Page 78 of Owned By The Cowboy

“Great.”

“It is, honey. People are rooting for you. You deserve to be happy.”

I let out a sigh. “Thanks, Mama.”

“So, two o’clock? And tell Blayne to bring his appetite. Your father wants to show off his new grill.”

“I’ll ask him.”

“Don’t ask him, honey. Tell him. He’s family.”

She hangs up before I can respond, and I set my phone down with a sigh.

“Let me guess,” Blayne says. “We’re going to your folks’.”

“How did you know?”

“Because your mom’s been waiting for an excuse to feed me and interrogate me properly for weeks.”

“She’s not going to interrogate you.”

“She’s totally going to interrogate him,” Nia laughs. “Grandma’s been dying to get the full story.”

“What full story?” I start sweating.

“About how you two fell in luuuv.” I hate my child. She keeps going, ticking on her fingers. “When you knew it was serious, if you’re thinking about marriage, when you’re going to give her more grandchildren…”

“Nia Scott! I will whoop you!”

She’s dying with laughter. They all are. Traitors, all of them. “What? That’s what she asked me last week.”

“She asked you those questions?”

“She asks everyone those questions, Ma. We just tell her to ask you herself.”

I bury my face in my hands. “This is going to be a disaster.”

“Hey,” Blayne says gently, pulling my hands away from my face. “It’s going to be fine. Your parents love me.”

I look up at his handsome face. “They do love you. But they also love embarrassing me.”

“That’s what parents do,” Annalise says wisely. “It’s like you guys’ job.”

“Plus,” Jaylen adds, “it’s kind of nice for them to have something positive to gossip about for once. Usually it’s just who got divorced, drunk, bankrupt or arrested.”

“Your mother and I are not gossip,” Blayne protests through a chuckle.

“You are now,” Nia replies, smirking. “The divorced woman who moved home and fell in love with the local hottie.”

“Nia, don’t call Blayne a hottie.”

“Mama,” she gives me a look. “Have you seen him? Half the single women in town have been trying to get his attention for years.”

“That’s not true.” Blayne shakes his head, rolling his eyes.

“It’s totally true,” Jaylen confirms. “Mrs. Rodriguez at the hardware store always finds excuses to talk to you. And that lady who works at the bank is always smiling really big when you come in.”

“How do you even know any of this?” I moan.