Not Another Diva

20 - Home Cooking

I've never been so nervous to knock on my own front door. But here I am, shaking in my Adidas getting ready to introduce Brianna to my mom. For some reason that has my mind spinning at all the possibilities.

Will they get along? Can my mom see past the headlines and notice the real girl that has me wrapped around her finger? That's the other problem—I've been kind of a mama's boy most of my life, being the youngest and the only son. I don't know how my mom's going to feel about sharing me. My sisters bitched about how much she babied me for years. But they were right, she did. I could barely do my own laundry when I moved in with Jacob.

Yeah, he wasn't much help in that department. I turned more socks red and shrunk half of my shirts before I finally figured it out.

"Zack, are you sure about this?" Brianna is standing next to me, wrapped in a warm white coat, a testimony to the drop in temperature since we entered the state of Colorado, and just as nervous as I am. I wonder if it's for the same reasons?

I don't want her scared to meet my family. She's been afraid for far too long as it is. She doesn't need another reason to worry. "I'll admit I am nervous, but not because I don't want you to meet them, Bree. I just really want you to like them."

Brianna smiles at my words. It's not her full smile, the one that makes my stomach light up. But it's enough. She wants this too, I can tell.

"Me, too." Brianna reaches out and takes my hand. I raise my other hand to knock on the door, my gaze still locked with Brianna's, when the door flies open and I whip my head to see my sister, Mandy standing on the other side of the threshold.

"Zack! Finally! Sheesh, that took you a while. I saw you pull up about ten minutes ago. What the heck took so long?" Mandy doesn't bother waiting for a reply. She just glances over to Brianna with one eyebrow cocked. "Aren't you going to introduce your...friend?"

"Dang, Mandy, take a breath now and then and maybe I could." Her glare shoots over to me. She's always thought she was my second mom. Looks like things haven't changed much.

"Mandy, this is Brianna Royce. Brianna, meet my oldest sister and general pain in the ass, Amanda."

I fully expect the punch in the arm from Mandy so I am already braced and ready for it. Didn't hurt. Much.

She recovers pretty fast. "Nice to meet you, Brianna. Welcome to the Marin Ranch." No mention of her pop star status. Mandy seems to find her long lost manners and steps aside to allow us in. I haven't been home since I moved to L.A. a couple of years ago, but it's exactly the same as it's been my entire life.

The house is large, taking up almost three thousand square feet in just a single story. It's not luxurious, not like Brianna's estate, but it is comfortable. The walls are a light cream with dark wood trim throughout the entire house. It has a rustic and woodsy vibe, the polar opposite to Brianna's modern style. The couches and chairs are all dark brown leather, worn and soft, perfect for afternoon naps. I spent half of high school sleeping on the couch in the back room with the TV on.

We enter the main room, trailing behind Mandy as she prattles on about whatever. I'm not really listening. Her husband must be around the ranch somewhere with my dad, and who knows where her kids are, probably snacking in the kitchen where my mom is feeding them sugar that Mandy tries to keep away from them.

Watching my mom with her grandkids is hilarious. She gives them whatever they want. Totally different from how she was with us growing up. But she's always said that grandkids are the reward for surviving parenthood. Mom can be pretty dramatic.

I glance over to Brianna as we follow Mandy past the living room and through the archway of the dining room into the large kitchen. I see Brianna's eyes widen at the view before her. I had told her about our kitchen the night I made popcorn for the first time. Now she's seeing it first hand and I can tell she's overwhelmed. Any normal person would be, but like I told her that night, with six kids and a full working ranch, a massive kitchen and knowledge of how to use it is a necessity.