As we walk into the restaurant I glance at Truex, expecting him to be a little put off by my mother. I'm surprised when I see the calm almost content look on his face. He's not at all bothered by my mom, as a matter of fact he looks almost happy. I give him a questioning glance as the waitress leads us to an empty table in the corner. He shrugs, grinning back at me, knowing he's just confused me even more. I mentally shake my head as I slide in the booth across from my mother. Truex joins my side as the waitress lists the drink specials. I peek at mom noticing she doesn't look as angry as she did in the truck, she appears more resigned to the fact that we're married. I knew this would've gone better over the phone. Now we have all of dinner for her to mull over our marriage.

    Taking the menu handed to me by the waitress I order a Coke, mom orders a glass of wine and Truex a water. I try to think of something to say, but stop when I hear mom clear her throat and ask, "So, what do you do for a living?" 

"I play football, professionally." He clarifies.

"Sports?" She chuckles, surprised by the answer. "Briar hates sports." She looks at me in disbelief.

I shrug, causally. "Still do, but I'm getting better." I smile, looking at the menu.

"Have you met his parents yet?" She questions, out of pure curiosity.

I nod, "I've met his mom and we plan on seeing his dad while we're here."  I tell her, knowing what the next question will be.

"And announce that you're married?" She questions, shaking her head.

"They know." I reply, feeling only slightly guilty.

I hear the annoyance in her voice, "Are they happy about it? I cant imagine that they would be." She mutters, looking down at her menu.

"Yes, they're happy for us." Truex states, for the first time agitated. Our waitress sets down our drinks. We order or meals, giving the interrogation a rest momentarily. I use the time to look at my phone and see a reply from Mya. I open the text message and read, I'm fine. How's Alicia? I respond with, She's so happy for us!....wait sorry, I meant unhappy.

"Isn't Mya getting married soon?" Mom questions. Already knowing the answer she continues to ask, "You're in the wedding, right? When is it?"

I look up from my phone and shift in my seat. "She called it off." I tell her, not wanting to explain the whole situation. Its still raw.

"Smart girl. I always liked her." She replies, breezily.

I roll my eyes knowing a dig when I hear one. "Get over it, mom."

"Get over it? Am I the last person you've told?" She asks, her eyes narrowing.

"Yeah, only because I knew this is how'd you respond. There are bigger mistakes I've could've made in my life, right now I think I'm doing pretty good." I argue, sticking up for myself.

She shakes her head and looks away. "You're just too young, Briar. I wanted more for you. I can't understand why you'd choose to get married so quickly. It doesn't make any sense. He said you were living together, wasn't that enough?" She asks, completely at a loss. To her, marriage is a death sentence. Why anyone would willing submit to it is beyond the realm of her understanding. Its not like I can tell her it was a sham wedding that turned into a very real marriage.

Taking a drink of my coke I think of how I should phrase my answer to her question. "We just wanted something quick and easy. No fuss, no frills. Simple." I explain, lying easily. "And since we were already there, we decided to just get it over with."

Mom shakes her head in response. "Well, you got what you wanted. What's next for you two? Tell me you're not thinking of having kids, not right away, wait for the ink to dry at least."

I nod not giving any clear answer to babies and say, "We're here to visit the rest of the family. Mine and his."

    Deliberately not mentioning my stepfather and siblings. Mom can be sensitive to the mistakes of the past and the ones she continues to make everyday. She hates to be wrong and I can't imagine her being happy with the life she leads now. Her "freedom", as she calls it cost her a good man and her family. I notice the tension grip her, but she doesn't respond verbally.

    The meal is ate in relative silence. Mom asks more questions about Truex and his job, where he lives and his plans for the future. By the end of the night I see that Truex somehow has gotten her to relax and their conversation continues to flow as we pull up to her apartment complex.

Truex holds the door open and Mom climbs down and I follow. "I'll walk her back." I tell him. Our eyes meet briefly and he nods.

"It was nice to meet you, Alicia." He tells her.

"You too, Truex. Take care of her." Mom responds, not waiting for a response as she walks towards the building.

"I can take care of myself." I grumble, following her.

She looks back smirking and pointing her finger. "Just remember that." She says, pointedly.

Making our way through the double doors and down the hall to her apartment I feel lighter. "You like him, right?" I ask, unable to help myself.

She nods. "He's different. Not at all what I pictured you to end up with. He can handle you. If this is what you want, so be it."

I gasp, trying to hide my smile. "No more anti-marriage lectures?"

"What good would it do? You already married him." She responds, disapprovingly.

"You married my father in Vegas and said it wasn't a real marriage." I remind her. "But you believe mine is real?"

"It wasn't legal." She states, strongly. "I never said it wasn't real."

"I'll have you know, Las Vegas weddings are very legal." I reply, seriously.

"Not mine." She replies, simply. I watch her unlock the door, about to ask her more when she adds, "He was already married."

"Oh." I respond, finally understanding.

She sighs, "Good luck, I guess."

I nod. "Bye, mom."

She gives me a small wave and shuts the door. I turn towards the front of the building leading out to the parking lot, a slight smile on my face. The glass door opens for me and I see Truex. "One down." I state, smirking.

"It wasn't as bad as you made it out to be."

"I know. I thought it would escalate at one point, but she was rather tamed tonight. I think you charmed her." I accuse, playfully.

As he pulls out into traffic I ask, "Are you sure you want to stick around to meet the rest of the family? We could fake a family emergency." I tease. Knowing full well he intends of meeting everyone.

He gives me a deadpan look. "I'm sure."

"I did get some clarification regarding my birth father and moms marriage."

"What do you mean?"

"Her marriage to my father, it wasn't legal."

His eyebrow lifts. "I told you marriages-"

"I know! But their's wasn't because he was already married." I explain.

Theres a brief pause before he asks,"And you never met him?"

I shake my head. "Not that I can remember. She never talks about him, I don't know what happened between them. Either she found out he was married and left him or he left her and went back to his family. I guess it doesn't really matter, now." I say, thinking about tomorrow and leaving the past in the past. "You're going to love the rest of the family. They'll be more welcoming, I promise."