THERE WAS THE faintest dusting of snow outside, coating Reagan's street and glimmering in the weak daylight. There was enough of it that not even the sun had managed to melt it down, though the afternoon itself was coming to a wrap.

Reagan was off from work and lying in her bed, covered in extra blankets. Instead of giving herself an agenda on her day of freedom, she'd opted to treat herself to a book and a mug of hot tea. She had told everyone around her, including Dave, that she'd be using her day off as time for designated self-care.

With 'A Confederacy of Dunces' in her hand and her thickest socks pulled up past her ankles, Reagan snuggled against the pillows behind her and lost herself in her own splendid coziness. It was amazing that even though her whole family was home, she'd found her share of peace and quiet. Even Kate laying in her own bed across the room had not deterred Reagan's determination to have a relaxing day.

"The tree looks nice," Kate said casually. She was lying on her stomach, her chin resting atop her hands and her eyes casted upwards towards the window behind their beds. She was contemplatively watching cotton ball snowflakes cascade down from the sky.

"I bet," Reagan replied, turning a page of her book.

Along with the rest of the family, Kate had spent the morning downstairs sprucing up the Abner's Christmas tree with their collection of baubles and ornaments. They had a real tree that year instead of the cheap, plastic one that was shoved into the attic after every passing December. Reagan had used her own money to buy the tree from a local farm. No one had needed to convince her to do it — she loved the smell of fresh pine needles wafting through the house.

"You should have helped," Kate chided. "Rae and Kody looked so cute putting up ornaments."

"It was supposed to be for the kids, not me," Reagan said. She didn't lift her eyes from her book.

"True, I guess. I'm surprised Mom hasn't come yelling for you yet."

"Don't jinx it."

The last thing Reagan needed was Kimberly clomping up the stairs calling her name, asking her to do some miscellaneous chore. So far that day, Kimberly had not bothered her at all, which Reagan took as a probable early Christmas gift. She did not expect much that year, but alone time was a good enough present as far as she was concerned.

"How come you're not with Dave?" Kate asked, pushing the conversation onwards.

Reagan put her book down in her lap and shot her sister a deathly look. It was alright for Kate to be in her own bed while Reagan read, but for her to talk when a discussion was clearly unwanted was another thing.

"Reading here," Reagan said sarcastically.

"Sorry. I just can't believe you're not with him right now."

"It's not like I have to spend every waking moment at his side."

"I know, but I figured you would since he's your first boyfriend and all."

Kate clambered out of her bed and wandered over to Reagan's side of the room, hovering at Reagan's bedside with a bored look on her face. She picked up a Polaroid picture that laid on Reagan's nightstand, tucked beneath a stack of books and her alarm clock.

"Would you stop looking at that thing?" Reagan quipped with annoyance.

The thing in question was a picture of Reagan and Dave, taken by Shelli on a day when she and Krist had swung by the "Boy Land" apartment. Dave was flashing a big smile at the camera and Reagan was looking at him, mid-laugh as she leaned forward on the couch. It was the only picture they had together and to please Kate, Reagan had shown it to her in order to show what Dave looked like.

"It's really cute, Reags," Kate said, smiling. "And he's cute too."

"I know, thanks," Reagan said, swiping the photograph out of Kate's hands and pushing it under its original hiding place. "Can we move on now?"

"You're the Wicked Witch of the West, you know that?" Kate griped, sitting down at the edge of Reagan's bed.

"That's so rude. I'm most definitely not. I'm the Wicked Witch of Olympia. Smaller domain. Get your facts right."

Kate rolled her eyes, unfazed by Reagan's taunting humor. She went back to her side of their joint bedroom, taking slow, lazy steps as she glanced out the window. Reagan was sure that Kate was plotting a plan to coax her outside into the snow. Although it was nowhere near thick enough for snowmen and snow angels, Kate would have dragged her out the door anyway, keen to replicate the snow days they had shared together as children.

Reagan lowered her book, considering the idea before her sister even posed it. It was cold out, and her book was only getting more interesting with every turned page, but she wondered what it would be like to bundle up as if she were eight years old again, content to chase Kate around the yard and catch fast-melting snowflakes on her tongue.

