Chapter 36 #2
“Hi, Mom. We’re here! Merry Christmas!” Scottie quickly crossed the kitchen and folded her mother into a tight hug, providing the perfect distraction.
“Scottie!” Blender forgotten, her mom returned the hug.
Willow stayed back, kept her hands at her sides, and tried not to touch anything.
After a few seconds, Scottie let go of her mother and turned toward Willow. “This is my mom, Carol. Mom, this is Willow—my girlfriend.” Happiness seemed to light up Scottie’s features from within.
God, she was too cute. Willow dragged her gaze away from Scottie and directed it toward her mother. “Merry Christmas. Thanks so much for having me.” She extended her hand and reached for the metal handle of a drawer with the other.
But before she could make contact, Carol closed the distance between them, ignoring Willow’s outstretched hand and pulling her into a warm embrace.
Willow stood very still for a second, then hesitantly put her arms around her in a loose hug, careful not to touch any spot not covered by Carol’s sweater or apron.
As Carol let go and pulled back, her wrist brushed Willow’s fingers.
An audible crack of static snapped between them, and a painful little jolt zapped up Willow’s arm.
Scottie’s mother flinched and rubbed her wrist.
Oh, no, no, no! Willow backed up several steps. “I’m so sorry. It’s my sweater!”
“It must be her socks,” Scottie said at the same time.
Carol looked back and forth between them, then grinned the same charming way Scottie often did. “Don’t worry about it,” she said to Willow. “I gave birth to this one.” She patted Scottie’s arm. “I’ll survive a little zap.”
Scottie groaned. “Oh God, Mom, please. Not the sixteen-hours-of-labor story!”
“Seventeen,” her mother said. “And she weighed a whopping—”
Quickly, Scottie covered her mom’s mouth with one hand. “No one wants to know that, Mom.”
“I do.” Willow wanted to hear everything there was to know about Scottie.
“Eight pounds, fourteen ounces,” someone shouted from the living room.
Willow glanced toward the archway that led to the dining area and the living room beyond.
A sea of unfamiliar faces peered back at her with open curiosity.
“Great, thanks, Uncle Dave. Now that we’ve got that out of the way, let’s go meet the clan.” Scottie took Willow’s hand and led her over to the living room.
She pointed out uncles, aunts, cousins, and her cousins’ kids until Willow lost track of faces and names. Then she gestured to a group of people—two men and two women—lounging on the floor with their backs against the couch. “And these are my mom’s former charges, the infamous daycare alumni.”
“You mean legendary,” a brunette woman quipped. She smiled up at Willow. “Hi, I’m Hazel.”
Willow gave them a wave, glad that no one got up to shake hands or hug her. “Hi, everyone. I’m Willow.” She hesitated, then added, “Equally legendary.”
That earned her a round of chuckles.
Scottie wrapped one arm around her hips and beamed.
“Want to keep me company while I cook?” Scottie’s mother called from the kitchen. “You could tell me all about how the two of you met.”
The thought of being around so many appliances made Willow nervous, but she didn’t know how to decline, so she followed Scottie back to the kitchen.
Scottie gave her mother an apologetic look. “Actually, Mom, that story will have to wait. I promised Willow a quick tour of Corvallis.”
Willow nearly sank against the counter as a wave of relief washed over her.
“We’ll be back before dinner,” Scottie added. “Need us to grab anything while we’re out?”
Her mother waved her off. “No, we’ve got everything we need. Have fun, you two.”
“Ooh, tour of Corvallis!” One of Scottie’s cousins—a curly-haired, blond guy—let out a whistle. “Is that what it’s called now?”
Scottie grabbed a roll of paper towels off the counter and threw it at him.
It sailed across the dining area and the living room and landed squarely on his chest.
Before he could launch a counterattack, Scottie directed Willow down the hall. They climbed over the pile of boots and escaped onto the porch, leaving the noise and the chaotic interactions behind.
A sharp breath whooshed out of Willow.
“Sorry.” Scottie took her hand and rubbed it. “I know they can be a lot. But it’ll only be like this today. Tomorrow, the daycare alumni will be with their own families, and most of my cousins will go see their in-laws, so it’ll be just the core crew.”
Willow shook her head. “It’s not them. They seem wonderful.”
“What is it, then?”
“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Willow gestured back at the house. “Maybe I shouldn’t be here.”
Scottie’s grip on her hand tightened. “Don’t say that. I think it’s going really well.”
“Well?” The word burst out of Willow. “Within thirty seconds of walking in, I killed the blender and basically assaulted your mother with a jolt of static!”
“Nah, it’s not dead, just a bit dazed. And you heard Mom. What’s a little zap for the woman who made it through sixteen hours of labor?”
“Seventeen,” Willow said automatically.
“See?” Scottie gave her a gentle bump with her shoulder. “You’ll fit right in. Just give it a chance. Give yourself a chance to settle in.”
“Okay. I promise I’ll give it my best.” Willow took a deep breath and tried to shake off her tension. “So, someone promised me a tour of the town.”
“Yeah.” Scottie led her back toward the car, which they had parked halfway down the street because the driveway was full. “Brace yourself. Major landmarks ahead. Riverfront Park, the OSU campus, and the playground where I broke my arm trying to impress a girl on the monkey bars.”
Willow chuckled, and it sounded only a little shaky. “Did it work?”
“Nope. But maybe this time, it will.” Scottie reached out to open the passenger-side door for her.
Willow stopped her with a quick touch. She curled her fingers into the lapels of Scottie’s coat and pulled her in for a kiss. “It already did,” she whispered against her lips.