"Hey, I need your keys," JJ whispered. "I need to get my medicine from your car."

Neil pecked her lips and looked down at her. "Where did you leave it? I'll get it."

"It's fine. I need the fresh air anyways." He sighed as he handed the keys to her. She smiled before kissing his cheek. "Thank you." After the door had closed, Neil turned to his family.

He drummed his hands on the table and smiled. "So what does everyone think of her?"

"Oh we love her," his father spoke. He got up and kissed the top of his head. "If she can put a smile on your face like that then I welcome her with open arms."

"I think she's really nice," Alexa said as she came into the kitchen. She lightly smacked the back of his head as she passed. "You better not do anything silly."

"Shut it and go outside with the kids," Lauran said whilst rolling her eyes. "But I think she's wonderful. And I agree with Papa on this. You and Lara seem so happy."

Stephanie scoffed. "I don't like her."

"Well no one likes you, so who cares?" Charlie giggled and rest his hands on his fathers face.

"I think she's really sweet," Kevin said. "She reminds me of my little sister."

"Tyrell? You gonna follow your wife or give your real opinion?" He shrugged his shoulders.

"I spent most of my time trying to pull Steph away from her. But from what I know she seems nice. We'll have to see. Bonus, Charlie loves her."

"Wait and see? At the speed he's going he's going to ask her to marry him in a week. You don't know her, Neil. How can you let her around your daughter?"

"I do know her!" he exclaimed as he stood up. "She's smart, she's beautiful, she's driven and she makes me happy."

"She makes you happy? Does she sit on your dick every night is that it? You guys are stuck in this fantasy and you think everything is perfect but it's not. You gotta strip it way back and slow this fucking relationship way down. You've known her less than a fucking month, Neil." He bit the inside of his cheek, staring at his sister. "Are you even listening to me?"

"I am," he groaned. "Listen, it took you and Tyrell bloody a year to start going out. I'm not like that okay? And I'm telling you, it feels like we have known each other for years and I'm not even kidding you-"

"Key word there is feels like. You haven't known her for years, Neil. You haven't even known her for a month. You've just started dating. If you were single and had no kids, then fine, do whatever. The only reason I'm so pissed is because you have a fucking daughter!"

"So just because I'm a single father it means-"

"Don't you dare throw that at me again." Stephanie scoffed. "You let her sleep in your house for the last couple days. You had her sleep over while Lara was there. You fucking left her alone with Lara in a bedroom for half an hour. How the fuck do you know she didn't touch her?"

"Don't ever say that again," Neil warned as he stood up. "I've listened to you yapping on and on about this for the last few minutes but don't you ever and I mean ever question who I bring my daughter around. You really think if I had the slightest doubt that Jay would do something like that I would allow her to even look at my daughter?"

He turned to look at his family. "When I came home and told you guys I got someone pregnant, you all were so disappointed in me. I wasn't in the best place in life, I had just started a full time job and you guys left me to deal with it all on my own for the first month or two. All of you guys here have had it the conventional way. You guys had a relationship and had a kid. So don't you dare, Stephanie, don't you dare question what I do for my daughter. She has made me turn my whole life around for the better. You guys will never understand my thought process when it comes to dating." He looked at his parents. "I really like this girl, okay? You see for yourself how much Lara likes her and how well they get along. I have met someone who gets me. We clicked the very first time we met and it works. I just want you all to give her a chance. Give her a chance and you'll see how smart and funny she is."

Lauran sighed, running a hand through her open hair. "Does she know how much money you have?"

"What?" He glanced back at Lauran who had a frown on her face.

"You heard me. We come from a family with money. Does she know that?"

"So Steph thinks she's a child molester and you think she's a gold digger?"

"No. I'm not saying that. I'm just asking."

