“My flight got in early, and I wanted to surprise you.” Zac gave her another hug before setting her down on her feet. “You look great, Mom.”
Sophia tucked her phone into her pocket and slapped his arm. “Why didn’t you tell me you were coming in? I would’ve come to pick you up.”
Zac gave her a sheepish smile and rubbed his arm. “Zoe had a free class, so she came to get me and dropped me off a few blocks away.”
“So, you’re all in on it?” Sophia threw her arms around him for another hug and inhaled, catching the faint scent ofaftershave and spicy cologne. “Sweetheart, you’re all skin and bones. Don’t they feed you at all?”
Zac drew back and waved her comment away. “Of course, they do, but I am on my feet most of the day, so it’s part of the job.”
Sophia peered at him, taking in the way his clothes hung off of his frame and the gauntness of his face. “It’s part of your job to look emaciated? That doesn’t make sense.”
Zac smiled at her. “I’ll tell you all about it later.”
“What’s later?”
“Dad called everyone, and we’re all meeting at the Bahamas Mamas at four. Should give you some time to change after work. Here.” Zac reached into his bag and pulled out another smaller bag. “Dad packed some clothes for you and handed them to Zoe.”
Sophia’s eyes filled with tears. “It’s so good to have you back. I’ve really missed you.”
And she loved that they’d all gone through a lot of effort to make sure it was a surprise.
After another quick hug, Zac looped his arm through his and dragged her back into the bakery. He waved at everyone in greeting before pressing a kiss to her cheek and disappearing. In a daze, she returned to work, the smile never leaving her face. Not even Valerie’s snooty and snarky comments could bring her down from her high.
At least until she was reminded that the big influencer wedding was in two days.
She spent the rest of the day making a list of things to do with Zac and trying to avoid thinking about the influencer. A few hours later, when she pulled up a few blocks away from the strip of restaurants running through the center of Falmouth, she was humming to herself. She ran into Zoe on her walk there, and the two of them walked in with their arms looped around each other.
Aunt Ashley and Uncle Jude were already perusing the menu when they walked in. Jeff and Tay walked in later with their kids, Jason and Maria, in tow. Then Emily swept in, loudly exclaiming over Zac’s appearance before she stepped aside, allowing Savannah and Charlotte to greet their cousin. Tara materialized as a few more tables were being propped together, red-faced and out of breath. Ruby trailed behind her in baggy clothes, never once looking up from her phone.
Uncle Frankie, his family, and Grandpa Frank and Grandma Jen were the last to arrive when a slew of appetizers had already been set out on the table. Several plates of nachos, quesadillas, and tacos were spread throughout the tables. Sophia was nibbling on her chili cheese fries as she half listened to the conversation around her while she kept sneaking glances at her son.
Zac looked uncomfortable with all of the attention, his bright green eyes even more pronounced because of the dark circles underneath. He kept pushing his shaggy blonde hair out of his eyes, and Sophia kept finding excuses to pat his hand underneath the table. Even though it had been two years since she’d last set eyes on him in person, everything about Zac looked the same.
Underneath the scruff, the redness of his skin, and his lanky but lean frame was the little boy she’d carried around for nine months. And she couldn’t have been more thrilled that he’d finally decided to come back, especially when Darren rushed in, still in his firefighter’s uniform, and picked Zac up for a hug. The two of them embraced for a long time before Darren sat him back down on his feet and pulled out a chair next to Sophia.
Dinner was full of laughter and easy conversation.
During the walk home, the four of them walked back together, just like old times.
A day later, Sophia was organizing trays in the kitchen at the wedding when Zac and Zoe appeared in the black and white waiter’s uniform.
“We thought we’d volunteer since this is a big event, and you can’t miss it.” Zac dropped a kiss on top of her forehead and smiled. “So, what do you want us to do first?”
All through the preparations, Sophia and her kids exchanged giggles and stories. By the time the wedding was in full swing, the three of them were lingering near the backdoor of the inn, nibbling on finger foods and sipping on wine. All of the people in attendance were in the shortest dresses possible, with pounds of makeup on their faces. All of the men looked like they’d rather be anywhere else.
In the middle of the makeshift dance floor set up in the backyard of the hotel, the wife was swaying to the music with her husband. He had his arms around her waist and a pained expression on his face. Sophia kept sneaking glances at them, but it wasn’t until she peered closer that she realized why the whole thing looked off.
Suddenly, she scrambled forward with Zac and Zoe hot on her heels.
Maddison was screaming and trying to yank her flammable wig off. When she succeeded in throwing it onto the floor, all of the wedding guests jumped back, and a murmur of horror rose through the crowd. In the distance, Sophia could make out the familiar sounds of the firetruck, the colors lighting up the starless night sky. Sophia was swatting at the fire and trying to put it out to no avail. It wasn’t long before they arrived, with Darren leading the charge.
The smell of smoke and sweat rose through the air.
It didn’t take long before the fire was contained, making a charred mess of Maddison’s wig. Her bottom lip was trembling till her eyes landed on Darren, and she perked up. Maddisonwent over to him, placed her long, manicured nails against his chest, and batted her eyes at him. In the background, her husband was bent over his phone, a furrow between his brows.
“Ma’am, you need to be careful of how much hair spray you use on materials like this,” Darren warned Maddison with a frown. “You could’ve been seriously hurt.”
Maddison pouted. “It’s a good thing you were around to save me. Is someone livestreaming this?”
