Erik slid his thumb along the edge of my lips, fixing some of the lipstick that had gotten out of place after the loving kiss he'd just given me.

"Perfect," he whispered with a sweet look, observing me closely.

"You, on the other hand..." I laughed, seeing his lip stained with lipstick.

He looked up to check his reflection in the elevator mirror and examined himself carefully.

"Hey, this color doesn't look bad on me," he laughed while trying to wipe off the reddish stain he'd gotten from kissing me.

"Red is definitely your shade," I assured him.

He didn't often wear much makeup, and even less lipsticks in those shades, so I'd never worried about buying one of those transfer-proof ones. But seeing that Erik didn't mind the taste or getting stained, I'd have to, for both our sakes, buy some long-lasting color that wouldn't smear from kissing.

When we reached my parents' front door, he looked at me before ringing the bell.

"Presentable?" he asked, smoothing his shirt.

"Perfect," I said with a slight nod.

Erik leaned in to kiss me again, but this time, to avoid unnecessary stains, he kissed my forehead instead.

No more than two seconds passed from when I rang the doorbell until the door opened. My mum opened it with her huge smile, hugging me, though she quickly turned to Erik, telling him how eager she was to see us both. Inside, several voices echoed from the living room, and one of my aunts quickly appeared in the hallway, wanting to meet "the girl's boyfriend," as I heard her say while coming out of the dining room.

"Hello darling, I'm Ana," she said, giving me a hug. "What a handsome one," she whispered with a knowing smile while giving Erik another hug.

"Hello. Pleased to meet you."

Erik had improved his Spanish quite a bit, although his accent still sounded sexy and charming to me. We'd spoken a fair amount of Spanglish these past few weeks because he wanted to be prepared to meet my family.

"Come in, please," my mum gestured for us not to remain at the door.

We walked towards the dining room where my dad, my other aunt Olga, her husband Roberto, and my cousin Pablo, who was only a few months younger than me, were gathered.

"You're here, great," said my dad, coming over to hug me while smiling at Erik, who had caught everyone's gaze as the newcomer.

"Hi dad," I said happily to have him close again. "Erik, this is my aunt Olga, her husband Roberto, and my cousin Pablo," I introduced them.

Like Ana, my aunt didn't hesitate to give him a hug, while my dad, uncle, and cousin shook his hand, asking if he understood Spanish.

"A little," Erik admitted.

"Quite a bit, so watch what you say," I warned them.

I loved my family for many reasons. They were fun, affectionate, and very close-knit. They always got together for Christmas dinner, but in recent years I hadn't joined them for...obvious reasons from my past.

"How was the journey? Come here," my mother and aunts quickly pulled me into the kitchen, leaving Erik with my dad, uncle and cousin.

This story originates from Royal Road. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.

I knew he'd handle himself well - he had a natural ability to win people over and my dad adored him, so I was more worried about the third degree I'd get from the women in my family than about Erik.

"We want to know everything," my aunt Olga said as soon as we entered the kitchen.

"There's not much to know..." but my aunt Ana cut me off abruptly.

"Not much to know? Your mother told us you're already living together."

"Mum..." I sighed as she played innocent. She had no secrets from her sisters. "A couple of months or so," I ended up admitting.

"Are they all like that where you live?" Ana asked, intrigued.

"No. I snagged the cool ginger for myself," I said amusedly while my mum fetched a small beer bottle from the fridge and offered it to me, asking what Erik drinks. "Beer for him too."

"Now that your mum's gone and can't hear us...is he good in bed?" Ana asked with a mischievous tone.

I shouldn't have been surprised by that question - that's just how my aunt is. Quite liberal and open-minded, she freely associated with men although never committed, saying she was too old to learn to live with anyone despite not even being fifty yet.

"Given I don't have much to compare to...I'll say yes," I answered, because not answering would be worse.

My aunts laughed and when my mum returned, we all put on innocent faces.

"How long are you staying?" Olga asked.

"Until the 3rd," Erik answered, poking his head through the door. "I'm going to get...something." He looked confused and I laughed.

It was tradition at my house that before sitting down for dinner, my dad, uncle and by extension my cousin, would go downstairs for a beer while my mum and aunts finished the preparations.

"They're going to try to get you drunk," I warned, reaching for his beer bottle. "Don't give any intimate details." Erik looked surprised.

"They're going to try to get a Scotsman drunk?" he asked amusedly.

"Show them who's boss," I said playfully, pulling him into a hug. "If you need backup, text me and I'll come get you." I gave him a shy peck on the lips.

Understandable, given we had three pairs of eyes watching us like a romantic movie.

Erik left and I stayed with my mum and aunts, telling them what living in a place like Westray was like - the people, the weather, the food.

"So you're coming back in January?" my mum asked sadly, hugging me.

"Yeah, at least until I finish the book, I don't have much left," I told her.

"But do you want to stay living there?" Ana asked.

"On one hand I like living there, but sometimes it feels a bit too small," I admitted. "Erik wanted to take an extended holiday from the lighthouse and travel, so maybe...I'll join him." I smiled.

We'd talked about doing one of those long road trips, visiting Scotland from top to bottom without rushing. Erik wanted to show me the wonders of his country to convince me to stay with him, but I insisted that not even all the greenery in the world could make up for the sun of my homeland.

"And he wouldn't come to Spain?" Olga asked.

"We haven't discussed it," I replied.

"But is that a possibility?" my mom wanted to know.

I shrugged. I really didn't know - we hadn't talked or joked about ending up in Spain. If traveling around the world, sure, but Erik always said he liked his life in Pierowall and I hadn't tried convincing him otherwise. Did I see myself living long-term in Pierowall? I wasn't sure.

An hour or so later, the front door opened and I heard the happy laughter of my uncle and dad. I went to greet them and they seemed cheerful, maybe due to the occasion and the beers they'd had. Erik was undoubtedly the most sober-looking.

My cousin told me he was unshakable and I laughed.

"I know, you should see the size of the beers in his village. Like this," I said, gesturing with my hands to show my cousin the size of a pint.

"Alright, take a seat, dinner's ready," my mom said, setting some plates of food on the table and going back to the kitchen for the rest.

I sat next to Erik, taking his hand under the table and looking at him lovingly. It meant so much to me to be with my family on this day and to be able to do it again - it filled me with joy.

"You look happy," he whispered, leaning in close.

"I am very happy," I admitted, smiling at him.

"Good, because your life has only just restarted. We have many years to make up for." He kissed my cheek, possibly out of shyness with my dad there, and the aroma of my mom's home cooking hijacked all our attention.

I was sure none of the dishes Erik would eat that night were familiar to him, but I knew he'd enjoy the flavors, the moment and our traditions like the big kid he was.