Chapter 20

"Baby, you're still awake?" Sean mumbled tightening his arm around me.

"Hey, go back to sleep." I said to him.

"Are you okay?" Sean asked turning onto his side and switching on the lamp on his bedside table before turning back to me. "It's 12:34am, how come you're not sleeping?"

How did he know that I wasn't asleep? I've been laying here beside Sean for hours and still not one bit of sleep came my way. I kept thinking about Aliyah's rude attitude and disrespectful behaviour towards me. How long was I going to me able to stick around with Sean if she kept behaving that way. Not only that, but we were leaving for Beverley Hills in the morning to visit and spend a week with Sean's family and I was extremely nervous.

I already had Aliyah hating me, what if his parents and the others don't approve of me either? All this over thinking was causing me not to be able to sleep. I just didn't know how Sean knew that I wasn't sleeping as well when he was.

"I'm good, I'm just... I guess I'm not feeling very tired as yet. " I said to him. "Don't worry, you should get some sleep."

"Hey, what's bothering you?" Sean asked concerned as he propped himself up on his left elbow.

"What? Who said anything is bothering me?" I let out a chuckle. "Sean, I'm fine. It's probably all the caffeine I've put into my system earlier."

"No, that's not it. There's that wrinkle in your forehead that you get whenever you're over thinking about something." Sean said to me. "Come on tell me what's wrong."

"Alright fine," I sat up closing my eyes before letting out a sigh. "I guess I am extremely nervous about tomorrow."

"Wait, you mean about meeting my family?" Sean asked as he sat up as well.

"Yeah, I mean what if they don't like me? Aliyah already hates me and I don't know why. I've tried everything but still... What if the others hate me as well? What if they don't see me fit to me with you or..."

Sean leaned over and gave me a brief kiss on the lips.

"Sean I'm serious. What if...." Sean kissed me again before I got a chance to finish my rambling again.

"You seriously need to stop worrying. If you continue to stress about trivial matters you're going to give yourself tension headache or worst." Sean said to me. "You don't need to worry about meeting my family, they're great and they've been trying to convince me to start dating again ages ago. They're so excited to meet you. And Aliyah dont hate you, she's just being a spoilt moody teenager, don't worry about her. She's always been like that. It's her way of craving attention. Give her a few more days and you'll see her drop the attitude. "

"I don't know Sean, I just don't think she likes me very much and I'm worried about what if the other rest of your family doesn't like me either."

"Morgan, stop worrying alright? They're going to love you, just as much as I love you." Sean responded before pulling me into his arm.

"I love you too Sean. " I told him for the first time before kissing him.

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"So Morgan, what is it that you do?" Sean's Mom -Edna- asked as we were all having dinner.

"I'm a..."

"She still goes to school grandma. She's basically still a kid as well." Aliyah spoke up cutting off my response.

"Ali." Sean said in a warning tone.

"What? I'm just saying..."

"No one asked you anything and you need to watch yourself. Keep up that disrespectful behaviour and you and I are going to have a problem got that?" Sean said to her. "Morgan is an adult and you need to have some respect for her. You should apologise right now."

"Why is it that I always get in trouble when I speak the truth?" Aliyah whined playing victim. "Ever since she came into..."

"Aliyah, have some respect and do as your father says." Sean's dad- Caleb said to her in a serious tone.

"I'm sorry." Aliyah mumbled begrudgingly before picking at her dinner.

We had arrived sometime after 3pm this evening where Sean introduced me to his parents. They were both in their sixties and seemed really surprised when Sean presented me to them as his girlfriend. I think that has to do with the fact that I was really younger than Sean. They spent most of the time catching up with Sean and stuff earlier, that they were only getting the chance to interrogate me just now over dinner. I somehow got the weird feeling that they were not in a hundred percent approval of Sean and I's relationship just yet and were trying to get to know me more before they start judging. However, if Aliyah continued with her cold attitude towards me, I doubt they were going to get the chance to know me well enough to approve.

"So Morgan, Edna was asking you what do you do. What were you saying before you got interrupted?" Mr.Mercier asked.

"I'm a teacher in training," I told them. "I'm actually in my third year at Moorevalle teacher's college. One more year to go before I become a certified teacher."

"Hmm. That's good, I assume you must love kids then?" Sean's dad said to me.

"Yes sir, I do." I gave him a little smile.

"So what level?" Sean's mom asked.

"Pardon?" I asked unsure of what she was asking at the moment.

"What level of education are you training to teach?" Mrs. Mercier asked.

