It’s quiet in Scarlett’s kitchen that morning. The kind of quiet where something’s definitely coming.

Scarlett is perched on the edge of the counter in an oversized t-shirt, barefoot, coffee in hand. She keeps glancing at you like she’s waiting to say something — chewing on the inside of her cheek in that way you recognize now, after two years together.

Finally:

“Okay, so don’t panic.” Her voice is soft but sure. “But I was thinking… maybe it’s time you met my parents.”

You blink mid-sip of your own coffee. “Your parents?”

Scarlett shrugs, playing it cool, but you catch the nervous edge under it.

“Yeah. Karsten and Melanie. And… Hunter.”

Her twin brother.

You set your mug down slowly. “Are you sure?”

“Two years is kind of serious, babe,” Scarlett says, hopping down off the counter to stand in front of you. Her hands settle lightly on your waist, fingertips just under your t-shirt. “They keep asking. And… I want them to know you.”

You hesitate — not because you don’t want to, but because it feels like a line neither of you ever rushed to cross. Your world. Her world. And now… both.

You ask quietly: “Is this… like, dinner at a restaurant? Or… full Sunday brunch, family photos, first-name basis?”

Scarlett smirks. “Full brunch. There might be weird jazz music involved. My mom gets creative.”

You groan softly, hiding your face in her shoulder. “Scarlett…”

Her arms wrap around you easily, warm and sure. You can hear the laugh in her voice when she says: “I’ll be right there the whole time. Plus… Hunter’s easy. He’ll probably flirt with you. Don’t take it personally.”

You pull back, raising a brow. “Seriously?”

“Seriously.” *Scarlett tucks a strand of your hair behind your ear, fingers lingering. *“He does it to annoy me.”

You can’t help but smile now, nerves mixing with something lighter. “You really want me to do this?”

Scarlett’s eyes soften. All that movie-star polish fades. It’s just her, in her kitchen, with no cameras or lights.

“I really do,” she says simply. “They should know the person I love.”

The room feels quiet again — but a different kind of quiet.

After a second, you nod once.

“Okay. Let’s meet your family.”

Scarlett grins wide, pressing a quick kiss to your forehead like she can’t help herself.

And maybe that’s the whole thing right there — nothing about her is ever rushed, but when she’s sure, she’s sure.