Scott and Deidra sat in silence for a while. Traffic was backed up further than Deidra had originally thought. She looked out the window trying to gage what exactly the cause of their hold up was. "I called your mom and David to let them know you were released. They plan on catching a flight out tonight." Deidra said.

“Did you tell them they don’t have to do that?” Scott asked.

“No I didn’t. They’re your parents; they’re going to be concerned and want to see for themselves that you are alright.”

"When did you meet my parents?" Scott asked. He knew, logically, that Deidre knew his parents. But the whole thing was hard for him to keep straight.

"A month after the Natalie fiasco. We went to Kevin's for thanksgiving and stayed the entire week…

Scott, Deidra and Hannah stepped into the baggage claim area of Raleigh-Durham International airport (RDU) and looked around. "We'll be here for a while." Hannah said, making her way over to one of the conveyor belts.

"She's right; RDU has one of the slowest baggage claims." Scott said following Hannah.

"Did you give Kevin our flight information?" Hannah asked after Scott and Deidra came and stood beside her.

"Nope."

"Why not?" Hannah asked.

"Because, we rented a car."

"Scott why would you rent a car when Kevin and Samantha have a perfectly good SUV to pick us up in?"

"I have two reasons. One: I wanted to surprise them. Two: I hate cramming into that thing." Scott explained.

Deidra shook her head at the sibling's banter and decided to keep an eye out for their suitcases. After spotting and retrieving their luggage, Scott, Deidra and Hannah made there way over to the rental car station and picked up their vehicle.

"Do you even know the way to their house Scott?" Hannah asked as they pulled out of the airport, and onto the highway.

"Yes, it's a straight shot, after we get on I-540 we get off on Falls of Neuse. Their neighborhood is on that street."

"Right, what's their neighborhood called again?"

"Wakefield or something like that. Anyway we have GPS so we will not get lost."

"Whatever."

Their twenty-minuet drive ended in the circular driveway of Kevin and Samantha Simon’s home. Scott, Deidra and Hannah got out of the car and stretched their legs before they retrieved their bags.

"Thank god you didn't get us lost," Hannah said as she looked at her brother’s stately house.

"Just shut-up and get your luggage Hannah." Scott said.

"Really Scott, you should be nicer to your sister." Deidra said grabbing her bag from his hands.

Scott rolled his eyes as he pulled the last suitcase from the rental car. "Yeah, you say that now."

Deidra smiled and followed Hannah as she walked up the steps to ring the doorbell. After a few seconds, a tall woman with dirty blonde hair, brown eyes, and way too much make up opened the door. "Hannah!" she squealed pulling the younger woman into a hug.

Deidre could not help but feel like the woman hugging Hannah was putting on a show.

"You were supposed to call us so Kevin could pick you up."

"Scott wanted to rent a car. But it doesn't matter to me; it's his money.” Hannah looked her sister-in-law up and down. The woman was so fake; it was hard for Hannah not to laugh. “You look..." She could not find the words to properly express how she thought the older woman looked.

"I know right!” Sam laughed. “I had to do something because every time I see you I feel older and older." Sam giggled.

"Whatever,” said Hannah trying very hard not to roll her eyes. “Sam this is Deidra James, Scott's girlfriend."

"Hi," Deidra said.

"It's very nice to meet, another, one of Scott's girlfriends." Samantha said stressing the word another.

Deidra lifted an eyebrow and looked back to see Scott standing with a goofy smile on his face and nothing to say. She just shook her head at Scott.

"Anyway, why don't you guys come on in? Hannah you're staying where you always stay. Deidra and Scott, you two will be in the basement guest room if that's all right with you." Sam said leading them into her house.

"That's fine Sam," Scott said from the back. "Come on Deidra, I'll show you where we're staying."

After they put their things in their respective rooms, Scott, Deidra and Hannah went into the living room where the rest of the adults were seated.

"Mom, Dad you guys look great." Hannah said hugging her parents.

"You don't look so bad yourself. I still cannot believe that our little girl is all grown up and living in Seattle!" Catherine Simon said as she squeezed her daughter. "Scott, it's nice to see you wanted to spend a holiday with us this year."

"Hi mom, David. I only missed the holidays with you last year, so I don't want to hear it."

"And you brought someone with you. Again." Kevin said.

"Good to see you too Kev."

"I'm getting the feeling you always bring someone home for the holidays Scott." Deidra said.

"He usually does," Samantha said.

