by Rose Harper
I wasn’t ready to admit I was being a pure bitch last night. I had been drunk and taken things way out of context. If he was mad at me, he had every right to be. I just didn’t think I would be able to confront him just yet. Wounded pride and all. I knew he wouldn’t make a big deal about it. But it was a big deal, I’d been a major bitch to him. He’d never said we were together, but then again, I never asked him if we were. So, it was more my fault then it was his.
“Claire! Hey, wait up!” he yelled after me.
Damn.
I stopped, panting from running full out. Pulling my earbuds out of my ears. “Yeah,” I said, not turning to face him.
“I wanted to talk about last night.”
I really didn’t want to talk about that. I knew last night I was hammered, badgering him about his life with that bitch just made it all worse. It wasn’t my place to ask him about her, nor was it my place to demand. I was with him yes, but she was nothing more than a distant memory; a past that needs to stay forgotten.
Only, I didn’t want it to stay there. My insecurity of Brad being with her drove me to put a wedge between us. I needed to stay away from the black hole that is our past and focus on the future. Hopefully, a future that had Brad in it.
“There’s nothing to talk about. I was drunk and being a bitch.” I turned to face him, a sad smile on my face. “I’m sorry, you were right. We’re not together; I shouldn’t have been prying.”
He nodded. “Yeah, but I didn’t need to go that far. I’m sorry too.”
I gave him a small smile. “Well since we got that squared away I’ll see you at the wedding.”
He looked around before stepping closer to me and pressed a gentle kiss on my lips. I savored the taste of his lips against mine, but silently hating myself for giving in so easily. “I’ll be the one walking you down the aisle,” he chuckled.
I giggled. “I guess you will be.”
I’ve officially lost my damn mind.
I turned to leave, heading back to the house. I felt a little better since we had talked about it. But there was still something messing with me. My fingers ghosted over my lips as a joy overcame me. As long as it didn’t have anything to do with him and another woman, I would be all right. We would eventually get there. We just had to wait until our parents got married. Then we would be able to tell them what was going on between us.
We were hours away from being able to do just that. Even though that nagging feeling didn’t quit, I was beyond excited. Our parents were probably the reason he hadn’t put a label on what we were doing. I hoped that was the case, because if it was something different, I wouldn’t be able to take it.
Entering the house, I found both women were up and drinking their first morning brew. Neither looked worse for the wear, which wasn’t fair at all. If anything, they should look like shit, same as me. Life just wasn’t fair.
“Don’t you all look bright-eyed and bushy-tailed,” I laughed coming to a stop next to the table.
They both looked at me with a bright smile on their face.
“Yeah, I’m doing great actually,” my mother stated with a giggle. “Tylenol before drinking does wonders, sweetie.”
“Ditto, Ms. J. Soon to be Mrs. T,” Alex giggled.
My mom leaned back in her chair, playing the name over in her head I was sure. She laughed loudly, which caused my head to pound a bit. Damn her and Alex for knowing to take Tylenol before drinking. It would have saved me this trouble in the long run.
“No so loud,” I said putting my hands over my ears.
Alex looked at me, sincerely. “I’m sorry I made Brad come get you. But you were frigging zonked out of your head.”
I waved her away, walking out of the kitchen. “Let’s go to breakfast before the wedding. I think that’s exactly what we need.”
An hour later we were soaking up the morning sun on the patio of Rossetti’s. My mom was making a few last-minute preparations before the wedding, talking to quite a few people on the phone to make sure it was all set up and ready. Alex was glued to her phone as well, texting someone. I was the only one taking in the morning sun. At least I was enjoying it. The other two were glued to their phones.
I picked up a napkin, balling it up. I threw it at Alex hitting her right smack in the forehead. I burst out laughing, clutching my head when my headache briefly made a return appearance. She threw it back at me with a smile on her face.
“What was that for, heifer?” she playfully quipped, setting her phone on the table.
I didn’t answer her, but took the balled-up napkin and hit my mom with it. She laughed, then threw it back at me. She ended her call shortly after. She let out a long sigh, closing her eyes. I loved seeing my mom like this; I didn’t think I would ever get enough of it. Ever since my father ran out on her when I was an infant, it seemed like she just went through the motions. She’d been letting life pass her by for a while now. It was time to see her settled and happy.
“You butt face,” she chirped, opening her eyes and looking at me softly.
I smiled back at her. “I’m your butt face,” I said sticking my tongue out at her.
“Yes, you are. You will always be my butt face,” she giggled, grabbing ahold of my hand.
I sat back, drinking my coffee when I caught sight of someone familiar across the street. I saw Brad getting out of his vehicle. I started to get up, only to be met with a sight I wished to God I’d never seen: Cherish, getting out of the passenger side of his truck. I sat back in shock, my mouth hanging open. My mother was delved into her phone again, but Alex noticed my reaction. She followed my gaze, only to narrow her eyes when she saw who it was.
After him kissing me this morning, he’s parading around town with that whore. What the fuck? I knew the nagging feeling in my stomach had been right. That she was the reason he hadn’t answered his phone. I watched as they went in the café, ordered, and then sat in the corner. Every second of seeing them together, I was becoming more pissed off.