"Well let me tell you all something, no she doesn't molest my daughter, and no she doesn't know about the money. She has never asked me how much I earn, never asked me how much things are in my house, never asked me for money, never asked me how much I have saved. The slightest indication she has that our parents have money is when she walked into this house. And all she said was that they did well for themselves. So no, Le, as much as you guys would love to hear me say it, she's not a gold digger." Andre sighed before speaking.

"Alright, Neil. Calm down a bit. No one is saying anything bad...well no one's means anything bad. But I think the overall worry here is that you're rushing into things. You've never met a girl and introduced her to Lara straight away. You have always been wise and rational and taken your time. What your sisters are trying to tell you, and failing in doing so, is that you do need to take a step back and breathe. It's only been two weeks, you don't even know how long it's going to last. Lara is already stuck to her so what we're trying to say is that if things don't go well then you're gonna be hurt and so is your daughter. Give it a little time and if things are going well then pick it up again."

Neil sighed. He looked through the kitchen window and saw Lara sitting alone on the swing. "I do the best for her. Everything I do is for her." He felt his eyes burn with tears as he continued to look at his daughter. "I don't ever want to put her in a place where I hurt her. I just want her to be happy." He wiped his eyes. "Don't worry, you guys got what you wanted. I'll slow it down." Before anyone could get a word in, he walked away, slamming the bathroom door.

"Are you happy?" Lauran said to Stephanie. "You had to go and open your big mouth. You could have said it in a normal way instead of shouting in his face."

"Don't."

"Don't what?" Lauran walked up to husband, picking up Charlie. "Yes, everything seems rushed. Yes, he's never done this before. And that's exactly why I think we should trust him on this. Steph you saw him, he would never put Lara in a position where she'll be hurt. No one said anything to you two when you wanted to have a baby after two months."

"Tyrell and I knew each other for a year before that. It's different."

Lauran rolled her eyes. The doorbell rang and she walked out the kitchen to open the door for JJ.

"I'm back," she said with a smile. "Obviously." Charlie giggled, putting a hand out to her. "Well I'm glad someone's happy I'm back little man. Do you mind if I take him?"

"Go for it," she said with a laugh. Lauran carefully handed over Charlie.

"How's Lara? She said she a little bit of headache when I left."

"She's sitting on the swing on the patio." JJ took a hold on Charlie's hand as she walked through the hallway. Just before she entered the kitchen, Neil walked out the bathroom, slamming the door again.

"What's got you so mad?" JJ asked with a laugh. He turned around to face her with a frown. "What's wrong?" she asked softly.

"Nothing."

She walked towards him. "You sure? You don't look it. Did something happen when I left?"

"I said it was nothing, didn't I?" he mumbled as he walked away. Stephanie sighed when she watched Neil walk straight past them and to the garden. She looked back at JJ who had a slight frown on her face.

"Would you like a cup of tea?" Audrey asked JJ, breaking the silence.

"No I'm alright thank you. I'm gonna check in on Lara. See if her head is any better."

"I'm sure Neil's got it under control," Stephanie said. "Why don't you tell us a bit more about yourself? Are you an only child?"

JJ looked around with a nervous laugh. "No. I have a brother."

Neil walked back into the kitchen. JJ quickly looked away from him as he stepped towards her. "Did you take your tablet?" She nodded her head. He leaned forward, closed his eyes and kissed the top of her head. "I'm so sorry, Jay," he whispered. "I shouldn't have spoken to you like that before."

"It's okay," she whispered back. He opened his eyes and gave her a small smile. "You can tell me about it when you want."

Stephanie rolled her eyes, earning a glare from her husband. "What?" she hissed.

"You know what. Behave yourself."

Neil pulled JJ in for a short kiss before stepping away. He walked to the sink to pour himself a glass of water. "Shall I take us home?" he asked as he turned back around to JJ.

"Really? You call it home. That's exactly what I mean by rushing it Neil!" JJ looked around with a frown.

"I think I've missed something."

"We live fucking 20 steps away from each other, so yes I call it home. We practically live in the same space. What's your fucking problem?" Stephanie rolled her eyes. "Screw this, we're going home, cara. Get your things."