"Oh, I'm pursuing language education at the secondary level." I responded.

"Oh, highschool." she nodded.

"That means you're prepared to deal with a bunch of moody and bratty teens like my granddaughter here then?" Mr. Mercier commented.

"I guess so Mr Mercier. I think I've had a lot practice with moody teens though. I've got a sixteen year old cousin."

"Where do you say you go to school again?" Mrs. Mercier.

"Moorevalle community college."

"I don't think I've ever heard of it before." she responded.

"It's a community college back home mom." Sean answered her.

"Oh. So Morgan, since you're a full time student right? I assume you're not working. So how do you manage you know? With attending school and all? And what about your living arrangements, you guys don't live together do you?" Mrs. Mercier asked catching me off guard.

"Ma, that's a little out of line. " Sean said to her.

"What? I'm only curious. I want to fully know about the woman my son is dating. Is that so wrong of me Morgan?" She asked looking at me.

"I suppose you have all the right to be curious and want to know more about me Mrs. Mercier." I said to her. "I still live with my parents though. I'm an only child so my parents decided to continue assisting me financially until I graduate and able to provide for myself."

I said to them minusing the fact that Sean has been supporting me as well.

"You're one lucky girl then. Not many parents are willing to still support their kids once they turned 18." Mr. Mercier said.

"I know. That is why I'm making the most from the assistance I'm getting now." I responded looking over at Sean.

I hope he didn't feel anyway that I hadn't mentioned him also being a source of financial support. I didn't want his parents knowing that and risk them thinking that I'm a gold digger or something-only with Sean for his money. All my worries decreased however when I felt Sean gave my hand a reassuring squeeze.

"How old are you by the way Morgan?" It was Aliyah who asked this question. "Aren't you a little too young for my Dad?"

"Aliyah, what have I told you before!?" Sean asked losing his patient with his daughter now.

"Actually, I don't see it that way Aliyah... I'm an adult, your dad's an adult..."

"But still, Dad is like 50 years old and you're like about 19 or 20?"

"I'm 22 years old Aliyah." I said to her.

"See? That is like over 30 years age difference. How do..."

"Enough Aliyah! I'm no where near 50 and you know that." Sean said to her in an upset tone. "And Morgan and I are both adults capable of making the decision of being in a committed relationship. You need to respect that or the next time you make a disrespectful comment, I'm seriously going to punish you."

"For what? Dad, I'm only trying to understand how is it that you can be in a relationship with someone young enough to be your daughter! You're really older than her by years. She's young enough to be my sister and now you're dating her!? Do you expect me to like accept her as a new Mom or something!? She's not even old enough to be Chrissy's mom much more mine. She's closer to my age than yours! She's never going to fit in mom's shoes, she'll never replace her! I'm not going to accept her as a mom and I don't care how much Chrissy likes her, she's not ready to be a mother figure and the thought of you and her together is disgusting Dad!" At the end of Aliyah's rant she had tears streaming down her face and the rest of us at the table in total shock at what had just transpired.

It was like everyone's mouth was wide open in shock. I was not only in shock but extremely hurt by what Aliyah had said. Even Chrissy who was the youngest seemed to understand what just happened and was in shock as well. She stared at her sister with wide eyes and mouth opened. Sean looked as if he was seething in rage, he was red in the face and a vein in the side of his neck look as if it was going to pop.

"Alright that's it! I've had it with you Aliyah! I'm not dealing with your disrespectful behaviour and brattiness anymore. You're grounded! Get up and go to your room right now and I'm coming up shortly to confiscate your phone and all other technological devices. You need to be taught a lesson!" Sean yelled at her.

I've never seen Sean this upset in the six months we've been together.

"Don't you hear what I just said!? I said get up and find yourself upstairs now!" Sean yelled at her once again when she hadn't budge the first time.

"But I haven't finished...."

"I don't care! Leave it! Get upstairs right now!"

"Sean..." Mrs Mercier tried to talk to him.

"Mom, I don't want you trying to beg for her or make up some excuse for her. Aliyah has been extremely disrespectful like this of late and I'm done ignoring it. She's been out of control and I need to put a stop to it right now." Sean responded angrily.

I didn't even noticed when Aliyah got up and ran upstairs or heard what Mr. Mercier said to Sean as he tried to calm him down.

"Morgan I'm so sorry about..."

I didn't give Sean a chance to finish what he was saying as I stood up from the table.

"Uhm, excuse me. I need to get some air."