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“Are you sure it’s okay for me to be here?” Kate asks you from the passenger seat as you pull into your parents’ driveway.
“Absolutely,” you say, putting the car into park. “They’re going to love you.”
“You think so?” she asks nervously, looking down at her lap as you start getting out of the car. You walk around to her side and open her door for her.
“I know so, Kate. I love you so it’s like a guarantee they will, baby. Come on,” you say. She can’t help but smile and reaches for your hand.
The two of you enter your childhood home hand in hand and you’re immediately met with the comforting smell of your mom’s cooking.
“We’re here!” you say into the house and you parents appear out of thin air. They hug you and welcome you back home.
“This is Kate. Kate, these are my parents, siblings, and grandma. Plus, some cousins. I’d tell you all their names, but we’d be here all night,” you say with a laugh and Kate feels more at ease at how welcoming everyone is.
“It’s nice to meet all of you,” Kate says shyly, and she’s greeted with warm smiles.
“We’re just going to my room to put our stuff up,” you say, and everyone goes back to what they’re doing, but not before your mom asks you to help her with dinner when you come back downstairs.
Kate looks around your room and smiles at all of your posters and albums before the two of you go back downstairs. You help cook dinner and Kate bonds with your family. After a big dinner, you two offer to wash the dishes so everyone else settles into the living room to chat.
“You good?” you ask her after a few minutes of silence.
“Yeah. It’s just so nice to be with a family again. I kind of forgot what it’s like,” Kate says as she hands you another dish to dry. You kiss her cheek, and she smiles softly.
She’s about to kiss you when you two are interrupted by little feet running into the kitchen.
“Y/n, Kate, come play with us!” your little cousin says excitedly. You’re about to tell her you have to finish the dishes when Kate speaks instead.
“I’m in,” Kate says with smile. The little girl beams up at her.
“You go ahead, babe. I’ll finish these up,” you say. Kate drops a quick kiss to your cheek and she goes off with your cousin.
When you finally finish the dishes, you go into the living room to see Kate with three little kids surrounding her. She’s got one in her lap and the other two hovering as she reads them a book. You feel such a warmth in your heart at seeing her like this.
“Hey,” you say once you cross the room and sit across from her.
“Hey, baby,” she offers before she gets back to reading.
The kids stick with her the rest of the evening, and they even almost shed a few tears when they have to say goodbye. Kate assures them she will see them again soon and they hug her tight.
You two lie down in your bed that night and you snuggle into her chest.
“I had a great time tonight, babe. I really love you,” Kate says.
“I love you too, Kate. And I’m so glad. My mom told me earlier that I choose well with you, by the way. So, you’re definitely in the family now,” you tell her. You shift to lean up on your elbow and look down at her.
“She really said that?” Kate asks, her eyes lighting up. You can’t tell if it’s with excitement or just an overwhelming feeling of acceptance.
“She did,” you confirm with a smile.
“Do you think maybe we could stay a few more days?”
“We can, yeah. I’d love that actually. Thank you for coming with me,” you tell her.
“Thank you for inviting me,” Kate says.
You lean down to kiss her, but you stop an inch for her lips.
“I love you, Kate,” you tell her again.
“I love you, y/n.”
Her hand grips the front of your shirt and pulls you the rest of way to her lips. Kate finally feels like she has a real home again and it’s in you.