“Go see what the fuck is up,” Alex whispered.
“I can’t go over there and see what’s up, Alex. Cherish will look into it more than she needs to,” I scolded.
“Bitch, you better go before I do. You know someone’s getting nutted if I go over there.”
I knew she would do it too. She’s done it before to a guy that kept coming on to me at a club. He wasn’t even being that bad or perverted. But she’d brought her fist back and laid a good one right in his nut sack. After that he took the hint and left me alone.
I groaned. “Fine, but keep my mom occupied. This shit doesn’t get out.”
She nodded. I slipped away from the table, taking care to cross the street. The adrenaline was beginning to pump through my veins. Things just didn’t add up with him being there with her, and I wanted to find out. It was one thing asking him about it and him denying it. It was another when you actually caught him in the act of doing it.
Chapter Eight
Walking into the café, I ordered a coffee. I knew I would have to explain it to Mom when I got back. But right now, I couldn’t care. I was either going to get answers or someone was going to catch an ass kicking. One or the other, and I didn’t really care which. I noticed they were sitting right next to the condiment stand and sent up a silent thank you. It would give me a reason to go over there and pretend I bumped into them.
The nice woman behind the counter handed me my cup and I walked away. I pulled out my phone really fast to seem as if I was too enraptured in it to notice that they were sitting there. Such a sneaky bitch I am. Stepping up to the counter, I finished sending my nonexistent text and began fixing my coffee. I started humming to a song that was inside my head. I heard her start to say something and then turned around.
I acted surprised when I saw them sitting there together. I walked over, a bright smile on my face that didn’t quite reach my eyes. I noticed the moment that Brad saw me coming, he visibly paled and his back stiffened. I inwardly laughed at his uneasi
ness. If I looked hard enough I probably could have seen him counting the number of balls he had, hoping he would still have the same number after this confrontation.
“Oh, hey. What are you guys doing?” I asked, with a tinge of upbeat in my tone.
“Oh, we’re just having coffee,” Cherish snapped.
“I’m not interrupting anything am I?” She’d had a level of annoyance in her words, but I steamed right ahead.
“Actually you …” she started, before Brad cut her off.
The douchebag did like to do that quite a bit. “No, you’re not, Claire. What’s up?”
I stood there glaring at the top of his head; he still hadn’t looked up at me. I wanted him to see the pissed off look in my eyes. But somehow, I knew he wouldn’t give me what I wanted. Since he knew that I caught him now, it was safe for me to walk away. I didn’t know I would feel as triumphant as I did. But damn it felt great.
“Well don’t let me burden you any longer, I’ll just be on my way,” I said with a wave good-bye.
I made sure to sway my hips a little more than usual when I left, feeling his eyes follow me until I exited the café. Making my way back across the street, I sat back down just as my mom was getting off the phone. She looked at me a little weirdly, gesturing toward my cup. I shrugged my shoulders and smiled. I took a drink out of the cup.
“I like that café’s coffee a lot better than the coffee here,” I lied, trying my best not to give myself away.
“Oh … okay,” she stated, a confusion lacing her words.
I looked at Alex from the corner of my eye. She smiled a sympathetic smile at me before taking a drink from her cup. When we were finished, I paid the tab and we left. We had a little less than three hours to get ready for the wedding. My mother booked appointments for us to get our hair and makeup done. Alex understood, and we dropped her off at the house. She said she would be there before all the bells and whistles went off.
I laughed at her corny wedding day joke. I swear, that women wasn’t right in the head. Every time I asked her if her parents dropped her on her head when she was little, she’d always come back with, maybe once or twice. She would hunch her back and say it all cryptic too. Seriously, she wasn’t right.
When we got to the salon, the staff immediately took us back. They began running around like chickens with their heads cut off. My mom had been coming to this salon for years. Every time she came in here, they’d ask her when she was getting married. Every single time my mother would say there was no man special enough to marry her. I secretly believe they all looked up to her for that. Few women can be as strong as my mom is, while caring for a child by themselves.
“Oh Ms. James I think this would look absolutely gorgeous,” the stylist said to my mom.
I looked at it and it would indeed be gorgeous. My mother had brought the tiara and veil with her. She didn’t want anything to happen to her hair if she tried to put it on herself. The only thing going in my hair was a little bit of baby’s breath. My mom described what she saw my hair being styled as, and I instantly fell in love with her description.
She wanted my hair curled all over in big barrel waves, then pinned to my head, bringing my hair away from my face and up off my neck with loose tendrils of curls hanging down. They got to work on us at the same time. She decided to go with the hairstyle the stylist had suggested.
Her hair was going to be inside the ring of her tiara, pulling her hair back into a pony tail. Since her hair was different lengths they would be able to hide the rubber band with curls. Her hair was going to have small jewels clipped into it. She was going to look like a princess.
My phone rang just as I was switching chairs to get my makeup applied. I glanced down to my lap to see that it was Brad calling. I chose to ignore it, only to have it ring again a second later. The makeup technician was becoming a little annoyed with me, so I let the phone keep ringing and going to voicemail. If he wanted to talk to me, he could wait until I got to the wedding.
