Chapter 13
Zoe
Riggs holds my hand as we make our way through the hotel to the restaurant where we’re meeting Mom and Stone. I keep stealing glances at the wedding band on my left finger because it feels conspicuous on my hand.
“I’ll get you a diamond after breakfast,” he says after catching me staring at my ring.
“I don’t need anything else. This is perfect.” And it is. Well, as perfect as a surprise marriage can be.
After wrapping my head around the fact that I’m three months shy of my twenty-first birthday and married, I looked through my phone to see if there was evidence of the previous night. I found pictures of last night and a video someone took of our wedding. Neither of us looks drunk. In fact, we look happy and in love. It’s a good thing, too, because now I can show these to Mom and Stone. I even set the one of Riggs kissing me after our vows as my social media profile picture when I changed my status to married and my last name to Malone. I thought that would show my mom this wasn’t just an act of rebellion. After my status update, I had to turn off my phone because the texts and phone calls were out of control. I don’t want reality to detract from living out my fantasy as his wife.
I take a deep breath, gripping Riggs’ hand tighter when we step into the restaurant. Mom and Stone are already waiting for us. Riggs squeezes my hand as if letting me know he’s got my back. It feels good to be a part of a team for once.
“Zoe, what on earth were you thinking?” my mom hisses when we get close to the table. The disappointment in her glare causes my breath to catch in my throat.
Instead of arguing, I ignore her question. There’s no answer that will appease her. “Mom, this is Riggs.”
He extends his hand, shaking hers and then fist bumping Stone. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Zoe has told me so much about you.”
“That’s funny,” Mom snorts. “She’s told me absolutely nothing about you.”
“Jules,” Stone warns before turning to us. “Let’s sit.” He may be on Mom’s side, but I’m glad he’s here to act as the voice of reason. Little rattles Stone.
My mom cries openly, not caring that people are watching us. “Honestly, Zoe. I don’t know what to say. This isn’t like you.”
“What isn’t like me?” I ask through gritted teeth. As if she even knows who I am anymore. How could she? I’m not sure I even know.
Riggs reaches over and places his hand on my thigh. My mom glares at him while Stone looks like he’s about to reach across the table and rip out my new husband’s throat. Okay, so maybe Stone is more rattled than I thought.
The server brings a pitcher of mimosas to the table. Riggs holds up his glass as soon as she’s gone. “A toast to family.”
I clink glasses with him, smiling. “To family.”
“You’re not old enough to drink that,” Mom scolds.
Riggs levels her with a look. “I won’t have anyone disrespecting my wife. Not even you,” he warns.
Stone’s nostrils flare. “You’ll be careful how you address my wife .”
“Enough,” I say firmly. “This is supposed to be a celebration.” I hope I sound more confident than I feel because inside I’m shaking.
My mom frowns, flaring her nostrils. “Is he why you wanted to drop out of college? You don’t think you need a degree now that you have a sugar daddy?”
Her disappointment is so heavy it suffocates me. My throat tightens as I fight to hold back my tears. “It’s not like that.” My voice is so quiet that I’m not sure she hears me.
My distress must bother her because she softens. “Zoe, sweetie, I don’t understand.” It’s her turn to sound like she’s on the verge of tears.
“You’re not even trying,” I hiss. “Can’t you ever just be happy for me?”
Her face falls, and I feel terrible for making her sad. My mom and I are so similar that we fight a lot, but I also love her fiercely.
“I’m sorry,” I whisper.
Riggs puts his arm around me, pulls me toward him, and kisses my temple. “I’m so proud of you,” he whispers, where only I can hear.
I turn to face him and see he means this. I place a hand on his cheek and rub my thumb along his lower lip. “Thank you.” I want to tell him how much it means to me that he’s on my side, and I’m no longer alone. But I can’t say all that. Not in front of Mom. It would break her heart. I’ve done enough as it is.
Stone clears his throat. “Zoe, you have to understand this is a surprise. Your mom and I had no idea you were even dating someone. Let alone that it was serious enough for marriage.”
