The drive to Wolverhampton the following Friday was not as bad as I had anticipated. Three hours might have been a long drive here, but back in the States, I would have considered it rather short. Although I was not as happy in the passenger seat as I would have been in the drivers seat, I had prepared by taking motion sickness meds. I was also almost able to trick my body into thinking I was driving since I was still not a hundred percent used to sitting in the left seat while being a passenger.
All the while sitting in the car, Liam told me all about his family and what to expect. Although I was not worried about meeting his family, I obliged him in allowing me to tell me everything, including how Nicola and Ruth were both very protective and would be grilling me with many questions.
When we pulled up to the house, the key had barley turned off the engine when the front door burst open to reveal, presumably, Karen. “Oh my baby boy!” she squealed as she made her way to the car.
“Mum.” Liam said as he embraced the women whom had flung herself at him.
“You look so good, Liam!” She gave him another hug, not quite ready to let go of him. That or she was not ready to meet the new girlfriend. “Oh, I have missed you!”
Still in Karen’s arms, Liam said, “Mum, I want to introduce you to someone special.”
Karen released Liam and turned towards me. I began to hesitantly walk towards her when she flashed me a smile the released the nerves that I did not even know I had. “Allie!” She exclaimed as she embraced me just as she had her son. “It is so good to finally meet you!”
Her hug was perfectly and quintessentially a mother’s hug, radiating love and compassion while releasing the childhood fears all at the same time. She stroked my hair and squeezed me showing me her passion for family. “Hi.” I said slightly unsure how to address her when she released me.
“Call me Karen, please.” She said.
“It is a pleasure, Karen.” I said, just like my mother would have told me to say.
“Come in, come in, come in.” She said, as she ushered me towards the front door.
“I am going to grab Loki and the stuff.” Liam said, turning away from me and leaving me with his mother.
“Geoff.” Karen called as we entered the foyer. A spacious, but plain room covered with pictures of the family as well as a clutter of shoes, umbrellas, and jackets. “Geoff, there here.”
“I’m coming.” He grumbled from the living room.
“Please, Allie, make yourself comfortable in our home.” She said as Geoff came into view. He was slightly burly with salt and pepper hair. His mustache was more white then brown, but it seemed to make him more handsome then he would be without it. His nose was wide for his face, but his rich chocolate eyes drew my eyes to his.
“So this is the American who has usurped my son’s heart.” He said.
“Geoff.” She chastised. “Play nice. This is Allie.”
I extended my hand but instead of receiving a handshake, Geoff pulled me into a hug.
“I’m not sure if I need to be worried or not.” Liam said from the door, Loki already running through the house, and luggage by his feet.
“Just meeting your girlfriend.” Geoff said after freeing me from his bear tight hug.
“Alright, I think it is time to show her the house. Hopefully we can get her at least a little settled before Ruth and Nicola get home.” Liam said.
“Oh, did I not tell you, Nicola couldn’t make it. Something about having a big project for work she had to get finished before Monday.” Karen said as Loki jumped at her heals, anxious for a pat on his head.
The house was neither small nor large. It was quite homey and full of sentimental pieces. Artwork from the three children when they were younger was everywhere. Pictures of goofy children and family portraits lined the walls. There were three bedrooms upstairs, a den and a living room downstairs as well as the kitchen. Three bathrooms finished off the tour.
“We are staying in here.” Liam said, opening the door to his old room.
I could not help but smile. It was quite obvious that neither Karen nor Geoff had done anything to the room since Liam had left several years ago. The walls were a pale blue and covered in posters. A desk in the corner was still piled with open books and notes scrawled onto paper. The bed was smaller then his back in London but still plenty big for the both of us.
“I take it this was your room?” the bed sunk a little under my weight as I sat down, soaking in every detail of the room. Trying to absorb whom Liam was before I met him. Trying to find out what made him tick.
“It was my room. My parents talked about turning it into an office, but kept it because they thought they could lure me here for the weekends better if they kept it the same.” He replied, giving me a peck on the forehead before he moved to put our bags down.

It sure was a sigh to see Allie sitting in my childhood room, looking around as if it was one of her museums. “What are you looking at?” I inquired.
“Everything.” She replied nonchalantly.
“Why?”
“Because, Liam, I want to know everything about you. The good, the bad, the ridiculous, and the embarrassing.” She said.
“So I am guessing that the room counts as embarrassing?” I asked.
“Not in the slightest. It is everything I had thought it would be.” She had quitted the bed and was moving around the room, touching everything as if to help her commit it to memory.
“Come here.” I murmured.
She smiled as she sauntered towards me. I embraced her, wrapping her in my arms. She burred her face in the crook of my neck. “Thank you for coming to meet my family. I know it might be soon in our relationship, but lets be honest, our relationship has not exactly followed the normal line of a relationship.”
She shifted so her arms were around my neck and she was looking at me. “Thank you for bringing me to meet them. It has been a bit fast and strange the way we have proceeded, but I don’t think we would have worked another way.” She said before kissing me.
“What do you mean we might not have worked any other way?” I panicked.
“I mean if I had not run into you, we never would have met.” She said.
“Liam, Allie. Ruth just pulled up. Why don’t you come down here?” mum bellowed from the living room.
Releasing a long breath, I mentally prepared myself for Allie and Ruth’s meeting. “Well, you ready?”
“Of course. You forget I grew up in a big family. Siblings don’t scare me in the slightest.” She replied before planting one last, long kiss, on my lips before she went to leave the room.
Quickly, I grabbed her hand and pulled her back to me. “Hey, I love you Allie.” I said.
She smiled and said, “Come on, lover boy, let’s go down stairs.” She pulled me towards the stairs, but at the landing turned around and whispered, “I love you too.”