Page 39 of Her Paramedic (Men in Uniforms #3)

“M om, she’ll be here,” Slate told his mother as she not-so-discreetly looked out of the window for what was probably the hundredth time.

“What?” she asked, jumping at being caught. “I was just…” she trailed off, not having an excuse, and his dad laughed. “Oh, be quiet, Solomon,” she told him, sitting down.

Slate shook his head. Talia was meeting his parents, a few other family members, and some of his co-workers.

While the gathering wasn’t until Sunday afternoon since he had to work Monday, his parents and girlfriend were meeting early.

To be honest, Slate was ready to see her, too.

The high schools had prom the past two weekends, and his girlfriend had been swamped with appointments the few days of each week leading up to them, so he had only seen her in person twice since he’d gotten back.

However, she only had one appointment that morning and told him she’d be there by noon, one at the latest. His parents had flown in the day before, and his mom had been a buzz of energy waiting ever since.

Slate figured it was better for them to meet first and let his mother fuss over Talia in peace instead of doing so at the gathering the following afternoon.

“Just so you know, I packed your mother’s and my earplugs,” his dad stated, and his mother smacked him on the chest as Slate snorted.

“Why would you say that?” his mom asked.

“It’s not like the boy’s a virgin, Corrin. You found that out years ago when you went snooping in his room.”

“I was not snooping; I was getting his laundry.”

“Sure you were,” his dad responded.

Slate refrained from chuckling because the last thing he wanted was to have his mother journey down memory lane and try to scold him and tell him how irresponsible it was for him to be having sex at seventeen.

Almost eighteen years later, she still liked to lecture him about it.

Honestly, she should have been commending him.

He was using condoms, and had she not found them, she would have never known. Well, at least for a while.

“What’s the plan for the afternoon?” his mom asked.

“We’ll have lunch and then pick up a few things I still need to get for tomorrow,” Slate responded. “Then you and Talia can decide what we do from there.”

“Oh, we should go by that little farmer’s market we went to last time if they’re open,” she suggested.

“They should be,” Slate responded. If they weren’t, there were others they could check out. His mother was a big fan of buying produce directly from farmers because it tasted better than what the supermarkets sold. He assumed she felt that way because she liked to eat random vegetables raw.

They settled into watching a show on television. Some sitcom his dad turned on that Slate had never seen. He wasn’t sure how long they’d been watching it when he heard a car door close outside. His mother was on her feet a split second later.

“Corrin, let her at least get through the door before you ambush her,” his dad instructed.

Slate chuckled as his mom sat back down, almost deflated. He understood she was excited. Slate couldn’t remember the last time he’d introduced someone he was dating to his parents. If he had to guess, it was when he was still enlisted. So, it had been several years.

He went to the front door, opened it, and watched as Talia rolled her suitcase behind her up the walkway. He stepped outside and took it from her.

“Hey, baby,” she greeted.

“Hey, gorgeous.” He kissed her. “Fair warning. My mom is a little excited, and she might be a bit extra.”

Talia laughed. “That’s okay. I’d rather her be excited to meet me than not want to.”

They entered the house, and when they rounded the corner into the living room, his mom was on her feet and pulling Talia into a hug.

“It’s so good to meet you! Slate has told us so much about you; I feel like I already know you.”

Talia giggled, hugging her back, and Slate shook his head because she hadn’t even made it three seconds.

“It’s nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard great things about both of you,” Talia responded.

“Corrin, let the young lady breathe,” his dad stated, and his mom pulled back as if she hadn’t realized she’d been hugging Talia since she stepped foot inside.

“Mom, Dad, this is my girlfriend, Talia. Baby, these are my parents, Solomon and Corrin Stoll,” Slate introduced.

“It’s nice to meet you both,” Talia stated as his dad pulled her into a hug that was far shorter than his mother’s.

“Have you eaten, Talia? We were going to get lunch and then go to the farmer’s market,” his mom informed.

“I haven’t yet, and that sounds like fun,” his girlfriend responded.

“Great! We can leave in a few minutes,” his mom replied.

“I’m going to put your bag up, and then we can go,” Slate said.

He left them alone, sure his mother would have asked Talia a hundred and one questions by the time he returned.

He placed her suitcase by the closet and grabbed his wallet from his dresser before exiting the bedroom.

