Page 58 of Beauty Of Her

My eyes darted down and across the hallway to Zoe’s closed door with a sign reading, ‘Must Knock.’ I took a deep breath and knocked lightly on Zoe's door, waiting for her response. After a few moments, I heard a muffled "Come in" and entered her room. Zoe was sprawled out on her bed, flipping through something on her tablet. As soon as she saw me, she sat up with a curious look.

"Hey, Mom," she greeted me, lifting an eyebrow. "Everything alright?" Zoe tossed the tablet aside and pushed up against the black headboard. She tucked herself under the matching covers. I gazed around the room, realizing how much color her room lacked, aside from the light pink hue from the fairy lights hanging above her head.

I gave her a small smile and sat at the edge of her bed. "Yeah, everything's fine," I reassured her. "Just had a long day and wanted to check in with my girls."

Zoe arched her eyebrow even higher, seeing through my lie. "Uh-huh," she replied skeptically.

“I saw Dad today, and we spoke.”

Zoe instantly rolled her eyes and hugged her knees up to her chest.

“Are you mad at your father?”

Zoe did a double-take and shut her mouth, teeth clanking, before answering. “I don’t hate him if that’s what you’re asking.” She reached over and turned off her bedside lamp, shutting this conversation and me out.

“Can’t we just talk about this a little?”

“We are talking, okay? If Dad wants to talk to me about something, let him call me. Or talk about it in person. Don’t act like his messenger.”

“He didn’t put me up to this. I just…” I trailed off, losing focus. “You haven’t been the same since the divorce.”

“I was eight when you guys split.” Zoe hoisted the covers up to her chin, drowning me out. “Of course, I’ve changed since.”

I leaned against the headboard and gazed at my daughter's silhouette under the covers. It pained me to see her shutting me out, building walls to protect herself from further disappointment. I knew she needed more than just words from me; she needed action, reassurance that I was there for her.

Taking a deep breath, I gently touched Zoe's arm. She flinched at first but then relaxed slightly under my touch. "Zoe, I'm sorry," I whispered, my voice strained with emotion.

“Don’t be,” she mumbled under the black duvet blanket. “And to answer your question, I don’t hate Dad. I just don’t like him sometimes. He could have just left before finding someone to replace us with.” Zoe exhaled, and when I thought I could insert my opinion, she said, “Goodnight.”

I should have fought harder, just pushed Zoe for one more minute of opening up her chest of wounds to me, but I didn’t. “Goodnight.”

My body buzzed from nerves, and I needed to get it together within the next hour because she would meet my parents at this industry gala. Originally, Bridgette wasn’t going to come, but after I begged her to be a buffer between Julia and my parents while throwing in the possibility of her making future business connections, she was in. I swore that woman would do anything to further her career.

I rented a car for the night, so we didn’t have to worry about transportation and hopefully loosen up and have a good time, but this entire plan seemed unlikely. We pulled into the driveway, and I instructed the driver to wait for a few minutes while I fetched Julia. I checked my appearance in the pull-down mirror before emerging from the car. It wasn’t a black tie event, but I dressed as if it were. I wore a stupid black tie, a suit, and a crisp white shirt. I resembled more of a secret service agent than a guess at some affair. As I approached the front door of Julia's house, my heart raced with anticipation and unease.

I took a deep breath before ringing the doorbell, trying to calm the nerves that threatened to betray me. The door swung open, and Julia stood in a sleek black dress that hugged her curves in all the right places. Her eyes met mine, searching for something she couldn't quite say. I reached out and gently took her hand, intertwining our fingers.

“You’re gorgeous,” I uttered, and all my doubts vanished. Seeing Julia, I knew I needed her and do whatever it took to make it work. She had me wrapped around her finger, and I wasn’t complaining.

Julia smiled, a hint of warmth returning to her eyes as she squeezed my hand. “Thank you. You look pretty cute, too.”

I mock tightened my tie. “Consider me your bodyguard for the evening.”

“Gladly.” Julia giggled, and I was granted a glimmer of the usual sweet, kind woman I fell in love with. “Peter just picked up the girls for the night, but they say hi.”

“Aw, I’m sorry I missed them. How did their soccer practice go?” I tugged Julia through the entryway, and she closed the door behind her as we sauntered to the car.

“Peter told me it went well. Zoe’s really improving. Her coach says she’ll probably be moved up to varsity soon.”

“Shut up. Seriously?” I opened the back door for Julia, motioning her to climb in first.

Julia slid into the backseat, her smile widening as she settled into the plush leather. “I’m not surprised. She’s using the moves you taught her.” Julia swallowed, watching me climb in next to her. “Zoe really likes you. It’s almost weird. She never takes to anyone.”

I shrugged, trying to playoff the blaring fact. “She likes sports, and so do I. It’s easy to bond over something like that.” I closed the door and signaled our driver to go. Julia leaned back into the dark leather seat, her eyes fixed on the passing lights outside. I admired her profile, hair cascading over her shoulders and golden skin. I wanted nothing more than to make her feel safe and loved, to erase any lingering doubts or fears planted by Peter's cruel words.

Lost in my thoughts, I almost didn't notice when Julia turned toward me. Her gaze held a mixture of vulnerability and certainty as if she was about to confess something weighing on her.

"You know," she started softly, her voice trembling slightly, "I never expected to find someone like you at this stage. And sometimes it scares me."

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