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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Apr 13, 2016 15:33:40 GMT
It had been a perfect storm of thoughts that had driven Tripp VanderMill to suggest that they should invite Melanie's family to dinner. At first it had been the realization that he and Melanie had not only reached the six month mark of their relationship, they had also successfully gone on their first vacation together, a milestone which seemed pretty monumental all things considered. In just a few short months they had somehow gone from what she had thought was going to be nothing more than a one-night stand to a serious relationship.
As quickly as it seemed that everything was progressing with his now live-in girlfriend, he hadn't once considered the idea that they would have slowed down any of it. He had very stubbornly told her the night that he met her that he hadn't intended on that being their last encounter and he still believed it now. There wasn't a day that he didn't think that they could continue being together like this indefinitely. The problem, he was realizing, was that he wasn't sure that she could continue to go on with things exactly as they were.
The relationship that Melanie had with her family was something that she had emphasized the importance of very early on, and while it had been less than a month ago that her mother and brother had helped her move all of her things into his apartment, he knew that it wasn't enough. He knew that she still regularly met with Madison and James for lunches and various other social engagements, but he hadn't heard much about her father since their last encounter. In a small way he blamed himself for that, but even more so he blamed Cooper Benson. But placing blame on him wasn't going to fix the relationship between Cooper and his daughter, and so Tripp thought it was in their best interest to extend an olive branch, as flimsy as it might have been.
Under the guise of wanting to invite everyone over so that Melanie could show off the apartment and her new office, he had extended the offer to her entire family to come to their place for dinner. Though he couldn't say that the invitation was extended entirely for Melanie's benefit as he fully intended on ensuring that his own intentions with his relationship with Melanie were clearly expressed.
He smiled, glancing down at the watch on his wrist - a gift from Melanie - and shut off his computer to join his girlfriend in the kitchen. He had to admit that the familiarity of seeing her there, doing something she truly enjoyed to do, reminded him of exactly why she had become such an important part of his life in the last seven months. More than anything, he loved her, and he hoped that at the end of the day they were able to repair their fractured relationship with her family.
"Do you need help with anything?" he offered, leaning against the kitchen island to watch her for a moment. At this point he thought that he would have gotten used to seeing her, that he would have stopped being interested in how she looked when she dressed for dinner or when she dressed for bed, but he had been surprised to find that it wasn't the case. Surprised and pleased, though he attributed it entirely to his feelings for her.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Apr 13, 2016 16:29:30 GMT
Melanie was nervous. The last time that her father and her boyfriend had been in the same place, it had ended quite poorly. In fact, it had led to a fight with Tripp that was later exacerbated by his ex-girlfriend showing up at a function hosted by his family. While she missed her father and missed spending time with him and being able to call him when she needed something – or even just to talk – she couldn’t say that the recent months with Tripp hadn’t been some of the happiest in her entire life. She’d grown so much, even she was able to see that and be proud of it. She wished her father would be proud of it too, but she wasn’t trying to push her luck.
When Tripp had suggested having her family over for dinner, she’d become incredibly nervous. While she appreciated his efforts to make peace with her family more than she could express, she felt like it was a lot like holding a match to a powder keg and hoping things went well.
So, in the course of straightening the apartment, picking her outfit, and preparing dinner for her family and her boyfriend, she’d also spent a considerable amount of time trying to find things to tell Tripp – so that he wouldn’t feel like she’d been hiding things from him if her father decided to warn him about her or tell some sort of embarrassing anecdote. Most of what she could think of were little things – her still crippling fear of water, the time she was six and ate an entire package of raisins gotten sick and thrown up grapes, the fact that she’d once been part of the Justin Timberlake fan club and failed an audition for a new reincarnation of the Mickey Mouse Club that had never made it to production.
