans, and vision for the future.
Impressed by Joe's thoughtful responses, Kelo winked approvingly at his daughter. Nixie beamed, finally relaxing now that the toughest part of the evening was over.
Though Texie remained reserved, she seemed satisfied that Joe was worthy of her daughter, and Nixie was simply happy to have the three most important people in her life getting along.
