Chapter 64: Maid of honor

"Wow, Mom, you look absolutely gorgeous and stunning!". I exclaim as I look at her.

"Do you think he's the one?".

"Without a doubt!"

"Well I'm glad you like it," she says smiling at me. "Now it's time for your bridesmaid dress fitting," she says and I groan.

"Do I have to?"

"Yes!" I grumble as I get up from the chair I was sitting in.

I walk into the dressing room and look at the selection they have for me. I try on a few before settling on a floor-length, simple, powder pink dress with a deep V in the front. I make sure to choose one with long sleeves because of the scars.

"Are you sure you want one with long sleeves? It's going to be hot," Mom asks as I walk out of the fitting room and show her the dress.

"It's okay. The sleeves are lace, so it's lightweight and won't be hot," I tell her. When she inspects it, she sees that I'm right.

"Very nice. You look gorgeous too," she says as she gives me a warm smile.

"Thanks, Mom," I say, smiling back before I go to put on my clothes. They also give us shoes to match the dresses and I'm glad. That way we don't have to go to another store for shoes. I like shopping as much as the next guy, but I'm not in the mood today.

When we are done, the staff tells mom that they will send us the dresses. She agrees and we get out of there.

"Let's go to dinner early," she tells me as we get into her car. I look at the time and see that it's already five-thirty in the afternoon. On the other hand, we leave the house quite late.

"Okay," I tell him, but the thought of eating makes me nauseous. I'll have to find a way to eat without throwing up in front of her. If I don't eat, she'll be all over me right away, asking me what's wrong with me. I don't need that right now.

Ten minutes later, we arrive at the most expensive restaurant in town, get out of the car and walk in.

"Hello, ma'am. Your dinner is already here," the hostess greets my mother as we walk in.

"What, we're having dinner with someone else?" I ask. This is news to me.

"Yes. We're having dinner with Jackson," she tells me, as if it's no big deal.

"A warning would have been nice!" I growl at him.

"I'm sorry, honey. I forgot," he says apologetically.

I don't believe her for a second. She was the one who said to go out to dinner, so she obviously knew she was meeting him here. Plus, she had plenty of time to warn me in the car.

I mean, a little warning beforehand would have been nice.

It's like I've been left out of the loop and she's been living her own life since we got here. Like I'm not important enough to her to make decisions and I hate it. I'm starting to feel like a stranger in my own family, like I feel everywhere else in this town.

The hostess tells us to follow her and we do. When we get to the table, Jackson Riverside is already sitting there. I have to admit, the man is handsome for his age. Well, he's not that old. He looks to be in his early forties and he's fit.

I can see where Rayan got his godlike features. He and his father look carved like Greek gods.

"Hi, honey," he says to my mother as he rises from his seat when we approach. He pulls her chair closer to her and then does the same to me.

"Thank you," I say as he returns to his seat.

"And you must be Lia," she says with a smile that seems genuine. There's something else in her expression that I can't quite put my finger on. It's weird, because she keeps looking at me.

"Are you ready to order, honey?" my mother asks her, and then she seems to come to. She laughs and clears her throat. I shrug because, well, what else am I going to do?

Everyone asks. As we wait seated, I can't help but look around. The restaurant is elegant and spacious, and it screams that only people with money come here.

Mom and Jackson are deep in conversation, and from the looks of it, I can tell they're really in love. They keep touching each other as they talk. As I watch them, I can't help but wish I had something like that someday too.

He's polite, and even engages me in conversation a couple of times. I wish his son looked like him. It's clear that Rayan has a lot to learn from his father, especially how to be a gentleman and how to be polite. The two are polar opposites.

The food arrives and both mom and Jackson get down to business. I just push the food around on my plate and barely take a bite. I'm not hungry. I hope they don't notice.

"So, Lia , are you ready for the move tomorrow?" asks Jackson when we finish eating. I stare at him like I'm stupid.

"Sorry, what?" I ask dumbly.

"Shit! I haven't gotten a chance to tell him yet," Mom says.

"Well, there's no time like the present," he says.

"Mom, really?" I almost shriek, but restrain myself when I remember where we are.

"I'm sorry, honey. I forgot to tell you because I've been so busy with work and preparations," she tells me.

"Since the wedding is coming up soon, now is as good a time as any," Jackson tells me .

"Again, a little warning would have been nice," I grumble. "Can I take your car home? I'm not feeling too well."

He nods and hands me the keys.

He knows me well enough to know that I need a little time to process what just happened. I need to be alone, especially because of how I felt before, when we first got here. I feel like a stranger again.

"Feel better, sweetheart. We'll talk when I get home. I have some things to take care of, so I'll be home in the morning," he tells me, and I nod my head before saying goodbye to Jackson and walking out of there.

My head feels like it's going to explode with all the shit that's changing so fast. Now I'm going to live with my tormentor and I don't know how to feel about it. I mean, I know about the upcoming wedding but somehow I didn't think about what it would entail.

I didn't think about the fact that there was a possibility that we would move into his house. I thought they would live apart or something. Clearly I'm dumb and was surprised by that fact. My life is great.

When I got home from dinner last night, I was still very angry at my mother for the way she is acting. She makes me feel like I'm not part of her family anymore and acts like Jackson is her whole world. I'm just on the sidelines.

I stormed into my room and stopped at the door. There was something different in my room, but I didn't know what it was. I was too angry to investigate, so I took another sleeping pill and went straight to bed.

The next day, the ruckus downstairs wakes me from sleep. As soon as I wake up, all I can think is that it's too early in the morning to be disturbed like this, especially on a Sunday. I put an arm over my eyes and let out a groan. The noise seems to get louder every second.

I make out different voices and wonder who the hell is here. I feel terrible, like I've been hit by a freight train. I don't want to get up. But, aware that I have to, I sit up and stretch before getting up and stumbling down the stairs.

I know I have a grumpy expression on my face when I walk into the kitchen and see my mother standing there directing people to gather our things. As I look around, I notice that there are people in the other rooms as well.