She was about to suggest that Kate grab her coat when the doorbell rang from downstairs. Immediately, the two sisters locked eyes, wearing identical expressions of confusion.

"Are you expecting someone?" Reagan asked. She sank lower between her sheets, not wanting in the least bit to entertain Kate's friends.

"No. Are you?" Kate replied, looking towards their ajar bedroom door.

"Nope," Reagan said. "I bet it's just the Jehovah's Witnesses again. Mom will take care of it."

Kate flitted out of the room and down the stairs, hoping to discover their mystery guest for herself. Reagan took this opportunity to enjoy her sudden bestowment of alone time. Perhaps if she was lucky, Kate wouldn't return and she would even be able to squeeze a nap into her day.

She didn't think much of the sound of the front door opening and her mother's voice, lilting with surprise as she greeted their unexpected guest hello. Reagan tuned it out, burying her nose back into her novel. Then came the abrupt stomping of feet against the staircase, running as fast as they could.

Reagan was sitting up higher in her bed with curiosity just as Kate pushed open their bedroom door, her face pale and her eyes widened with fear. She looked terrified.

"What?" Reagan demanded, slamming her book down. Something about the horror shining in her sister's eyes made her stomach jerk.

"You have to come downstairs," Kate hissed, keeping her voice low. "Now."

Kate's command was enough to send Reagan into a panic. She threw off her bedsheets and scrambled for the door, shouldering her way past Kate as she took the stairs two at a time.

She was entertaining awful thoughts in her mind. What if it was Tommy, coming to tell her that she was fired? Or worse, what if someone had been hurt?  Maybe this was going to affect the whole family. Why else would have Kate stared at her with such gawking fear?

Reagan found her answer to her rushed slew of questions as she reached the bottom of the staircase. She came to a halt, nearly stumbling over her own feet as she looked towards the front door which remained open, welcoming in swirls of snow flurries. Kimberly was standing there, her hand on the door knob and a bewildered mask on her face. She turned to Reagan upon hearing her arrival.

"Reagan?" Kimberly asked. It was all she could manage to say. Reagan inhaled sharply, the gasp ricocheting off the walls more loudly than a thunder clap.

Standing in the doorway was Dave, a baseball cap covering his long hair and Reagan's locket gripped between his fingers.

Strangely enough, Reagan's first instinct was to treat Dave as a stranger. She didn't plan on doing so in order to hurt him, but simply because she didn't want to blow their cover.

She imagined crinkling her forehead with confusion as she evaluated Dave, adopting a glaze over his eyes as if he were just another door-to-door stranger dropping in on the Abner's home. But that would be impossible, as Reagan quickly deduced. Dave had probably already asked for her by name, hence why Kate had scrambled up the stairs looking for her.

And then there was the damn locket, dangling in his fist and glinting in shades of gold. Reagan was almost positive that door-to-door salesman did not go around selling pretty lockets for a living.

She knew what she had to do. There was no sense in pretending that Dave was not there for her when it was so entirely obvious that he was. And besides, her whole family had gathered in the hallway, inspecting their surprise visitor with interest.

Dave seemed embarrassed, shy even, as he stood in the light snowfall with innocent eyes. He spoke softly, treading his words with careful consideration for the fact that his girlfriend's parents were in front of him. And worst yet, Richard was still in his pajamas.

She wanted to kill him.

As much as Reagan loved Dave, she wanted nothing more than to wrap each of her individual fingers around his throat and throttle him.

She had asked — no, she had begged — for Dave to put her family out of mind. She'd drawn an even line in the sand between them, keeping two parts of her life as separate as humanely possible. She'd assumed that the territories she had created could not be crossed.

But Dave had done it anyway. Without even knowing it, he had stumbled right into the metaphorical lion's den that Reagan had lived in her whole life.

All she could do was stand there with her lips pressed tightly together, disappearing as she clenched her jaw harder together. Dave looked scared as he examined Reagan's face.

