I am still flustered about the comments Truex made on the plane, well maybe not his comments so much, but the fact that he thinks the situation is funny. That stupid smirk on his face tells me he finds my reaction amusing. We walk through the terminals following the groups of passengers to the baggage area. On the way he stops at book store, I wait not thinking anything of his sudden interest in buying a new book. My eyes narrow as I see just what reading material he's set on finding, he walks over to a shelving display of baby books. He picks up What to expect when you're expecting and a book of baby names. I glare at him but don't say anything as he carries them to the counter to pay. He will not get a reaction from me, that's exactly what he wants. I cannot give him the satisfaction. As he joins me once again, I tap my foot while silently reminding myself to stay calm.

"Ready?" He asks, nonchalantly.

I nod, taking a deep breath. We continue our walk, but only get about three feet from the shop before my hand grabs the white bag of books he just bought. Yanking it from his fingers, I flinging it low towards the wall close to us. I keep walking ignoring his chuckle. He catches up to me with the white bag back in his grasp and I wait by the baggage carousel.

"Stop sulking." He orders, drawing me close to him.

"Stop teasing me and I'll think about it." I respond, irritated.

"Alright. I'll stop." He says, sounding honest.

"Throw away those books." I order, crossing my arms.

He shakes his head no and leans down to put them on his carry on bag. I roll my eyes but don't say anything else about it. "What's the plan?" I ask, trying to put myself in a better mood.

He straights back up and glances at me. "We're going to rent a car and get a hotel room near your moms place. Then I figured we'd pick her up for dinner and tell her everything." He replies, watching for our luggage as the belt starts to move.

My stomach clenches at the thought of talking to my mom about us. She has never approved of anything I've done. Today wont be any different, I'm sure of it. She works part time but only mornings, she'd be home by now. "I'll call her after we get the car." I nod, agreeing with his plan. As much as I dread her disapproving and snarky remarks, it feels different having Truex with me. I'm not sure I care about her opinion on the subject, and if she wants to get mean about it, at least I have him there as a buffer.

Once we get the truck from the rental place and head towards my mothers apartment, I call her. She answers on the third ring. "Hello?"

"Hey, mom. Its me. I'm in town and thought maybe we could go to dinner." I say, nervously.

There's a pause. "What are you here for? You're not moving back in are you?" She asks, not happy with the thought but resigned to it. She always said I'd be back eventually.

"No, I'm not moving back. I'm just here to visit and introduce you to someone." I explain.

"Someone?" She asks, but I ignore the question in her voice.

"Yep. So, dinner? We can pick you up around 5?"

"Alright.'' She answers. I can tell she is suspicious and slightly annoyed that her night is going to be spent with me and my, someone. I end the call and turn to Truex who is concentrating on driving.

"Well, dinner is on." I state, simply.

"Good." He remarks, merging onto the expressway.

"Want me to drive?" I ask, knowing where we are going. More so then he does.

"No. I want to live to meet your family, thanks." He jokes. I roll my eyes and search for a hotel, using that as the address for navigation. That way I don't have to worry about giving him directions. For some reason I don't think Truex will think, turn at the next Mc. Donald's, or take a right at that white fence amusing. Mya hates when I give directions by landmarks and not by road names. Thinking of her I text her real quick, telling her we landed and asking how she's doing. I watch my screen for a couple minutes and don't receive a response.

"Should I really be nervous about meeting your mom?" Treux asks, suddenly. Drawing me from my thoughts.

I scoff. "No, shes just kinda rude. She tends to say exactly what she thinks without holding back."

"So, you're a lot like her." He states, simply.

"No! I'm not rude!"

"You're not?" He smirks.

I glare at him. "I'm honest." I correct, then reflect on my own behavior. "Am I rude?" I ask, worriedly. I cant be my mother, I panic at the thought.

He shrugs. "In a funny way, but only to people you know."

I let out the breath I was holding. "Well, thats where me and mom differ. She can be judgmental and bitchy to just about everyone she meets. I'm hoping she behaves tonight." I mutter.

We check into a hotel, not the one I chose from google maps. Apparently, Diva Truex needed a swankier establishment 25 minutes from my moms. Truex opens the door and we enter another suite at the top floor of the hotel. Its nice, clean and all I want is a shower and food. "I'm starving." I say, turning to him. If I'm hungry he has to be too.

"I'll go find something. Be back in a minute." He states, opening the door. "Love you."

