I got bored! So I wrote an Isaac POV bonus chapter for you all! Enjoy. 

I love my family. Most of the time. Like, sixty-forty in the love-hate ratio. They're absolutely batshit crazy and sometimes I have to wonder if I was swapped at birth or something but they're my family and I love them nonetheless. Except for today. Today, I'm leaning more to hating them. Well, not hating them, just more like disliking them. 

After calling to tell them about Lottie's pregnancy, Mum insisted that they all fly half way across the world to have a family get-together. What that really meant, though, is that they were coming over to meet and interrogate Charlotte, figure out if she was Alyssa 2.0 and give us their seal of approval or disapproval, depending on what Mum makes of the woman carrying my child.

They arrived yesterday morning and having given them a day to settle in, it was now time to face the music. I'd made plans to meet them solo first, suss out what their initial thoughts on the situation is before springing their presence on Lottie but seeing as Mum's trip to Harrods trumped everything else, we'd now be facing up to them, going in blind at a family dinner. My parents can be quite overbearing and I knew that they'd already be suspicious of my predicament so I could only imagine what Lottie was about to face. 

She sat at my side, fidgeting non-stop as her eyes kept darting to the restaurant door whenever it opened. "Are we early, Isaac?"

"Nope," I answer, looking at the watch on my wrist. The table had been booked for six thirty but as the minute hand moved closer towards seven, I was starting to become nervous. "If they're not here in the next-"

"Isaac!" 

The restaurant I'd chosen was quiet, the kind of establishment that you pay way over the odds just for a beer, and certainly not the place where you want your mother to yell out and gain the attention of everyone in the place. Still, that's exactly what she did as she began to walk towards our table, dressed in a leopard print dress with a bright pink coat over her shoulders. I'm not sure why, but my mother has always reminded me of Patsy Stone from Ab Fab; she just has that air about her.

Giving everyone in the vicinity an apologetic smile and shooting a reassuring glance at Lottie, I stand and make my way to Mum, enveloping her in a hug. I haven't seen her in almost a year but I can tell she hasn't changed a bit; she still has the same off-beat fashion sense, the blonde bombshell hair, and the same Chanel No. 5 scent lingered around her. Just like when I was younger.

"Hi, Mum," I say, unable to stop the smile that formed on my lips. When I pulled away, I noted that her face was tauter than usual and there was a slight scar near her hairline, a definite sign that she'd had some work done. "You look, uh, great."

"Thank you, dahl," she beams at me as her thick Aussie accent made me slightly homesick for the first time in a long while. Angling her head in different directions, she gives me a good look at her new face and asks, "Do you like Dad's birthday present to me?"

I nod, although we both know that I'm less than impressed. "Yeah, it's great. Hi, Dad."

My father was never a touchy-feely kind of person so you can forgive my awkwardness when he threw his arms around me and patted my shoulder. "Good to see you, son," he said, flashing me a good-natured grin. "The girls are lagging behind somewhere."

Frowning, I look towards the door of the restaurant and see my sister, Alice, entering, quickly followed by Martha. Directly behind them was my youngest sister, May. Shock registered on my face when I set my eyes on her, disbelief setting in that she was actually here. She looked exactly as I remembered- blonde hair, blue eyes, innocent to the core.

"May!" I rushed towards her, my arms circling her waist as I picked her up off the ground and spun her. Finally settling her down, I ran the pads of my fingers over her cheeks and kissed the top of her head. "I've missed you so much."

Suddenly, my mood dropped when I noticed a man lingering possessively behind my sister. There was an apparent change in atmosphere as I glared at the shit bag that my youngest sister was planning to marry, Xavier Holland.

"Isaac," Xavier had the gall to greet me. Even worse than that was the fact that he extended a hand to me, expecting me to shake it. I was half tempted to swat it away and extend my fist to his face, but with May looking on and our relationship already fragile, I accepted his handshake and returned it was a firm one of my own. I regretted it instantly when Xavier's grin turned smarmy and his gaze fell on something over my shoulder. "Congratulations."

Staring him down, I felt someone's hand grasp mine, the warmth instantly untangling the knot that had formed in my stomach. I knew whose hand it was before I looked down to see Lottie politely smiling at everyone around us.

