Catch Me

Chapter 14

     Kyle and I were walking to his front porch. He drove me to his home and I was surprised by how open he was with everything. He was letting me see his address, letting me see exactly where he lived without hesitation. And my heart felt warm as I realized Kyle truly trusted me.

     "Are you nervous?" Kyle asked, hesitating before he opened the door.

     "A little," I admitted.

     "They'll love you. Trust me, they will."

     I nodded and took a deep breath in, and Kyle gave me a reassuring smile. He then opened the door for me and I stepped through, and immediately upon entering, I saw Kyle's mom and siblings.

     Kyle's mom was stunning, I realized as I stood frozen at the doorstep. She was a petite women with blonde hair and the same striking blue eyes Kyle had. And glancing at his siblings, I saw the same blonde hair and blue eyes on them as well. His brother was the same man I saw at the bar when I first met Kyle, and the little girl was the mini version of his mom. The entire family was stunning and feeling shy, I just stood there gawking at them.

     "Enough of the staring contest," Kyle said, chuckling as he shut the door behind us. "This is Clarissa. Clarissa, this is my mom, Marigold, my brother, Ryan, and my little sister, Daisy."

     "Hi," I said, feeling unusually nervous.

     Kyle snorted beside me and I shot him a look. He smiled smugly at me and I rolled my eyes, annoyed he was making fun of me for being so shy around his family.

     "Hi, it's nice to meet you," Marigold said. "Please, come in."

     Kyle and I followed Marigold to the kitchen and I took in their house. It was a small house with just two rooms on the main floor; one of the rooms was the living room and the other was the kitchen. And as my eyes scanned the area, I took in how neat everything was and how every corner was full of pots of flowers. As I thought about Ryan's mom's name and his little sister's name, I thought about the coincidence for their fondness of flowers.

     "Have a seat Clarissa," Marigold said. "Let me make you tea."

     "Thank you," I said.

     Daisy then ran up to me and both Kyle and Ryan leaned against the wall across from me. Ryan was glancing at me, his eyes curious and I looked to Kyle who, to my surprise, was glaring at Ryan. Frowning, I wondered what that was about.

     "You know," Daisy said, bringing my attention to her. "You're beautiful. Like really beautiful."

     "Oh, thank you," I said, touched.

     "I thought the same thing when I saw you," Marigold said, turning to look at me. "My son is really lucky to have a girl like you in his life."

    Ryan snorted and Kyle shot his mom a look. I blushed, realizing her implication.

    "Oh, we're just friends," I said, hoping to clear the air.

    "Really?" Ryan said. "Kyle won't shut up about you, so we all thought he finally got a girlfriend."

    "Shush," Kyle said. "Ignore my brother. Seriously, ignore everything he says."

    "Hey!"

    I laughed as they glared at each other and I looked to Daisy who was also giggling. Marigold was smiling to herself as she stirred two cups of tea.

    As a family, we continued to talk and learn more about each other, and with every minute that passed I saw just how close the Rivers family was. Everything they did was so fluid, whether it be to help Marigold cook dinner or to tease each other. I was amazed by the sight before me and my heart even ached as I wondered if this was what it was like to have a healthy family.