Slate wasn’t surprised to find his mother sitting on the couch with Talia engaged in conversation while his dad watched them, amused.

“Are you ready, son?” his dad asked when he noticed him.

“I am if you all are.” He turned his attention to Talia. “Your EpiPen is in its usual spot?” She nodded as they headed to the door.

“You have an allergy?” his mom asked as she and Talia walked ahead and he locked the door.

“Yes, to Kiwi.”

Once they were in the car, Slate headed downtown.

He didn’t particularly care where they went for lunch, but figured they might as well go somewhere close to the farmer’s market.

Then they could head to the store last. They chose a Mexican restaurant twenty-five minutes later, and he pulled into the parking lot.

They were soon seated with their drinks, waiting for their food, as his mother asked Talia about herself.

“Slate says you have a younger sister.”

“Biologically, yes, but I’ve pretty much adopted three others,” Talia responded.

“Being the oldest must be nice. I’m a middle child,” his mother replied.

“It has its perks, but I think being the baby probably would have been more fun. Though my sister and I got in trouble equally.”

They continued conversing while they waited for their food, and then as they ate.

His mother was talking primarily to his girlfriend, allowing his father to get a word in now and then.

Slate didn’t mind. He wanted them to get along, and because he was sure his mom only mildly remembered that he and his father existed, they seemed to hit it off.

To Slate’s protests, his father paid for lunch when they finished, and they headed to the farmer’s market.

There were typically over three dozen booths, and he knew his mother would want to stop at each one, especially the ones that gave samples of their produce.

Slate was prepared to be there for a while before they headed to the grocery store.

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T alia looked at a stand selling strawberries. They were big and a luscious red. Two cartons cost six dollars, and considering one in the grocery store cost nearly that, it was a steal.

“Would you like to try one?” the man behind the stand asked.

“Yes, please,” she responded. “They look delicious.”

He grabbed the strawberry she’d been eyeing and washed it off for her. Immediately, when she bit into it, the sweet juices exploded in her mouth. As good as it looked, it tasted even better. Talia wasn’t sure she’d ever had a strawberry that good.

“It’s good, right?” the man asked.

“It is,” Talia agreed.

“I don’t use any pesticides or chemicals.”

“Can I have four cartons, please?”

“I’ll do you one better. If you buy six, I’ll throw two in for free, and you can have an entire flat.”

Talia thought about it for a moment. She was getting one for each of them and wasn’t sure what she would do with an entire flat, but she figured they could use them for tomorrow’s gathering. If nothing else, she could slice some up and make a puree out of them for mini sponge cakes.

“You’ve got yourself a deal,” Talia replied.

She finished the strawberry, throwing the stem into the trash bin as he began packing her cartons.

“Do you live here in town?” he asked.

“I don’t. I’m visiting.”

“I take it this is your first time here?” he inquired.

“It is.”

“I thought so. I’d remember a gorgeous face like yours.” His attention shifted behind her. “I’ll be with you in one minute, ma’am. Right after I finish helping this pretty little lady.”

“This pretty little lady is taken,” Corrin said, and Talia looked over her shoulder at the other woman.

They’d all separated a few minutes ago. Slate and Solomon went to look at some produce that they could get there instead of at the store, and Corrin to find a honey stand.

“And I don’t want to be rude to you, but he’s far more handsome than you,” she tacked on.

Talia pressed her lips together to keep from laughing because she hadn’t expected Corrin to say that, and she also didn’t want to risk him trying to hike up the price of the strawberries. Delicious or not, she would leave them there.

Talia paid for the strawberries and thanked the man as he handed her the flat. She turned to Corrin, who furrowed her brow but wasn’t looking at her.

“Young man, stop looking at her backside,” Corrin stated in a tone that only a mother could pull off.

The man mumbled a soft apology, sufficiently reprimanded, and Talia couldn’t help but laugh as they walked off.

“Those look good. Did you get everything you wanted?” she asked as they approached Slate and Solomon.

“I did,” Talia responded. “And they’re delicious. He let me try one.”

“I bet he did, since he seemed to have his sights on trying you.”

“Who did what to you?” Slate asked as they stopped in front of them.

“Just some man who didn’t have a chance,” Talia responded. Slate raised a brow at her. “Nothing happened.”