The finishing touches were being done on my mother as I got out of the chair. Walking to the nearest window, I gasped at my reflection. I looked like a model ready for the runway with the hair and the makeup. I was taken aback about with how good I looked. But I never thought that I would start crying from seeing my mother all dolled up.
She stood from her chair and walked toward me. Her lips were a bright red color, and her eyes shadowed in dark smoky shades. I teared up as she got closer to me; her eyes were filling up with tears too. The staff ran and got us tissues so we wouldn’t ruin our makeup, but that still didn’t help. I heard my mother gasp when she saw her reflection in the mirror. I turned to look at her, the staff already fixing the mascara that I smudged.
“We look so beautiful,” she exhaled on a breath.
I smiled. “Henry is a very lucky man, Mom. I can’t wait to see his reaction to you in your gown.”
“Well then, we better not keep him waiting,” she giggled excitedly.
When we walked out of the salon, there was a limo waiting. Our mouths hung open when we found that it was for us. A gift from Mr. Titan. We sat in the back and sipped champagne on the way to the church, arriving with just enough time to get into our gowns. My mother started fidgeting when we came out of the bridal room, making our way to the doors that would lead her to her love.
I saw Brad approach and his eyes never left mine as he came to a stop in front of me. “You ladies look absolutely lovely. My father is a very lucky man, Meredith,” he said in his best sucking up voice. It took all my restraint not to roll my eyes at him.
We got into our spots just as the music started playing. I wanted to stay pissed at him, but the moment I touched his arm I found the opposite happening. I wanted to touch more of him. I hated that my body betrayed me the way it did. He noticed what he was doing to me and a small smile graced his lips.
He leaned toward me, whispering, “Your body still wants me, even though you’re trying to fight it.”
“What was that today at the café, Brad?”
“I’ll tell you, okay? We really need to talk. There’s something I need to tell you,” he replied cryptically.
I nodded just as the doors opened. Leading me down the aisle, he rubbed the hand that was wrapped around his arm. I found that it soothed the raging emotions inside me. I felt a little better when we got up to the altar. He may be a bastard, but at least he was going to explain everything to me this time. I just hoped I liked what he said.
The traditional wedding march began playing and I looked straight at Henry. When my mom began walking up the aisle, Henry’s face broke out into a huge grin, showing all his straight white teeth. His reaction was the reaction I’d been hoping for. That one smile told me everything about him. That he would keep the vows he was saying to my mother today, and that they would live the rest of their lives, blissfully happy.
About halfway through the ceremony, I spotted Cherish sitting in the back of the church. I made eye contact with Brad, narrowing them. He looked at me, cocking his head as if he didn’t know why I was looking at him with such anger. I looked to the pew and then back to him. He seemed to get the hint and looked a second later, his eyes not portraying surprise. He glanced back at me, barely making eye contact before focusing on our parents.
I was beyond mad. Not because she could be here for Brad, but because she had the gall to show up to my mother’s wedding. If I knew that I wouldn’t get into trouble, I’d commit murder. Just jump over the pew and beat the ever-living hell out of that bitch. But that was something that I couldn’t do. I didn’t want to ruin my mother’s big day, so I had to be a good girl and behave.
Chapter Nine
The ceremony ran as smooth as silk. I was thankful for that. After getting a few glasses of champagne, my temper had calmed itself quite a bit. I was extra giggly, but other than that I was good. I sipped from my third flute, watching my mother and Henry dance for the first time. I’d never seen her smile so bright in all my life. Her eyes
were glassy from unshed tears as was Henry’s. I hoped one day I had what they shared. My life would then be complete.
Alex sat in the chair next to me watching my mother and Henry dance. She looked gorgeous in her sheath dress, her long auburn hair piled on top of her head. She wasn’t one to dress up, but she had really outdone herself this time.
“Your mom looks so happy,” Alex breathed.
I sighed, a smile spreading on my face. “I know. I’ve never seen her like this before.”
“Marriage looks good on her.”
We both sat watching as my mother danced with her new husband. Now was supposed to be the time that Brad and I were supposed to tell them about us. However, I hadn’t seen him since the ceremony. He was like a ghost. People said he was here, but, of course, no one had seen him recently. Somewhere in the back of my mind I just knew he was with Cherish.
She’d come here for a reason, but that reason I didn’t know. Mom knew how much I despised the woman, so I knew she wasn’t the cause of inviting her. Henry’s contacts were the ones that were invited, and his secretary had been the one to send out the invites. So, figuring his secretary could have made a mistake, I chalked it up to an accident.
“I saw Cherish in the pews at the church,” Alex inserted, turning in her chair to face me.
I grimaced. “Yeah, I know. I have no idea who in the hell would invite her though. She’s not part of the family.”
“Well, it could be a mistake,” she stated.
“I’d say you’re right. No need to worry.”
About that time the song ended. Henry said something into my mom’s ear; she smiled and nodded her head. Henry kissed the back of my mother’s hand and made his way toward me. I smiled as he stepped closer. It was the traditional father-daughter dance. Since my mother was getting my grandfather on the floor, Henry was stepping in for my father.