Author's Note: Ahh! Thank you all so much for getting this to 10K reads! I love and appreciate all of you and I'm so glad that you've decided to tag along to Harry, Marigold, and Ember's journey with me! Thank you, thank you, thank you! <3

Mary twists her engagement ring around her finger anxiously. She hasn't met Harry's parents prior to this and she's a little worried that she might not be what they're expecting.

Harry's assured her that they already like her because he talks to them on the phone every other day and they've been dying to meet her and Ember since he first mentioned their relationship.

But Mary's only done this once before and she's still nervous about meeting them. Ember's perfectly alright with it. She loves meeting new people and she's incredibly excited to meet her new grandparents and to see Isobel again.

She's also really happy because her mother didn't make her dress nice for dinner. Sometimes, when they went to see her grandparents in Alaska, her mother made her wear nice clothes because that's what her grandparents expected. Dress clothes are okay; Ember just doesn't like them very much because she can't really play or she'll ruin her nice clothes.

It's nice to be able to wear warm clothes and not have to worry about keeping them super clean. Ember knows that her mother thinks so too because she's wearing one of Harry's sweaters and it's a little too big for her and she's got her leggings on. Mary only wears her leggings when she's comfortable and it's usually when she's at home, so it's something that's new for her.

Harry notices how she's fidgeting and he refrains from knocking for a moment. "Marigold, there's nothing to worry about. They don't bite, mum just talks a lot."

Mary laughs and smiles up at him, "I know, I'm just weird when it comes to meeting new people. Ember loves it, but I get a little antsy. Are you sure that it's fine that we came dressed so casually?"

"Yes, my parents don't make a big deal out of dressing nice for Christmas dinner. That only happen when my grandparent's join us and this year they decided to go on a cruise. We're fine, Mary, relax."

He gives her hand a quick squeeze to further reassure her. "You ready?"

She takes a deep breath and nods, "Ready."

Harry knocks on the door and it swings open a few seconds later. Mary's surprised to see how much resemblance he shares with his mother. They share the same smile and similar noses and Mary's suddenly not nervous anymore.

She and Harry say hello at the exact same time and his mother laughs happily as she pulls her son in for a hug.

"You're home!"

Harry laughs happily as he hugs her back. "Missed you too, mum."

Ember looks up at Carol with bright eyes and chirps a very joyful, "Hello!"

Carol beams and stoops down a little to offer Ember a hug, "Hi! It's nice to finally meet you! I'm Harry's mom, you must be Ember!"

Ember nods excitedly before practically throwing herself forward for her hug. Hugs are one of Ember's favorite things because they make her feel good and she's certain that hugs can make anyone feel better, even if only just a little bit.

"Hi grandma!"

She's so straightforward and Carol absolutely loves it. Harry smiles and shakes his head because he knew Ember was going to do that without being asked to. She's such a happy little girl and he's proud to almost be able to call her his step-daughter.

"Isobel's waiting for you in the living room. You're free to join her whenever you'd like."

Ember's off and running into the living room as soon as Carol pulls back from their hug. Mary laughs lightly and shakes her head, "She's excited. They haven't seen each other for a few weeks. I'm Marigold, it's nice to finally meet you."

She's slightly surprised when Carol pulls her in for a hug as well. But it's nice and it takes off all of the pressure that she's been worrying about for the last hour or so.

"It's so nice to meet you as well! Harry talks about you all the time!" She retracts her arm and steps inside, "Come in! Come in! It's far too cold to stand here and chat all night!"

Harry smiles and lets Mary go in first as he grabs their bags. She wanted to help him with him, but he insists because it's cold and he wants her to get the chance to get to know his family instead of dragging bags into the house and stumbling around to find what room to put them in.

His step-father's gotten up from the couch to come say hello and he's already chatting Mary's ear off about how wonderful Carol's cooking is and how happy he is to meet the woman that's made his son so happy.

Harry and his step-father are a lot like himself and Ember. He stepped in at home a while after his dad left and he loves him just like he loves his biological father. It was a little strange to adjust to that, but Ron made it easy and Harry's glad that he's the one that his mother decided to stay with indefinitely after the divorce.

Mary's not worried anymore and she's smiling and talking like she's known his parents her entire life. Once he gets the bags upstairs, he returns to find everybody in the living room, except his mother who is in the kitchen and working on dinner.

She doesn't like help so they've all just learned to leave her alone because she tends to scold them when they get in the way. Mary's left a spot open beside her on the couch and he settles in with a smile, his hand automatically finding hers and lacing their fingers together.

The girls are playing a game on the floor in front of the television and everyone else is watching the old version of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer while engaging in small talk every now and then.

Harry bumps Mary's shoulder and speaks close enough to her ear so that she's the only one that can hear him, "Still nervous?"

She laughs and bumps his shoulder in return, "No, you were right."

Mary cuddles up to him as much as she can on the crowded couch. It's a little strange for her to not be at her parents' house for Christmas, but it's nice and she really likes the change. Ember likes it too because she gets to spend time getting to know her second, technically third, set of grandparents and she gets to hang out with her best friend for two whole days!