Good, she thought. Be scared. Be very scared.

Kimberly was the first to speak, clearing her throat loudly as she looked back and forth between Dave and her fuming daughter.

"It's Dave, isn't it?" she inquired politely. Dave nodded his head jerkily, refusing to tear his gaze from Reagan.

"Come on in, honey," Kimberly said. "It's freezing out there."

"Are . . . are you sure?" Dave responded uncertainly. The invite had not been granted by his girlfriend, which threw him off. By the looks of it, his girlfriend didn't even want him there.

"Yes, don't be silly. Come in, come in."

Reagan watched as Dave hesitantly crossed the threshold into her house, still holding her locket. Kimberly shut the door behind him, leaving him standing in front and center of Reagan's ogling family members. Richard's mouth was hanging slightly open.

"Hi," Dave said nervously, a frightened smile twitching at his lips. He raised one hand in a wave. "I'm Dave."

Reagan folded her arm across her chest and used the other to knead her hand against her forehead, closing her eyes. She didn't want to believe that this was happening. It had to have been a bad dream, the kind that people got when they ate too much before bed or fell asleep with something on their conscious. When she opened her eyes, she would be in her bedroom, waking up from the nap she'd promised herself.

When she slowly parted her eyelids, she realized that that was as far-fetched as it sounded. Dave was still standing in front of her and so was her family, all of them looking at her as they waited for Reagan to make the next move.

FUCK.

"Family," she began through gritted teeth. "Meet Dave. Dave, meet my family."

"Hi," Dave repeated anxiously. He held out her locket, which she snatched from his hand and balled into her fist. He was lucky that she didn't strangle him with it. Her attention was turned to the startled cough that sounded from the stairs — Kate had returned and was looking flabbergasted as she hung over the handrail.

"Well," Kimberly said, obviously attempting to break the ice. "It's very good to meet you Dave. This is quite a surprise."

"Reagan, why didn't you tell us about your new friend?" Richard added, moving closer into the small gathering in the hallway.

"I was getting to it," Reagan said rigidly.

They were closing in, each one of her family members converging on her and Dave like a flock of paparazzi capturing a vulnerable celebrity couple. She grabbed Dave by the arm and dragged him through the hallway, leading him to the living room where she hoped her family would not follow. As they walked, she remembered that she too was in her pajamas — a pair of flannel pants and an oversized white shirt that advertised a local logging company. She wasn't even wearing a bra.

"How could you do this?" she muttered as she pulled Dave towards the couch.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know, I had your locket and I just wanted to give it back to you . . .," Dave whispered hastily.

She sat him down, not once releasing her iron grip locked around his sinewy bicep. Naturally, the Abner clan had followed them and now stood in a semi circle around the family sofa. Even RaeLynn and Kody had tottered in to the party, dancing around their parents' legs.

Reagan couldn't believe it. They'd latched on like glue, just as she'd predicted they would. And if that was a show of how they were going to react after only laying eyes on Dave, she could hardly stand to imagine what the future would hold.

Everyone seemed to mold themselves into a fixed place around Dave and Reagan, like planets sorting themselves into orbit. Kate skittered over to the recliner, sitting down and clasping her hands eagerly. Kimberly and Richard lingered in the entrance to the room, both wide eyed and flanked by the two littlest Abners. And Robbie was there too, peeking around the wall with curiosity.

"So . . ." Richard began. "Dave, how long have you and Reagan known each other?"

That was it. Reagan could feel her blood boiling all the way to her temples, warming her face and causing her to nearly see red. She closed her hands against her thighs, dropping her locket next to her.

"Can we have a moment?" she demanded in a high, stricken voice.

There was a beat of silence as her family processed her request. And then, much to her surprise, they all trickled out of the living room slowly. Their obedience allowed Reagan to sigh, releasing the deep breath that she'd been holding inside her lungs out of anger. As soon as she and Dave appeared to be alone, she whirled her gaze towards him.

"I'm sorry," Dave said automatically. "I know you're pissed at me right now. I fucked up."

"That's an understatement," Reagan hissed.

