Charlie's POV

"Can't you just go on your own and pick up Luke and I come with you some other time?" I whine hiding my face in the pillow.

"No, come on get up we pick up Luke from my mom and you will be coming with me." Alex is standing by the bed, already showered and dressed putting on his watch.

"What if she doesn't like me, then I'm fucked, I don't want an angry mother-in-law." I mumble from under the pillow. "You know I am not good with people."

He sits down on the bed beside me and pulls away the pillow. "Now that is the stupidest thing I have ever heard. Since when are you not good with people? I know nobody that makes friends as fast as you do. Stop being silly and get ready, don't worry she will adore you just as I do."

He playfully slaps my bum. I turn around and pull him on top of me starting to kiss him, he goes with it for a while then pushes away from me laughing.
"Charlie, I know exactly what you're trying to do here. You want to distract me so we will end up having sex and not go, but that's not on, I told my mom we will be coming. Don't you want to see Luke again?"

I am terrified of meeting his mother and I am positive she will hate me but I decide to get it over and done with so I sigh dramatically and get up to slouch into the bathroom to take a shower when I hear Alex giggle. "I love you, Charlie" he calls after me in a sing-song voice.

"Yeah, whatever." I reply acting grumpy slamming the door shut.

A second later he is in the bathroom pushing me to the wall with his body. "Hey are you being a bad girl?" He growls. I take my chances.
"Oh yes, I have been a very naughty girl and I think I need to get punished." I say in a fake seductive voice.
He kisses me hard and our tongues fight for dominance when he suddenly brakes the kiss. "No, we don't have time for this now," he turns to leave with a smirk on his face. He is such a tease! I try to kick him but he jumps out of my reach laughing.

When I'm showered I go through my bags for some clothes because I haven't unpacked yet. "I have nothing to wear." I sit down on the floor and throw the dress I just pulled out into the next corner. I know I am acting like a cranky toddler but I think it is a mixture of me being afraid and totally jet lagged.

Alex lets out a sigh and kneels beside me as he looks through my clothes. He pulls out a blue dress that has white daisies printed all over and a black cardigan. "Here try this, it goes beautifully with your eyes and if you sit around any longer in your underwear I will have to have sex with you and we'll be late."
He picks me up and sets me on his lap and kisses my bare shoulder before he slips the dress over my head. I hug him and throw my arms around his neck. "How can you even put up with my moodiness and still be so nice?" I wonder.

"Because I love you, dumbass." He pecks my lips and gets up shoving me off him.

The car ride is nice as it is a warm day and we have the windows open and the music blasting, I sing along with some songs stretching my arm out the window playing with the wind and Alex looks at me from time to time smiling contently.

We arrive at Alex mom's house which is a bit outside of LA in a beautiful, green suburb. He parks in the driveway of a light yellow two story villa and gets out. I jump out of the car before he can open the door for me and I grab his hand trying to stay close to him.

We walk up to the front door and Alex is about to knock when I hear barking on the other side. I get all excited. "Luke" I call through the door. "Luke, Baby, it's me." I hear a scratching noise from inside and a female voice calling out to him.

Then the door opens but I can't really look at the woman in the doorway that now starts talking to my husband because Luke, who looks considerably bigger than when I saw him last, pushes past and jumps up at me barking and trying to lick my face.

I get down and hug him trying to avoid his sloppy doggy kisses and being knocked out by him throwing his head and tail around like a lunatic.
"Lukey, hey, good boy, I'm back again, yeah I missed you too buddy. Calm down, you get a heart attack."

I remember what we are here for and get up and try to straighten my dress and smooth down my hair that got all messed up by Luke's rough greeting.
Then I raise my head and look at the woman that still stands in the doorway studying me intently. She is tall and has short grey hair and Alex has got his inquisitive eyes from her. I clear my throat and stretch out my hand saying. "Hello Mrs. Gaskarth, I am Charlene, pleased to meet you."

She laughs and shakes her head but takes my hand into both her hands. "No, my dear you are Mrs Gaskarth now, I have married again as you know and please call me Isobel. I am pleased to meet you too."

"Then please call me Charlie and now I know where Alex got his good looks from." I blurt out, she laughs again and waves it off.

"Come in you two, Would you like coffee or tea? I have baked Alex's favourite cake." She leads us to a light filled living room that is nicely decorated with a lot of flowery patterns.

"I love your house, Isobel and thank you so much for taking good care of Luke, he looks great and thank you for raising Alex, he is such an awesome person and yes, I would love some tea and please give me the recipe of the cake and.."

I see both of them staring at me rambling. I blush and hide my face in my hands and mumble. "Oh god, I talk to much, I know, it always happens when I'm nervous."
Alex pulls me into a hug and I nuzzle my face in his chest. "Calm down, Charlie. She already likes you." He whispers with a chuckle.

We sit down and chat drinking tea and eating the cake which is delicious and Alex tells his mom about his trip to Australia to find me and what happened from then on. I snuggle up to him and he holds my hand in his lap and I relax a bit.

When we are finished and Isobel starts to clear the table I jump up. "Let me help you." I grab some plates and cutlery and follow her out of the living room.

When we are alone in the kitchen I say. "I am sorry about the rushed wedding and stuff. I bet you weren't too happy when your son told you he married someone you had never even seen before."

She turns to me smiling. "Charlie, you don't have to be sorry. We all know Alex is very headstrong and always did what he wanted and .." Here she comes closer and whispers to me. "Honestly, I hated this Lisa girl. I was praying every day 'dear god please let her not be the mother of my grandchildren.' You seem to make Alex the happiest I have seen him in a long time and that's the most important thing."

"Thank you Isobel, that means a lot to me." I let out a sigh of relief.

She hugs me and kisses my cheek. "He can be glad he found you, Sweety."

We say our goodbyes and put Luke in the back of the car although he whines because he wants to sit in my lap the way he used to but he simply is to big for that by now.

Alex gives me a kiss while he reverses out of the driveway saying. "See, that wasn't so bad, was it? Now that this is done, we can start planning our real wedding."

Oh no, I slide back down in my seat all I want is to spend time alone together after all these hectic weeks. I glance over and see him smiling to himself while he drives us back home with the setting sun illuminating his beautiful features and I don't have the heart to tell him to give me time.

Notes

I saw ATL last Friday in the Brisbane show. It was sooooo goood. But I have been sick since then. It happens to me quite often, I think I don't do big crowds very well. Does somebody have the same problem?
Anywaay, how she met the mother...