I took a deep breath as Taylor and I got out of the cab in front of my house. I was so nervous about seeing my parents. I couldn’t believe what I was doing. I kept hoping I might get a similar reaction to Diana’s from my mom, but I doubted that. I figured my sisters would probably be happy for me since I was married to Taylor Hanson. Ooh, lucky me.

We arrived on a Sunday afternoon, which just so happened to be the day my whole family got together for lunch, so I knew everyone would be there. I think the fact my entire family would be gathered only made me more nervous, though. I was really scared. I didn’t know what my family would think. I didn’t know if I could get grilled by my parents and stay calm as Taylor had.

“Are you ready?” I asked Taylor as we stood outside of the front door.

“As ready as I’ll ever be,” Taylor replied forcing a smile.

During the plane ride I briefed Taylor on my family so he would know a little bit about them. I figured he would have no problem. He straight out lied to his family and didn’t even blink. My family was just a bunch of strangers to him, so I was certain he wouldn’t care.

I opened the front door and stepped inside with Taylor close behind. I walked into the living room and found my mom and dad, Shandolyn, Declan, Jude, Angelina, and Heaven.

“Eden, what are you doing here?” Heaven exclaimed as she ran over to me and hugged me.

“Hey, Heav,” I smiled.

“Sweetie, why didn’t you tell us you were coming home?” my mom asked as she came over and hugged me. “I tried calling your earlier.”

“I wanted to surprise you,” I smiled.

“Who’s your friend?” Jude asked as he stared at Taylor.

Suddenly, Angelina and Heaven both shrieked. Then I knew they recognized him.

“Um, everyone, this is Taylor,” I said as I took his hand.

Taylor smiled and said, “Hello.”

“So, what in the world are you doing home?” Angelina asked as she hugged me. “I mean, I’m glad you’re here.”

“Well, actually, Taylor and I have something to tell you,” I said looking around the room.

Unlike Taylor who held off on announcing the marriage, I had to get it out in the open. I knew I couldn’t walk around the house all day pretending everything was normal when I was secretly married. I just had to tell them.

“So, what’s the news?” Declan asked.

“Um, Taylor and I…” I began, but I couldn’t finish my sentence.

“Are married,” Taylor finished for me as he squeezed my hand.

“What?!” my dad said standing up.

“We’re married,” I said.

Shandolyn, Heaven, and Angelina looked speechless. Jude and Declan just looked surprised. I wasn’t sure if my mom was on the verge of laughing or on the verge of tears. As for my dad, he was clearly upset.

“Um, Taylor, are you hungry or thirsty or anything?” Shandolyn asked as she walked over to us.

“Yeah, why don’t you go with Shan,” I whispered as I glanced at Taylor.

“Are you sure?” he asked.

“Yeah,” I nodded.

I knew I was on the verge of getting chewed out by my father, and apparently my siblings knew, too, because they all left the room murmuring some sort of an excuse to leave.

“Eden Savannah MacCan, what in the world possessed you to get married?” my dad demanded.

For a moment I thought about bringing it to his attention that my name was no longer Eden MacCan, but I decided it was against my better judgment.

“Dad, I love him,” I said.

“Eden, how long have you known him?” my mom asked. “This is the first I’ve ever even heard about him.”

“Mom, it just happened so fast. We met, and we fell in love. Taylor asked me to marry him, and I said yes,” I explained.

“Sweetheart, you are so young,” my dad said. “Are you just going to throw away your college education?”

“No, no, dad,” I replied. “I’m still going to college. In case you haven’t realized it, Taylor is in the band Hanson. You remember the one I used to always talk about?”

“So?” my dad said.

“Taylor insisted I stay in college,” I explained. “He even said he’d pay for it.”

“Eden, I just don’t want you to throw your life away,” my dad said.

“I’m not throwing anything away,” I replied. “I love Taylor, and he loves me.”

“You know it’s not too late to have the marriage annulled,” he commented.

“I am not getting the marriage annulled,” I stated.

“How old is Taylor?” my mom asked.

“21,” I replied.

“What did his parents think about this?” my mom asked.

“His mom absolutely loves me,” I smiled.

“Sweetie, I just wish you would have waited,” my mom said as she hugged me. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”

My dad was a little on edge the rest of the afternoon. I knew he was very disappointed in me, but everyone else acted okay with the situation. Heaven and Angelina were just itching to ask me some questions, so when Taylor went outside to play a game of basketball with Declan and Jude, they bombarded me.

“Eden, how in the world did you end up marrying Taylor Hanson?” Heaven asked.

“We met at a club. One of my friends knew him, and she introduced us. We went on a few dates, and then he asked me to marry him,” I replied.

“Oh my God, you are so lucky,” Angelina said. “He’s so hot!”

“I know,” I grinned. Hey, I wasn’t going to deny the truth. Taylor was indeed hot, and he knew how to charm a girl. My sisters loved him.

“So, what did daddy say?” Heaven asked.

“Well, he was upset,” I shrugged. “I think mom’s just shocked.”

“I can’t believe you got married without us there,” Angelina commented.

“Sorry,” I said. “It all just happened so fast.”

“Wow, my sister is married to Taylor Hanson,” Heaven said. “Well, I finally have something to brag about.”

“Oh, shut up,” I smiled.

I really appreciated my sisters being so supportive. It made the whole situation a little easier. Secretly, it was killing me that my parents were upset with me. I just hoped it wouldn’t last long.

We stayed the night at my parents’ house. Taylor and I shared my old bed, and it was a little awkward lying in bed with a guy while my parents were just down the hall.

“So, how did they take it?” Taylor asked as we lay in my bed.

“They’re both upset. My mom’s shocked, and I’m not sure if my dad’s angry or disappointed,” I replied. “How were things on your end?”

“Your brothers were cool,” Taylor said. “And your sisters were sweet.”

“Well, I’m glad things went okay with you,” I sighed.

“Are you okay?” he asked as he wrapped his arms around my waist.

“I guess,” I said. “I don’t know. Should I be okay? I’m lying to my family, and they’re upset with me. I can understand why, but still.”

“Hey, it will be okay,” Taylor shrugged as he brushed my dark hair out of my face. “They’ll deal with it. When we stay married, they’ll think we made an okay choice.”

“What about when we get divorced a year later?” I asked.

“So, they can say they were right,” Taylor shrugged. “But they’ll have a grandchild that they’ll adore.”