When Tripp walked into the kitchen, she offered him a smile, abandoning what she’d been tending to for a moment to press a kiss to his lips. “When Jamie was born I charged all of the kids at school a dollar for tickets to come look at him because I lied and said he was part alien. Dad made me go return all of the money, but I only returned it to the kids I liked and pocketed the rest to buy myself extra chocolate milk during lunch.”
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Apr 13, 2016 19:28:37 GMT
Tripp smiled softly at her confession but shook his head to dismiss it anyway. He knew what she was trying to do, and while he appreciated the effort, it wasn't necessary. The secrets, at least the ones that had caused issues before, were in the past. In retrospect he knew that he probably shouldn't have pried and pushed her so much about her biological mother, but coupled with everything else it had been just too much. Though he had to admit that his own hypocrisy about keeping Colette a secret, as well as ignoring his own fractured relationship with his step-sister, had been able to put that into perspective as well.
"Melanie, you don't have to keep doing this. I'm not going to be angry if anyone uncovers some deep dark secret about you." The truth was, at this point in their relationship, he didn't think there was anything that she could tell him that would change anything anyway.
He observed her for another minute, realizing very quickly that while his feelings for her hadn't changed, so much of their relationship actually had. Somewhere between their first date and now, Melanie had become a completely different person. No, he argued with himself, that wasn't true. Melanie had matured as a person in a way that had been so subtle and unexpected that he hadn't even noticed that it had happened. With her maturity came the maturation of their relationship as well, causing him to think about a future with her in a way that he had never been able to picture with Colette.
The sight of Melanie is an outfit a little more conservative than he had been accustomed to seeing her in, her changed hairstyle, her new career as a lifestyle blogger, and the way that she carried herself so confidently and yet still a little nervous about the night's events, endeared her to him in ways that he wasn't sure he was able to describe.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Apr 14, 2016 0:05:08 GMT
Melanie smiled at him and shook her head, "Okay. But I will say, I had a great business model. I drank chocolate milk for months," she told him. Stepping up onto her tiptoes, she kissed him again before stepping back towards the stove. "Everything is on track for dinner, the table is already set. Is there something I'm forgetting?" she asked nervously, thinking about her parents both coming into their home. She'd taken great care in selecting what to make that evening and wanted things to go smoothing, but after the previous family dinner - she lacked some confidence.
"Do you want to pick a nice bottle of wine? The meal goes well with a nice dry red," she advised. She appreciated Tripp's efforts to make peace with her family but she still couldn't help but be nervous. More than anything she wanted to prove to her father how good her relationship with her boyfriend was. In all honesty, she'd never thought about relationships in terms of forever, but Tripp had changed all of that. Still, it didn't change that she wanted her father to be proud of her. After all she knew that over the years she'd managed to let him down quite a bit.
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Apr 14, 2016 1:07:17 GMT
It was surprising, perhaps even endearing, that she seemed to be so unsure of the fact that her family was coming over. There was part of him that thought that there was still time to call it off, to decide that he wanted nothing more than for him and Melanie to have the night to themselves, to explore any previously undiscovered surfaces on which they could destroy, but he argued with himself that mending these fences were a necessary step. He also continued to remind himself that ultimately the invitation had been extended for no reason other than to please Melanie, and while he liked to think that he was more than capable of doing that himself, he did admit that her relationship with her family was one of the many things that made her who she was - the woman that he was in love with.
Still, he did feel that he was at least partially responsible for her current bout of nerves and so he walked into the kitchen and caught her around her waist, pulling her closer to him. He placed his hand on the side of her face, smiling at her softly before kissing her. That was one added benefit to having her living with him, the fact that he found that they were only too happy to engage in their favorite physical activity whenever it seemed fit. He was more than comfortable getting caught up in that moment with her now but just as he deepened the kiss and forced her back against the countertop he heard someone knocking on the door. Tripp pulled away giving her another quick smile before he went to go let her family in the apartment.