She was about to launch into a long-winded textbook explanation of just how much Dave had fucked up when she heard a small giggle. She looked towards the front of the living room and saw RaeLynn and Kody, peering at her and Dave shyly. Before she could call for her mother to grab the twins, RaeLynn toddled forward and climbed into Reagan's lap.

"RaeLynn," Reagan said through gritted teeth. Her little sister glanced up at Dave through her eyelashes, flashing a small smile.

Dave laughed nervously, unsure of how to respond. He waved at RaeLynn, causing the toddler to burrow her head into Reagan's chest with an even bigger grin on her face.

"Here we go," Reagan muttered.

Kody approached the trio cautiously, clutching one of his many toy trucks in his hand. When he got close enough, he outstretched the truck towards Dave — it was an offering. Reagan smacked her hand to her forehead.

"Hey, thanks buddy," Dave said pleasantly. He accepted the truck and rolled it across his leg, demonstrating his willingness to play. Kody's eyes shined brightly. How lucky for him — an older adult male who wasn't Robbie that wanted to play.

"This is not happening," Reagan said. Her moment, the moment in which she'd intended to scold Dave for ruining everything, had been stolen away from her by the twins. Now, Dave was making truck noises and both Kody and RaeLynn were laughing their heads off.

This was not the sort of punishment she'd intended to give.

Out of nowhere, Kate swooped in from behind the corner wearing a huge smile. She sat down on the recliner again and Reagan scowled, half-daring her sister to pull any sort of stunt that she'd miraculously planned.

"It's so good to meet you, Dave," Kate chirped. "I've heard so much about you."

"All good things, I hope," Dave laughed.

Enjoy it while you can pal, because she won't be hearing good things anymore.

Like a chain reaction, they were all joined by another guest in the living room, this time Robbie, who had seemingly finally gained the confidence to inch near Dave. He walked right up to where Dave sat.

"Is it true that you're in the band?" Robbie asked.

"That is true. Did your sister tell you that?"

"No. I heard her and Kate talking about it in their room. She said that you were sexy because you were in a band."

"Oh my God!" Reagan shouted, lurching to her feet and sliding RaeLynn out of her lap. "Robbie, you little —,"

"Everything okay in here?"

Richard waltzed slowly into the living room with his eyebrows raised, though he held a playful smile. Kimberly was nowhere to be seen, which Reagan supposed was good, but that had not erased her embarrassment.

"Just getting to know everyone," Dave said. He was grinning wide, obviously pleased by Robbie's admission about what Reagan had said.

Despite it all, Reagan had to admit that he was awfully good at being both polite and blindingly charismatic.

"Good, good. Kids, why don't you give these two some alone time, huh?" Richard asked, nodding towards his other children.

"We want to meet him too!" Robbie protested.

"She can't just hog every second with him," Kate added.

"You have got to be kidding me," Reagan said. She weakly sank back into her seat on the couch. If Dave was turned off by her family's peculiarity, there was nothing she could do now to patch the blow.

"It's really okay," Dave insisted, his eyes earnest. They flickered towards Reagan with hesitance. "I mean, as long as it's okay with you, Reags."

"Do I even get a say anymore?"

She figured she didn't. Kody was pulling at Dave's hands, reminding him that he still had a role to fulfill as a second truck driver.

"Looks like Dave here just made four new friends," Richard chuckled.

Reagan tried to appreciate her father's attempts to smooth the awkwardness of Dave's arrival, but more than anything, she wished that everyone would disappear. It was either that or she wished that she could read Dave's mind. She was desperate to know whether or not he was scared or maybe even uncomfortable.

"Are those your drums . . . sir?" Dave inquired, tending to Kody's attention while simultaneously nodding towards Reagan's drum set. "Reagan told me she plays on your old kit."

"Those are the very ones. Had 'em since nineteen-sixty-seven, two years before Reagan was born. I was in a band with my old school friends."

"I'm a drummer myself," Dave said. "That's really cool that you kept them all this time."