A few minutes pass where Harry's mom makes noise with the oven and some pans before Mary can't take it anymore. She wants to help, but she's not sure if it would be a good idea because nobody else is helping. It has to mean that she doesn't want help, but she can't help herself.

"Would your mother totally hate me if I went to help her? I love cooking and I hate knowing that she's preparing such a big dinner all by herself."

Harry smiles and glances into the kitchen, "She won't hate you, but she'll probably shoo you away. She likes to work alone in the kitchen, that's why we all just let her be. Trust me, I've tried a hundred times."

Mary frowns, "I still feel really bad. Can I at least offer? It will make me feel a lot better."

"If it will make you feel better, go ahead. But when she kicks you out, don't tell me that I didn't warn you."

She laughs and playfully rolls her eyes as she detangles herself from his embrace, "We'll see about that."

Alice shoots him a look as Mary walks into the kitchen with every intent to help their mother cook. She's wondering if he's warned her about the way their mother is in the kitchen and if she's just blatantly ignored him to give it a shot.

He shrugs and she laughs as they wait to hear their mother shoo Mary out of the kitchen.

Mary walks into the kitchen with a soft smile. Carol doesn't notice her right away and she clears her throat a little to catch her attention.

"Would you like some help?"

Everyone in the other room is listening intently on the edges of their seats.

Carol thinks about it for a moment. She usually doesn't like help because things get messy and sometimes other people damage the flow that she's created, but this time she'll agree to let Marigold help her. Granted, she's got some ulterior motives in doing so, but she can also use another set of hands to get things situated a little quicker than usual.

"Sure!"

Harry's jaw nearly drops. She never lets anyone help her. He and Alice have asked her countless times only to be told no, but Mary asks once and she gets an immediate yes.

Ron's caught on though and he shakes his head at how blind Harry and Alice are. "She wants to talk to her, otherwise she would have said no. C'mon, I thought we raised you two to be smarter than that."

Realization hits Harry and he nearly smacks himself in the face, "Of course!" He's certain that Mary didn't just want to help with dinner, she wanted to talk to his mother and get to know her a little better because they're still strangers to each other.

Ron turns the television up so no one can eavesdrop and Carol smiles in the kitchen. She puts Mary to work on the rolls while she starts the gravy.

"Do you always make the rolls from scratch?"

Mary's incredibly curious because she's only ever made rolls from scratch a few times. Her parents like to spend as little time as possible in the kitchen, so they usually bought rolls from the store. The few times that she made them herself was when she and Ember spent Christmas at home.

Carol beams, "I certainly do! It's not a proper dinner if you buy them already made!"

Mary laughs as she rolls the dough between her hands, "You're definitely right about that." A moment of silence passes between them before she gathers the confidence to add, "Thank you for inviting us over for the holiday. I haven't had the time to thank you properly yet, but it really means a lot to me that you've opened your home and your heart to us. Ember's really excited because she didn't have to suffer through a cold holiday in Alaska this year and she's super excited to finally meet you because you raised her superhero."

She's tearing up a little and Carol offers her a warm smile, "You don't have to thank me for being family, Marigold. You've been welcomed here since my little boy first mentioned your name over the phone and we're happy to have you here. Do your parents live in Alaska?"

Another laugh passes Mary's lips as she shakes her head, "Absolutely not. They live here, they just like to spend the holidays in their cabin in Alaska. My mother likes the cold as much as I do and it's their little getaway."

Carol hums thoughtfully before she addresses the superhero comment, "Ah, now what's this about a superhero?"

Mary's practically grinning from ear to ear, "Ember thinks of Harry as more than just a dad, he's her idol and she paints him as this epic superhero that has the power to make anyone smile. She's not wrong though, he's awfully sweet and it tends to rub off on everyone he comes into contact with. How did you do that by the way? Raise him to be so sweet and well mannered?"

"With a lot of love and a lot of talking. I only set up the framework with him, but he's the one that chose to build a castle with it. Alice is like that too, she's just a little more reserved about it where he's pretty out there. You can't teach children everything, but you can teach them how to love."

They're a little quiet after that, Mary's a little caught up in her thoughts and Carol is checking everything to make sure that nothing is being overcooked or worse, burned. Harry's making his way into the kitchen when Mary's voice stops him.

"Do you think that you could help me with that? I mean, help me build a framework like that with my daughter? She's sweet like he is, I just want that to stick because it's hard on her with her father leaving and I don't want her to hate him for the rest of her life. He's still her father, even if he didn't make such good decisions, you know?"

Carol smiles and starts helping her with the rolls, "Of course I can, but it looks like you're doing a pretty fine job yourself. Was that also a hint to future grand babies?"

Mary blushes and Harry grins before she even opens her mouth to reply. "I think so, yeah. We're not rushing anything right now, but we've talked about it and I would absolutely love to have another baby, especially with your son. It's a little hard to imagine that though because he's absolutely wonderful with Ember and I'm not sure if I can handle super wonderful with a newborn. He might be spitting rainbows and that's a little frightening."

