Read Online Wilson Mooney Eighteen at Last by Gretchen de la O - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Gretchen de la O
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still standing there, alone. Nancy looped her arm through mine
and pulled me.
“ Oh, Wilson, I hope you
don’t mind Camille and I taking you from Maxi.” Nancy tightened her
hold on my arm.
I shook my head no; everything moved
so quickly, and honestly, I was so enthralled with her and how she
included me in her world—I was hooked. Nancy was so amazing, I just
wanted a piece of that. There was something about her that filled
the gaping holes my bio-mom had left in my soul.
“ You know, Wilson, my
brother keeps his life very private from the family. He isn’t the
type to bring just anyone around,” Camille mused. My mouth dried up, crisp
as a sun-drenched desert, and suddenly I couldn’t
swallow.
“ Really?” I
choked.
Nancy shot a glance my way as she
busied herself with pulling sandwich fixings out of the huge,
stainless steel refrigerator.
“ Yeah, as a matter of
fact, we simply stopped asking about it. His father and I figured
he would eventually bring home someone special, when he was
ready.”
I pushed my fingers to the edge of the
black granite countertop and slid them across the bull-nosed
finish—anything to keep my hands busy—and my eyes diverted from the
both of them. I could tell they were protective of Max, and I
didn’t blame them. Joanie would do the same for me.
“ Well, umm—” I didn’t know
what to say to that. Is she telling me she
thinks I’m the one for Max?
“ When Maxi told me he was
bringing you to dinner that night…” Nancy stopped. I noticed she
swallowed hard; I couldn’t tell if it was from disappointment or
something else. My heart bounced, and without fail, I felt my body
begin to ripple and struggle to keep from crying.
Oh my God, he totally
keeps details of me away from his family. I wouldn’t blame them if
they had gigantic red flags. Here I am—a girl with no family and
some pretty crazy baggage—with a guy who has everything any girl
would want.
“ Mom, are you getting
choked up again?” Camille teased. Her brown wavy hair, tamed as
much as a head of curls could be, bounced against the sides of her
face.
“ Oh, now stop it,
Camille.” She came over to me and grabbed my hands. My heart
wrenched, hoping to feel anything but fear at her words.
“ Don’t scare the poor
girl,” Camille announced as she took Nancy’s place making the
sandwiches.
I froze. What was going to
come out of Nancy’s mouth? Was every hope and desire I pinned on
her going to be obliterated in a moment’s time? Max was her son—a boy she raised
to be a perfect man, in my eyes. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the
type of woman she expected him to bring home.
“ Ever since you and Max
have been together…” Nancy choked on the last words and I couldn’t
catch what she said. She pulled me against her chest. She held me
tight, as if she was saying goodbye forever. Suddenly I felt her
take a deep breath, and as she let the air out of her lungs, she
finished the end of her statement. “You make him so happy. Thank
you for bringing my Maxi back.”
I stiffened and cold
chills ran through my bones. What does she
mean by that? Because I never got the impression he was ever gone.
What am I supposed to say? Max doesn’t say much about his family,
and considering my family is such a raw subject for me, our
conversations don’t revolve around that.
I opened my mouth to respond but
thought better of it and answered her by nodding my head up and
down. Suddenly I was in unchartered waters with the veiled
information Nancy was willing to drop in my lap. It wasn’t until
Camille piped up, spewing something Max had never shared with me in
the month we’d been dating, that made my heart thrash.
“ Mallory really messed him
up,” Camille let the words slip from her mouth, obviously without
thinking. She shot a look at Nancy.
What was I supposed to do,
act like I didn’t hear it? It was clear as day, and obviously it
was information Max never shared with me. So I played it
and pulled me.
“ Oh, Wilson, I hope you
don’t mind Camille and I taking you from Maxi.” Nancy tightened her
hold on my arm.
I shook my head no; everything moved
so quickly, and honestly, I was so enthralled with her and how she
included me in her world—I was hooked. Nancy was so amazing, I just
wanted a piece of that. There was something about her that filled
the gaping holes my bio-mom had left in my soul.
“ You know, Wilson, my
brother keeps his life very private from the family. He isn’t the
type to bring just anyone around,” Camille mused. My mouth dried up, crisp
as a sun-drenched desert, and suddenly I couldn’t
swallow.
“ Really?” I
choked.
Nancy shot a glance my way as she
busied herself with pulling sandwich fixings out of the huge,
stainless steel refrigerator.
“ Yeah, as a matter of
fact, we simply stopped asking about it. His father and I figured
he would eventually bring home someone special, when he was
ready.”
I pushed my fingers to the edge of the
black granite countertop and slid them across the bull-nosed
finish—anything to keep my hands busy—and my eyes diverted from the
both of them. I could tell they were protective of Max, and I
didn’t blame them. Joanie would do the same for me.
“ Well, umm—” I didn’t know
what to say to that. Is she telling me she
thinks I’m the one for Max?
“ When Maxi told me he was
bringing you to dinner that night…” Nancy stopped. I noticed she
swallowed hard; I couldn’t tell if it was from disappointment or
something else. My heart bounced, and without fail, I felt my body
begin to ripple and struggle to keep from crying.
Oh my God, he totally
keeps details of me away from his family. I wouldn’t blame them if
they had gigantic red flags. Here I am—a girl with no family and
some pretty crazy baggage—with a guy who has everything any girl
would want.
“ Mom, are you getting
choked up again?” Camille teased. Her brown wavy hair, tamed as
much as a head of curls could be, bounced against the sides of her
face.
“ Oh, now stop it,
Camille.” She came over to me and grabbed my hands. My heart
wrenched, hoping to feel anything but fear at her words.
“ Don’t scare the poor
girl,” Camille announced as she took Nancy’s place making the
sandwiches.
I froze. What was going to
come out of Nancy’s mouth? Was every hope and desire I pinned on
her going to be obliterated in a moment’s time? Max was her son—a boy she raised
to be a perfect man, in my eyes. Maybe, just maybe, I wasn’t the
type of woman she expected him to bring home.
“ Ever since you and Max
have been together…” Nancy choked on the last words and I couldn’t
catch what she said. She pulled me against her chest. She held me
tight, as if she was saying goodbye forever. Suddenly I felt her
take a deep breath, and as she let the air out of her lungs, she
finished the end of her statement. “You make him so happy. Thank
you for bringing my Maxi back.”
I stiffened and cold
chills ran through my bones. What does she
mean by that? Because I never got the impression he was ever gone.
What am I supposed to say? Max doesn’t say much about his family,
and considering my family is such a raw subject for me, our
conversations don’t revolve around that.
I opened my mouth to respond but
thought better of it and answered her by nodding my head up and
down. Suddenly I was in unchartered waters with the veiled
information Nancy was willing to drop in my lap. It wasn’t until
Camille piped up, spewing something Max had never shared with me in
the month we’d been dating, that made my heart thrash.
“ Mallory really messed him
up,” Camille let the words slip from her mouth, obviously without
thinking. She shot a look at Nancy.
What was I supposed to do,
act like I didn’t hear it? It was clear as day, and obviously it
was information Max never shared with me. So I played it
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