Before Neil could move, Audrey placed a hand on his shoulder. "Honey you know she means well. Just stay for dinner like planned."

"Now you wanna stop it? Ma you listened to what she said without saying a word. Don't try and stop me now. I'm gonna get Lara and go home with Judith."

"Son..."

"This is your fault. I told you not to invite anyone else!"

"Remember your place son. She's your mother and you won't talk to her like that."

JJ blinked the tears from her eyes. She carefully handed Charlie back to Lauran. "I'll go. If I knew this was an issue then I never would have come by. I'm so sorry everyone."

"You got nothing to be sorry for, babe," Lauran softly said.

"Lara come on, baby we're going home" he yelled from the window.

"Neil..." JJ said as he approached her. "You stay here. You talk things out. I'll go home."

"No. I'm not going without you. I came here with you."

"Then be my guest and go together," Stephanie said. "Your relationship is going way to fast and she's trying way to hard to impress you, Neil. It's gonna fail and you know who's going to get hurt? Your little girl who you claim you love so much. She's in the firing line and she's gonna suffer if this all goes to shits, which it will."

"That's way out of line, Steph," Tyrell said. He turned to Neil and JJ. "I do apologise for her behaviour. You two stay and I'm gonna take her home."

"No, no. I'm gonna say what I need to say." She straightened up. "Now you see Neil, if you were a good father you would know that your girlfriend is still a complete stranger to you and your daughter. And you should never leave them alone in the same room. And you let her sleep in the same flat? God knows if she walked into Lara's room that night."

"Don't you dare start that shit again, Steph. You may be my older sister but you know your place. You have absolutely no right, no goddamn right to call me a bad father. And don't you ever start accusing JJ of stuff like that again." He shook his head again as tears brimmed his eyes. "I worked my ass off when I was alone with her for the first two months. I had no one and every night I would hold her in my arms and tell her how sorry I was that I would never be enough for her. I changed my whole life around for my daughter. I put her first and she will always come first and I'm just happy I got someone who understands that. You guys had it easy. You had someone to help you out but I did it all myself. And I would do it all again because I love my daughter and I would do anything for her. So don't you sit on your high horse and don't you ever tell me I'm a bad father because to hell I am! I know I'm a good father and I know my daughter is happy." Audrey wiped away her tears as she listened to her sons voice breaking. "So don't you ever question what I do for my daughter and don't you ever and I mean ever call me a bad father again."

JJ slipped her hand through his and gave it a gentle squeeze. She pulled his face down and frowned when she saw the tears rolling down his face. "Hey," she whispered softly. "It's okay, I got you." JJ pulled him into a hug and he immediately buried his head into her neck. Despite his stubble tickling her, she kept still, rubbing his back.

"I'm not a bad dad, Jay. I promise."

"I know you're not. You're a brilliant dad, Neil. I know it and everyone else knows that." Lauran sighed as she wrapped an arm around the both of them.

"It's okay, Neil. I'll kick her ass for you when Ma isn't around." He chuckled lightly before her husband joined into the hug.

"I'm so sorry cara. You weren't exactly meant to see me like this."

"It's okay honey," Kevin said as he mimicked JJ. "You're still an amazing person."

"I don't sound like that." Everyone pulled away from the hug. JJ felt Stephanie's eyes on her but kept her gaze on Neil. She lifted a hand and wiped away his tears. "You're a great dad to Lara, don't let anyone tell you otherwise."

He sniffed with a smile before looking at his parents. "I'm gonna go home now. Sorry we can't stay for dinner."

"Neil just stay. Give me another fifteen minutes and I'll get the food out, okay?"

"No, ma." He walked over to kiss his mother's cheek. "Thank you but I just wanna go home now." Neil pulled his mother into a hug.

"I'm sorry about all this honey. I should have listened to you."

"It's not your fault, I'm sorry for raising my voice." He turned to JJ. "Let's go home."