"Thank you," Lottie replied to Xavier. Her hand tightened around mine when she felt my body tense up. "We're thrilled with the news. Hi, Alice. Great to see you again."

Hugs were exchanged between Alice and Lottie, before Martha threw her arms around both women, too. When they all untangled themselves, I decided to introduce Lottie to the nicest person in my family, May, and watched as Lottie embraced her too. Thankfully, she knew better than to get too close to Xavier. Finally, she wrapped her hand around my bicep and forced me to turn to my parents. 

"Mum and Dad, meet Charlotte Delaney," I speak to them and motion towards Lottie. I sucked in a long breath and waited for some sort of emotion to register on Mum's face. Nothing. "Charlotte, this is my mum, Dita, and my dad, Darius."

Dad politely stepped forward and shook Lottie's hand. "Darius," he introduced himself. "It's nice to meet you, Charlotte."

Mum followed suit, extending a well-manicured hand. She didn't smile; she couldn't due to the facelift but I'm sure even without that hindrance, she wouldn't have smiled anyway. "Yes, Charlotte, it's lovely to meet you. We've heard very little about you."

Internally, I groaned. If that was Mum's first introduction to Charlotte, I couldn't help but wonder how the rest of the evening was going to go. Thankfully, Lottie laughed at Mum's comment, said something about me being like a vault and then asked all the ladies to sit. Watching as the women took their places around the table, I frowned at the seating arrangement. Lottie took the middle seat, opposite Mum. To Mum's left was Alice and to the right was May. Martha was opposite May and diagonal to Xavier. Dad sat one seat up from Lottie, likely leaving the empty space next to her for me. Then there was one empty chair next to Alice and another next to Martha.

"Why aren't you sitting opposite Xavier?" I queried, looking at Dad before taking my seat. He gave me a pointed look before reaching into his jacket pocket and taking out his glasses. Knowing that Dad wouldn't say anything more on the topic of May's fiancé, I turn to Alice. "Didn't Drew fancy coming with you?"

Alice beamed at the mere mention of her boyfriend. They'd been dating for only a short while but I already knew that she'd fallen head over heels in love with him. "He didn't feel ready to come over and meet you," she explained with a small grin on her lips. "It was a hassle getting him to meet Dad but you're something else. Big brother and all that jazz."

Scoffing, I assured her that I was a delight and that I would be the epitome of politeness whenever I finally got to meet Alice's boyfriend. Now, I'm no genius but I think the smirk that worked its way on to my face was the reason my sister rolled her eyes at me and shook her head in disbelief. I laughed off her reaction and zoned into Lottie's conversation with my mother, realising too late that they were discussing how I used to walk around bollocks naked when I was a kid.

"He had such an aversion to clothes," Mum said, still clearly exasperated with the events from thirty years ago. "And shoes! He absolutely hates shoes. Whenever he's home in Byron Bay, he walks around barefoot. Even going down to the shops! Humiliating. Martha's just the same. No doubt your baby will be like that too. Oh, that reminds me, do you know what you're having yet? I need to start planning the nursery."

"What nursery?" I asked, clearly taking the words out of a very confused Lottie's mouth.  "Mum, we're raising the baby here not in Australia."

Mum's pretty blue eyes rolled around in their sockets. "I know that, idiot," she replied. "I mean the nursery in your place. I'm assuming that you've finally moved off that boat of yours."

Lottie's snigger was answer enough for my mother, who then proceeded to lecture me on why I could not raise a child on a boat. When I said that the baby would probably be with Lottie most nights of the week, Mum's brown furrowed.

"Ah, so you're not together," she commented sadly. I wasn't entirely sure why she'd be saddened to hear that Lottie and I weren't together but when Mum gave the woman to my left an apologetic smile, I understood. Mum likes Charlotte. The smile quickly vanished as Mum attempted to narrow her eyes on me. "Did you not offer to marry her, Isaac? You did when it was Alyssa."

I heard a gasp. "Ew, Dad, you did not propose to that cow did you? I am so disappointed in you right now."

"Thank you for your commentary, Martha," I chastise my daughter. Martha bowed her head in a nod and smiled, thinking that I really was thanking her for her snide comment. When she noticed that I was now glaring at her, she muttered something about needing a stiff drink. "No alcohol. You're underage. And Mum" I look back at my mother. "Lottie has made it clear that she's not interested in a relationship with me, baby or no baby. I'm going to respect her wishes on that matter but should she change her mind, I'll be ready and waiting. But that's her decision to make."