"You're a drummer too?" Richard said, impressed. He looked to Reagan briefly, suddenly understanding why his eldest had settled on the young man before him for a boyfriend.

"Yeah. I mean, yes sir. I'm in a band."

"Well, that's just great!" Richard said enthusiastically. "Hey, how about you give it a go? The three drummers in the room can take turns playing."

"Dad . . ." Reagan began, feeling her face crumple with embarrassment.

"Oh, come on Reags, let the young man play! I'd like to hear him. Maybe he'll finally be of some healthy competition to you."

"She definitely needs it," Dave grinned, nudging Reagan with his shoulder.

When she looked into his face, prepared to throw a fit on the spot, she was taken aback to realize that she didn't feel any more resentment. Staring at Dave's kind smile and then back at Richard's excited expression calmed Reagan down immediately. Within several passing moments, she was no longer worried about Dave, the first guy she'd ever loved, sitting her living room surrounded by her family.

In fact, for a fleeting second, she felt a twinge of happiness over it.

"Okay," she agreed, being met with a tittering chorus of anticipation from Kate and Robbie. "Let's do it then."

"You may be here all night now that you've gotten her to join in," Richard laughed. "Hope you're ready to stay for dinner, Dave."

Dave smiled again, looking directly into Reagan's eyes. He felt her permeating peace with a sense of relief.

"That's fine by me. I've got time."

________

Later that night, Reagan walked Dave outside into the snowy air towards Kurt's car, which he'd borrowed for the evening. As they stepped out into the porch, her family crowed their goodbyes from inside, waving as Reagan shut the door.

"Wow," Dave said.

"I know it's a lot," Reagan sighed. She hadn't put a coat on to walk Dave out, and even in her long sleeves, the skin of her arms raised with goosebumps.

"I meant 'wow,' you've got a great family," Dave clarified, placing his hands on Reagan's sides as she shivered.

"That's what you think now," she murmured.

The night had gone admittedly well. She, Dave and Richard had all put on a performance by playing the drums intermittently, each trying to out-do the other every time. It had been months since Reagan had seen her father play. Nothing had made her so happy then watching him laugh and smile as he sat behind the kit. Even his admiration for Dave's skilled playing had warmed her heart.

Kimberly had eventually joined them all after complaining about the noise. She'd cooked dinner and as a family with the addition of Dave, they'd sat at the Abner's little kitchen table, passing food back and forth with Dave wedged between Reagan and Robbie. Robbie had talked Dave's ear off about music and even Kimberly had joined in on the fun, laughing at Dave's retelling of several funny stories.

That was good, Reagan had thought. Her mother had at least looked past Dave's hair for the night.

"I love them," Dave whispered passionately.

Reagan didn't respond. She allowed Dave to press his forehead to hers, closing her eyes when their noises touched too. The cold seemed to disappear as they moved closer together.

"I love you," she whispered back.

He kissed her, hugging her tightly before saying goodbye and promising that he'd see her the next day after she was done with work. Reagan waited until Dave was in the car and driving off down the street before she went back inside, dazed from the events of that night. She was sure that she wouldn't be getting much sleep — Kate was most likely upstairs in their room, waiting to bombard her with a review of Dave.

She had no doubt that it would be a review of stellar scrutiny, condensed with nothing except praise.

As Reagan walked back inside her house, smiling to herself and slipping towards the stairs, she was stopped by the sound of Kimberly calling her name from the kitchen. She followed her mother's voice, pausing in the entryway that led in from the hall. Kimberly was at the sink, doing the dirty dishes from their earlier dinner. She didn't look up from her soapy hands.

"Have a good night?" Kimberly asked casually.

"Yes. Yes I did."

Reagan watched her mother wet her lips with her tongue, seeming to consider something as she placed a soaking dish on the drying rack. She had the abrupt urge to escape Kimberly's presence.

"You seem pretty serious about that boy," Kimberly noted.

Reagan spoke through her teeth. "So what if I am?"

It was a challenging response. She knew she probably shouldn't have said it.

"Well," Kimberly started, laying down another dish. "Let's just say, I would reconsider that if l were you."