They had been together for about 4 months and were basically living together at this point. Always spending the night at each other’s places. They spent the majority of the time at Natalie’s house because of the extra space. She had met Tom through a mutual friend and after a few dates they became a couple. They had similar goals and interests. Tom was a nice guy, successful, stable, and handsome. He was unlike the string of guys Natalie tended to date. She usually attracted the kind of guys you don’t settle down with, but she was turning a new leaf with Tom and was determined to make it work.
Tom mentioned his brother was coming to town and asked Natalie if she wanted to meet him. “If you don’t think it is too soon, I would love for you to meet my family. My brother comes through town every once in while for work and it would be nice to have dinner while he is here this Friday,” Tom said. Natalie said she would love to and the plans were made. She had never been to the point of meeting a guy’s family and was nervous about the whole thing. She took her time deciding what to wear and cook. Tom reassured her that it was no big deal and everything would be fine. She wanted his family to like her because she cared about him and could see they had a future together.