The table quietened. "Isaac-"

"Anyway!" Alice interrupted Lottie's attempt to speak. I was grateful to her for that because the conversation that Lottie wanted to have was not one that I needed my parents around for. "You still didn't tell us whether or not I'm gaining a nephew or another loudmouth niece. Offence intended, Martha. So, which is it to be?"

Picking up my glass, I let Lottie answer. She informed my family that it was too early to know and that she rather liked the idea of it being a surprise. The women all continued to gossip about everything; even Martha was getting involved. They all genuinely wanted to know everything about Lottie, the baby and our situation but there was one person who held back.

May.

With her fiancé at her side, my sister was reserved, speaking only when spoken to and even then, she kept her replies to a minimum. Her gaze was downcast for the most part and she absolutely refused to look at me. I knew why and it made my blood boil. The way Xavier would put a possessive arm around her whenever she dared to move an inch from him was like a red rag to a bull and it took all the patience within me to not snap at him or lean across the table and break his nose.

I hated that man. Not that he's much of one.

"Isn't that right, Isaac?" Lottie's voice snapped me from my violent thoughts. When she realised that I hadn't been listening, she laughed and said, "Names. We're still arguing, aren't we?"

"Yeah. I like Lucy for a girl and Logan for a boy," I announce, glad of a distraction from worrying about my sister. Mum's nose wrinkled at hearing my choices, not that her new face really wrinkled, but you know, at least she tried. "Lottie likes every E name going for a girl and a lot of S names for boys. I think Émilie and Sébastian were the last two she'd set her heart on but it changes week to week, day to day."

"No, absolutely not," Mum shook her head. "First of all, you're having a boy. I can tell. Forget all the girls' names you've looked at. I think you need something classic for a boy, like Joseph or Jack."

Throughout dinner, they all argued over names with some weird and wonderful suggestions being thrown around. When I lobbied for Odin, Mum said that we'd be better off letting Martha choose the baby's name because mine and Lottie's picks were, 'truly awful.' Martha was quick to agree with Mum's idea and twisted her face into a sadistic smile. Edith for a girl. Stanley for a boy. Really, and my suggestions were worse?

"Maybe not," my mother said as she polished off the last of her dessert. "That was the best lemon tart I've ever had."

Martha scoffed. "Wait until Charlotte's made her tarte au citron. It's seriously the best thing ever and she uses an old family recipe."

"Oh?"

"Mhm," Martha confirmed. "She taught me how to make it on Sunday. Who knew that baking could be fun?"

Mum's eyes- and everyone else's, too- widened at the sight of my daughter giving Lottie a genuine smile. Often, Martha's too sarcastic for her own good and you could never accuse her of being homely but right now, as she described how much she enjoyed being in the kitchen, she looked almost innocent and sweet. Two things she hasn't been since she was two years old.

"So much for it being a family recipe anymore," Alice laughed.

"Martha is family," Lottie warmly smiled at the girl to her left. She was met with one equally affectionate in return. "Plus, if what you say, Dita, is right and I'll be having a boy, then I'm going to need a daughter to pass all my cooking talents on to. I fear that any son of Isaac's will be spending more time on a rugby field that in a kitchen with me."

Someone sobbed.

"Wait, you're not a robot?" Alice gasped as she watched tears stream down Martha's cheek. Then, turning to Mum, my sister not so quietly whispered, "Told you that this woman was something else."

Mum nodded in agreement. "I hate it when you're right." A few moments passed as Dad and I argued over who'd be footing the bill before I triumphed and paid the tab. The table emptied quickly, with Alice, Martha and Lottie gossiping about a planned shopping trip, May and Xavier huddled in their own bubble with Dad keeping a stern watch over them. Mum, meanwhile, hung back looping her arm through mine. "She's adorable, I must say."

"Who?"

"The girl you're in love with" she smiled at me. I frowned. "It's ok if you're oblivious to it. You both are. But you can't deny the looks she gives you whenever you accidentally graze her hand or the emotions you put into saying her name. Are you happy, sweetheart?"

I nod.

