♪♪ All of the people around us, they say

Can they be that close

Just let me state for the record

We're giving love in a family dose ♪♪

ᴺᴼᵂ ᴾᴸᴬᵞᴵᴺᴳ [We're family] - [Sister Sledge]

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Stepping into Kian's childhood home set Esmé's pulse ablaze. Her eyes scanned the bungalow as they stepped in, but noted nothing.

Kian halted his movement by her side and dropped their bags onto the floor. He took hold of her twitching hands, forcing her to focus on him.

"Breathe, there's nothing to be nervous about," Kian said with a teasing smile.

"I know. It's just..." She looked away from him and looked around the living room they were in. The cream coloured room was like a mini Lincoln museum with various pictures hung up on all the empty walls.

Letting go of Kian's hands, she stepped further into the room, looking through the pictures with awe. Each picture held a memory of a particular stage of their lives, from the wedding photo of Persephone and Louis to a picture of them holding a newborn baby boy. The pictures went on until one of Kian standing in front of Woodthorpe Hospital.

Standing in front of the museum of memories scratched at her heart, reminding her of the lack of her own memories.

Kian wrapped his hands around her waist from behind, drawing her back to focus on the present. She turned to face him with a sheepish smile. "It's where you grew up. It is a big thing."

He searched her eyes for a moment, knowing what looking at the pictures could make her feel, but at her smile; he placed a kiss on her forehead.

A click of a camera drew their attention from each other, causing them to pull back and turn in the sound's direction.

Persephone stood there smiling at the camera in her hand.

"Mother," Kian grumbled, his hands still on Esmé's waist. "A little warning next time?"

"The ones which are taken unawares, son, are the best ones. This is gold." She said and turned back to go into the kitchen.

She stopped at the door and turned back to the couple, who were chuckling with each other.

"Kian, take your bags to your room and Esmé, darling, come and help me out into the kitchen. Tick, tock guys, we don't have so much time left. If there's one thing the Wilsons are good at, it is keeping to time."

"That they are." Kian chuckled and turned to Esmé. "Looks like we'll have to postpone our brief tour of my childhood home."

"No problem. I'm holding you to your word."

Kian chuckled and picked up their things, letting Esmé join Persephone in the kitchen.

Arrangements of the dishes to be made, along with the clearing of the table in the dining room for the event began. Kian joined them not long after, with Persephone handling the majority of the cooking.

Though it had taken Persephone quite a lot of convincing before she grudgingly accepted, they were certain she was going all out to prove a point from the amount of effort she was putting into preparing things.

Immediately, the bell rang. Kian and Persephone stared at each other.

"Well, there goes peace for a couple of hours," Persephone said and walked into the kitchen, nudging her head to the door.

Esmé stared at Kian with an arched eyebrow.

"I hope you are ready to meet the Wilsons."

"You say that like I should prepare to meet a group of over the top people." Esmé huffed with her hands on her waist.

"You'd be surprised," he said with a light chuckle before heading over to get the door. He took in a deep breath just before he opened the door.

"The Lincoln Kid!" The male hoarse voice echoed into the house in excitement just before the man in question pulled Kian into a fierce hug, patting his back in sync.

"Taron," Kian grunted into the hug.

"My days, you have grown into a fine young man." He smiled at him with a signature grin that matched that of Petra's after releasing him.

"Oh, can you stop acting like you haven't seen him since his high school days?" Persephone countered.

They turned to Persephone and Esmé, who stood by her side.

"Pearl." Ronnie greeted her with a grateful smile, walking inside with Hudgens by his side.

"Ah," Taron drawled. "So this is the Esmé Black we've been hearing so much about?" He stepped up to her. His brows furrowed intently as he watched her, tilting his head like he was trying to place her.

Esmé smiled at him, although it wasn't a full one as she wondered why he was looking at her like that.

She looked into the eyes that were too similar to Ronnie's own when he is in a full-on flirtatious mode. Except with his father, it was more intense thanks to the grey hair that adorned his chocolate brown hair; the dead giveaway of who was older.

His eyes were another thing that differentiated the two men, there were the smoky-grey eyes that Petra got from her father. But that was all the difference. Everything else matched, including the cocky smile.

