outside.
“You’re my hero.” She started laughing as soon as they were away from the house.
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked through the crowded yard.
“Don’t let them scare you,” he told her. “They’re all harmless.”
“Most of them, anyway,” Noah murmured next to him. Nick glanced in the direction that Noah was looking and saw his ex, Ashley, glaring at him. He sighed. His mom just had to invite the entire town for dinner.
Leslie and José joined them, and they stood around and talked for a while until Nick’s mother walked up.
“Rylee, do you mind if I speak to Nick for a moment? I promise not to keep him too long.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Rylee stepped back as Nick’s mother linked her arm with his and steered him toward the house.
*
“She’s too old for you,” Nick’s mother said without preamble, as soon as they walked into the house.
“Mom, don’t start, okay?” he warned as he struggled to keep the irritation out of his voice. “She’s not that much older than me.”
“Not that much?” Her face was filled with concern. “Nicky, honey, she’s thirty-six years old — fourteen years older than you. That’s a lot.”
“And Dad was seventeen years older than you when you got pregnant and married him at eighteen,” Nick countered.
She sighed. “Yes, that’s true. But — fair or not — this is different. Our society has always been more accepting of older men with younger women than the other way around.”
His mother shook her head. “And, when you add in the whole race issue…” Her voice trailed off.
“Oh. So Rylee’s not just the wrong age, she’s the wrong color, too, right?” Nick glared at his mother. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Mom, she’s only half black. The other half is perfectly white.”
“Don’t you dare try to make me out to be the bad guy here, Nicholas Matthew Robin,”
his mother warned, her face turning red. “I’m not your enemy, and you know it. José isn’t white, and I love him just like he was one of my own sons. Rylee could be green for all I care, and it still wouldn’t make a difference to me.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “But, I’m just one person. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who don’t see it the same way I do. I just don’t want you to get hurt, honey. Couldn’t you just find a young lady your own age to be with?”
“You mean someone like Ashley?” Nick snorted. “No, thanks.”
“Ashley?” His mother frowned. “Honey, no, that’s not what I meant —”
“I know what you meant,” he interrupted angrily. “I don’t want to be with Rylee because of what age she is or what race she is. I want to be with her because of who she is. It doesn’t matter to me that we come from different cultures and backgrounds. All I care about is Rylee, and how we feel about each other. And anybody who has a problem with that is just going to have to deal with it, because I’m not going to let other people’s opinions about our relationship stop me from being with her.”
They stood silently for a while, just looking at each other. “You really care about her, don’t you?” his mother finally asked.
“Yeah, Mom…I do.” His voice was firm, sure.
“God, you sound so much like your father did when we first met.” Her eyes became watery. “I just wish he were still here. He’d be so proud of you.”
“I think he’d like Rylee, too.”
She started laughing. “Oh, I’m sure he would. He was a sucker for a beautiful woman.”
“That’s why he snatched you up.” He winked at her, a huge grin on his face.
She gave him a playful swat across the ass. “Oh, I see you have a lot more of your dad in you than I thought.” They both laughed for a moment before she hugged him.
“Just be careful, okay?” she whispered.
“I’ll be fine, Mom,” Nick told her.
Chapter Twelve
“I heard she’s almost forty years
“You’re my hero.” She started laughing as soon as they were away from the house.
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked through the crowded yard.
“Don’t let them scare you,” he told her. “They’re all harmless.”
“Most of them, anyway,” Noah murmured next to him. Nick glanced in the direction that Noah was looking and saw his ex, Ashley, glaring at him. He sighed. His mom just had to invite the entire town for dinner.
Leslie and José joined them, and they stood around and talked for a while until Nick’s mother walked up.
“Rylee, do you mind if I speak to Nick for a moment? I promise not to keep him too long.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Rylee stepped back as Nick’s mother linked her arm with his and steered him toward the house.
*
“She’s too old for you,” Nick’s mother said without preamble, as soon as they walked into the house.
“Mom, don’t start, okay?” he warned as he struggled to keep the irritation out of his voice. “She’s not that much older than me.”
“Not that much?” Her face was filled with concern. “Nicky, honey, she’s thirty-six years old — fourteen years older than you. That’s a lot.”
“And Dad was seventeen years older than you when you got pregnant and married him at eighteen,” Nick countered.
She sighed. “Yes, that’s true. But — fair or not — this is different. Our society has always been more accepting of older men with younger women than the other way around.”
His mother shook her head. “And, when you add in the whole race issue…” Her voice trailed off.
“Oh. So Rylee’s not just the wrong age, she’s the wrong color, too, right?” Nick glared at his mother. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Mom, she’s only half black. The other half is perfectly white.”
“Don’t you dare try to make me out to be the bad guy here, Nicholas Matthew Robin,”
his mother warned, her face turning red. “I’m not your enemy, and you know it. José isn’t white, and I love him just like he was one of my own sons. Rylee could be green for all I care, and it still wouldn’t make a difference to me.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “But, I’m just one person. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who don’t see it the same way I do. I just don’t want you to get hurt, honey. Couldn’t you just find a young lady your own age to be with?”
“You mean someone like Ashley?” Nick snorted. “No, thanks.”
“Ashley?” His mother frowned. “Honey, no, that’s not what I meant —”
“I know what you meant,” he interrupted angrily. “I don’t want to be with Rylee because of what age she is or what race she is. I want to be with her because of who she is. It doesn’t matter to me that we come from different cultures and backgrounds. All I care about is Rylee, and how we feel about each other. And anybody who has a problem with that is just going to have to deal with it, because I’m not going to let other people’s opinions about our relationship stop me from being with her.”
They stood silently for a while, just looking at each other. “You really care about her, don’t you?” his mother finally asked.
“Yeah, Mom…I do.” His voice was firm, sure.
“God, you sound so much like your father did when we first met.” Her eyes became watery. “I just wish he were still here. He’d be so proud of you.”
“I think he’d like Rylee, too.”
She started laughing. “Oh, I’m sure he would. He was a sucker for a beautiful woman.”
“That’s why he snatched you up.” He winked at her, a huge grin on his face.
She gave him a playful swat across the ass. “Oh, I see you have a lot more of your dad in you than I thought.” They both laughed for a moment before she hugged him.
“Just be careful, okay?” she whispered.
“I’ll be fine, Mom,” Nick told her.
Chapter Twelve
“I heard she’s almost forty years
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