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He takes my hand and leads me into the living room where he has a bunch of pictures he’s been drawing. I try my best to focus on what my son is telling me, but I can’t stop myself from anxiously darting my eyes backwards to see how Mom and Zoe are getting along.
Mom’s grilling her. Shit. I can’t help her while I’m here…
Eventually though, Mom offers to pour us drinks, so Zoe is now sitting on the couch with Wyatt. She’s looking a little weakened by Mom already which means I need to have a strong word with her. I storm into the kitchen to try and find out more.
“Isthatyour fiancée?” Mom hisses, starting in on me first. It seems like she was waiting for me to come in here. “She’s twenty-seven years old, Remy. Do you know that? You’re forty-five. That age difference is insane. Plus, she’s an actress. Youknowwomen like that are only after money. Or fame, whatever you can give them. What are you playing at?”
A possessiveness starts to rise up in me. “Zoe isn’t like that at all,” I insist. “I’ve known her for years. She’s a great person, with a heart of gold. Have you even taken the time to get to know her or are you just making an assumption based on a couple of facts?”
Mom scoffs. “Well, I’m not happy about this at all. If you want me to trust this gold digger, then I’m going to have to see how you’re living. If I can see you are living as an engaged couple, then I will be able to see what her intentions are. I don’t like thisat all.”
Oh God. I thought Mom was going to be happy about this. I thought she’d be the easy one to open up to about our relationship. I thought that she’d be so happy to see me “in love” that she wouldn’t push things. How wrong I was.
“Mom, I don’t think you need to stick your nose in so much…”
“I am also Wyatt’s guardian,” she snaps back. “I will do whatever I can to protect that boy. Your head might be up in the clouds because you’ve been swept off your feet by a young woman, but I have my feet firmly fixed on the ground. I need to be involved in this. In the wedding planning and everything. You’ll appreciate me doing this in the end.”
She hands me drinks and sends me back out into the living room. Now I’m the one in shock. I know my mother is overprotective of me and Wyatt, but I don’t want her to getthisinvolved. What am I going to do to stop this before Mom gets way too involved?
As I put the drinks down on the table, I hear my phone beeping with a message.
Zoe:Your mother doesn’t like me, does she?
My heart breaks as I scan my eyes over those words. I shouldn’t have brought Zoe here just to make her feel like shit. I can’t let my mom keep on doing this.
Remy:It just takes her a while, that’s all.
Zoe:She thinks I’m with you for all the wrong reasons…
Remy:How little she knows! We’re both in it for the wrong reasons.
It pleases me to see her smiling. I’m glad I can do that for her.
Remy:It looks like Wyatt adores you anyway!
Surprisingly, Wyatt really does seem to have warmed to Zoe quickly. He’s already sitting beside her, talking to her about things happening on the TV. He doesn’t normally react this way to people. I’m impressed! At least one introduction has gone well.
Zoe:He’s a cute kid. You’ve done a great job with him. What a sweetheart!
See? If Mom gave Zoe a chance, she would love her. I really am surprised by her reaction. I don’t think that Zoe looks too young for me. I guess it is an eighteen-year difference between us, but age is just a number, right? It doesn’t need to be something she gives me a side-eye about.
“Dinner is almost ready,” Mom barks from the kitchen. I can tell she isn’t coming in here to prove a point. I know she was excited about this meeting at first, when I called her about it, so this is all just to wind me up and let me know what she thinks. “Do you want to set the table, Remy?”
My mother’s opinion wouldn’t normally matter. The only reason I’m upset is because this plan is based partly around her, so her rudeness is shocking. Plus, she really is deeply involved in Wyatt’s life, so I have to listen to her a little.
But for now, I’m on Zoe’s side. I’m going to defend her to the bitter end. I want her to know that I’m going to support her no matter what my mother says.
“Come on, Zoe. Give me a hand if you don’t mind.”
She smiles gratefully at me, before taking my hand as I lead her into the dining room. The feel of her skin against mine is just too much. The sparkling chemical reaction in my body is just too much. I can’t remember the last time I felt like this with anyone.
I’m surprised my hawk-eyed mother can’t see this. Or maybe she can and that’s why she’s upset. I can’t work out what goes on in my mother’s head, and I probably shouldn’t try.
“We might need to go for a drink after this,” I murmur to her, quietly, bringing her beautiful smile back on her face. “What do you think? Wyatt is staying here anyway because I have work in the morning, so I can talk to you a bit more then…”
“Oh, hell yeah, I definitely like that plan. That’ll help me get through this.”
I nod in agreement, completely understanding what she means. It’s heavy. Much heavier than I warned her about. I owe her a few drinks to recover. I also need to pray my mother doesn’t put her off me forever.
