27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

ISABEL

Silence pulsed in the room when Helen was done, but emotion clogged my chest with her kind defense. I mouthed a quiet thank you to her, and we exchanged small smiles, but when I looked at Mom, any hope that remained within me drained from my body at her expression. It was hard, matching her eyes and the set of her jaw as she stared at the wall somewhere behind me. Nothing about her body language even hinted that she was willing to talk.

I swallowed, gripping Tucker’s arm, and he ran a hand along my back as I gathered the courage to speak. “Mom?”

Slowly, she shook her head, and her gaze went back to Helen. “I understand what you’re saying. And I’ll admit that I didn’t mean what I said to Tucker.” She looked at Jenna and Chuck next. “I’m sorry. That was me lashing out when I shouldn’t have. To y’all, too. But I do hold a lot of frustration towards him. As good as he is for Izzy, her life has been nothing but hard since they’ve been together. ”

Jenna’s lips pressed together, her eyes watering, and Chuck nodded slowly, accepting. “I can understand that. Thank you.”

“Don’t put all the blame on Tucker like you’re not part of the reason our lives have been hard.” Annie glared, killing the moment, and Mom tilted her head back in exasperation.

“I’ll get to you in a minute, Annabel.”

Annie’s eyes flashed with irritation, and I shot her a look, begging her to hold it in so I could have a chance at getting through to Mom. Tucker’s body suddenly grew stiff beneath mine, and I was surprised to see that Mom was now focused on him.

“I owe you an apology, too, and I’m sorry for what I said to you outside. You didn’t deserve that, and believe it or not, I do know that you love my daughter.”

Tucker gave a single nod. “I do.”

“But I still can’t give you and Isabel my blessing.”

My throat tightened, frustration welling inside me. “Why, Mom? I need the real reason.”

She looked at me, her gaze so harsh. I could see so much turmoil rolling inside her, and I hated it. She’d come home looking so much better, but she was scaring me now, making me worry that she might regress if she was still this angry inside. And for some reason, it seemed to rest on the wedding. “Please.”

“I have told you my reasons, Isabel. You just don’t want to hear them.”

“And I call BS on all of them.” Annie cut in. “You hate when we hold back from you, but you’re doing it to us, too. Izzy deserves an answer. A real one. So, talk. ”

Mom’s fingernails dug into the arms of her chair, and her nostrils flared as she sucked in a harsh breath. I shot Annie another look, genuinely worried this time, but she ignored it, stuck in a battle of wills with our mother.

“Tell. Izzy. The. Reason.”

“She’s. Too. Young.” Mom spoke through her teeth, and Annie gripped her hands into fists on her thighs.

“She’s going to marry Tucker whether you think she’s too young or not.”

Mom shook her head, adamant and desperate as she reached out for me. “No. You just can’t, Izzy. Please.”

“Why?!” Annie pushed, and Mom finally snapped, unleashing a glare on my sister that made her reel back.

“Because I don’t want her to end up divorced like me!”

We froze.

I was sure I hadn’t heard that right.

There was no way that I had.

She and Daddy had been happy. She’d been by his side until the end.

“What do you mean, Bridge?” Helen asked.

Mom began to shake, her hand releasing mine to grip in a fist in her lap. “Nothing.” She shook her head, clearly evading.

“Mom.” I looked at her, but she refused to meet my gaze. Refusing to meet anyone’s.

“We’ve been gone from the party long enough. We should head back.” She stood, and Jenna took her hand, stopping her before she could leave.

“Mom,” I said again, my voice more firm. “Mom!” She jumped, finally looking down at me. “What did that mean?” Her eyes flitted between mine, fear mixed with uncertainty and determination. “Why did you just say you were divorced?” I pressed, determined to break through to what she was hiding.

And then it hit me. Like a slap to the face I put the pieces together, the mystery finally starting to unravel. I’d wondered about it before, but she’d refused to answer then, too. “Zane’s dad.”

From my peripheral vision, I saw Jet, Annie, and Tucker’s heads whip to look at me, but I kept my eyes firmly locked with my mother’s, daring her to deny it. I wanted to see the moment of truth in her eyes.

It was almost right after I said it that I saw the shift in her expression. Her defeat. And her face crumpled as she knelt to the floor in front of Annie and me, her hands going to each of our laps to grab ours.

I nearly pulled away. My mind was in shock. Never, in any scenario I’d played in my thoughts, had I imagined my mother once married to that awful brute of a man.

“You were married to Zane’s dad?” Annie asked, disbelief mixing with horror on her face.

Mom nodded, shame filling her as she looked up at us, my world spinning. Tucker’s thumb brushed along my waist, reminding me he was here. Grounding me.

“How? When?”

“What happened?”

Annie’s and my questions mixed, and Mom sighed, sitting back to rest on her heels. She let go of us to wipe away the tears that fell down her cheeks.

