Page 19 of Roadrunner

He got an elbow into my ribs. “Alex is a real practical joker. Should’ve warned you.”

I gave his mother an apologetic look. “I was kidding, Missus—”

“No more Missus.” She waved a hand at that. “Adella. Everyone calls me Della.” A nod toward her husband. “That’s Antonio.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“I was joking about the engagement,” I said.

“Kind of,” Della said, pointing a forkful of turkey at Riley.

“Things are just going well the way they are,” I said, looking between them. “It’s way too early to be thinking about engagements.”

“Antonio proposed to me after six months,” she said. “This might be your first visit here, but I’m aware you two have been seeing each other about that long.”

“In my truck, in the parking lot of a taco place outside town,” Antonio said. “We were eating out of the bag. She asked for another taco and I handed her a ring instead.”

“The brown truck?” I asked.

“The green one,” Della said, laughing. “Heavens, no. Not that thing. A black Chevy. The same one we had our first kiss in. We spent a lot of time in that truck. Had to sell it a few years later, when money got tight.”

“That’s sad,” I said.

“If it means something to you, you protect it.” She folded her hands. “Trucks. Trinkets. Photos. Jewelry. People.” Her eyes flicked to Riley, then back to me. “Six months is a long time, and I’ve been after him to bring you by for most of it. He doesn’t bring girls home. The last one was his prom date, and that was only for pictures.”

“Don’t worry, Alex,” Addy said. “It’s not about you. He’s never brought a girl home before. Not once, not since I’ve been old enough to notice.”

Antonio shot her a look. “Adriana.”

“It’s fine,” Riley said.

“It’s not,” his father said. “Manners.”

“I was trying to be nice,” Addy said, coloring a little. “I wanted her to know it’s not that she’s not good enough, or whatever she’s thinking right now. It’s the opposite. He’s always been particular. Mom used to say he’d rather be alone forever than waste his time on someone who wasn’t worth it.”

Something in my chest turned over, slow and warm. I didn’t have all the reasons for it, but Riley’s carefulness with me suddenly made a different kind of sense. The rule about waiting until I turned twenty-one that he’d held to even when it plainly cost him something. He hadn’t been protecting himself from anything. He’d just never decided, before me, that anyone was worth the risk. A year ago I would have called it luck and waited for it to bounce. I let it stay.

“Can we eat in peace?” Riley said. “Please?”

“We’re just acknowledging an accomplishment,” Della said. “It’s exciting.”

“Glad I could add a little excitement to your life,” Riley said.

“Last time you brought someone home you were seventeen,” she said, fighting a smile. “That’s a long time ago.”

“E. Nough. Mother.” He stood. “Seriously.”

She looked him over. “And where do you think you’re going?”

“Pie.”

“I haven’t served the pie.” She nodded him back toward his chair. “Sit down. We’re eating and talking.”

“I want pie.”

“You’ll have it when we’re done eating.”

“I am done eating.”