Mom nods in agreement as she dabs her eyes with the napkin. “Are you pregnant?”
“What? No! I’m a virgin.” I realize what I just admitted when her eyes widen. “I mean. I was, um, you know what I mean.”
“Somehow that’s even worse,” she says, frowning.
Riggs lets out a long breath. “I know this is a lot to digest, but Zoe is extremely mature for her age. We met at Sin & Ink and then ran into each other later that week. As much as I didn’t want to be attracted to a woman so much younger than me, fate kept throwing us together.”
“That or your mid-life crisis,” Stone mutters.
“Come on, man. You know me.” I hate that he thinks the worst of me.
Stone shrugs. “I’ve tattooed you. That doesn’t make us friends.”
Riggs tenses, pursing his lips.
“I think we should go,” I say, placing my napkin on the table.
“We’re not leaving Vegas without you,” Mom declares as if she still has a say in what I do.
“That’s not your choice to make,” Riggs tells her, taking my hand in his. I’m so thankful for his support right now that I could kiss him.
I grin, realizing I can kiss him. Whenever I want.
He must read my mind, because he smirks.
Stone sighs. “Zoe, your mom and I are here for the next two nights. Give us some time to process this. We can meet for lunch tomorrow and discuss where to go from here. We don’t want to leave things like this.”
I shoot Stone a grateful look. He’s always so level headed. He’s also the one person who can get my mom to come around. I just have to show him I’m not some rebellious child, which is easier said than done because that’s exactly how I ended up out here, married.
Riggs smiles, sitting back down. “That’s a great idea. Now, let’s order because I’m starving.”
The rest of lunch is tense, but bearable. Mom makes a few pointed remarks, but everyone overlooks them. It’s not until we’re parting ways that she pulls me into her arms, hugging me tightly.
“I love you so much.” The emotion behind her words is raw, and it makes me cry. “I always dreamed of your wedding day, but I missed it.”
I cling to her, sobbing. “I don’t want you to be mad at me. I love you.”
“I’m not mad. I just feel like I’ve failed you.”
I pull back and look at her face for a moment, hating how sad she looks. “You haven’t.”
She glances at Riggs. “I know your dad’s. . .” She trails off, unable to say the word. Suicide. It’s a black curse that hangs over every conversation about Dad. His legacy is not one of him coaching my softball team when I was five or teaching me how to play the guitar. No. He’s become the man who chose death over his family. His depression has tainted every moment he touched, leaving us wondering. Was his smile ever real?
“Mom, I didn’t marry Riggs because I have daddy issues. I can’t explain it, but he just feels. . .” It’s my turn to trail off. Anything I say will reveal the fact that our marriage is a drunken sham. I need her to believe it’s real. Otherwise, she’ll never leave me here with Riggs. And with him is the only place I want to be.
She nods, as if she understands how I feel. “I was scared when I met Stone. He made me feel so many things, and I fought them all.” She pushes my hair off my face, kissing my forehead. “You’ve always been my brave girl. If this is truly what you want, I’ll support you.” She glances at Riggs, then back at me. “Just know that I will always be your home.”
I’m suddenly transported back to being a little girl, not wanting my mommy to leave me. Riggs must sense the shift because he places a hand on my arm, gently pulling me to his side. I sniffle, trying to stop the tears that drip down my cheeks, dampening the collar of my shirt. He rubs my back, kissing my temple. Stone does the same for my mom.
At this moment, I feel closer to Mom than I ever have before, and yet, I’ve never felt so far away. Everything between us has changed. While I’ll always be her little girl, I’ll also never be her little girl ever again.
“We’ll see you tomorrow,” Stone says, steering my mother away.
Riggs turns to me with a sad smile. “I guess that went better than expected.”
I nod. “What should we do now?”
“We can do whatever you want.”
I grin. Although I’m too shy to ask for what I really want, I have a list of things I want to try in Vegas. “I want to visit the wax museum. Is that too silly?”
He kisses my knuckle just above my wedding band. “Your wish is my command.”
I could get used to this.