8. Hazel
HAZEL
I’d packed my best outfits for this trip to Vegas, but they seem woefully inadequate for my surroundings.
“Does this look okay?” Turning again in front of the mirror, I assess the length of my short black skirt and smooth down the front of my silky green top.
“You look great, and before you ask again, your hair looks perfect. And so does your makeup.”
I’m not usually insecure, but I’ve never been married to a rock star before.
When I check my phone, there’s a message from Ember in all caps. “CALL MOM.”
Oh shit! I should have done that sooner. I’ll bet she’s worried, and I’m not sure Ember would have offered her much reassurance after her visit .
“I need to call my mom before I do anything else,” I tell Bliss as we leave the luxurious bathroom.
“Want some privacy?”
“No, that’s okay.” There are a sofa and chair in the bedroom, so we settle in there. But before I can call my mom, my phone rings. I don’t recognize the number, but so much has changed in my life so quickly that I don’t think too much about it before I take the call.
“Hello?”
“Is this Hazel?” a man’s voice asks.
I frown. “Who is this?”
“This is Joshua Smith from the Las Vegas Chronicle . Congratulations on your marriage! How are you finding your new life? Where did you and Conal meet?”
I frantically stab the End button. “Reporter,” I say to Bliss.
“Oh, yeah, everyone’s going to want to talk to you. Maybe you should take advantage of that.”
“No,” I say firmly, and tap my mom’s contact. As the phone rings, I brace myself. Up until last night, I’ve done my best not to add stress to her life.
“Hazel! How are you? ”
“Mom, I’m so sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner. It’s been a hectic morning.”
“Is that right? Looks like it was a busy night, too.”
“I’m sorry. I would’ve wanted to tell you first. I didn’t realize news would get out so quickly.” I’m grateful when she doesn’t ask why I didn’t call her last night. Drunk dialing my mom would surely have been worse than not calling her at all.
“And you just met this man last night?”
“I know it seems wild, and not like me at all.” Not like sober me, anyway. “Maybe we got carried away in the moment, but Conal’s a good man. He’s been very kind, and he’s a perfect gentleman.”
“Really?” Her skeptical tone tells me she’s been researching him, too.
“Yes, absolutely, and we’re staying in the most beautiful suite at The Golden Star.
” She’s not impressed by fancy things, but I hope this detail provides some reassurance.
“Would you like to see it?” I ask on impulse, and instantly regret it, since the focal point of the room I’m in is the giant bed with rumpled sheets.
Thinking it would look even worse to backtrack on my offer, I switch the call over to video and carefully curate her view, showing her my smiling face first, then Bliss’s, then a look out the window, much as it pains me to face the bright light. I wonder if it’s too soon to take more aspirin.
“Very nice,” Mom says evenly.
My little sister Coral’s face pops up behind her. “Let me see! Hi, Hazel! Is your husband there?”
A moment later, the man in question appears in the bedroom doorway. “Want me to say hello?” he asks in a whisper. It’s brave of him to offer after the encounter with my sister and her men.
I’m about to wave him away, thinking we can do this some other time, but he starts toward me, and I’m mesmerized by the charming grin that curls his lips.
“Hello, ma’am, it’s nice to meet you.” He gives my mom a respectful nod as he joins me.
“Oh my god, Conal Curran!” my sister cries, obscuring whatever my mom says in response.
“I hope I can meet you both in person sometime very soon,” Conal says. “In the meantime, I want to assure you that I’ll take very good care of your daughter.”
Mom pauses, looking back at him as if she’s gauging his sincerity. “That’s good to hear. This has come as quite a shock, of course. ”
“I understand completely.”
“I’m sure you lead a very busy life. How do you see Hazel fitting into it?”
Conal’s holding me close with an arm around my waist, but I twist to look at him, because that’s a really good question, and one that I hadn’t even thought about in much detail yet.
My head must still be fuzzier than I realize.
When we talked about me staying with him and his brothers, I hadn’t even asked where that would be.
He gives me a smile and looks at me as he starts to answer, before looking back at my mom. “If Hazel’s open to travel—and I hope she is—she’s very welcome to join us on tour?—”
Behind me, Bliss squeals with excitement.
“But luckily,” Conal continues, “we’re working on a new album and we’ll be stationed here in Las Vegas for a while. We have a house just outside the city.” As my mom nods at this, he adds, “You’re welcome to come and visit us. I could send a car for you.”
“We can talk about that later,” she says. “I just want to make sure Hazel’s okay.”
“Of course. It’s been really nice meeting you, and I hope we see you soon. I’ll leave you and Hazel to talk.” He excuses himself with another wave, and an extra grin over his shoulder just for me, before he disappears into the bathroom.
My mom must follow my eyes, because she seems to know when he’s gone. “And are you okay, Hazel?”
I nod quickly. “I’m good, Mom. It’s all still sinking in, of course, but I’m good.”
“Okay.” She’s silent for a long moment, searching my face even more deeply than she did Conal’s. “Be careful and be safe, Hazel. Listen to your heart, but also listen to your gut. You know you can call me anytime.”
“I know, Mom. Thank you.”
She’s obviously not thrilled about the quickie Vegas wedding, and probably even less thrilled that Conal’s a rock star, but she’s keeping her opinions to herself, and I appreciate it.
I also appreciate the fact that for now, she thinks it’s just me and Conal in this relationship.
It’s not that I want to keep things from her, but easing her into the whole situation seems like the right thing to do.
“Keep in touch, Hazel. I love you.”
“I love you too, Mom.”
As soon as I end the call, Bliss says, “You have the best mom. ”
“I know.”
“And the sexiest husband.” As soon as she says this, she claps her hand over her mouth. “Sorry. I swear to god, I’m trying to stop ogling your husband, but my god, he could charm the pants off of anyone.”
I just shake my head and smile. She’s not wrong. He apparently charmed me right down the aisle.