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Post by Madison Benson on Apr 14, 2016 1:07:46 GMT
Maddy shifted uncomfortably for a moment, looking at her husband and son briefly before taking a deep breath and forcing herself not to think about the hundred ways that this could have gone wrong. In what she had determined was her worst quality, she had already started brainstorming a thousand "what if" scenarios about how all this could have unfolded. The last time the entire family had gotten together to meet Tripp things hadn't ended well, and though she truly thought that Melanie might have found her match in the charming and undoubtedly attractive young man that she had moved in with, Maddy knew that it was going to take more than that to convince her husband that this wasn't just another one of Melanie's momentary fancies. For what it was worth, she didn't think that it was. In fact, she had gone so far as to express that belief to her daughter both on one of their many lunch dates as well as when she and Jamie had helped her transfer a lifetime's worth of hobbies into a new location.
Smiling fondly at the two men beside her, she felt that she at least owed Melanie one more courtesy as her mother. "Everyone on their best behavior."
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Post by Cooper Benson on Apr 14, 2016 2:02:20 GMT
Cooper had missed Melanie a great deal. More than he was willing to admit. He knew that he had been out of line the last time he'd had his daughter and her boyfriend over for dinner and for that he'd paid the price. Normally he could look forward to seeing her on a regular basis, being able to check in on her and, selfishly, being able to occasionally ride in and save the day when she landed herself into some trouble. Now it seemed that largely those days were behind them. He had to admit he'd been wrong and had underestimated her in many ways. For part of his life it had been just he and Melanie and for her entire life he would have done anything for her. Now, having pushed her away through his own stubbornness and narrow-mindedness, he had a better perspective on things. After all, now that she and Tripp were living together he had very little choice but to accept that this was something very real and something good for his daughter.
He smiled at his wife, kissing her temple. "I promise," he told her before squeezing their son's shoulder. "And James is always on his best behavior," he joked as the door opened. When Tripp opened the door, he dipped his head almost sheepishly. "Thanks for having us," he told him immediately as the other man let them in to the apartment his daughter now shared.
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Apr 14, 2016 2:15:59 GMT
Tripp smiled at Melanie's family, stepping aside to let them all inside of the apartment. Through his girlfriend's own insistence, he had come to spend considerably more time with Madison and James Benson than he would have if it had been entirely up to him. His time with them had endeared them both to him in their own ways, one of which had been their willingness to continue their routine and their socialization with Melanie even in spite of the fact that he knew it probably wasn't easy on any of them to fundamentally be in the middle of something that had upset the very nature of their family's relationship.
"Melanie's in the kitchen," he directed them toward her assuming that he still had plenty of time to talk to Cooper later. The important thing was that Melanie had an opportunity to speak with her father as well, though a large part of Tripp still felt strongly that it was just as important for him to emphasize his own intentions in his relationship with her.
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Post by Madison Benson on Apr 14, 2016 2:27:09 GMT
Jamie shook his head at his parents and nearly sighed in relief when Melanie's boyfriend opened the door. After what had happened at the last family dinner, he thought he might save AJ from the excitement of being thrown all in and decided to embrace this head on as a part of his family. All things considered, he was keeping his fingers crossed that everyone played nice this time around as he wasn't sure that his sister could have handled any more drama surrounding her. The changes that she had presented, not just in appearance but in personality as well, surprised and amused him. He supposed that it was more so amusing to him because as her younger brother she was doing nothing but making it that much easier for him to tease her about the type of person that she had become. Not that he thought that there was anything wrong with it, and though he'd never admit it, he had been enjoying reading her blog, but he felt that it was just his job as her little brother to make sure that someone continued to pick on her.
Bypassing Tripp, he led himself into the kitchen where he found his sister. "You're gross and domestic now," he told her simply, smiling at her all the same.
