Mrs. Robin's Sons by Kori Roberts Read Free Book Online Page B

Before she could decide if she should be upset or not, the woman turned around and looked at her, and Rylee saw those trademark hazel eyes that were so much like Nick’s and Noah’s.
    “Well, I wanted to catch you before you made plans for the evening, but it seems I might be too late.” The woman spoke again, her eyes locked on Rylee.
    Nick looked at her and smiled. He walked over to her, took her hand, and pulled her over to the woman. “Mom, this is Rylee Putnam.” Nick released her hand and looped his arm around her shoulder. “Rylee’s visiting for the weekend.”
    Rylee shook her hand and smiled. “It’s very nice to meet you, Mrs. Robin.”
    “Please, call me Caroline.” She chuckled. “Mrs. Robin makes me feel old.”
    Rylee laughed. “I highly doubt anyone would ever mistake you for being old.” It wasn’t an exaggeration; Nick’s mom didn’t look much older than her.
    “Thank you, Rylee.” She beamed. “So, as I was saying, I thought it would be nice to have a barbeque tonight. Rylee, I hope you’ll be able to talk these two into bringing you for dinner.” She looked expectantly at Rylee.
    “I’ll do my best, Caroline,” Rylee said. “And, thank you for the invitation.”
    “It’s my pleasure. Well” — she stood — “I’m headed out now.” She walked to the door and threw out a quick, “Dinner’s at seven,” before she was gone.
    Rylee turned to Nick, who grinned down at her. “What?” she asked.
    He kissed her. “Mom likes you.”
    “Oh, yeah? How do you know?”
    “She told you to call her by her first name,” he said. “She’s never let our girlfriends do that.”
    She looked over at Noah, who nodded in agreement. “And, she invited you for dinner right after she’d just met you,” he chimed in. “Another first.”
    “See, I told you.” Nick kissed her again and whispered against her lips. “Trust me; everything’s going to be fine.”
    Rylee smiled and tried to ignore the trepidation she felt. She just hoped Nick was right.

Chapter Eleven
    “What I want to know is, what in the hell does she see in you?” Nick glared at his cousin, Leslie’s husband. José just returned his glare with a grin, completely unfazed, while Noah laughed his ass off.
    “I’ve been wondering the same thing since I met her,” Noah joined in. “But, she’s still beautiful and funny and smart, so we’ll forgive her lack of taste when it comes to men.”
    “Oh, fuck both of you,” Nick said, fighting hard to hold back a smile. He saw his cousin walking toward him.
    “Yo, Leslie! You’re just in time to rescue your husband from a serious beat down.”
    “Hey, nobody gets to beat on my man, but me.” She wrapped her arm around José’s waist and kissed him on the cheek.
    “Speaking of rescues” — she looked back at Nick — “you might want to rescue your girlfriend from Mom and Aunt Caroline.”
    Nick groaned. “How bad is it?” He was almost afraid to hear the answer.
    “Let’s just say that by this time tomorrow, the entire town will know that you’re dating a woman who’s almost as old as your mother.” She snickered.
    “Don’t be a bitch, Leslie.” Nick scowled at her. “It was just a joke, Nicky.” She laughed. “Besides, I don’t care how old Rylee is. I like her.”
    “That’s good, because you’ll be seeing a lot of her,” he told the group before he walked off in search of Rylee.
     
    *
     
    Nick found Rylee being held hostage in his mother’s living room by every female
    relative over the age of forty in his family.
    “So dear,” he heard his Aunt Sylvia ask, “how did you and Nicky meet?” The blush on Rylee’s face told him he’d gotten there just in time.
    “Okay, ladies,” he interrupted the interrogation. “You’ve monopolized Rylee long enough. It’s my turn to enjoy her company for a while.” He reached for Rylee’s hand and led her out of the house, amidst the objections of his family. Noah met them