“You two are together?”
I hesitate. “We are.”
“As in, he’s your boyfriend?”
“Yes, Mom.”
She scrunches her nose.
Not quite the reaction I was expecting.
“He’s from Summerville?”
I nod. “He is.”
“Have you met his parents?”
“He’s an orphan. He was adopted, but his adoptive mother died as well.”
“So, you don’t know his parents?”
“Mom, they’re dead.”
“No need to raise your voice, young lady.”
I wince. “Sorry.”
“Better. What about his siblings, grandparents, or his extended family?”
“He’s an only child, and his parents were orphans.”
“Both of them?” The shock in her eyes is unmistakable.
“As incredible as it sounds.”
She shakes her head.
I know that head shake. It’s the disapproving one she has before she launches into lecture mode.
“Carina, you have no way of knowing his roots. What if his parents were drug addicts? You see it all the time on social media. These losers drugged out of their minds on heroin with their poor helpless young children—or babies—strapped in the backseat crying their eyes out and yelling for help. You do know drug dependency is passed on from generation to generation? It’s in their DNA.”
My jaw drops. “Do you think all adopted kids are the products of drug addicts? Rhett’s parents died in a car accident on the night of a terrible storm. From what he’s told me, they were as God-loving as you are. The same applies to his adoptive mom. Rhett is well-adjusted. Sure, he drinks a little, but he doesn’t do drugs. He doesn’t even smoke cigarettes.”
She lets out a long sigh. “I guess you’re at that age.”
“What do you mean?”
“It’s normal you’d want to have a little fun. You’re in Summerville for another nine months and then you’ll be back home. Your little fling with this ranch hand will be short-lived.” Her words drip with disdain.
Wow. Just wow.
“I haven’t decided if I’m coming back.”
“Carina.” She gives me a condemning look. “New York is your home. This is where all your family is. Where your roots are. Where you took your first steps. You belong here. There are plenty of eligible young men you can settle down with. Why would you end up in Texas? Alone, may I add.”
“I really like this guy, Mom. This isn’t at all what you make it out to be. It’s far more than a fling.”
“Does he have any education?”