Esmé stretched forth her hand to him with a smile. "It's finally nice to meet you, Mr Wilson."

Taron's head jerked backwards with his face scrunched up as if she hit him across the face with a raw piece of meat. "Mr Wil... Yeah, no. That makes me sound so old."

"You are old," Persephone murmured by the side, but he continued on, not sparing her a glance.

"Just call me, Taron. The elixir of youth still runs in this body of mine. And besides, young people like us don't do handshakes..."

That was all the warning he gave before he pulled her into a hug.

Esmé grunted at the force but relaxed into the warm, inviting, fatherly hug that pulled out a sense of longing she had never felt before.

By the time he pulled back, Esmé had a bright smile on her face that made Taron sputter. He turned to Ronnie with a bewildered expression and pointed back to Esmé.

She stared confused at him and then Ronnie, who cracked understanding what he's father was going at.

"She's got them dimples, son."

Everyone burst out laughing as Esmé stared at Taron in disbelief, remembering Ronnie saying the same words to her when they first met.

"Would you leave the woman alone, Taron?" A soft melodious voice called out, dragging everyone's attention to the opened door.

Her caramel, silky hair was the first thing Esmé noticed. One could almost mistake her for Petra except that instead of it being straight and long like Petra's own, she cut it into a bob. That and glint in her ash deep-set eyes that Ronnie seemed to have got from his mother.

She stepped further into the house and placed her hands on her waist staring at her husband. "You have no need for any other person with dimples when you've got all you need right here." To further prove her point, she smiled so brightly, that a dimple that brought forth a youthful beauty to her face appeared on both her cheeks.

Taron swooned and glided to his wife with an equal smile matching hers. He gently took her face in his hands and gave her a light peck on each of her dimpled cheeks. "What could I possibly do without these dimples, my love?"

Laughter chorused from the rest of the people whilst Persephone shook her head. "Ever one to make a dramatic entrance, Louisa?"

"Of course," Louisa said, drawing away from Taron to greet Persephone with kisses on her cheeks. "I live for the dramatics. Life would be a bore without it." She turned from Persephone to Esmé and stopped short. Humming, Louisa stepped towards her, examining her with a scrutinizing gaze. "I see it now. But even then, you look like you haven't eaten enough."

"There she goes again," Ronnie murmured and leaned closer to Esmé to whisper, "You'd think she fusses about people's weight because she can cook."

Louisa smacked the back of his head eliciting a frustrated groan from him but before he could complain she spoke, "You do not have to know how to cook to be giddy about eating..."

"... You just have to know how to eat and eat well, Plum." Taron and Louisa said together and Ronnie sputtered a cough, looking at his parents with wide eyed at sending a quick glance to Esmé to see if she caught on to anything.

But his swift action was all she needed to catch on. Her lips curved into a smile as she turned from his horror-stricken face to Louisa's innocent looking one. "Plum? Is that like a nickname or something?"

Ronnie bounced in before Louisa could reply. "You don't want to know."

Kian chuckled by the side and Esmé crossed her hands over her chest with her smile increasing. "Well now, I want to."

"You don't know?" Louisa asked with her brows squished together.

"That shouldn't be surprising. When have the kids ever been proud of their strange middle name?" Hudgens grunted, shaking his head.

"What's not to be proud of?!" Louisa countered and then turned to Esmé. Ronnie groaned to stop her, but her story quite vested her and there was no stopping her.

"It's not a nickname. Plum is Ronald's middle name. Ronald Plum Wilson."

"Kill me now," Ronnie murmured, collapsing into a nearby chair.

Esmé chuckled in disbelief. "Plum? Why Plum?"

"Oh, my wife has a thing for eating a certain fruit of craving before she delivers her children."

"And so she gives them the name of the fruit as their middle name," Persephone further explained.

"That's... interesting," Esmé said, choking back a laugh at the ridiculousness of the whole situation. "So Ronnie is Plum, Petra is..."

"Apricot. Petra Apricot Wilson and my sweet last boy is Francisco Pomelo Wilson." Louisa grinned with pride as tears pill up in Esmé's eyes from laughter.

"Thank you, mother, for embarrassing us now. If Petra or Cisco know what you've done, oh boy."

