[thirty]

Max's POV

"Do I look okay?" I asked as I walked out of the bathroom to see Lillianah putting on some lipstick in front of the mirror, wearing just black tights and a black bra. She turned around and looked me up and down. "First off, you look amazing, you really do. Second off, you don't have to get dressed up for my parents. You actually look uncomfortable, wait, are you nervous?" "Yeah I'm nervous, I'm meeting your parents! So would it be alright if I changed into jeans?" She laughed and turned her attention back to the mirror. "Yes you can wear jeans, honestly I think you look better in jeans than suits anyways. Shows off that cute butt of yours." "Oh wow, I should just go naked." "As much as I would like that, and I'm sure my mom would too, my dad wouldn't." I grabbed a pair of jeans and a sweater out of my suitcase and quickly changed out of my suit. When I turned back around Lillianah and I just started laughing at each other. We were both wearing black and grey stripped sweaters. "We look good together, you know that?" I asked as I walked up to her and kissed her. 

She ran her hand up and down my thigh on the cab ride to the restaurant. I found it soothing and it really calmed my nerves. All I wanted was for them to like me, and if they were Flyer fans at all I was screwed. We pulled up in front of a small restaurant named Friday, Saturday, Sunday and I smiled. I had heard of this place before and have always wanted to try it. I paid the cab driver and climbed out, helping Lillianah out of the cab. I handed her the crutches and opened the restaurant door for her. "There they are," I heard her mumble as I looked over at a table where two very familiar looking blondes were sitting. They were all dressed in bright colors and khakis, they belonged in a club house, not a steak house. "Max, I'd like you to meet my parents, Steve and Molly, and this is my sister Elizabeth and her husband Charlie. I didn't know you guys were coming." "Mom called said they were meeting you and Max for dinner, we couldn't pass that up." I went around the table and shook everyones hand. "It's nice to meet you all." I watched as Elizabeth whispered something in to her mothers ear and they both smiled. Lillianah's hand once again found my thigh  and I smiled looking over at her. Maybe this wasn't going to be as bad as expected.

After an amazing filet mignon I found my chair pushed up next to Lillianah's with my arm wrapped around her shoulders and her hand still on my thigh. I felt comfortable with her family, sure they were the complete opposite of Lillianah, but they were very welcoming. Not once did they bring up hockey, which was nice. The waitress approached us to see how dinner was and I took a quick look over the wine list. "Can we get a bottle of Pedro Ximenez, um, make it two bottles." She nodded her head and walked away. "I love dessert wine, excellent choice Max," Molly smiled to me before drawing her eyes to Lillianah. I looked down at her and she was smiling. "They love you," she whispered before kissing me. Carefully and secretly I deepened the kiss and felt her smile into my lips. "So we're moving in together," I smiled after pulling away from the kiss. Four shocked faces looked back at me and the grip on my thigh tightened. Well there we go, I knew this night wouldn't be perfect and I would screw up at some point. I wanted to take the fork in front of me and jab it in to my eye but luckily our waitress arrived with the wine. I quickly finished my glass before the waitress finished pouring the rest of the glasses and she filled mine back up with a little chuckle.  "Well I think that's a wonderful idea," Molly smiled breaking the silence. "What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" Steve chimed in. "Well I'm very much in love with your daughter. Both of our schedules are very hectic and whenever I have free time I want to spend it with her. It just makes sense, in my mind, for her to move in with me." I felt Lillianah shift next to me and I looked at her and she kissed me quickly. "I love you too." I smiled and looked back at her family to see they were all smiling too. "So would you all like to come to the game tomorrow night?" The brother-in-law, Charlie I believe, nearly jumped out of his seat and I couldn't help but laugh. "If it isn't a problem, we would love to come." "Then it's done."

We all gathered outside of the restaurant after finishing off a third bottle of dessert wine and Molly pulled me aside. Lillianah gave me a questioning look, but I just laughed and winked at her. "Thank you Max." I looked over at Molly who was grinning. "I'm sorry?" "Thank you, for bringing my baby girl back to me. Twice in little over a month I've seen her. I don't know if she's told you, but she's only been home twice in five years." I nodded my head, "yeah she did tell me" Then the smile on her face grew wider. "When she came out here last month it was because she was scared she was falling in love. I never remember her having a boyfriend, so I can understand why she was scared. Anyways, seeing her again tonight, and the way you two look at each other makes me so happy. Take care of her, and thank you, really, for bringing her back to us." I didn't know what to say, I could only smile and allow her to pull me in to a hug. "I love your daughter, I'll never let anything happen to her." She pulled away from the hug and we rejoined the group. Lillianah quickly grabbed my hand. "What was that about?" she whispered into my ear. "Don't worry about it," I laughed just before wishing everyone a goodnight. 