Maddy smiled up at Tripp, "Yes, thank you for inviting us over," she repeated her husband's statement. "Has she finally finished unpacking?" she teased, wanting to have reached the point where they could all ignore the awkwardness from before and move into being a nice, normal, happy family.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Apr 14, 2016 2:55:33 GMT
Melanie looked up at her family and smiled at them. She nudged her brother and shook her head. "Well, then you don't have to eat anything tonight," she teased, stirring one of the pots on the stove and then lifting her spoon towards her brother. "Does this need more salt?" she asked him curiously. She turned her attention back to the entryway to the kitchen and smiled at Maddy and then her father. "Hi Mom. Dad," she nodded and then focused on taking things off of the stove. "Dinner still needs another few minutes, but maybe we could give a tour of the apartment now that everything is all settled?" she offered.
She didn't know why having her father there made her even more nervous than she was before. Suddenly, she was nervous about her dress, the food, the state of the apartment and whether or not Tripp and her father were going to get along.
Cooper wasn't sure what to make of any of it. Melanie looked older than he remembered just a few months ago. It was even in the way that he carried herself. "I was just thanking Tripp for inviting us over. And we brought you this," he told her, holding up a box of candy. He cleared his throat and then kissed his daughter on the cheek. "You look good, Mel-Bell," he told her gently.
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Post by Madison Benson on Apr 14, 2016 3:10:33 GMT
Jamie shook his head, deciding that whatever Melanie had decided to put together for dinner that night was actually pretty good. Not that he expected any less from her. He could remember coming home from school when they were younger, with both of their parents still at work, and Melanie would put together a snack for him to keep him from complaining too much about being hungry. Even then as she was putting together peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and little smiley faces made out of his favorite fruits he would have admitted that he liked her cooking, all that seemed to change now was the sort of meals that she was putting together and the size of the kitchen that she found herself in. In helping her to move into the apartment the kitchen was the one thing that he was sure had sealed the deal - if Melanie's feelings for Tripp hadn't already done that.
When his parents walked into the kitchen, he caught himself looking between Melanie and their father for a moment as though they were a tennis match. It might have been that he was just curious to see who snapped first and rushed into an apology or whatever it was that they were meant to do, but what he hadn't been expecting was the noticeable tension and awkwardness that had appeared. "No, she doesn't," he teased his sister. "She can't look good - she still looks like Melanie."
"Jamie, be nice," Maddy reminded him, shaking her head all the same. Turning to her daughter with a grin, she nodded her agreement to seeing the rest of the apartment, choosing to ignore whatever the awkward greeting was that had just gone on between her and Cooper. "I want to see your craft room," she stated excitedly. "I know you were still organizing the last time that we talked but after helping to load up all of those boxes I'm really curious to see how everything was sorted." That, she had to admit, and she loved organizing herself.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Apr 26, 2016 0:25:53 GMT
Melanie smiled at her brother, rolling her eyes at him and putting her arm around him again, hugging him to her side. "And don't worry, baby brother, you'll grow out of your horrendously awkward teen years soon enough," she told him before smiling at her father, it was good to see him - it was good to be talking to him. Although she was still apprehensive about Tripp and her father being in the same zip code, she supposed she could relax a bit if everyone were trying. She laughed at her mom, turning to Tripp. "We could give a tour?" she suggested, lowering the temperature on the burner. "That needs to simmer for a bit longer anyway, then we can eat."
Reaching for her boyfriend's hand, she smiled up at him happily, growing increasingly more comfortable with the fact that her family had come over. She was happy that they could see her and how well she was doing living with Tripp.
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Apr 26, 2016 0:46:34 GMT
Jamie shook his head at Melanie again, at least appreciative of the fact that their banter seemed to momentarily press pause on whatever awkwardness still existed between all five of them. He knew that his mother was doing her best to show how supportive she was of the fact that the Melanie standing in front of them was dramatically different from the person who was still playing games and making drama just a year or so ago, but he also knew that it had never been Madison Benson who had caused waves in this odd little dynamic. Normally he wouldn't have cared about a tour of Melanie's new apartment or the office she had set up for herself, but he was a little wary of creating any issues himself by offering to sit it out.
