Adam drove to his mom's house with Jenika beside him in the front seat; Dena was behind Adam, Tim behind Jenika, and TJ in the middle. Several times throughout the drive Dena had to reach across the car and push on Tim's knee to get him to stop bouncing it. He would give her an apologetic look but start up again a few minutes later. Dena knew Tim wouldn't want to talk in front of TJ so she pulled out her phone and texted him from two feet away.

D- What are you so nervous about?

T- Cindy seems to be trying but I'm worried about her reaction to TJ.

D- Didn't she say "he's as good as my grandson too"?

T- Yes, but... I don't know.

D- Calm down. You guys have handled her so far, you can do this too.

T- I guess so. Thank you momma. I love you.

D- I love you too Timothy!

Tim smiled and put his phone back in his pocket just as they were pulling into Cindy's driveway. Adam parked and they all climbed out. 

Jenika squatted down to talk to TJ. "Now remember this is Adam's mom that you are meeting today. I know that you know your manners but make sure you call her Mrs. Rupp unless she asks you to call her something else."

"My brother, Chris, will also be here. I'm sorry." Adam laughed as TJ gave him a weird look. "He can be a little childish sometimes when he is around kids. He has no idea how special you are so please forgive him." TJ nodded his head. He had dealt with this with other people.

"Are we ready to go in?" Dena asked. If Cindy was anything like her, she was watching out the window wondering what was taking so long. The group headed up the driveway and knocked on the door. Cindy hugged Adam, Jenika, Tim, and Dena as they came through the door. 

"It's nice to see you again Dena" Cindy said warmly before looking down at TJ. He extended his hand to her. She shook it graciously, "You  must be TJ. I'm Cindy Rupp, Adam's mother."

"Good evening, Mrs Rupp. It's a pleasure to meet you." TJ replied with a smile. Cindy quickly looked around at Adam and Jenika with a "what the heck" look on her face. Adam just shrugged his shoulders at her.

Chris introduced himself and was shocked to hear someone call him Mr. Rupp. "Oh, no." He said "Please just call me Chris. Mr. Rupp makes me sound old." Cindy gave him a dirty look as she ushered everyone into the dining room.

"You've arrived at the perfect time. Dinner just finished. Please find a seat." Cindy said as she walked towards the kitchen to bring the last of the food to the table. 
(Crude drawing of table placement)

Jenika followed Cindy and helped her bring everything out. Chris said grace before everyone dug into their food. Within a few minutes small conversations had started around the table. Cindy was sitting next to TJ and spent a great deal of time speaking with him and asking 'getting to know you' questions. She was very impressed with him. 

There was a lapse in conversations just as Cindy asked TJ how he felt about the relationship between Tim, Adam, and Jenika. Everyone heard her question and snapped there heads around to stare at her. Tim and Adam opened their mouths at the same time to say something when they both felt a hand on their leg signaling them to shut up. "Let him speak" Dena whispered.

"What do you mean?" TJ asked Cindy.

Cindy was self conscious now that everyone was listening. "Well, the relationship is very different from what is considered normal. I just wonder how you feel about it." Cindy finally said slowly after choosing each word carefully.

 TJ thought for a moment so he could get his words right. "I'm fine with it. What is normal anyway? Maybe normal for you isn't normal for others." TJ paused. Cindy opened her mouth to speak but TJ started talking again. "Different doesn't mean bad. Some kids have two parents. Some kids only have one parent. Some kids don't have any parents. I get to have three. They all love each other and they all love me. What else could I ask for?"

Cindy looked down at her hands before turning back to TJ "I guess you couldn't ask for more." She looked from TJ to glance around the table. Tim and Jenika were smiling at TJ. Dena had a shit eating grin on her face as she looked across the table. Adam had an eyebrow raised and was smirking at her. Chris' mouth was hanging open while staring at TJ.

Adam turned to Chris and pushed his mouth closed as he whispered "He's smarter than I could ever hope to be." Chris could only nod his head as he continued to stare at TJ who had gone back to eating. The rest of table started random conversations to break the silence. 

Once dinner was finished Dena offered to help Cindy clear the table so they could talk. "I can't believe I was just told off by a four year old." Cindy said as she shook her head.

"And very eloquently too." Dena said as she smiled at Cindy. "You aren't the first and I'm sure you won't be that last. That little boy is going places. He is very much his father's son."

"Was Tim like that as a child?" Cindy asked.

Dena laughed "He wasn't quite that well spoken but he was always the smartest person in the room, even at that age. He has also always been, excuse my language, a smart ass. I was sure that his mouth was going to get him into trouble at some point. Then, just as you thought he had gotten himself into a spot he couldn't get out of his comedic side would come out and save the day." 

"Wow, I guess I had it easy with my boys." Cindy said. "Adam has always been very quiet and while Chris was more outgoing he was never like what you describe." 

"Cindy, I'm not sure if I should tell you this but the Adam you describe is not the Adam I know." Dena said hesitantly.

"How do you mean?" Cindy asked, unsure if she really wanted to know the answer.

Dena lead Cindy to the dining room table and sat next to her. "In the few weeks that I spent on the road with the boys I saw a very different side to Adam. He was animated, talkative, friendly, loving, accommodating, flirtatious, energetic, and certainly didn't shy away from PDA."

"PDA?" Cindy asked.

"Public display of affection." Dena chuckled. 

Cindy looked mortified. "Oh my goodness. I'm sorry you..."

Dena cut Cindy off mid-sentence. "Do not apologize for your son's behavior. He didn't do anything wrong." Cindy tried to interrupt but Dena held up her hand. "Cindy, he's a grown man and he was showing his affection for his life partner. As long as it doesn't go too far there is nothing wrong with it. In fact, I'm glad they are comfortable enough around me to show their passion for each other. I'd rather see that than have to guess about how they are doing as a couple. They are still in that honeymoon phase where they can't keep their hands off each other and I think it's cute."

"They don't act like that when they are here." Cindy said feeling a little hurt.

Dena looked away so Cindy wouldn't see her roll her eyes. "Cindy, you haven't been the most welcoming to them up to this point. And I know that Adam wouldn't feel comfortable even kissing Tim in front of you at this point. It's going to take awhile and you're going to need to be a little warmer and accepting of everything."

"Uh, you said they wouldn't feel comfortable even kissing in front of me. Have they done more than that in front of you or others?" Cindy asked. She was wondering how much she really didn't know about her son.

Dena chuckled, "Yes, they have. They've cuddled together on a couch many times. One of those times turned into a full blown make-out session in the lounge of the bus with almost everyone there. When hands started roaming under shirts I brought out the mom voice and forced them apart." Cindy's eyes were wide as she listened to Dena talk. "And Adam initiated it. Cindy, I don't know if they will ever be that comfortable around you, or if you even want that, but you'll never really get to know them or their relationship if you don't lighten up."

Cindy and Dena finished cleaning up dinner and rejoined everyone in the living room. Cindy saw that Adam was leaning into Tim's side as she came through the door but as soon as he spotted her he sat up and scooted a few inches away. Cindy sighed and took a seat while trying to avoid Dena's 'I told you so' look.

To be continued...

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