Leo

I take a deep, calming breath and when that doesn't work shit at calming me, I resort to the breathing techniques my therapist told me to use when it felt like everything was closing in on me.

Inhale for four seconds.

Exhale for eight.

I repeat this a few more times before I muster up the courage and knock on the door. The door of the house where Josephine's parents live.

Yes, me, a sniper who plays with rifles for a living, is scared shitless to meet my girlfriend's parents.

Christmas was a few weeks ago, and we decided it's finally time we met our parents.

The door creaks open and Josephine's face greets me. It instantly has a calming effect on me. One better than those damn breathing exercises.

Josephine ushers me in and closes the door behind me. I take her in as I toe off my shoes.

She's wearing wide pipe jeans with a shirt that has a teddy bear imprint on it. She looks fucking adorable in her outfit.

"My parents are so excited to meet you." She beams at me. "Mama's been preparing food the entire morning."

"They are?"

"Yes." She chuckles. "They're eager to meet the man I've talked about so much."

"Yeah?" I glance inside, but the corridor door is closed. So I grip her waist and pull her to me. "Good things, I presume?"

"Oh, no. Far from good."

"Hmm." I dip down to kiss her, but stop midway. "Can I give you a quick kiss?"

She laughs and nods. "Yes."

The kiss is shorter than I'd like, but I don't want one of her parents to walk in on us while making out.

"Are those for me?" She nods at the flowers in my hand.

"No." I give her a grin. "Those are for your mother."

"Ooh, what a gentleman." She taps the box. "And this?"

"Those are cookies my Nonna made." I answer. "I guess they're for you, too."

"Can't wait to taste them." She inclines her head to the right. "They're sitting outside."

I rest my free hand on her lower back as she guides me into her parents' home. It's a nice and spacious place. Which is normal, considering they have six children in total.

As we pass the living room, I see a few framed photos. My eyes focus on the picture of a little girl with pigtails and a big grin with a missing front tooth. I'd say Josephine is around six in the photo.

"You can see them later." She tells me.

"You bet."

We finally reach the garden, and I take a deep breath in.

Her parents stand up when they see us. We shake hands as Josephine introduces us.

"Have a seat." Her father tells me. He's a big fella with a white mustache. Her mother is the same height as Josephine, but her hair is black and her eyes are blue.

I can see where Josephine gets her looks from.

We sit down with Josephine next to me. My arm instinctually reaches to rest on her thigh, but I retract it in time.

I'm not sure what her parents would think of me touching their daughter in front of them. Even if it's not inappropriate.

"So, tell me," her father speaks up. "What do you do for a living?"

I quickly glance at Josephine, then back at him.

"She told us a lot about you, but I'd like to hear it from you." He says.

I clear my throat. "I'm in military, sir."

"Good." He nods, and I don't know if he approves or not. "And lose the 'sir'. I'm not your drill sergeant."

"Copy that, sir." I shake my head. "I mean, alright."

They chuckle at my slip of tongue and I give them what I think looks like a weird smile.

"I served for a little while, back when I was younger. I still, to this day, use army lingo." He tells me.

"He sometimes would say phrases like 'Charlie Foxtrot' and think I understand what it means." Josephine says. Her cheeks grow red when all faces turn to her, and she nuzzles a little closer to me. I throw an arm over her shoulders.

Facing her dad, we share a knowing smile. That phrase means 'clusterfuck.'

"And how old are you?" Her mother speaks up.

"I'm twenty-five." I'm about to say ma'am, but luckily I bite my tongue.

She nods like that answer satisfies her.

For the next hour, we talk about superficial things, and they ask me straightforward questions. Then we switch to the dining table for dinner. She made us lasagna with two kinds of salads and roasted vegetables.

After a while, her mother speaks up. "So Josie told us your parents are her bosses."

"They have shares in the hospital, yes. But they aren't directly her boss."

"And you've never met each other before?"

We both shake our heads.

"I only started working there almost two years ago." Josephine shrugs.

"That's a long time." Her father reminds her with a tone that suggests like I'm somehow lying about never meeting Josephine before I did. Maybe it's just my mind playing tricks on me.

"Not like I've been around to actually go to the hospital." As soon as the words leave my mouth, I regret them.

My leg bounces up and down. Thank god the table hides my nervous tick.

"And where have you been?"

I clear my throat and take a sip of water to calm my nerves. They would have seen my hand shaking if I wasn't so good at masking my nerves. "I was deployed in Japan, sir. Not sir. I mean... you know what I mean."

Fuck. I'm fucking everything up. It's been going great until he asked where I was. As if it wasn't already clear. I'm a fucking soldier, where else would I be?

Why do I always get so nervous when the topic of my occupation arises?

"It's okay, son." He chuckles. Josephine's hand reaches mine beneath the table. I clasp it and it instantly fills me with calm and my leg stills.

"Leo and I are going ice skating tomorrow." Josephine jumps into the conversation and steers it in another direction.

"You are?" Her mother coos.

"We are?" I ask because the last thing I know, she has to work a long shift tomorrow.

She gives me a subtle look to go along with her story.

"He can't skate to save his life, so I'm giving him a lesson."

"I can skate." I defend. "Just not that good."

"Ice skating is difficult." Her mother agrees with me.

"It's not!" Josephine laughs like we're crazy to think it's hard.

Her father says, "It's doable once you get the hang of it."

"I prefer not to walk on a thin blade." I say and glance at Josephine. "Besides, I'm better with my hands."

Her eyes widen at the innuendo but I didn't mean it in a dirty way. I just meant that if something requires the use of my hands, like holding a sniper or a baseball or fighting or something, then I'm good.

"Not like that." I mumble and look everywhere but at her parents.

I hear someone snickering, her mom, then she begins a new conversation and pulls me out of my misery.

When it's finally time for me to go back home, Josephine walks me to the front door.

"How did I do?" I whisper, as her parents are still in the living room.

"Great." She holds onto my shirt. "Not that it was a test or anything."

I nod. "Want a ride back home?"

She shakes her head. "I'm gonna help with cleaning up then papa will give me a ride."

"You sure?"

"Yes, I'm sure." She raises to her tiptoes. "See you next Tuesday?"

"Yes." Tuesday is still four days away. But she has to work those four days to make up for not working as much during Christmas break.

"See you then." She kisses the underside of my jaw.

I cup her face and redirect her lips to mine. I give her a short but hard kiss before I pull back, aware of the fact that her parents are a door away.

"I love you." We say at the same time and chuckle.

Having dinner with my girlfriend's parents for the first time went okay.

I decide I'm going to pretend I didn't make a comment about being good with my hands.

• ••• •

A/N:

Who thought her parents would be harder on Leo?