Mrs. Robin's Sons

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 outside.
“You’re my hero.” She started laughing as soon as they were away from the house.
He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze as they walked through the crowded yard.
“Don’t let them scare you,” he told her. “They’re all harmless.”
“Most of them, anyway,” Noah murmured next to him. Nick glanced in the direction that Noah was looking and saw his ex, Ashley, glaring at him. He sighed. His mom just had to invite the entire town for dinner.
Leslie and José joined them, and they stood around and talked for a while until Nick’s mother walked up.
“Rylee, do you mind if I speak to Nick for a moment? I promise not to keep him too long.”
“Of course I don’t mind.” Rylee stepped back as Nick’s mother linked her arm with his and steered him toward the house.
*
“She’s too old for you,” Nick’s mother said without preamble, as soon as they walked into the house.
“Mom, don’t start, okay?” he warned as he struggled to keep the irritation out of his voice. “She’s not that much older than me.”
“Not that much?” Her face was filled with concern. “Nicky, honey, she’s thirty-six years old — fourteen years older than you. That’s a lot.”
“And Dad was seventeen years older than you when you got pregnant and married him at eighteen,” Nick countered.
She sighed. “Yes, that’s true. But — fair or not — this is different. Our society has always been more accepting of older men with younger women than the other way around.”
His mother shook her head. “And, when you add in the whole race issue…” Her voice trailed off.
“Oh. So Rylee’s not just the wrong age, she’s the wrong color, too, right?” Nick glared at his mother. “Well, if it makes you feel any better, Mom, she’s only half black. The other half is perfectly white.”
“Don’t you dare try to make me out to be the bad guy here, Nicholas Matthew Robin,”
his mother warned, her face turning red. “I’m not your enemy, and you know it. José isn’t white, and I love him just like he was one of my own sons. Rylee could be green for all I care, and it still wouldn’t make a difference to me.”
She reached up and cupped his cheek. “But, I’m just one person. Unfortunately, there are too many people out there who don’t see it the same way I do. I just don’t want you to get hurt, honey. Couldn’t you just find a young lady your own age to be with?”
“You mean someone like Ashley?” Nick snorted. “No, thanks.”
“Ashley?” His mother frowned. “Honey, no, that’s not what I meant —”
“I know what you meant,” he interrupted angrily. “I don’t want to be with Rylee because of what age she is or what race she is. I want to be with her because of who she is. It doesn’t matter to me that we come from different cultures and backgrounds. All I care about is Rylee, and how we feel about each other. And anybody who has a problem with that is just going to have to deal with it, because I’m not going to let other people’s opinions about our relationship stop me from being with her.”
They stood silently for a while, just looking at each other. “You really care about her, don’t you?” his mother finally asked.
“Yeah, Mom…I do.” His voice was firm, sure.
“God, you sound so much like your father did when we first met.” Her eyes became watery. “I just wish he were still here. He’d be so proud of you.”
“I think he’d like Rylee, too.”
She started laughing. “Oh, I’m sure he would. He was a sucker for a beautiful woman.”
“That’s why he snatched you up.” He winked at her, a huge grin on his face.
She gave him a playful swat across the ass. “Oh, I see you have a lot more of your dad in you than I thought.” They both laughed for a moment before she hugged him.
“Just be careful, okay?” she whispered.
“I’ll be fine, Mom,” Nick told her.

Chapter Twelve
“I heard she’s almost forty years old.”
“She’s really pretty. She looks a lot younger.”
“She’s not all that. The only reason Nick’s probably with her is because he thinks it makes him look like a stud to say he fucked an older woman.”
Rylee stood in the evening shadows and listened to the three young women talk about her.
“Don’t pay them any attention,” Noah whispered in her ear, his hand resting on her shoulder. “They’re jealous — especially Ashley.” He nodded to the pretty brunette. “She’s Nick’s ex.”
“Ahh…I see. Well, I guess that explains the vicious comments, cutting looks, and overall shitty attitude I’ve been getting from her all evening.”
“Yeah, Ashley’s a real bitch. Nick was never serious about her, and he finally ended it a couple of years ago. But she just can’t seem to get over it and move on.” He chuckled softly.
“I think of all the girls Nick ever dated, Mom hated Ashley the most.”
“I can see why,” Rylee muttered as she glanced at the group once more.
“Come on.” He led her in the opposite direction. “Let me give you a tour of the place.” They walked toward the kennel and were greeted by excited barks when they entered the large building lined with cages filled with various breeds of dogs.
“So, how long have you and Nick been breeding and training dogs?” Rylee watched Noah walk through the room. He took a moment to pet each dog through the metal openings before he moved on to the next cage.
In spite of her efforts