“Here we go.”
Ruby rushed out to them embracing her in a bear hug. “I’m so pleased you came.”
“Of course I would.” Ursula pulled away, then pushed Stephen forward. “Mom, I’d like you to meet my boyfriend, Stephen.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you,” Stephen said. He took her mother’s hand and kissed it.
“You look familiar. Have I seen you somewhere?” Ruby asked.
“Not that I know of.”
“He’s Stephen Knox, one of the wealthiest businessmen around,” her oldest brother called out.
Ursula shot him a glare. It would be Tim who opened his big mouth.
“That’s me, but today I want to be your daughter’s boyfriend. Ursula is special to me, and I would hate for my social standing to cause a problem,” Stephen said. She knew he was trying to smooth things over.
Her mother was silent for a moment. Her father, Malcolm, offered a comforting hand to his wife. “Well, I think we’d better get inside. I don’t want anyone catching their death out here. We’ve got the Christmas decorations up already.” Malcolm turned Ruby around giving her a wink.
They followed Ursula’s family inside. She took his coat hanging it up on the stand behind the door. Malcolm sat down in the sitting room, and Ursula sat with Stephen on the sofa across from her father. Her sister perched on the end while her brothers stayed in the doorway. Ruby came in with tea and biscuits, then took the seat next to Malcolm.
“So, Stephen, how did you and Ursula meet?” Malcolm asked.
The inquisition began. Her fingers tightened around Stephen’s. She noticed her mother kept looking at their joined hands.
“Well, Ursula applied for the position of my house cleaner. My last one quit when I yelled at her.”
“She worked for you?” Ruby asked.
Stephen chuckled. “Not really. When we met at her interview we began arguing. I knew she wouldn’t take any of my crap. She was the first woman besides my mother to stand up to me.”
“What do your parents think of your relationship?” Malcolm asked.
“I wouldn’t know. My parents passed away several years ago.” There was tense silence in the room.
“I’m sorry to hear that.”
The ice was broken, and the inquisition began in full force. Ursula admired his ability to answer every question without too much trouble. Once in a while she would squeeze his hand. She knew her father liked him.
Ruby asked for her presence in the kitchen to finish dinner preparations. Caroline gave her a smirk as she passed. She slapped her sister on the leg then closed the door to the kitchen.
“If you’re going to ask me to dump him then don’t. Stephen is good to me,” she said.
“I care about you, Ursula. He’d older than you.”
“Dad is older than you. Please, don’t make a big deal out of this.”
“How can you be happy with a man like that?” Ruby asked.
“You’re happy with dad even though your whole family disowned you for getting married to him. Stephen means a lot to me. I’m not letting him go because you don’t like him.” Ursula hated arguing with her mother.
“Do you love him?”
“Yes. I do,” she said without hesitation.
“Then I can’t argue. We lead with our hearts. I’m still nervous about who Caroline will bring back home. We’d better get dinner on the table.”
Ursula helped her mother set the table. By the time she walked back into the sitting room Stephen and Malcolm were talking about some kind of sport. The day was going really well. Stephen smiled at her, reaching for her hand to kiss her.
****
Stephen liked her family. They cared about her and wanted to make sure he was the right guy for her. Malcolm didn’t let him off the hook. When the questions came about his what intentions towards his daughter were, Stephen informed him that his intention was to marry her as soon as possible.
“Have you knocked my daughter up?” Malcolm asked.
“No, sir. I want Ursula to be mine. I’m going to propose to her over Christmas. I hope you like me because I’m not leaving her, ever.”
Several minutes passed then Malcolm smiled. “Welcome to the family, son. I couldn’t wait to claim Ruby as my own. I was obsessed to make her mine. This possessive streak can be a problem.”
Stephen laughed but then thought about Lucas and what he’d said. There was too much to think about in one go. He filed the information away for later. Ursula came in to take them through to the dining table. He adored her family even at the cramped dinner table. His mother enjoyed setting a big lavish table whereas the simple decorations cheered him up immensely. Ursula sat next to him. They passed round bowls of potatoes, vegetables, and meat. He knew where she got her talent in the kitchen. She clearly learnt from her mother. Watching her family interact was amazing. Being an only child had been rather lonely at times. His father wouldn’t allow his mother to have any more children because his birth had been dangerous. Her brothers teased her while Caroline fought over something with her mother. There was never a quiet moment. He loved every second and knew he’d love to come again soon.
Caroline helped clear away while Ursula took him upstairs. He laughed when Malcolm shouted up a warning for them to leave the door open. He felt like a teenage boy rather than a full grown man.
“How embarrassing can he be?” Ursula said.
“I like him. He loves you.”
“Are you ready for this? This is a younger me with lots of fairy tale dreams and wishes.”
“I want to see your room.” She opened the door pulling him inside. Very quietly she closed the door. Her bedroom was a light shade of pink. She had a single bed with a small amount of furniture. There was a vanity table at the end of her bed with pictures around the mirror. He went over to stare at all the pictures. “Who are these people in the pictures?” he asked.
She brushed against him. “That is Caroline. I did her hair for prom. There are a few friends who I lost touch with, and that there is my brothers. They like to fish, which is a really lame sport. I went and read for the entire day, and they didn’t catch anything. That’s me when I got my first waitress job.”
Stephen looked at each picture looking at Ursula as she grew up. “There isn’t one with you of prom.”
“I didn’t go.”
“Why not?”
“In case you didn’t see from the photos, no one wanted to go with the fat girl.” She sat on her bed, which still held a teddy bear. He sat next to her.