Promised (The Promised Series)

hug. She trembles and I pull back to look at her face. “Are you alright?”
    “Nervous.” She says, giving me a hesitant smile.
    “She’s going to love you, so don’t worry.” I pull her back against my chest, giving her another hug.
    “I hope so.” She says, slipping her arms around my waist to hug me back.
    “Are you ready to go inside?” I ask as I step back after I feel her relax against me.
    “First, do I look alright? I wasn’t sure what was appropriate to wear the first time you meet a guy’s mom.” She holds her arms out from her body and does a slow spin so I can see her whole outfit. Her curly hair has been worked into an intricate braid. Her four leaf clover charm rests against her chest. She has on a dark red sweater, that isn’t tight but somehow still shows her curves, over a chocolate brown skirt that falls around her knees, and high heeled boots the same color as her skirt that come to right below her knees. Like always, she looks beautiful.
    “You’re beautiful.” I tell her my thoughts, take her hand in mine and lead her into the house.
    Mom is in one of the chairs in the living room waiting on us. She gets up and greets Wyn with a hug. “I’m happy to finally meet you, Wyn. I’ve heard so much about you.”
    “It’s a pleasure to meet you too, Mrs. Tatman.” Wyn tells her, hugging her back.
    “Oh please, call me Kate.” Mom says as she releases her from the hug.
    “Yes ma’am.”
    Taking her hand, Mom leads Wyn to the couch to sit. “Like I said, Linc’s told me about you and he’s told me about your situation, but I want to hear more about you.”
    “I’m the youngest of six kids, the only girl. I volunteer at the children’s center close to the school twice a week and tutor once a week, but I’ve had to put those on hold because of the…” She stops herself and looks to me nervous about how to explain the reason she stopped.
    I sit on the opposite end of the couch as Mom, beside Wyn, and take hold of her hand. “Mom knows. It’s okay.”
    She squeezes my hand, then turns back to Mom and looks at the floor. “I had to stop to work on the wedding plans.” She explains.
    I watch Mom examine Wyn. Then she leans in and places her hand to her jaw, bringing Wyn’s eyes to her own. “I’m not here to judge you, sweetie. I just want to understand everything that’s going on. Now, why don’t you tell me some more about you. How do you like school?”
    “It’s my favorite part of the day.” She looks at me and smiles. “And not just because I get to see Linc.” Then she turns back to Mom. “I’ve always enjoyed reading and learning new things, so I try to absorb as much as my teachers can offer me. It’s probably the reason I’m at the top of our class.”
    I’m so shocked, my eyes about pop out. “You’re what?”
    She faces me again, biting her lip. She releases it and says. “I’m ranked first in our class.”
    “You never told me that.”
    “It’s not something I tell people. The only people who knew up till now were me and the school faculty.”
    “Wyn, with your rank and volunteer work, you have a good chance at getting scholarships.” I explain, not hiding my excitement at this new revelation at all.
    “I’ve applied for a few, but I won’t hear back till at least next month.” She confesses quietly.
    I jump up off the couch; I’m so excited. “This is great. You can get a scholarship to help with school and you won’t have to go through with the wedding.”
    “Lincoln Andrew, calm yourself and take a seat. If you can’t do that, then you can go do it in the kitchen so Wyn and I can continue talking.” Mom chastises me. I stop my celebration and look at Wyn, who’s still sitting beside Mom looking completely uncomfortable about my outburst.
    “Sorry.” I say, rubbing my hand over the top of my head as I take my seat again.
    Mom turns her attention back to Wyn and asks. “If you don’t mind me asking, why haven’t you shared any of this with anyone else?”
    “It’s not the gypsy way. The woman stays home and takes care of the house and kids. We marry young, normally not finishing school. Me finishing high school is unusual, college is unheard of.”
    Mom nods her head in understanding and continues to ask Wyn questions. It feels so surreal sitting here on my parent’s floral printed couch while my Mom and Wyn discuss Wyn’s life. I feel almost like I’m in a dream. I’ve wanted them to meet for so long and I can