I watched Lillianah as she stripped out of her clothes sitting on the edge of the bed. "Okay really, what did my mom tell you?" I smiled and approached her, lifting her up in my arms and then sitting down on the bed. I sat her on my lap so her legs were wrapped around my waist. "How come you never visited your parents?" The strong eye contact we were just holding was now gone as she tried to climb off my lap but I held her tighter. "I was just the outcast, all throughout high school I was more into art than cheerleading, I did the exact opposite of my sister. I moved to Pittsburgh because I just figured life for my parents would be better if I wasn't around to put damper on things. You saw them, they're plastic dolls, I didn't need to be the black cloud." Her words made me sad. How could she think that she was a black cloud. "You never even went back for holidays though?" "The drugs. It wasn't long after moving to Pittsburgh that I got deep into drugs. Most the time I didn't even know what month it was, so how would I know when the holidays were. I sobered up Thanksgiving 2007 and just never made it over here to come see them. Not until you forced me to come see them." A smile came over her face when she stopped talking and I kissed her. "I never forced you, I scared you. Your mom just thanked me, that's all we talked about. She really wants you in their lives. I'm thinking if we survive my parents visit at the end of the week, we should have everyone come out to Pittsburgh for a weekend." She kissed me, "we'll see about that. Now about that dessert I owe you. Everything on the menu tonight comes with a side of annoyingly large cast stuffed with a broken ankle." "Your funny, did you know that?"

Lillianah's POV

This was going to be a disaster, I could just sense it. My mom was going to eat Max alive, she was going to tear him down. My nerves settled as I watched Max pull on a black and grey stripped sweater. I was wearing a black and grey stripped tunic over the black tights I had managed to pull on over my cast. Sure the stripes in my sweater were about four or fives inches wide, and his were only an inch or so, but we couldn't help but laugh."We look good together, you know that?" Yeah actually, I do know that. I smiled as he approached me and kissed me. I took a deep breath and we made our way out of the hotel. I could feel he was tense on the cab ride to the restaurant, so I ran my hand up and down my thigh. I rested my head on his shoulder and for a split second in the cab my life was perfect. Max was the guy for me, the one that would make everything bright and sunny again.

He helped me into the restaurant and I growled under my breath as I saw my sister and brother-in-law sitting at the table with my parents. I know this was all my idea for Max to meet my parents, but I didn't plan on bringing Liz and Charlie into this too. We made our way over to the table and Charlie and my dad stood up as they greeted us, being the perfect Ivy league gentleman that they are."Max, I'd like you to meet my parents, Steve and Molly, and this is my sister Elizabeth and her husband Charlie. I didn't know you guys were coming." I smirked to my sister and a huge smile came onto her face. "Mom called said they were meeting you and Max for dinner, we couldn't pass that up." Of course she couldn't pass that up. Max went around the table, shaking everyone's hands and I watched as Liz whispered into mom's ear. So it begins. My hand landed on Max's thigh again, and it was in that position that I felt like everything would be okay. We shared smiles quickly before turning our attention back to the table.

"Lily, how on earth did you break your leg?" I couldn't help but laugh as I looked down at my cast. Max looked over at me shocked that I hadn't told my mom about my ankle. "Well Max was walking me home one night, it was pretty late and I had just met his friends. I hit some ice and fell awkwardly on my foot and ended up breaking my ankle," I continued to laugh as I squeezed Max's thigh remember the rest of the night. "She insisted she was okay, but her ankle swelled up so quick. Luckily we were right in front of my apartment building so I took her up and was able to get ice on it right away." "Max was nice enough to go get King and some clothes for me. Then he took me to the hospital that morning and went home with a cast." I looked over at Max and we kept eye contact for awhile before I could hear my mom 'awwing' from across the table. I felt myself blush as I brought my attention back to my family. "So we want to know more, Lily you never did tell us how you met." I laughed and allowed Max to tell them how we met, and as I listened to him tell them our history it occurred to me that we just met, not that long ago. I was already moving in with him? I was crazy! I pushed the thoughts out of my mind, for once I was enjoying an evening with my family, I didn't want to worry about how fast Max and I were moving. 

"So we're moving in together." My gentle grip on his thigh turned in to a death grip. Luckily the waitress arrived with the wine Max had ordered just minutes before. I held my glass up for her to quickly fill, which she did. I drank half of it before realizing Max's glass was being filled for a second time. It was then I realized he wasn't planning on telling my family, that it had just slipped out. I looked around the table and saw that my family was just as shocked as I was, but for different reasons. "Well I think that's a wonderful idea," my mom smiled breaking the silence. Of course she thought it was a wonderful idea, the sooner I get married the happier she will be. "What exactly are your intentions with my daughter?" I looked over at my dad in disbelief that he had just asked Max that. He ignored my look and kept his eyes on Max. "Well I'm very much in love with your daughter. Both of our schedules are very hectic and whenever I have free time I want to spend it with her. It just makes sense, in my mind, for her to move in with me." I squirmed in my seat as his answer sent chills down my spine. "I love you too," I whispered before quickly kissing him. We were back to perfect.

We all stood around outside of the restaurant making plans for the game the following night. I watched as my mom dragged Max away and I looked in horror. He only laughed and winked at me. We all had too much wine, I didn't like the looks of the smirk on my mom's face. "So he's perfect." "I know," I said to my sister while still watching Max and my mom talk. "He's handsome, charming, has a cute accent." "He's Max Talbot," Charlie chimed in. "You know who he is?" "Of course I know who he is, my father is the biggest Penguins fan you could ever meet, so naturally I grew up a fan as well." I couldn't help but laugh. "I think he was scared you guys would be Flyer fans, but yeah, why am I scared mom is talking to him?" We all turned and looked at them, they were now hugging. "Your mother likes him very much, she's just happy," my dad answered as we watched them walk back. "What was that about?" I whispered to Max as I grabbed his hand. "Don't worry about it," he laughed placing a quick kiss on my forehead.