“No, you don’t know her. But you will. It’s Hazel May. May is her last name.” It always sounded like he was calling her by her middle name when he said her whole name. Maybe that’s why he sometimes did.
“What, Hazel? Is that the one Thomas has been teasing you about for a few months?” His mom missed nothing. And Thomas wasn’t known for his secret-keeping skills.
“Yes,” he admitted.
“Thomas is usually right about these things. Come when you get to town. We’ll be ready.”
He had no idea what she did to get ready. She loved guests and was already ready. “Mom, just you and Dad. No brothers today,” he said, knowing his mom might just call all five of his brothers home and freak Hazel out.
“Okay, this time.”
Hanging up on his mom, he was still smiling when he got a text from an unknown number. All it said was congrats, so he assumed it was from Natalie since he had just given her his number yesterday.
CHAPTER19
Ruston’s parentswere loving and accepting, hugging Ruston, then her, and even John Henry before they had even learned their names. They were exactly what she would have pictured if someone had asked her what they would be like. Hazel had been surprised for a moment when he had said his father was also a preacher, but it made sense. It also made sense that his mom would immediately take John Henry from her with a promise of cookies.
The woman was chatty and happy, making Hazel feel comfortable. More comfortable than she ever should have felt here. After all, Ruston was all but forced to marry her. And if he didn’t, he might lose his job. She never wanted to be the reason he lost his job.
They hadn’t been anything but excited and congratulatory when Ruston had told them they were getting married. Even when he had said they were getting married in a few weeks. They made it seem like it wasn’t unusual for things to happen so quickly.
Once the men ate the cookies, Ruston’s dad took him off to his office to show him something, leaving Hazel alone with his mom. Based on the glares Ruston gave his parents, this wasn’t planned at all. She was sure he was going to get a lecture from his dad.
Sitting down at the table with John Henry, who was already eating his second cookie, his mom handed her a coffee and sat down with them. It was a little too cozy for Hazel. She wasn’t used to parental figures wanting to talk to her. After all, her grandparents hadn’t been all that talkative.
“You sure do make Rusty happy,” his mother Joan said with a smile that was so much like her son’s. Hazel would have to get used to him being called Rusty, even if he didn’t seem like a Rusty.
“Thank you. He’s a happy guy. Gets it from you guys.” Hazel took a sip of the bitter coffee, really hoping she was impressing the woman but thinking she was failing.
“All of my boys are generally happy. I don’t know if Glen and I had anything to do with it,” she admitted with a shrug.
“How many boys do you have?” Ruston hadn’t said anything about having siblings, and now she realized she hadn’t asked. In fact, there was so little she had asked about his life. How could he know so much about her, but she know so little about him?
“Six. Rusty said I couldn’t invite them over today. But next time.” There was a twinkle in the woman’s eyes.
“That sounds like a lot of people,” Hazel admitted, looking around the room and imagining it filled with Ruston’s family.
“You get used to it. You only have one. When there are more, they get a lot noisier.” She smiled at John Henry.
“Do you mind that I have a son?” she asked, not knowing what his mom thought about it.
Had Ruston told his family about her past? Did they know that John Henry had no father, that he had never had a father?
“Of course not. I’ll love him like all my other grandkids. We don’t treat the children any different.”
“You are very understanding, Mrs. Abbott.”
“Harris, but please call me Joan. Ruston’s dad was my first husband. Glen Harris is my second. My boys kept their dad’s name when I married,” Joan explained, which surprised Hazel. Ruston had never said anything about his dad not being his real dad. But then again, maybe he didn’t even think about it.
“Ruston never said anything about that.” Hazel started to clean the crumbs John Henry had made on the counter.
Joan stopped her and cleaned it herself with a smile. “I don’t know if he thinks about it. He was three when I married, around John Henry’s age. I had four boys, and Glen had two. So, together we have six.”
“How did you meet?” she asked.
Joan sat back down and took a sip of her coffee before saying, “He was a visiting preacher at the church I attended, and he caught my eye before the service. We chatted for a bit, and he actually asked me out. With four kids, right there. Then, during the service, my Rusty and Randy started running and screaming during the sermon. Glen was able to catch one of them, but Rusty ran around the entire time. And he still took me out for lunch after. We got married soon after.”
“I would have hauled John Henry out of there if it had been us. Probably never going back again,” Hazel admitted.