"Good. For what it's worth, she's a lot better than any of your previous dalliances and I think she'll make a great addition to this family."

"Thanks, Mum," I say, kissing her cheek as we come to join the others.

When we parted ways, I received a hug from Mum and Dad, as well as Alice. Xavier was stupid enough to offer his hand again. May, however, kept her eyes on the ground. With a shattered sigh, I reached my hand for her arm and pulled her closer for an embrace. She gasped and retracted her arm, nursing it with her other hand.

It didn't take a genius to know why she'd done that.

Before I could challenge her, Xavier was at her side, arm possessively around her waist as he guided her to an awaiting taxi which quickly took off. I watched as the rest of my family climbed into a second taxi but my focus was solely on the one that had just driven off.

"Hey, Dad?" Martha's hand waved in front of my face. "Earth to Isaac Lachlan Fletcher!"

"Yeah?"

"Lottie's coming back with us," my daughter announced. Without waiting for a reply, Martha was dragging Lottie down the street, saying, "I think we should totally consider Edith and Stanley as potential names for the sprog or sprogette. Just think, they'd be the only ones in their year instead of one of fourteen Isabella's and Oliver's. Don't dismiss them just yet. Oh, and I have the perfect middle names lined up. Do you think there's such a thing as a professional baby namer? I could do that job easily."

The walk back to the houseboat should have been relaxing but it wasn't. The river, the skyline, the buzz of traffic... None of it was calming. It wasn't until Martha had retired to her room two hours later and Lottie and I were alone on the deck of the houseboat that I finally felt the tension release. Lottie was curled up next to me, her head resting on my chest as I nestled my chin against her hair. She was giving me a blow by blow account of her working day and asking if it would be OK to teach Martha a few more Clément family recipes, her smile making it feel as if nothing else mattered.

"You were awesome tonight with my family," I tell her, even though Martha had been continuously saying the same thing ever since we left the restaurant, in between random name suggestions. "Mum loved you."

"I wouldn't go that far," Lottie said in that self-deprecating way. She moved slightly so that she was now looking up at me, her face getting dangerously close to mine. "It made it easier that Alice and Martha were there. Your Dad seemed nice, too. May was quiet and Xavier... He gives me the creeps."

I agreed but said nothing more on the matter. Instead, I turned my attention back on Lottie. "How's the mocktail?"

"It's alright," she answered, looking down at her virgin Sex on the Beach cocktail. Without the vodka and peach schnapps, it was just orange and cranberry juice. "How's your non-alcoholic beer?"

"Vile," I laugh.

Silence lingered for a moment before Lottie pulled away from me entirely. She pushed strands of her hair behind her ears and allowed her gaze to dart around before she finally looked at me with a frown etched between her eyebrows. "What you said earlier, about me not wanting a relationship with you, why did you say that?"

I took a long sip of beer, regretting that it wasn't alcoholic. "Because you don't. You said so when you woke up next to me on New Year's Day and you've said it again since then. Why, have you changed your mind?"

She doesn't answer. She simply turns her face away, bringing her cocktail glass to her lips and sips on her drink.

But that blush? That may just be answer enough.

So, now that we've had Mama Fletcher's seal of approval, we can move on with the story!

But first, a few questions:

1. What's the deal with May?

2. Dita's facelift- yay or nay?

3. Isaac's baby name choices- Lucy & Logan- thoughts?

4. Charlotte's baby name choices- Émilie & Sébastian- good or bad?

5. Martha's picks- Edith & Stanley- terrible or terrific?

6. Dita's predictions that the baby will be a boy- what do you think?

7. How do you feel about Charlotte taking on a motherly role with Martha, teaching her to bake and passing down Clément family recipes?

8. Will Martha return to Australia when her Easter holiday is up?

9. Had Charlotte started to change her mind about Isaac?

10. Will they get together or not?

Anyway, here's my cast list for Isaac's family. (Remember, Isaac's parents are supposed to be young!)

Aphrodite 'Dita' Fletcher - Rebecca Gibney

Darius Fletcher - Russell Crowe

Alice Fletcher - Margot Robbie

May Fletcher - Eliza Taylor

Xavier Holland - Alex Russell

Martha Fletcher - Odessa Young

Isaac Fletcher - Chris Hemsworth

See you all on Sunday for another update!

Sarah xx