Page 28 of The Game
“Ouch, Mila. How did you know smacking me in the arm is all the pay back I need? You know I like it rough.” He winks and turns around, walking back into his house.
“Come on in,” he calls out behind him, and we enter his house, closing the door after us. The grand entrance into his house is as big as the lower level on my old house.
“Walker, are you coming back?” a female voice calls out.
Oh shit, did we interrupt a special something?
Asher looks at me. “That's Walker’s mom,” he whispers.
“Oh.” Well, that makes sense. “I should go say hello.”
Asher grabs my arm and shakes his head, but I wrench out of his hold. Why can’t I say hello? It’s rude to come into her house and not say hello.
Is she a huge snob who will take one look at me and turn her nose up at me? Maybe. But I don’t care. I’ve never met or seen his parents before, so this is a good opportunity to go say hello and tell her how much I love her house. If she’s a bitch, then so be it. I’m more curious than anything now.
I walk over to the room she's called from and peek around the open door. I can see the blonde, short hair of a woman sitting in a chair in front of a TV that’s paused. They are watchingThe Notebook. I love that movie.
“Hi there, Mrs. Murphy. Walker’s just grabbing me something. He will be back in a moment, but I just wanted to say how much I love your house andThe Notebook.”
When she turns around, I see Walker’s eyes looking right back at me. She is pale and thin; she looks unwell, but the smile on her face tells me she’s happy to see me.Shit,is his mom sick?
“Oh, hello there. Do come in.” She pats the arm of the chair beside her.
From the look of the coffee table and the medical devices surrounding her, Walker’s mom is definitely sick. Is that why I have never met her? Does he not want us to find out? He’s my friend, and he should be able to talk to me about these things. If he wants to. Having a sick parent is challenging when you’re so young.
My dad lost both his parents at eighteen. He told me it was so hard on him, because he couldn’t go to them for advice, comfort, or just someone to talk to about a good or bad day.
“I’m Mila,” I tell her as I sit.
Asher just stands awkwardly in the doorway, like he’s too scared to come in. Did Walker not want us to be in here?
She turns to Asher. “Who are you?”
Fuck, he’s been friends with Walker for way longer than I have, and she hasn’t even met him yet. But before Asher can reply, I do it for him.
“That’s Asher, mystepbrother. He’s on the football team with Walker.”
Asher rolls his eyes at me when Mrs. Murphy isn’t looking, and I smirk. He hates that word, and it’s the first time I have really used it. Now that I’m living at his house, he pretty much is my stepbrother.
“Ah, I have heard of you both. Mostly you, Mila. So, tell me, are you dating my son?”
My eyes widen at that. What has Walker told her? Did he tell his mom I was his girlfriend? I’m going to kill him if he did.
“Oh, don’t be shocked. I just thought, with the way he talks about you, that you must be dating. Confident and beautiful. If my son doesn’t want to date you, then there’s something wrong with him.”
Walker chooses that moment to walk into the room. He winks at me. “I’ve told you, Mom. You’re the only girl I need. Who needs a girlfriend when I can sit here and watch sappy romance movies with you? Don’t need to do that twice. Once is enough torture,” he says playfully to his mom. He grins over at me, and I smile. He’s sweet with his mom.
“Oh, I don’t know about that, Walker. Mila’s a very pretty girl.” She smiles at me, and my cheeks heat a little. She’s making me blush.
“Mila is awesome, talented, and smart. She’s just playing hard to get. Tell her how wonderful I am so she’ll want to be my girlfriend,” he teases.
His mom shakes her head and laughs. “Ah, so Mila’s smart, then. Too smart to fall for your sweet talking, Walker.” Then she looks at me and nods. “As much as I love my son, he’s right. No smart girl wants him. All he does is leave a line of heartbreak behind him. My boy’s a sweet talker and a looker. I know those type of boys from back in my day. Good for one thing only.”
My mouth drops open. Did she really just say that?
“Taking care of their mommas.” Then she winks at me, and oh my god. I think I’m in love with Walker’s mom. She’s funny as hell. I can tell where he gets his sense of humor from.
Walker nods to the door, and I stand up to leave. “Well, I better go. It’s been so nice to meet you, Mrs. Murphy.”
