My spouse whisked me away to his quaint hometown to introduce me to his parents! The moment I laid eyes on his mother, I was utterly PETRIFIED—and what unfolded next left me completely STUNNED….

Her dark eyes narrowed, lips pursed in a thoughtful frown. “Billy, where’d you find such a little thing?” she asked, half-teasing.

My husband chuckled, patting my shoulder. “You know where, Ma. In the city, at the library. She was sorting books, and I walked by—done for.”

“Well, come on in, no sense freezin’ on the doorstep! Kick off your shoes, I just mopped the floors,” Clara ordered, turning toward the door.

William and I exchanged a glance. I caught the genuine affection in his eyes for this boisterous woman.

Out in the yard, curious neighborhood kids had gathered, mouths agape, staring at us newcomers.

One of them, a scruffy boy in a worn jacket, got an errand from Clara: “Tommy, run over to Mrs. Jenkins! Tell George that Billy’s here with his bride!”

“Got it!” the kid shouted, bolting down the street, kicking up little clouds of dust.

We stepped inside the house. William helped me slip off my trendy secondhand coat, bought with our last few bucks, and hung it carefully on a wooden rack under the cracked plaster ceiling.

Then he took my chilled hands and pressed them to the warm, whitewashed side of the woodstove. He brushed his cheek against them.

“My sweet girl, still warm!” he whispered with a smile. His words sent a wave of warmth through me.

Meanwhile, the kitchen was alive with clatter—cast-iron skillets, pottery jugs, clinking glasses, and aluminum spoons. Clara was setting the table at a pace that made it seem like she’d been waiting for us her whole life.

While she bustled, I took in the rural home with curiosity. In the corner, under the ceiling, hung darkened family photos framed with embroidered cloths.

White curtains with tiny flowers swayed at the windows. Handwoven rugs, colorful but faded from years of use, covered the floor and stools.

By the stove, a ginger cat—or maybe a tom, I couldn’t tell—dozed with its back to us, lazily twitching its tail in sleep.

“We got married last week,” William’s voice reached me, as if from far away, while I soaked in this unfamiliar world…