“Don’t ask me this. Can it be enough to know that I was in an awful marriage before your dad and that’s what I’m afraid of for you?”

She looked up at me, and I could see the pleading in her eyes, but I shook my head. “No.” It was awful of me, but I just couldn’t make the pieces fit. I could not picture Mom with that man.

“Girls, please. Y’all were never supposed to know. It was a time in my life that I wanted to forget. And I had for so long. It was shoved back behind all of the good memories of your dad and the wonderful life we built together. Neither of you needed to know about that part of my past.”

“Well, I’m asking to know now. If it’s so awful that it’s holding you back from giving Tucker and me your blessing, then I need you to explain.”

Mom shook her head. “Izzy…”

“Tell me and I swear to stop holding back from you. All of you.” I looked up at Tucker’s parents, their expressions only growing confused. “I will tell y’all everything.”

“Trust me. Y’all need to hear it,” Tucker said, realizing what I planned to do.

Mom swallowed hard and closed her eyes before she began.

“Brian was my brother’s best friend. So many of my childhood memories include him. We basically grew up together, and even though I tried to deny my feelings, I had eyes for him for years, but it wasn’t until my sophomore year of high school that he finally noticed me. He was a senior at the time, and as soon as I realized he’d started flirting with me, I’d thought I’d died and gone to heaven. He was the heartthrob of the school, and I could hardly believe he was choosing me. Somehow, he had, and within months of us dating, I knew I was in love. He played the part of the perfect boyfriend so well. Everything about him was intense and possessive, but the way he could sweet talk was so perfect I could feel it down in my toes. Being with him was thrilling and encompassing, and my young heart was certain he was the one.

“Even when he left for college, he insisted we stay together. His school wasn’t too far away, but it was still the longest two years of my life, and when he proposed on my eighteenth birthday, I didn’t even second guess saying yes. My brother was already married and happy, and I just knew I wanted that life. My mom tried to talk me into waiting, but God, was I stubborn. I knew what I wanted, and when she tried to put her foot down, I ran off after graduation and eloped.”

Her nose scrunched. “Guess I should have considered that when I put my foot down with you today. Don’t do what I did. Please. If you insist on ignoring my concerns, at least don’t elope. It meant so much to my mom when she came to my next wedding. It hurt her so much to miss my first. I want you to wait, but if you refuse to, don’t make me miss yours.”

She looked up at me, and I nodded, her plea striking my chest. Seeing me agree, she continued. “Blake and Rosa were our witnesses, and just minutes before my wedding, she tried to warn me. She’d sensed it when I didn’t, but I was in love, and I didn’t listen.”

“She sensed what, Mom?” Annie asked, concern replacing any trace of her anger, and Mom closed her eyes again.

“What kind of man he was, the part of him that he was careful not to let others see. It was great in the beginning, though. I was the good little wife. Cleaning and cooking his meals, waiting for him at the door when he came home. The little Stepford Wife I thought I was supposed to be because I was too young to really know myself yet. I just wanted to make him happy. But what I did willingly in the beginning later felt like it was shoved down my throat. He didn’t appreciate it. He expected it. And while part of me didn’t mind, I wanted more in my life.

“I wasn’t allowed friends besides phone calls with our parents, Rosa, or my brother. He got mad when I tried to find a job, saying it wasn’t right for me to work around other men, and when I applied to school at the local university, he made me feel so guilty, especially when I tried to change my major to one he didn’t approve of. I’d only been working on my basics before that, and they’d all been online, but I had started craving socialization outside my tiny approved circle. I felt stifled. Caged. But every time I tried to let him know, he found some way to get in my head again.

“I was a goner for those sweet words of his, falling for them every time, and he was good at twisting things after he’d gotten mad, making it seem like he was the one forgiving me . But I loved him. So thoroughly that I couldn’t see the depth of the damage. How slowly, over time, I was barely myself anymore.

“We went through over two years of marriage that way. Then I found out I was pregnant.”

I stiffened, but Mom gripped my hand like she was begging me to listen, unable to stop now that she’d started.

“It was way ahead of what we’d planned. He’d wanted to finish law school first, but I was so excited and made it into a whole surprise when I told him, certain he’d have to feel as happy as I did. Instead, he was furious, storming out of our apartment and accusing me of ruining everything. After hours passed and he wouldn’t answer my calls, I had to call Blake to track him down, somehow convincing myself he was just surprised and that he just needed some time. Yes, it was early, but a baby was a blessing. So, I read aloud from baby books and talked about nursery plans for weeks. I even hung up sonogram pictures on our fridge, hoping he’d catch some of my excitement, and it finally felt like he was coming around. Until the morning I made the coffee wrong…”

My stomach twisted at hearing the change in her tone, and I could feel every bit of tension coming through Annie, too.

