Happy Family Dinner

I want to tell you all about the party yesterday but I think that I need to talk about dinner with Reed's parents first because there are some events that took place at his parents house on Saturday that affected yesterday for us.

I wish I could get here and say that a sudden change happened in his family and they no longer looked at me as some sort of evil spawn that is out to destroy their son's life but I can't. Well, I guess...maybe....in a way.

How about I just tell you all about it and you guys can make up your own minds.

So we arrived at his parents house with just a few minutes to spare, I couldn't believe that we actually showered, got ready and made the drive over to his parents house in less than 45 minutes. Mind you, Reed was speeding a little - ok, maybe a lot - but all that mattered was that we made it in time, so his parents couldn't be upset about that.

Lucinda happened to met us at the door, saving their maid the trouble of showing us in. I wasn't even in the door when she took Alexis from me. "How is grandma's little girl today?" She asked Alexis who just gave her a lopsided smile as she looked towards Reed as if she was saying, 'help me'.

Once we were in the living room, Lucinda called out to Roger, telling him that we were there but the doorbell rang just as she talking and it drowned her out. Roger called out and said he would get the door since he was close to it.

No one thought anything of it until we heard this high pitched squeal that sounded like "Reed!" We all turned at once towards the entrance to the living room as this red blur shot pass everyone and jumped Reed.

And I mean jumped him as in knocking him off balance, sending him flying backwards onto the couch with the 'squealing blur' landing on his lap. "Oh my God Reed! You cut your hair!" The chick that I was plotting to kill, lifted her hands up to run her fingers through his short hair.

"Faith?" Reed stared at her in utter disbelief. "What are you doing here?" He glanced at his mother, who looked as shocked as he did.

"I'm here to see you, silly!" She wrapped her hands around his neck and smiled at him. "It's been way too long but you look as sexy as ever!" The tramp, I mean Faith, went to kiss him.

"Whoa!" Reed covered her mouth with his hand as he tried to push her off him with his other hand. "You need to get off me right now!"

Once Faith had vacated his lap, Reed jumped up and away from her. "What is she doing here mother?"

The same time Reed was asking his mother that question, his father walked into the room with this huge smile on his face.

Until he saw me standing there, "What are you doing here? You weren't invited."

I stared at him in total confusion before turning to Reed, who looked like he was ready to kill someone.

"You invited her?" Reed pointed to Faith, his father nodded. "What the hell did you do that for?"

"It's time you started looking at suitable women to settle down and marry Reed!"

"I have a suitable woman already father!" Reed grabbed my hand and pulled me to his side. "Remember Amber? The woman I love? The mother of my daughter? Amber is more suitable than she," he jabbed his finger in Faith's direction, "will ever be!"

"Reed think with your head for once!" Roger snapped at him. "Amber is good for a fling son but she will never be good enough to be a Johnson!"

I felt my hand ball up into a fist, I knew Roger didn't like me but to suggest that I was just good for a roll in the hay? I wanted to slap the smirk of his arrogant face. Beside me, Reed was fuming, I never seen him so mad in my life. It was the anger I felt just standing with him that stopped me from doing anything.

Reed was glaring at his father, I wasn't sure what he was going to do. When he dropped my hand I thought he was going to punch his father but he didn't. He went over to where his mother put Alexis on a blanket on the floor to play. Grabbing the diaper bag, he started ramming Alexis' toys back into it. "Amber come here," he said with more calm than I knew he felt at that moment. When I went over to him, he handed me the bag and Alexis. "We are leaving, please go wait in the car for me."

I didn't want to leave, I was afraid of what Reed would do but I didn't want Alexis to see what he could do.

I didn't make it to the front door before I heard a loud crash and bang along with Lucinda gasping. "Reed don't!"

"You listen and you listen good old man. I will never marry anyone but Amber, she is the only woman for me. You will never speak about her like that again and you will treat her with the respect she deserves because she's not going any where, she will always be by my side!"

"Reed when wi-"

"No!" Reed cut his father off. "I don't want to hear what you have to say, I'm going to take my family home."

I heard his mother calling after him as Reed rounded the corner and came towards me. Without a word, he turned me towards the front door and lead me out, his hand on my back the entire way. When we got to the car, Reed asked me if I would drive because he didn't think he was in any shape to get behind the wheel.

The drive to his place was a quite one except for Alexis 'talking' away to herself in the back seat. A few times I glanced towards Reed as he slumped in the passenger seat with his head in his hands, he was shaking so badly, I wanted to pull over and hold him tight.

He didn't say a word until we were in the house. "Amber I'm so sorry," he pulled me into my arms and held me tight. "I didn't know my father was planning that if I did, I wouldn't have accepted the invitation to supper."

I told him I knew he didn't know. "I knew your father didn't like me..." I started but he asked me to not think about it.

"It doesn't matter to me what he thinks, all that matters to me is what I feel here," he moved back enough so he could slip our hands over his chest. "I love you Amber and one day I know that you will make me the happiest man in the world and be my wife."

We stood in each other's arms for the longest time.

Later we were sitting at the dining room table, eating Macaroni and Cheese - it was fast and easy, we were hungry but neither one of us were in the mood to really cook or go out - when we heard a car door slam.

Reed went over to the door to see who was there. "Mother?" He flung the door opened as his mother stumbled up the steps and into his arms. "Mom what's wrong?"

I jumped up from the table and ran over to where they were standing. "Lucinda is everything ok?"

Lucinda lifted her head from Reed's shoulder and stared at me. "Oh Amber!" She started to bawl even harder as she came towards me. "I'm so sorry for the way Roger treated you!" She cried on my shoulder.

It was a good ten minutes later when we finally got her calmed down enough to join us in the living room and tell us what happened. "He went too far this time!" She told us. "I couldn't believe that he would say stuff like that to Amber." Lucinda turned to me. "I know we haven't always gotten along but I know that you are good for my son," she smiled at me. "You two are good for each other and you have a beautiful daughter..." she started bawling again.

"Mother," Reed was gently rubbing her back. "Why are you here?"

"I couldn't stay in that house for another minute Reed! Your father..." Lucinda shook her head. "I don't know the man he is anymore. I'm just glad that you are old enough and happy with a family of your own Reed."

"Why mom?" Reed gave her a confused look.

"Because I'm not going back to that house," she took a deep breath. "I left your father."

*****

I'll have to post the party entry tomorrow...