Chapter 4 - The Unexpected Wedding

Avery

"Why are you so quiet?" Zane asked, and the amusement in his voice immediately made me straighten. "Like how it feels on you?"

My face heated instantly, and I looked down at the ridiculous thing in his hand before snapping my eyes back to him. "What do you think you're doing? And why are we even here?" I demanded, folding my arms across my chest as I tried to hide how embarrassed I was.

Zane only smirked, completely unfazed by my reaction. "I already told you before,” he said casually, turning back toward the shelves.

He began picking up a few things, including boxes of condoms and other adult products.

Then, without warning, he tossed a couple of condoms boxes toward me. I barely caught them against my chest and looked down at what he'd given me before looking back at him in disbelief.

"A gift for tagging along," he said, his mouth twitching. "You might need it later."

My jaw dropped. "Are you serious?" I glared at the boxes as if they had personally offended me.

Zane let out a quiet scoff. "Don't tell me you're a saint," he said, his mismatched eyes sweeping over me with an irritatingly confident look. "Because you don't look like one."

Heat rushed even deeper into my cheeks. "You don't even know me!" I snapped, but he only gave me that maddening half-smile before putting the things away in the motorcycle. I stood there watching him, completely speechless.

Zane climbed onto the motorcycle and looked back at me. "Do you want me to get you on again?" he asked, and the smugness in his voice made me narrow my eyes. I refused to give him the satisfaction of answering, so I climbed onto the bike myself and settled behind him. Before I could even adjust myself, his hand reached back and caught mine, guiding it firmly around his waist. My body stiffened at the sudden contact, but he didn't seem bothered.

"Hold on," he said simply.

Everything about today was crazy.

By the time the motorcycle finally stopped again, I was almost relieved to see an actual clothing store in front of us.

I climbed off and looked at him suspiciously. "Another stop?"

Zane removed his gloves, then looked at me, nodding toward the store. "We need to get you a dress."

I blinked. "A dress?"

"Or do you want to go to the party like this?"

My eyebrows pulled together. "What party?"

The moment I asked, his expression changed, and one eyebrow slowly lifted. "Chase didn't tell you?"

"Tell me what?" I asked, already feeling irritated.

He stared at me for a second before shaking his head. "Unbelievable."

"What?"

He turned and walked into the store, leaving me standing there for a second before I hurried after him. I had no idea what party he was talking about, but apparently everyone except me knew about it.

Inside, Zane immediately started looking through the dresses, picking one up, examining it, then putting it back. "No." He moved to another. "Not this." Another. "Definitely not."

I stared at him. "Are you choosing a dress for me or auditioning to be a fashion critic?"

He glanced at me, and the faintest smile appeared on his lips. "I'm trying to make sure you don't embarrass yourself."

"I wasn't planning to embarrass myself."

"Good. Then cooperate."

I rolled my eyes, but eventually my attention landed on a dress that immediately caught my eye. It was deep red satin, with a plunging neckline and an open back. I pulled it from the rack and held it against myself, staring at my reflection. It was nothing like the oversized clothes I normally wore.

"This one," I said quietly.

Zane turned toward me, and the moment his eyes landed on the dress, he went still.

"That's gonna look perfect on you." he said, his voice lower now, and somehow that made my heart beat faster. He stepped closer, taking the dress from my hands. "We're taking this."

Hs eyes dropped to my hair, which I'd packed up earlier, and he reached toward it. My breath caught when his fingers loosened it, letting my hair fall freely around my shoulders.

He looked at me for another moment, then gave a small nod. "This is better."

Something about the way he said it made my stomach flutter. I quickly looked away, pretending to be interested in the dress while he walked toward the counter and paid for it without giving me a chance to argue.

Minutes later we were back on the motorcycle, heading toward a party I hadn't even known existed.

When we finally arrived, the music and noise reached us before we even entered. I followed Zane inside, still trying to process how quickly my entire day had changed, when my eyes suddenly landed on Chase.

My heart immediately tightened. He was walking toward us with Piper beside him, and she looked beautiful in a blue dress, her hair styled neatly and her heels clicking against the floor as she walked. Chase looked happy, genuinely happy, and the sight of them together sent a dull ache straight through my chest. I hated that it still affected me, after seven years of loving him quietly, I still couldn't switch my feelings off just because he had chosen someone else.

Chase smiled when he reached us. "Thank you, Zane, for the help. What would I have done without you?" He laughed before turning toward me. "It's so nice to see you here, Avery. I'm sorry about earlier. You look so pretty.” He said and that made my stupid heart rise again.

I forced a smile, even though the sight of his arm so close to Piper made something inside me ache. "It's okay," I said, but even to my own ears my voice didn't sound as convincing as I wanted it to.

"Come on. I want to introduce you to my dad. He's finally getting remarried today." His grin widened as he reached for my hand and pulled me along.

I followed because I didn't know what else to do.

We stopped in front of an older man, and before I could properly greet him, Zane stepped forward and handed him the box of gifts he'd bought earlier. "Congratulations, Dad. These are for you.”

I nearly scoffed.

So those things had been for his dad? What the hell?

I pressed my lips together to stop myself from laughing at the absurdity of it all, but Chase was already speaking again.

"Dad, meet my bestie, Avery. Avery, meet my new stepmom."

My smile froze.

My eyes widened as I slowly turned toward the woman standing beside him in a white wedding dress.

For a second, everything around me seemed to disappear.

I knew that face.

My breath caught in my throat, and my heart seemed to stop before suddenly pounding hard enough to hurt.

Mom.

My mother.

I stared at her in disbelief, unable to make sense of what I was seeing.

Chase's dad was marrying my mom?

What the hell?!