Instead, he plastered a smile on his face and nodded at Melanie's suggestion. "Sure, let's check it out."
Giving Melanie a reassuring smile of his own, Tripp squeezed her hand softly and motioned for her to lead the way. As new as the apartment was to her and her family, this had been his home for long enough now that he was more than comfortable letting Melanie handle this portion of their evening. If he was being entirely honest, his thoughts were elsewhere to begin with as he kept looking for the opportune moment to pull Melanie's father aside for a moment and clearly express to him how things were going to be in his relationship with Melanie moving forward. This little tour seemed as good a time as any, he was sure.
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Post by Melanie Benson on Apr 26, 2016 1:14:22 GMT
Melanie grinned, happily showing off the apartment to her family. Cooper had to admit that it seemed that living with Tripp suited Melanie. She was happy and it showed. She also seemed older, more settled - in a way he hadn't necessarily believed was possible. He felt ashamed for not having given her enough credit. As she showed off their home - everything from the kitchen and living room to Tripp's office, their shared bedroom, and her spacious closet which she was pleased to report had fit all of her clothes without having to take up any of Tripp's personal storage space.
It was when she pushed back the door to her room that Cooper seemed a bit floored. He'd been expecting her craft room might be something like her hobby room at the hotel - full of everything she'd collected over the years. Instead, it was meticulously organized, well-lit, and equipped with a work station for her projects and a desk for her to update her new blog. He had to admit, he was impressed. He noted that Melanie seemed to be looking at him expectantly, so he flashed a smile at her, "It's incredible, Melanie. I'm happy for you, I mean it. It's pretty incredible," he nodded, kissing her forehead.
Melanie smiled happily up at her father, giving him a hug and muttering a thank you before stepping back and taking Tripp's hand again. She was glad that her father seemed genuinely happy for her and it lifted a weight off of her shoulders.
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Post by Tripp VanderMill on Apr 26, 2016 1:42:16 GMT
Realizing that they were very quickly running out of the apartment for her to show off, Tripp squeezed his girlfriend's hand once more before letting go of it. "Why don't you finish showing your mother and brother around?" He suggested to her softly, "Your father and I will catch up in just a minute."
He didn't want to make too large of a deal out of the conversation, and he certainly didn't want to be the cause of another one of Melanie's family dinners erupting into unnecessary drama, so he figured that it was best if he had this discussion in as much privacy as he could. Perhaps, in retrospect, Melanie's craft room hadn't been the best place for it but it didn't seem necessary to go to his office at the moment. Besides, he decided that Melanie's craft room provided as much neutral territory as he would have been able to get in the apartment.
Once the other three had made their way out of the room, Tripp turned to the older man, pausing for a moment before beginning. "After our previous conversation, I felt that it was necessary to have a moment to talk to you about my relationship with your daughter." The previous chat that they had had about this very topic had not gone as well as he had ever hoped that it would have, and while he wanted Melanie and her father to fix whatever was broken between them, he knew that he was no longer seeking Cooper Benson's approval. "I hope that it's become apparent to you that none of this is just a distraction to her. And this," he motioned to the room that they were standing in. "Is not just a hobby."
"In fact, I don't believe that anything that has happened between Melanie and myself, or in her own life, has occurred as the result of any rash decisions. Fickle, I believe was the word that you used." In actuality, fickle was the word that he had used to compare Melanie to her biological mother and as a result had started a fight that Tripp would have rather not have found himself in again. It was also the reason why he had been trying to be understanding of Melanie's need to somehow involve Penelope in their lives, but that was an entirely different topic. "Having a relationship with you is important to Melanie and since I have no intentions of going anywhere, I felt that it was important to emphasize that she hasn't made a rash decision once in the span of our relationship. And nor have I. It wasn't a rash decision when I asked her to move in with me and it isn't going to be a rash decision when I ask her to marry me either."
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