Sprinkled With Love

Chapter Nineteen: Meeting the parents

    Morgan got out of his truck first and walked to my side to open the door. 'My mom would have my behind if I wasn't a gentleman', he whispered in my ear as he helped me down. I smiled at him. "You have always been a gentleman to me handsome," I said and took his hand. We walked up the sidewalk to the front door of his parents house and as soon as we made it to the top step, the front door swung open and the lady I had seen in the window came out. She had the prettiest light red hair I had ever seen and her glasses framed her blue eyes perfectly. she was a few inches taller then me and I was wearing heels so thats saying something.

    "Barry! Morgan is here with Arizona!" She yelled back into the house. She turned back to face us and smiled. "Hello Arizona, I'm Melinda, it is a pleasure to finally meet you." I went to reach out my hand to shake hers but she immediately pulled me into a hug and I hugged her back. 

    "Nice to meet you Melinda," I smiled as she let me go. A man that was an exact replica of Morgan, or should I say Morgan was his exact replica, the only difference was a little bit of age, had walked out the front door. 

    "Arizona, this is my husband Barry," Melinda said and Barry stepped up.

    "Hi Barry, It is such a pleasure to meet you both," I said, and Barry reached out to give me a hug just the same as Melinda did, and I hugged back just the same. 

    "Well lets get in the house, It's supposed to be a chilly evening tonight," Melinda said ushering all of us in. The warmth that enveloped me as soon as I walked in was peaceful. Family pictures hung on the wall above the fireplace, and the light was so inviting. Morgan had his hand on my lower back leading me towards the kitchen where delicious smells were coming from. When we all entered I looked around, the open concept was amazing and the wood accents were beautiful. 

    "Your house is beautiful," I said taking everything in.

    "Thank you sweetie, now would you like anything to drink?" Melinda asked. " I just made a batch of crockpot apple cider with bourbon that is to die for or help yourself to anything in the fridge."

    "A nice warm glass of that apple cider sounds amazing right now," I replied and stood next to the counter, while Morgan walked off to go sit on the couch to watch a tv show with his dad. Melinda grabbed a clear coffee cup and used a ladle to pour in the cider. 

    "Here you go," She said and smiled as she handed it to me. I took a sip and immediately fell in love.

    "Oh.. oh my that is absolutely amazing." I took another sip and inhaled the sweet scent that came from the cup. "I have a cinnamon scone recipe that would pair amazing with this.." 

    "Well anytime you want the recipe to try out that combination let me know, but you'll have to share so I could try," She laughed and it was the sweetest thing ever.

    "Oh of course! No doubt about that." I smiled and laughed too. She put her arm around me and led me to another sitting room just off of the kitchen. There were so many plants and herbs every where, and books. 

    "Take a seat, we can hang in here while the boys do there thing," she said as she waved her arm across the room. I  chose to sit in a little iron chair at the table she had set up.

    "Thank you," I smiled.

    "So we have heard a little about you from Morgan, but why don't you tell me a little more about yourself." She said as she took the seat across from me. 

    "Well I own a bakery in the town I'm from and I sell all kinds of delicious baked treats, everything from apple turnovers to cupcakes, to scones. " I started with what I did for a living.

    "Morgan told us about your bakery and I have been wanting to go just haven't had a chance yet," Melinda said.

    "You are welcomed to come anytime, I'm actually going to be reopening soon, I'd love for you and Barry to come and see the shop that day," I said smiling.

    "I had heard about what happened from Morgan, how are you handling all that?" She asked and placed her hand on my in a comforting manner.

    "Its been rough, really rough. I don't have much, so almost losing everything all over again would've been a huge lose for me, and I have worked really hard the last month and a half to get it back to something I could be proud of again." I said looking down at the cup in my other hand. "Morgan was a big help in the beginning with getting everything organized to start the rebuilding process but you know how life works some times, we both got so busy we really didn't have time for each other and put a strain on the beginnings of us."

    "Morgan has always wanted to help, one of the main reasons he chose his profession. I remembered when he called us about what happened to your shop and how it was affecting him, because he wanted to help you but at the same time he had his obligations to the Sheriffs department." Melinda was holding my hand as we continued to talk about the shop. "Did you have any other help?" She questioned.

    "I mean I had Morgan and then his boss Tommy who is the closest thing I have to a father helped when he wasn't working, and my best friend Jane helped also, with out them I wouldn't have been ready to open up just before Thanksgiving." Melinda looked at me with what seemed like sadness.

    "You have very good people in your life," She smiled and I smiled back.

    "That I do, that I do."

    For the next hour Melinda and I talked about everything, from me losing my mom at a young age to losing my father 5 years ago. I had even talked to her about my abusive relationship with John and she just sat there listening to me with a hand covering her mouth as she gasped. When we were done talking she pulled me up into a tight hug. "If you ever need any extra love and support please do not hesitate to call us, I know Barry and I would be happy to help." She smiled looking at me, I hadn't felt love from a mother in so many years I forgotten what it felt like. 

    "Well I think its time to feed the boys, what do you say?" She asked.

    "I agree," I smiled and she wrapped an arm around me and we walked back into the kitchen together.

    She finished preparing dinner and got it all into serving dishes while I sat the table for her. I carried each item to the dinning room table, then went to the living room to let the men know dinner was ready. Morgan got up off of the couch and gave me a sweet kiss.

    "Ooh mama you out did yourself this time," Morgan said as he walked in and saw the table setting.

    "I out do myself all the time, I strive to perfect my meals," Melinda laughed and I giggled. I really really liked his mom. Morgan shook his head and took his seat at the table. I picked the seat from across him to let his parents take their spots.