"Why don't you just leave Scott alone?" David said. "Sam, don't you need to go get my grandkids from school?"

Sam rolled her eyes and stood up to leave. "I'll see you guys later." She waved goodbye and exited through the kitchen.

"So, Deidra what is it that you do for a living?” David asked trying to engage their thanksgiving guest in a conversation that did not involve talking about the previous women Scott brought to family occasions and holidays.

"I’m a lawyer; I practice medical law. I work in Seattle Regional’s legal department..."

"Let me guess, this is your first year out of law school" Kevin said.

"Kevin, will you let her finish a thought?" Hannah said, she was getting tired of the way her brother was treating Deidra, and she could tell Scott was too. Hannah really like Deidra and knew she was not the type of person her brother usually brought for family get-togethers.

"No I've been practicing law for about nine or ten years now. I worked in Chicago for a little while; then I moved to Seattle,” Deidra explained.

"Oh," Kevin said, beginning to feel like a complete ass.

Everyone sat in an awkward silence, not knowing quite what to say. After fifteen minuets, the phone finally rang. "I'll get that." Kevin said jumping up to look for a phone.

"I am going to go take a nap," Hannah said standing up from where she was seated.

"Didn't you sleep enough on the plane?" Scott teased.

"Whatever, Scott" Hannah said as she smacked him in the back of the head and left the room.

"Mom, did you see that?" Scott asked.

"Seriously Scott? You're telling on your sister. Remind me how old are you again?" Deidra asked.

Scott lightly slapped her thigh with one of the many decorative pillows Kevin and Sam had around. "You don't have to sleep in the same bed as me. I'm sure Kevin has an air mattress somewhere." Scott joked.

"You wouldn't dare."

"Wouldn’t I?" Scott asked.

Deidra shook her head and stood up, "Could someone tell me where the bathroom is?"

"Down the hall," David said.

"Scott," Catherine said after Deidra left. "We have asked you every year not to just bring some woman to our gatherings and holidays. This is supposed to be a family time and every time you come home, you bring some woman who can't add or subtract. While I commend you on finding someone with a brain this year, I honestly didn't want to meet another one of your girlfriends unless you plan on marrying her."

Scott looked at his mother stunned. "Well, I guess you'll be happy to know you won't have to meet any more of my girlfriends then."

"Scott, what are you talking about?" Catherine asked.

"I love Deidra, and I want to marry her. I just have to figure out the right time to ask her." Scott said.

Catherine was speechless. She never expected that her son would settle down. She had hoped on many occasions and prayed every night, but never had she dreamed her son, Scott Walker, would fall in love and get married. "You're not just yanking my chain now are you Scott, I could not take it if you are."

"No, mom I'm not." Scott smiled.

"That's good."

Deidra walked back into the room. She looked around; everyone was staring at her. "What," she said as she slowly took her seat.

"We were all just discussing how best to inform you that you've got broccoli in your teeth." Scott joked.

"Nice try, but I haven't had any broccoli today. If you don't want to tell me what you were talking about then you don't have to."

"Deidra where is your family from?" Catherine asked, wanting to know more about the woman whom her son planned on marrying.

"Illinois, I grew in the suburbs of Chicago and my parents still live there. My brother and his wife live in the city."

"You have a brother, that's nice. Is he your only sibling?"

"Yes. He's older than me by five minuets."

Catherine lifted an eyebrow and tilted her head trying to grasp what Deidra just said.

"He's my twin."

"Does he have any children?"

"He'll be a dad any day now. My parents are ecstatic." Deidra smiled.

"I remember that feeling. I couldn't wait for Kevin to have children." David said. "There's something about watching your children go through all the things you went through."

Before anyone could say anything else, the door to the garage in the kitchen opened and two young boys came running through. "Uncle Scott," the young boys yelled tackling the seated Scott.

"Hey Jason, Brad, how are you doing?" He asked.

"Great. We got a new video game that you've got to play come on." The older of the two said. Both boys pulled on Scott until he stood up from his seat.

Scott looked at Deidra was amused. "Will you be okay without me?" Scott asked.

"The question is will you be okay?" Deidra laughed.

Scott rolled his eyes then turned to his nephews, "Lead the way." The three of them walked out of the room leaving Deidra sitting with David and Catherine.

No one paid attention to Sam and Margot's entrance and the four-year-old Margot was upset. She was used to all eyes on her whenever she entered the room. Her mother had left, leaving her with her grandparents, and the strange woman. Her grandparents were engaged in a conversation, so Margot went to Deidra.