"Alright!" Persephone chuckled, ruffling up Ronnie's hair. "Enough about embarrassing stories for now. Food is ready, and it's time to eat. Come on. We'll wait for the others in the dining room."

"Where we can definitely share more embarrassing stories," Louisa said with a grin and a wink to Esmé. "I've got lots of them." Taron and Hudgens chuckled and followed Persephone and Louisa, who led the way.

Esmé burst out laughing once the elders were out of sight and Kian chuckled by her side. "Plum."

"Yeah, laugh it up, but we both know that name has got nothing on me."

"I can't believe Petra kept her name from me." Esmé sobered up at the mention of Petra, wondering if she really couldn't believe it after everything, but she was also more concerned about if Petra was going to make it or not.

At that moment, the door to the house slammed open and Petra's high-pitched voice rang out. "Would you get your lazy arse down from the car and stop grumbling?" She glared back at the opened door to the person behind it.

Esmé sighed in relief that she could make it, but no one made a sound in anticipation of the person she was talking to.

They heard the slamming of a car door next and then feet padded against the floor with the strength of an athlete. The sound got closer to reveal a teenage boy with his eyes hardened, and a glare directed at Petra.

The expression faltered immediately as he swirled his muscular, fit body and gave his bum a soft pat. "This? Is it this work of art you are referring to as lazy? Oh, dearest sister, your green-eyed monster is clawing its way out. Keep it in check."

Petra opened her mouth to make a retort, but he had already turned away and stopped short at the sight of Esmé by Kian's side.

Esmé watched him with her mouth open, but that didn't stop him.

He stepped forward with confidence and charisma that screamed practice makes perfect and stopped right in front of her with a pose of ease. He gave her a once over with a cocky smile. "So this is her, huh?" He stretched forth his hands for Esmé to take his hand. "People call me Cisco, but you can call me tonight."

Laughter filled the room, followed by a smack and a groan from Cisco.

He spun to face Petra with a glare. "Dude!"

"Wow. The men in the Wilson family are one of a kind." Esmé uttered, still stunned by Cisco's introduction.

Cisco turned to face her with horror written all over his face. "No! I am nothing like those other two. I have charisma and style they can only dream of having."

Kian scoffed. "Says who?"

"Says all the girls at school who can't get enough of me and boys want to be me."

"That's not what I heard. I hear there's a new girl who can't stand you." Petra teased him, causing him to glare at her again.

"Besides, this charisma you talk about young lad, you stole that from us 'old people'," Ronnie commented.

"Pfft, stealing and my name shouldn't be in the same sentence, dear brother. Recycling, on the other hand..."

"Would you lads stop yapping away and come over? Stealing or recycling, the food knows none and is eaten by none once it is cold," Hudgens called out from the dining area.

Cisco rolled his eyes, making his way there. "Ever the psychologist, Uncle," he murmured. He turned to wink at Esmé before disappearing behind the dining door.

Ronnie swung his hand around Kian's neck while Kian chuckled at Esmé's stunned gaze. "You'll get used to it. It's the Wilson family charm," he added the last part and sent a quick glance to Petra before directing Kian to the room.

Esmé stared dumbfounded at the duo, still unbelieving, and then turned to Petra. "Really?"

Petra shrugged lightly. Having spent a few times with her going to the therapist, she knew Petra was still distant, but it wasn't something she wanted for them that day.

She went to meet her and said, "You never told me you had such a weird family, Apricot."

Petra opened her mouth to reply but stopped as her eyes widened. The name Esmé called her settling in. She groaned, tilting her head backwards. "Oh, come on. She told you?"

"How long were you planning on keeping that a secret from me?"

"Forever." She grunted, heading in behind the guys.

"But it's so cute."

"Not another word, Esmé. We do not speak of this ever again."

Esmé trailed behind with a slight smile playing on her lips. She was giving a retort. There had to be hope.

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😁

 We've finally met the Wilsons! We were honestly meant to have met these wierdos since chapter 15 but somehow they never stuck. It's like they didn't want us to meet them yet. But I say it's about time, huh?

What do you think of each of them?

Taron

Louisa

Cisco

If you haven't made up your mind yet about them, there's still the next chapter to decide!

What did you think about this introductory chapter as a whole! 💭

Till next time! 💕