Page 49 of Haze
“Henry, but everyone calls me Haze.”
“Heard a lot about you, son. Nice to finally meet you,” Robert said as he sat back down.
“Have you, now?” Haze raised a brow at Devyn, who blushed.
Devyn sat down and ushered for Haze to do the same. “Of course, they knew about you. They didn’t think I got knocked up by a ghost.” She blushed at her words. “Sorry, Daddy.”
Robert waved her off and leaned toward Haze. “I’m the easygoing parent.”
“I heard that, Robert,” Melanie scolded as she entered the room with a plate.
Haze stood immediately, and when she put the hot plate down, he held his hand out. “Hi, Mrs. Frost. I’m Henry.”
“Haze, it’s so good to meet you.” Melanie beamed as she rounded the table and hugged Haze.
Okay, this is going better than I thought,Devyn thought as she watched the interaction.
Finally, they all sat down. Robert blessed the food, and they dug in.
“Haze, how are you adjusting to fatherhood?” Melanie asked as she passed the cornbread around.
“Wow, Ma. Right in with the heavy questions,” Devyn muttered.
“Hush, child,” Melanie fussed.
“It hasn’t been easy, honestly, but I love Hazel. She’s making it easier.” He looked down at Hazel, who currently tried to stuff a whole piece of cornbread into her mouth.
“Isn’t she the perfect angel?” Robert gushed.
“And here he goes,” Devyn teased.
“Hush,” Robert scolded.
Devyn giggled as she opted to eat her food quietly. Clearly, this dinner wasn’t for her to speak, and she was just fine with that. Haze was on his own now.
“I hear you’re in a motorcycle club?” Melanie asked, her brows raising.
Here we go,Devyn thought. She was ready to speak up if things got out of hand.
“I founded a motorcycle club, yes. I’m currently the president.”
“And what kinds of things do you do in this club?” Melanie asked.
Haze went into detail about the ride-alongs and the things they did for the community. Her mom seemed impressed the more he spoke.
“Next time you do a food drive, you just let me know. I can whip up some homemade stuff for you to give away.”
“I would love that. I’ll be sure to let you know,” Haze said.
After that, the conversation went smoothly. They ate their dinner and made it through dessert without incident. More and more, Devyn learned that her worrying would quite literally get her nowhere. It was a hard lesson to learn this way, but she was thankful for the lesson, nonetheless.
Later, while she helped her mother wash dishes, Melanie bumped Devyn’s hip. “Foolish girl.”
Devyn’s eyes ballooned. “Ma!”
Melanie shrugged. “Just sayin’. He’s a fine young man, and he’s clearly madly in love with you.”
Devyn blushed. “And I love him, too, Mama.”