"Hi," Margot said sitting next to Deidra.

"Hi, what's your name?"

"I'm Margot. Are you Uncle Scott's girlfriend?" Margot asked.

“Yes, I am.”

“Are you a slut?” Margot asked innocently.

Deidra sat shocked by the words that came out of the little girl's mouth. “Excuse me?” She said.

David stopped speaking mid- sentence to look at his granddaughter. "Margot, what did you just say?"

"I asked if she is a slut."

"Sweetie, who said that," Catherine asked.

"I did." Margot did not understand what was wrong with her question.

"No, before you." Catherine insisted.

"Oh, Mommy said it in the car while she was on the phone."

"I see," David said looking to his daughter-in-law who had just entered the room.

"Well are you?" Margot asked looking back to Deidra.

"No, Margot I’m not a slut. I’m a lawyer and my name is Deidra." She said looking over the little girls head and at the child's mother instead.

"Excuse me, but what did you just say in front of my daughter?" Sam asked.

"I would hardly blame Deidra, Margot said it first." Catherine said.

"Margot would never use that language."

"Well she did. Believe it or not children repeat what they hear their parents say." Deidra said getting up and leaving the room.

Margot looked around at the remaining adults and decided to follow Deidra. "Where ya going?" she asked after she caught up with her uncle's girlfriend.

"I don't know." Deidra said.

"Do you want me to show you my room?"

"Sure, what could it hurt?"

"Come on." Margot grabbed Deidra's hand and pulled her up the stairs. When they reached the top of the landing, Margot pulled Deidra in to the first bedroom. "This is my room. Mommy says it is perfect because I'm a little princess." Margot said turning around in the middle of the floor before sitting down on the pink canopy bead.

Deidra looked around and nearly vomited from all of the pink. The room was decorated in a pink princess style with a castle painted onto the wall behind the bed. "It's nice."

"Daddy doesn't like my room. He says it's too much, whatever that means."

"Right."

"Are you spending Christmas with us too?"

"No, for Christmas Scott and I are going to Chicago where my brother lives."

"Oh. You have a brother too!" Margot asked.

"Yes."

"Brothers are mean, especially big brothers."

"They're only mean because they love you." Deidra explained.

"I don't believe that."

"One day you'll see. Why don't we go downstairs to see if it's almost time for dinner?" Deidra suggested.

"Okay."

Everyone was in the dining room when Margot and Deidra came down. "Just in time," Kevin said.

"Yeah, well I thought I smelled food." Deidra went and stood close to Scott.

Later that night Deidra was standing on the porch looking out at the back yard when Catherine came and stood next to her. The men were watching old football games while Sam put Margot to bed.

"It's a beautiful night isn't it?" Catherine said.

"Yeah, it's so peaceful."

"David and I have considered moving here. There's no need for us to stay in Massachusetts when Scott and Hannah are on the other side of the country."

"That makes sense. If my parents didn't hate the actual city so much, they'd move into Chicago to be close to my brother."

"You don’t think they’d want to move to Seattle?" Catherine asked.

"No, they have roots in the area. Besides that, my brother is married and his wife is pregnant. I'm single and have never thought about being a mother."

"I see, but you are dating Scott."

"And to be completely honest I was blindsided by that."

"Are you saying you don't want to be in a relationship with my son?"

"That is not what I'm saying. When I met Scott I wasn't looking for anything, which is why I turned him down so many times before. We went out on or first date because of a bet we made playing pool. You know your son, and I'd heard the rumors. I thought I knew exactly what I was getting into by agreeing to go out on a second date, you know just in it for a good time. Never in a million years did I think I would fall for Scott. I fell in love with a man who's broken many hearts and ruined a few marriages. If I could go back, I wouldn't change my experience or my relationship with your son for anything."

"I see," Catherine said seeing the lawyer in a different light.

"Sometimes I feel as if I'm waiting for the other shoe to drop."

"What do you mean by that?"

"I know that he loves me, or at least he says he does, but who's to say when someone else comes along he won't leave me?" Deidra said uncertainly.

Catherine was surprised. She never thought that the strong woman she met earlier in the day could ever feel so insecure; especially since it was clear to everyone else that what her son and Deidra shared went much deeper than a casual fling or physical attraction. "That is something you don't have to worry about sweetheart." She said patting the younger woman's hand.

"How do you know?"

"A mother knows her son," with those parting words, Catherine turned and left Deidra to her thoughts.