"Love you, too." I reply, without thinking as the door closes. I stare at the floor, but I don't feel panic. I do love him, and there's nothing I can do about it. I drag myself to the bathroom with my toiletries bag, desperately needing a hot shower.

By the time I exit the bathroom clean and renewed I rush into the living space to smells of fried food. Sweet and sour chicken, my favorite. "Yum!" I say, my stomach rumbling.

"Don't eat too much. We're going to dinner in a couple hours." He cautions.

I wave him off. "I can always eat."

He shrugs. "True."

We eat in comfortable silence. After that, I get ready while he takes a shower. We both dress and walk to the parking lot, its a 25 minute drive to my moms apartment and I'm getting a little anxious. I want everything to go smoothly, and maybe for once it will. By the time we pull up to my moms building I've told myself a million times, it'll be fine.

Instinctively, I grab for Truex's hand as we walk into the building. Her place is on the first floor, I knock softy and we wait for her to answer the door. Normally, I'd walk in without formalities. However, it doesn't seem right going in with Truex unannounced.

The door opens and I put on a fake smile. "Hi, mom." I say, but shes not looking at me.

She looks up at Truex. "And who are you?" She questions, her eyes looking him up and down.

"This is Truex. Truex this is my mom, Alicia." Truex holds out his hand, she hesitates briefly but reciprocates shaking his hand while still looking slightly perplexed.

"Are you ready?" I ask, awkwardly.

"Just need to put my shoes on." She responds, leaving the door open to slide on her black flats. She picks up her purse from the floor and digs out her keys. We back up as she joins us in the hallway and locks the door.

We make our way back to the truck, when mom asks, "How long have you two been together?"

"Uh, not long." I reply, fuzzy on the details.

"She's been living with me for over a month." Truex answers.

"You moved in him? What about your apartment?" She asks, not happy that I would be living with a man. If I said I was living with Mya, I'm sure I would've gotten a different reaction.

"I couldn't afford it anymore." I say, truthfully.

Truex opens the door for me and my mom, I climb inside and my mom does the same. He closes the door and she turns to me. "Where did you meet this one?" She asks, unimpressed.

"Mya, its her brother." I reply, not needing to expand any further.

"And he's your boyfriend?" She inquires as Truex slips behind the wheel. I freeze. How do I say, He's my husband.

"Not exactly." I answer, looking at my fingernails.

"Keeping it casual? Thats good. You two are too young for anything serious." She concludes, sounding more relaxed.

"We're married." Truex tells her nonchalantly. I groan when I hear her sharp intake of breath.

"Married!" She shouts. "Briar!" The outrage and disappointment in those two words are evident.

"Yeah, we got married." I confirm, knowing she needs to hear it from me.

"Why would you do that? Are you pregnant?" She questions, shocked and dismayed.

"No, mom. I'm not pregnant." I say, closing my eyes.

"Then why would you do this?" She asks, in disbelief. "What have I told you about marriage? Its all a sham, a way for an overbearing man to tie you down. Congratulations, you're someone's property now."

"I would never think of Briar as my property, Alicia." Truex, refutes. I can tell by the sound of his voice he's defensive, but also genuine.

"You're the only one that thinks that, mom. We're married. This is your son in-law. He wanted to meet you. Please, don't make him regret it." I beg, a slight edginess to my voice.

She sits back, clearly not happy with my life choices. Not that its anything new. "Married." She grumbles. "I suppose there was a wedding I was excluded from?" She asks, crossing her arms and huffing loudly.

"It was a spur of the moment thing." I explain.

She looks at me wanting more of an explanation. I glance at her, then face forward again. "We did it in Vegas." I say, quietly.

She sits forward demanding my attention. "Have I not taught you anything? Vegas!" She shakes her head, shocked.

Treux pulls into the restaurant parking lot and parks the truck. Now we have a whole dinner to sit though, great. Why did we do this again?

Truex slides out and mom doesn't even attempt to open the truck door. "You've disappointed me, Briar. You should be an independent woman, doing your own thing. Not married to a man you've just met, tied down and stagnant. He wont make you happy, he'll make you miserable. Trust me on this." I see the hardness in her eyes. I know she honestly feels this way.

Truex opens the door and I ignore him. Focusing on my mom and looking her dead in the eye. "You're wrong. He's actually the only thing that makes me happy. I'm sorry you haven't found it, but I have." When I see shes about to argue, I cut her off. "No, mom. I'm not asking for your approval." I motion for her to get out and she finally does.