Dances with Monsters(111)

"No," he answered simply. "You look great." He took her hand and pulled her out the door, and she turned to quickly lock up behind her before following him downstairs, content to be with him again. Suddenly she stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, wait," she replied, turning and rushing for the door. Heath made a small noise of impatience but she waved him off. "Just one second." She hurried inside and grabbed an item off her counter, then hustled back out into the hallway, repeating the process of locking her door.

Heath eyed the bottle in her hand doubtfully. "Um. That was really nice of you to bring something, but…we can't take that over. Since John—well, he's in recovery, and –"

At first Drew was utterly confused as to what Heath was getting at; when it dawned on her, she shook her head quickly and held up the bottle.

"No, no, it's sparkling juice," she said, pointing to the label. "See?"

Heath's eyes shifted to the label and his face relaxed. He turned his trademark half-smile on her. "Oh. My fault. That's really thoughtful of you." He leaned over and pecked her forehead before taking her hand and leading her down the hall again and outside.

The day was cheerfully bright and Drew tilted her face toward the sun, letting her eyes shut a little. It had been consistently chilly and rainy but today was sunny and warm; it was a fluke, as more cool and wet weather was headed their way. For today, she would enjoy it.

"Perfect day for this," she commented, sliding into his car. He shut her door and walked around the vehicle to his own side.

"Yeah," he said with a sigh. "I suppose so."

Drew didn't miss his less than enthusiastic tone. "What's the matter?" she asked, shifting her body toward his and curling her legs underneath her. "You sound so…melancholy."

He shrugged. "Things can be a little awkward from time to time," he replied. "It's still weird to be together as a family. You know. Parents, kids. The grouchy uncle and the grandfather who tries to overcompensate for missed time."

Drew smiled understandingly. "Listen," she said. "No one's family is perfect. Look at mine—we're crazy. But at the end of the day, we love each other." She shrugged. "That's really all that matters. Same for your family. You spent time with Connor last night, you have a relationship with your nieces. Things might be a little strained still with your father, but you have to know he loves you."

Heath shrugged again. "I'm sure you're right," was all he said, and Drew left it alone. She had come to realize that he wasn't one to be pushed, but she wanted to revisit the topic later. She reached over to take his hand, and they drove the rest of the way like that. She made small talk, because she was good at that, and Heath listened to her quietly, replying when it was appropriate. When he arrived at his brother's home, he seemed to tense up even more, so Drew gave his hand a squeeze to get his attention. When he looked over at her, she leaned forward and kissed him sweetly on the lips and pulled back and smiled.

"This will be fun," she insisted gently. "I can't wait to meet everyone. Let's go!" Before he could move, she turned and opened her door, hopping out into the driveway. He slowly followed suit, closing and locking the doors before meeting her and taking her hand. For all her comments for Heath's benefit, Drew felt herself starting to get shy and a little nervous; she still tended to clam up in front of new people. She knew she couldn't do that now, so she took a deep breath as Heath knocked on the door. As if he sensed her sudden unease, he glanced over at her and this time, it was him who squeezed her hand reassuringly.

A petite blonde with big, wide-set blue eyes and a big smile opened the door. "Hey, you," she said to Heath, giving him a quick hug. She turned to Drew and smiled brightly. "Hi," she said warmly. "You must be Drew. I'm Lana. It's really nice to meet you finally." She held out her hand.

Drew took it and gave it a shake, returning her smile. She already felt more comfortable. "It's nice to meet you too," she replied. "Thanks for having me."

"Are you kidding?" Lana exclaimed. "Of course! Come on in here." She led them inside and through a short hallway that opened to a living room; beyond that Drew could see the kitchen, and the opened back door where she could hear little girls' laughter. "By the way," Lana added, turning to look at Drew over her shoulder, "my daughters are already obsessed with you. They found out you're a ballerina so, just be prepared to answer a million questions and look at everything they own that's ballet-related."

"That sounds awesome," Drew said with a laugh. She nudged Heath. "You never told me they were into ballet!"