Elise felt like she could puke at any second she was so nervous. Danny's parents had just arrived at their house and hers would be there any moment for her and Danny's big announcement dinner.
She had been smart and put her ring away in her jewelry box. Her mother was sometimes oblivious, but something told her her dad would probably notice it and definitely Danny's father, Harold. Nothing got by him. He had been trained to notice small details in the Army and it was clear the habit had never fully worn off.
Elise paced in the kitchen when she wasn't helping Danny prepare the food. The roast chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, and green beans all smelled delicious cooking, but she was afraid she wouldn't be able to eat much, even though the delicious aroma was making her stomach growl.
"Calm down. It'll be fine," Danny moved away from the stove and grabbed her, attempting to rub some of the tension out of her shoulders.
"I'm freaking out."
"I noticed. Deep breaths," he spoke low in her ear. Her heart rate had increased noticeably all morning. She tried his suggestion, which helped some...temporarily.
The doorbell rang.
"I'll get it!" Danny called, not wanting his parents, who were watching tv in the living room, to worry about it. It was his house, after all. No. Their house. Elise was still having a hard time getting used to that. It had only been two weeks, a little less, really, since she had moved in.
Elise followed him to greet her parents.
"Hey, guys! Come on in!" Danny greeted jovially, not a care in the world. How could he be so calm all of the time? She envied him for it.
Elise hugged each of her parents as they got in the door.
"Did you guys make it here alright?" Danny asked them.
"Oh, yes. No problems at all," her father answered. "Gotta love modern technology," he waved his phone in the air and chuckled.
"Good. Glad to hear it. Come on in and have a seat. Dinner's almost ready. These are my parents, Harold and Lorraine," he introduced.
"Hello, Jerry Roberts," her dad went over and shook hands with Danny's parents.
"Beth Roberts," Elise's mom followed suit.
"I'm gonna check on the chicken. You guys make yourselves comfortable. I'll let you know when the food's done," Danny left them to their own devices in the living room.
Elise wasn't sure what to do with herself. Her parents occupied the loveseat, Danny's the couch. There were 2 recliners left, but she felt too nervous to sit, but felt it would be rude to hide in the kitchen now that her parents were there.
"For God sake's, Elise. Sit down. You're making me nervous," her mom said.
"Sorry," she crossed the room and sat in the recliner between her parents and Danny's. Elise felt like she should be the one making conversation, being a good host, but she was horrible at small talk on a good day. She secretly hoped her chatty parents or Danny's sweet mom would think of something to say first.
"So you guys are from up north?" Lorraine asked. Elise felt her shoulders relax and hoped she hadn't let out an audible sigh of relief.288Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCUDuzZU1k
Her and Danny's mother made chit-chat for a few minutes, her father occasionally interjecting. Harold seemed more interested in whatever was on tv. Even though she still found him intimidating, he was gaining points with her all the time. He may not harbor the same neurotic tendencies as her, but other than that, they were actually quite similar in their demeanor around others.
"Dinner is served," Danny appeared in the doorway, smiling. "Everybody come grab a plate," he waved an arm and disappeared back into the kitchen. Elise somehow ended up trailing behind everyone else with Harold.
"Not a fan of idle chit-chat either, huh?" he spoke in a hushed tone and smiled slightly.
"That would be an understatement," she somehow found her voice and smiled back.
All Elise could focus on through the course of their meal was the clink of forks and knives against plates. She nibbled on her own food every now and then, at least to give the illusion that she was eating. Of course, her mother still noticed.
"Elise, you've barely eaten a thing," her mother commented. "Are you feeling ok?"
"I'm fine," she spoke quietly. "My stomach's just a little upset." It wasn't a complete lie.
"Well, hopefully you're feeling better later. This is delicious, Danny. Thank you," her mother smiled at him.
"Yes, thank you," her father chimed in.
"No problem. I'm just glad you guys were able to make it down," he smiled back at them.
"I have to admit, though, we had ulterior motives for inviting you guys here today." Danny took her hand under the table.
"Oh?" Jerry asked.
"As you all know, Elise moved in with me a couple weeks ago." Some of their parents nodded their heads. "But something else happened a couple of weeks ago that we wanted to share with you guys."
"Are you pregnant?" Beth looked at Elise.
After being totally and completely flabbergasted for a few seconds, she finally spoke.
"What?! No!" Elise wanted to die right then and there in front of everyone. She had never been so embarrassed in her life. Her face burned.
"Well?! You said your stomach was upset and you barely ate anything. What did you expect me to think?"
"Ugh. Mom..." Elise mumbled. She wanted to bury her face in her hands, but resisted the urge and let Danny finish speaking.
"No, I asked Elise to marry me. And she said 'yes'," he squeezed her hand under the table. Lorraine and Beth both gasped. Both of their fathers looked surprised, though Harold less so with just his eyebrows raised. Elise didn't get the impression he disliked her. He just wasn't that emotional. Or at least he wasn't expressive about them. Danny definitely took after his mother more.
"Oh my God! Congratulations!" her mother said as everyone got up from their seats to hug and shake hands with Elise and Danny. It felt weird having so much attention drawn to her, but she was also relieved everyone seemed to be happy. She wasn't even sure exactly why she had been so nervous. Maybe she was afraid they would think they were rushing into it too quickly. After all, they hadn't even been dating for a year. Better question, why did she care? Because it was her parents, of course, and their opinion mattered to her and she wanted Danny's parents too like her too. Still. She needed to stop caring so much what others thought. The only thing that mattered was that she and Danny were happy, right?
"I'm so excited for you guys!" Lorraine hugged her, the same twinkle in her eyes that Danny got when he was excited or up to something.
"Where's your ring?" she took Elise's hand.
"Yah, sweetie. We want to see it," her mother chimed in, getting caught up in the excitement.
"I didn't want to ruin the surprise. It's in my jewelry box," she chuckled, amused by their excitement. They reminded her of teenage girls, the same way Mary had when she showed her.
"Right back," Elise excused herself to the bedroom and retrieved the ring from the jewelry box on top of her dresser in the corner of the room. She felt a sense of relief putting it back on. Ever since Danny gave it to her she had been scared to death of losing it.
Elise returned to the living room and held her hand out to her waiting mother and soon-to-be mother in-law. When she looked up at her mom, she saw tears in her ears.
"What is it, mom?"
"You told him the story, didn't you?" Beth referred to the story of Elise's great-grandmother and grandfather.
"Yah," Elise admitted quietly. "I hope that's ok."
"Of course, sweetheart. That's just, so sweet," she swiped a tear from the corner of her eye. "That boy's definitely a keeper," she smiled at Elise. "You raised a thoughtful son," she patted Lorraine on the shoulder.
"Thank you," Danny's mom responded. "We sure are looking forward to having Elise in our family now too," she leaned forward and hugged Elise.
"I'm just glad I don't have to keep it a secret any more," she laughed softly. "This has been the most nerve-racking 2 weeks of my life!"
ns 15.158.61.20da2
