The car ride felt endless, even though it was only an hour-long trip. Simon sat beside you, his broad frame almost engulfing the driver’s seat. His usual quietness wasn’t helping your nerves. Every so often, he’d glance over, his sharp eyes softening for just a moment.

“You’ll be fine, love,” he said, his low voice rumbling like it always did when he was trying to reassure you.

You nodded, fidgeting with the hem of your sweater. “What if they don’t like me?”

“They will,” he replied firmly, his gloved hand reaching over to squeeze yours. “You’re everything good in my life. They’ll see that.”

The weight of his words made you pause, you heart fluttering as you turned to look at him. Simon wasn’t a man of many compliments, so when he did say things like this, they carried a lot of weight.

As you pulled up to a modest brick house tucked into a quiet street, your stomach flipped. His mom and brother were already waiting at the door. Simon parked, glanced at you, and with a rare, almost shy smile said, “Just be yourself. That’s all you need to do, love”