“I was going on about a picture of a crib I’d seen in a magazine when I felt the crack of his mug across my face. Stars blinded me, and I flew back, hitting my hip and lower back against the edge of the counter before landing hard on the ground while he yelled about weak coffee and his weak wife, and how he was sick of all of the baby talk.

“He grabbed his briefcase and books for that day’s law classes and slammed the door, leaving me surrounded by shattered ceramic and scalding coffee on the kitchen floor. I sat there for about five minutes in shock. It was the first time he’d hit me. Everything before that had been mental and emotional abuse, though I hadn’t acknowledged that yet at the time, and I was trying to reconcile how things had spiraled that far. Then the cramping started, and I had to crawl my way to the counter for the phone.

“Rosa was there in a heartbeat, and my brother was begging me to file a police report, knowing the second I told the doctors I’d just slipped and hit my face against the counter on the way down that I was lying. He knew what must have happened. Even before I lied, I think he knew. He’d just been in denial that his best friend would abuse his sister. Like how I’d been in denial about my marriage. That fracture in my cheekbone forced us both to face reality that day, and I think it was the first time I’d cursed my brother being a cop, but no matter how much he begged, I refused to press charges. There was too much history between the three of us.

“When Brian walked into the hospital room after classes that afternoon, his performance was…phenomenal. Even I was fooled. I’d been lying to myself and everyone else about him for so long, I couldn’t see which way was up anymore. My resolve before he’d arrived started to dissolve as he performed, but it was his reaction to losing the baby that finally did it. I was grieving, mourning the precious life we’d lost. And he was happy .

“ That was the moment I knew I was done. The next day when he left for class, I packed my bags and called Blake to pick me up. I never looked back. I swore I’d never be that weak, pathetic version of myself again, and I shoved him so far down in my past that I thought I’d buried his abuse for good. Until you said you wanted to get married, sweetheart.”

Her gaze shifted to Tucker. “Even knowing it was you she wanted to be with and how wonderful you are with her, it scared me. Brian was wonderful, too, in the beginning. When my protests at your engagement dinner failed, I did decide to support y’all, convincing myself I was being paranoid, but then Brian turned up at the school just days later after what happened to Izzy.” She paused, swallowing. “Seeing him again… seeing her hurt … it shoved all of my old trauma right back into my face, and I… I…”

Her lips pressed together, and I knew she was unable to finish, her throat visibly tightening as she swallowed and fought her tears. Mine were streaming down my cheeks, and just like she’d done for Annie earlier today, I slid from Tucker’s lap to the floor in front of her and wrapped her shaking body in my arms.

A giant sob escaped her chest, and she clung to me, only letting go when Annie joined us on the floor to bring her into our fold.

“I’m so sorry, Mom,” Annie murmured into her shoulder. “I didn’t know.”

“Because I never wanted you to.”

Several minutes passed where we cried, but we eventually sat back, each of us wiping tears from our cheeks, and I looked at Mom, seeing her so differently now. Seeing her for the survivor she was. For everything she’d been through back then and everything since with losing Daddy.

“I get it. I understand where you’re coming from and why you’re scared for me, but you have to believe me that Tucker isn’t like that. You know him, Mom. He’s not my trauma story. He’s my ever after. What you had with Daddy.” I reached out, and Tucker took my hand. “Please support us. I need your blessing, Mom. I need you there.”

She nodded, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. “You’ll have me. I promise.”

I pressed my lips together. Just…happy. Even though my heart was now breaking over what she’d had to go through.

Mom squeezed Annie’s and my hands, and we took her cue, standing as the guys pulled us back into their laps. Mom shifted to her knees, and then Dimitris held out his hand.

She paused, staring for a moment, but then let him help her up before taking her seat again by Jenna. She looked awkward and unsure after what she’d just revealed, and my heart went out to her a little more. But before I could try to reassure her, Jenna took her hand, gripping it between them and looking at my mom in a way that said she was so proud. That she had her back, and my chest lurched watching it.

“Now, what was it that y’all have to share?” Jenna turned her attention to Tucker and I, and Chuck leaned forward with a discerning stare.

“That we apparently need to know.”

My stomach dropped, and for a moment, I froze. I knew panic had set over my features when I caught the looks on Annie’s and Jet’s faces, but I’d promised our parents my story. M y trauma. I just hadn’t known Mom was about to unravel with sharing her own. I looked behind me to Tucker, desperate, asking what to do, and one look at my expression had him placing a kiss on my brow.

“You’ve got this, princess. You promised.”

There was double meaning in his words. There was the promise I’d made Mom just minutes ago and the one I’d promised months ago, the last time Ryder had gone too far. After today, I finally believed Tucker was willing to sacrifice his family for me. No resentment.

I just wondered if his family would feel the same.

Annie took my hand, feeding me the last bit of courage I needed, and I looked around at our parents, my gaze landing on Chuck’s. “It first started over a year ago at the beach house…”