Page 28 of The Stars in the Sky
"Oh no? Then why haven't I met them? I’ve met everyone else. I’ve even met the ranch foreman."
Will stared at me for a moment, eyes flaring, and said, "Come on then. You're meeting my ma and dad."
I looked down. I was in my yoga pants and hoodie from the night before. "Will, I'm not all dressed up—"
"You don't have to be. You look beautiful just the way you are. I’m not ashamed of hanging out with you. I’ll prove it. Come. Now." And he fucking picked me up under my knees and shoulders, and carried me out of the house, Trixie nipping at his heels.
"Put me the fuck down, right now," I shrieked as I struggled.
"Only if you come with me," he said, not exerting himself at all as he walked.
"Fine," I said, with as much contempt as I could put into the one syllable, and he put me down.
He took my hand and physically pulled me across the courtyard, past several buildings, almost running, until we got to a newer ranch house off to the side. It had a grass front with a picket fence, and a few vintage farm implements and wooden wagon wheels as decorations. The one-story house had a slight ramp to the front door.
He opened the screen and knocked once, walking in. "Ma?" he called.
An elegant, low female voice with a Spanish accent called out musically, "William, come in. I'm in the living room."
We walked into the house, which was newish and clean. It was decorated in country, although not overdone, capital-letter, Country. The room had new, comfortable furniture, fresh flowers in chipped enamel vases, and impressionist paintings of California on the walls. We walked through the front room and the kitchen to another room where I could hear Fox News on the television.
Oh, God, Fox News. Here we go.
But then I walked into a room and saw a beautiful dark haired, dark eyed woman in a wheelchair. She was breathtaking, with clear caramel skin, high cheek bones, and lush lips. She was clearly Will's mom.
His mom spoke Spanish?
And was a double-amputee.
Fuck. Things were starting to come together. Janine had mentioned that his mom had been in a car accident and her recovery was the beginning of the Headlands Program. I was willing to bet that this accident was the reason, likely, why Will was an only child.
Fuck, shit, damn.
He was an asshole, but so was I.
"Ma, this is Marie Diaz-Austin. She's running the enrichment programs for Headlands, and she's also going to be my girlfriend."
Excuse me?
I'd have to talk to him about this, so I glared at him, then rearranged my face into a smile and shook her slim, cool hand. "It's nice to meet you."
"Marie, the pleasure is all mine. My name is Margarita, but you can call me Margaret. Are you enjoying the ranch?"
And with that, we launched into a discussion about the ranch and how much I loved it, studiously avoiding Will's presumptuous pronouncement about the future of our relationship, such that it was. After a little while, a tall, handsome older man, wearing a plaid shirt and Wranglers, sauntered in from the back of the house, shook my hand, and sat down by his wife, holding her hand. He had dark eyes and light brown hair and introduced himself as Bill Thrash.
I didn't know how I got myself into this. I went from pissing Will off, to being attracted to him, to yelling at him, to fucking him, to being sweet with him, to fighting with him, to meeting his parents. This was so confusing.
But damn, if Fox News wasn’t on, it would've been perfect.
