She patted her fiancé’s arm. “I’m so glad now I did make that move.”
Luis smiled down at her, and Haley thought they made a nice-looking couple. They seemed very much in love. She hoped this marriage would make Deb happier than her first one had. Haley had watched Luis with the boys during lunch, and he seemed quite fond of them. Perhaps Deb had found what she’d been searching for in him.
She wondered if Mick would ever acquire whatever he was looking for during his restless travels. She was glad Ron had found medicine, which gave him a purpose in his life, a goal to work toward, the validation he hadn’t heard much from his family.
There were other reasons she was happy Ron had entered medical school, she admitted to herself. She understood exactly what Deb meant when she’d said she was pleased her path had led her to Luis. Haley couldn’t imagine never having known Ron. No matter how much heartache he might cause her in the long run.
Deb shared a faint smile with her brother. “I guess they’re getting a taste of what it’s going to be like to be a part of this family, huh, Ron? Luis hasn’t taken to his heels yet. Maybe Haley won’t, either.”
“Oh, I—” Haley swallowed her instinctive, almost panicky assertion that Deb was misinterpreting her relationship with Ron. This wasn’t the time to get into those details. She settled for a somewhat sickly-looking smile, instead.
“All right, y’all get in here and let’s open presents,” Carolyn called from inside. “These boys are getting antsy.”
“We’re coming, Mom, jeez.” Rolling her eyes, Deb caught Luis’s hand in hers and led him toward the door, still muttering about her mother’s impatience.
Haley glanced at Ron when she turned to follow them. He was looking at her with a frown that made her steps fumble just a bit. He did not look particularly happy with her.
“Um—?”
He smoothed his expression immediately. “We’d better hurry before Mom really gets impatient.”
While thunder continued to boom outside, he ushered her into the other room before she could say anything else.
“We’re under a tornado watch,” Ron’s dad announced when everyone entered the living room. He nodded toward the television screen, where a colorful map covered the lower part of the screen, the counties under severe weather watches highlighted in red and blue. “Until ten o’clock tonight.”
“A watch, not a warning?” Deb confirmed, casting a quick eye at her children.
“Yeah. Just a watch.”
Having lived in Arkansas all his life, Ron didn’t get too perturbed over a watch situation. The family would leave the TV on—which they usually did, anyway—and keep an eye on those colored boxes, but it was hardly time to head for the hallway.
A hard gust of wind buffeted the house. Bryce whimpered.
“Let’s open presents, Brycie,” his grandmother said, taking him into her lap.
“Good thing the leaves are off the trees.” Ron’s dad nodded toward the windows as he spoke to whomever was listening. “That wind would be knocking some limbs off.”
Their mother talked Mick into distributing gifts, because that had been his job for years and she was nothing if not consistent in her nagging. Mick sighed heavily, but didn’t bother arguing. He passed out the presents with a notable lack of ceremony, simply lobbing packages in the general direction of the recipients named on the tags. Their mom fussed at him for his carelessness, but she’d have criticized, anyway, so Ron didn’t blame him for not paying any attention to her.
Showing a resemblance to her mother she would have furiously denied, Deb shook her head when she looked up from a few of the gifts she and her sons had already opened. “Knitted scarves, Mom? What are we supposed to do with these in Florida?”
Ron frowned and looked quickly at his mother, hoping Deb’s careless comment hadn’t hurt her feelings. But Carolyn merely shrugged and said gruffly, “I’ve got to have something to do around here in the evenings and on the weekends while your father’s out messing with those cars fourteen hours a day. It’s not like I’ve got anyone to talk to. Besides, I know there’s an occasional cool night in Florida. They’re always talking on the news about having to save the oranges from the occasional frost.”
Shrugging in what might have been an acknowledgment of the point, Deb looked more pleased with the frilly red nightgown she opened
next. The kids seemed happy with the toys their grandparents had given them, their handmade scarves dumped carelessly into a corner beneath a pile of torn wrapping paper.
Haley looked surprised when Mick tossed a tidily wrapped box into her lap. She looked at Ron, who sat beside her on the couch. He shook his head. “Not from me.”
He wasn’t surprised his mother had provided a gift for Haley. Mom would consider it bad manners to open presents in front of Haley and not make sure she had something, too. He was certain Luis had at least one gift, also.
He watched Haley peel away the paper, her eyes alight with anticipation. She loved this sort of thing, he thought indulgently. Family. Traditions. Presents. She didn’t even seem overly daunted by his family. Though she had certainly looked stunned when Deb had made a passing comment about Haley joining the family. Apparently, the very idea had been enough to send her figuratively reeling backward.
“Oh, Carolyn, this is beautiful.” Both looking and sounding awed, Haley lifted the thick, black knit scarf to her cheek, snuggling against the soft-looking yarn. There was just a touch of sparkle to the scarf, which echoed the glow in her eyes when she looked at his mom. “I love it. Did you really make this yourself?”
Carolyn nodded. “Wasn’t sure what colors you like. I figured everyone can use a black scarf.”
“It’s perfect. It’ll go with almost everything I own. Thank you so much.”