The Way Your Heart Sounds

The week after Matt’s wedding, Lauren was on her way home from work, thinking about the night ahead. Tonight she would meet Jimmy’s family. To say she was nervous an understatement. Jimmy was very close with his family, and she knew it was important for them to like her. She pulled up into Jimmy’s driveway when her phone started to ring. It was her realtor, who had been helping her sell her house the past month or so.

“Hello?” she answered.

“Hi Lauren. It’s Tom. How are things going?” he asked. She turned the car off and decided to finish the conversation before heading inside so Jimmy wouldn’t ask who she was talking to.

“Things are good. Got any news for me?”

“I actually have very good news. We have a buyer. They’re ready to move in as soon as you’re ready to move out,” he said.

Lauren was grinning ear to ear. She couldn’t wait to tell Jimmy the good news. Now all she had to do was go pack up her stuff. She thanked the realtor about a million times, and told him she would meet with him tomorrow afternoon to do some paperwork and go over some final things. Once she hung up, she gathered her things and made her way into Jimmy’s house- soon to be their house.

Jimmy came out from the hallway and smiled. He was wearing a velvet suit jacket with a t-shirt and jeans. Interesting outfit, but pretty typical for his taste.

“I thought I heard the car pull up,” he said. He came over to her and kissed her hello.

“Whenever you’re ready, we can head over there.”

Lauren nodded in response to him and made her way to the bedroom. She grabbed an outfit to wear, just a simple skirt and blouse. After a quick shower and some makeup, she was ready to go. Jimmy was waiting patiently for her in the living room, reading a magazine.

They hopped in the car and began their drive. Lauren was feeling more and more nervous as they got closer to the house. He had reassured her quite a few times that she had nothing to worry about, yet she was still worried. When Jimmy stopped the car in front of his parent’s house, she took a deep breath and opened the car door. As they were walking up the pathway to the front door, he grabbed her hand and smiled.

The front door opened before they had the opportunity to knock. His parents were standing there with huge smiles and kind eyes, they looked just like Jimmy.

“I’m so excited to meet you!” his mom chirped, wrapping Lauren in a very tight hug.

“You too! I’ve heard so much about you. It’s great to finally meet you, Mrs. Sullivan,” Lauren responded, smiling as his mom squeezed her.

“Please call me Barbara. This is my husband Joe,” she said, finally letting Lauren go to turn around and gesture towards her husband, who was waving.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you. Please come in, make yourself at home. Dinner should be ready in a few,” Joe said. His voice was almost identical to Jimmy’s. Lauren nodded before Jimmy escorted her inside.

His parents had a very cozy, welcoming home. The living room had a gorgeous fireplace surrounded by couches. They had a huge dining room, which was definitely the focal point of the house. She figured they must entertain often. In the living room, there were two young ladies sitting on one of the couches, who looked over when Lauren and Jimmy entered the room.

“Jimmy’s here!” one of them shouted, hopping off the couch to hug Jimmy. The other was soon to follow, and Jimmy hugged both of them at the same time.

“This must be Lauren,” the first one said after hugging Jimmy. He smiled and nodded.

“That’s her.”

“Hi! I’m Katie, Jimmy’s sister. This is Kelly,” she pointed to the other woman standing next to them. Lauren went to shake their hands, but they both insisted on hugs instead. His family certainly liked hugs.

Jimmy’s dad called from the kitchen that dinner was ready, so the four of them walked towards the dining room. The table was already set. Joe and Barbara started bringing out plates of food from the kitchen. It looked more like Thanksgiving dinner than a casual family dinner. Lauren hadn’t had a family dinner in years, so this felt like a very special occasion to her when it was probably a very normal occasion for them.

The dinner was delightful, and she enjoyed getting to know his family a little better. They asked her all sorts of questions about her life and her job. She was having an amazing time with them, and they were truly wonderful hosts. Once dinner was over, Jimmy and his sisters went into the kitchen to help his father bring back all the plates and put away leftovers. It was just Lauren and Jimmy’s mother at the dining table now.

“Is he doing alright?” she asked quietly, keeping her voice down so she wouldn’t be heard in the kitchen. She had been rather light-hearted for most of the evening, but now she seemed a bit more serious.

“Yeah, he’s doing really well. He’s been going to the psychiatrist and different doctors and stuff, as I’m sure he told you. I’m very proud of him,” Lauren smiled. Barbara nodded, and then sighed.

“He’s been struggling with this for most of his life. It kind of seems too good to be true, you know? I worry about him now that he’s lost his biggest coping mechanism…” she trailed off, looking at the table.

“I understand. He’s had a few minor setbacks, but overall he’s been amazing through all of this. Better than I could have ever expected,” Lauren said, giving his mother a reassuring smile.

“That’s great. I’m so glad. Thank you for everything you’ve been doing to help him, Lauren. He’s the happiest I’ve ever seen him,” Barbara returned her smile.

Jimmy appeared back in the dining room again, and put his hand on Lauren’s shoulder.

“I hate to cut out early, but Lauren and I both have to be up early tomorrow. She has work and I have an eye doctor’s appointment,” he said, “but we should make this a weekly thing!”

“Of course. The two of you are welcome over anytime, you don’t even have to call,” Barbara said.

Before leaving, Lauren and Jimmy made sure to hug everyone, say goodbye, and thank them for dinner.

“I told you that you had nothing to worry about, they loved you,” Jimmy said as they got into the car. Lauren shrugged.

“You have an eye doctor’s appointment tomorrow? Do you need new glasses or something?” she asked, buckling her seatbelt.

“Actually, it’s to see if I can have lasik done! I hope to god he says yes,” Jimmy laughed,

“Sorry I forgot to tell you.”

Once they finally got home, the two of them walked up to the house hand in hand. Lauren had been waiting the entire evening to tell Jimmy that she was moving in with him. She just didn’t find the right moment. As Jimmy unlocked the front door and they walked inside, she told him she had a surprise for him. Better now than never, she thought.

“Ooo, a surprise, huh?” Jimmy asked, wrapping his arms around her waist.

“I sold my house.”

A huge grin broke out onto Jimmy’s face.

“Seriously?” he asked. “If you’re messing with me I might have to kill you.”

“Nope. I’m moving in,” she smiled. He scooped her up into a bear hug and refused to let go until she complained about not being able to breathe.

“This is the best surprise ever. I love you so much, I’m so excited.” He kissed her passionately and she melted in his arms. He tended to have that effect on her.

“Now I just have to go get all my stuff,” she said. “Not like there’s a whole lot there. Probably going to donate some of the furniture and things unless you want them.”

“We can go over there tomorrow, I’ll help you pack. Matt has a truck if you need it for moving furniture,” he said. They started walking down the hallway towards the bedroom to turn in for the night.

“Cool, I’ll call him tomorrow morning and see if he can stop by,” Lauren said as she slipped her heels off.

“So, what did you think of my parents?” he asked. He slipped his shoes off as well and changed into nothing but a pair of shorts.

“I love them. They’re so sweet and parent-like,” Lauren chuckled. “It’s been ages since I had a family dinner to go to, so it was nice. Thank you for inviting me.”

Jimmy smiled and kissed her forehead before he climbed into bed.

“You’re part of my family now.”

Notes

Yay! :)
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