18. Meeting the mother-in-law

I didn't know it but, all I really needed to hear were exactly those words. And even though my heart is still racing a little fast, it's not because I am panicking in fear of meeting my new legal children.

It's because this man holding me right now somehow knows how to say the right words at the right time. And he knows how to calm me down… And God help me, is he so fine!

"DADDY!!!" I instantly fly out of his arms as I hear the syncing tiny squeals. Now I'm searching for and cleaning invisible dust on the flowers in the vase next to the window.

"OH, OH, come on kids I think your daddy is busy." Only after I hear another voice that belongs to an adult do I realize the kids are not alone.

"You are busy, right Dukey?" Dukey?! Who calls such a big grown man by such a sweet nickname?

"Mom,"

MOM!!!

Oh God help me! I am not ready to meet a mom right now! I am so embarrassed that I can't even turn around to look at the people who just walked in. We weren't doing anything, but still, that position, that angle, it gave off every wrong impression!

"Come here my little popcorns." I hear him say, and what follows his words are soft giggles and the sound of tiny shoes tapping the ground. They are running to him, I can tell without even looking.

"Ahh, did you have fun with grandma and grandpa?"

"Yes!!! Gwandma made wus chwocwolates!"

"Ah, gwandma made you chwocwolates. How many chwocwolates did you have?"

"Thwee."

"And four."

"And sevwen."

"Huh! So many chwocwolates!"

"Daddy, who is that?" God please don't make it be me. Please, please please…

"Yes, daddy, who is that? She won't stop cleaning the flowers?" That's the mom talking, isn't it?

"This—" Oh dear God… "This is—" I feel his hand on my arm and I'm really dying of embarrassment here! "Come on Pagne, show your face." He says.

And he's right. I can't clean the flowers forever.

I can do this… I can definitely do this…

With my eyes closed and a deep breath, I turn around and with a small bow I say, "I_ my name is Champagne and it's nice to meet—OH MY GOSH IT'S QUEEN EM!!" I scream as I realize who's standing just three feet away from me.

"What's this? Only my readers know me as Queen Em." She says.

"Huh!!" I gasp in shock. "So it's you? it's really you! Are you really queen em?"

"You seem to know me—" I instantly walk past Duke, "Of course I know you! I'm a huge, huge, huuugeee fan!! I've read all your comics. Every last one of them. Oh my gosh I can't believe I'm actually standing in front of queen em!"

"Well uh, hi—"

"Don't you recognize me? It's me, Dreamy CEO12_24." I beat my chest as I tell her my user name.

"Huh!!! Dreamy! No! It can't be. Is it really you?"

"You remember me?!"

"Of course I remember you! You're my best paying subscriber!"

"I am!! That's right, that's me!" I scream with happiness as I realize she recognizes me.

"Yeah, I was actually worried about you. In your last comment you talked about how you could feel for the Female Lead losing her grandparent because you recently lost yours, and I left a reply asking about how you are doing, and you haven't been online since then."

I can't believe she actually remembered. She has so many fans leaving comments, to think she would remember what I commented a week ago.

"I can't believe you remembered that."

"Of course I did. I was so heartbroken for you. How are you now? How are you holding up? And—"

"mmh mm!" The loud throat clearing from husband dearest quickly brings me back to the fact that I am not in a fan meeting with one of my favorite writers!

I almost forgot where I was.

"And how do you two know each other?" She finally asks the most important question.

"Good question mom." Duke says, standing with both his kids, a boy and a girl sitting in both his arms. "Champagne, dearest, you already met your mother-in-law, how about you meet your children now."

"M_mother-in-law? Who is that? Me?" Queen em asks with her eyes filled with confusion. This crazy man has a very bad way of breaking news.

"Champagne Grand, meet Irene and Sherlock Grand. Renny, Shelly, meet mummy."

"Wait, what is going on?" Queen em is asking.

But what I am more curious about right now is, "Irene? And Sherlock?! Please tell me you didn't name your kids after the characters of—"

"I didn't." He says. Then adds, "Their grandparents are crazy for the Sherlock series." He shrugs.

So he did name his kids after the characters of the Sherlock series. This is one incredible household.