Harry laughs at her joke and gives himself away. He doesn't care though because he was coming in to gauge how much longer it will take for dinner to be ready. And he was eavesdropping.

His mother catches him before Mary has the chance to, "It's rude to eavesdrop, Harry. You know better than that."

He raises his hands in defense and Mary smiles to herself as she continues to finish forming the rolls. "I was just coming in to ask when dinner will be ready. The girls are getting antsy in there and I can hear dad's stomach over the television."

Mary turns to give him a look and he adds, "Okay, and I was eavesdropping. Guilty as charged."

"Dinner will be ready in about thirty minutes. Can I trust you to not turn into a cannibal during that time?"

Everyone in the living room laughs and Ron calls back, "Guess so, as long as those rolls aren't burned!"

Mary laughs as Carol responds to the insult, "You know very well that I don't let anything burn! Mary's got it covered."

She winks at Mary and Ron shakes his head as he chuckles and focuses his attention on the television again to avoid thinking about his growling stomach. Harry moves to the other side of the counter and leans on his elbows as he watches the two women cook.

After a few minutes, Carol shoots him a look which prompts him to comment. "What? I can't miss my fiancée?"

Mary smiles at him and Carol responds, "You can, but she's in the same household and she's not going anywhere. She's my helper right now so, shoo! I don't need you distracting her."

Mary tries her best not to laugh, but a small giggle slips out and Harry winks as he stands, "Oh, alright. Have it your way. But I get to sit next to her at dinner."

He walks away before she can argue and Carol shakes her head. "Sometimes I think that he just likes to goof off for attention."

Now Mary laughs, "Oh, he does. But it's cute and it doesn't make me feel like I'm three years away from thirty."

The following thirty-five minutes consist of laughter and small talk as the two put the finishing touches on dinner. Once dinner has made it to the table, everyone floods in from the living room, eager to dig in and settle their growling stomachs.

Harry sticks to his word and sits next to Mary and his mother settles in directly across from them. Conversation is easy and light between bites of food and Mary feels like she's home.

"So, spill the beans. How did he propose?" Alice asks as she steals a roll from Harry's plate.

He gives her a playful look and Mary asks, "He didn't tell you? I thought you had a hand in the planning?"

Alice shakes her head, "Nope! I just helped with the ring and he only told us that he was going to propose. I'm incredibly curious though because I know that my brother has a tendency to want to be unconventional."

Everyone's looking at her and she blushes because she's not used to so much attention. Mary looks to Harry for reassurance and he nods, telling her that she can tell it herself.

"Well, he was in cahoots with my daughter and they pretty much planned the whole thing. He took us to the Snowman's Land Christmas Show at Coaster Town. I'm absolutely terrified of roller coasters, but he didn't know that. So, Ember asked me to go on the tallest coaster in the park with him because she's too short to ride it. Of course, I agree because she doesn't know that I don't like roller coasters either and I like to make her happy.

"I'm absolutely terrified before we even get on the thing and he's trying everything to get me to relax. Eventually, it works and I'm relaxed enough to not have a panic attack when we get on the ride. That doesn't last for long though. The ride practically flies out of the gate and I'm screaming my head off and holding his hand for dear life. Halfway through this horrific experience, he decides that it's the prime time to shout 'Marry me!'. So I think I'm delusional from being so scared and I ask what he said to make sure that my mind wasn't just tricking me.

"He throws his head back and laughs before shouting back that I heard him and repeating what he said before. Keep in mind that I'm still absolutely terrified, but I've stopped screaming long enough to tell him yes. The bastard asks what and makes me repeat myself, so I copy him and say it again. And that's how he asked me to marry him. I only figured out that Ember and my sister Claire knew when we got off. Ember's looking at him curiously and he gives her a nod and my sister hands her a small box. As it turns out, he asked my entire family for permission to marry me and everyone knew but me. To top it off, Ember gives him the ring and now he drops down on one knee and asks me again. I said yes again and, well, now we're engaged."

Alice and Ron laugh and Carol looks like she wants to smack him. "You asked her to marry you on a roller coaster!? Harry!"

Harry drops his utensils and puts his hands up in defense, "Hey, I wanted it to be special and not incredibly cliché. And, in my defense, I did also ask the conventional way after we got off of the roller coaster."

Carol shakes her head, "You're lucky she loves you enough to say yes after you scared her half to death."

Mary bites her lip to hold in her laughter because she is absolutely right. "At least it makes for a memorable and unique story. I liked it despite being absolutely terrified."

Harry drops his hands and takes Mary's hand under the table, "I feel bad for Ember's future fiancée. He has no choice but to top that because she helped orchestrate it and she absolutely loved it, right Ember?"

Ember nods happily as she chews the remainder of her roll and everyone laughs.

Carol sighs and offers Mary another warm smile, "Either way, we're so glad that you said yes. Welcome to the family, Marigold."