“There.” Mum turns me around and sweeps my hair back over my shoulder. She’s looking at me thoughtfully. “Darling, can your mother offer you some advice?”
“No.” I answer quickly on a small smile.
She returns my smile and sits me on the end of the bed. “When you become a wife, you become the core of your husband.” She smiles fondly. “Let him think he’s in charge, let him think you can’t live without him, but never let him take your independence or identity, darling.” She laughs a little. “They like to think they’re wearing the trousers, and you have to let them believe it.”
I shake my head a little. “Mum, this isn’t necessary.”
“Yes, it is,” she insists. “Men are complicated creatures.”
I scoff. She has no idea how complicated my creature is.
She pulls my blushing face to hers. “Ava, I can see that Jesse loves you, and I admire his frankness when it comes to how he feels about you, but remember who you are. Never let him change you, darling.”
“He won’t change me, Mum.” My parents stayed with us for two days after Jesse proposed, so they’ve had the full-on experience of Jesse’s way with me, minus the countdowns and various degrees of fuckings. They have witnessed the smothering, the constant touching and affection, and their quiet observations haven’t gone unnoticed. Not by me, anyway. Jesse is oblivious. No, not oblivious; he just doesn’t care. Whenever and wherever.
Mum smiles. “He wants to look after you, and he’s made it quite clear you’re precious to him. It makes me and your father so happy to know that you’ve found a man who adores you, a man who’ll walk through fire for you.”
“I adore him, too,” I say quietly. The sincerity of my mum’s words is tugging at my vocal cords, making my voice a little quivery. “Please don’t make me cry. My makeup will be ruined.”
She clasps my cheeks in her palms and plants a kiss on my lips. “Yes, let’s stop with the emotional stuff. Just don’t ever do anything that you don’t want to. I can also see he could be quite persuasive.” I actually laugh, and Mum laughs with me. Persuasive? “It’s such a shame his family couldn’t be here,” she muses.
I wince a little. “I’ve told you, they live abroad. They’re not very close.” I’ve only vaguely outlined the reason for Jesse’s lack of family.
“Money,” she says and sighs. “It causes more family rifts than anything else.”
“It does,” I agree. So do sex houses and playboy uncles.
We’re interrupted by another knock at the door and Mum leaves me on the bed to answer it. “Oh, that’ll be Kate.”
“I have drinks! Wow, Elizabeth, you look incredible!” Kate’s excited voice creeps into the room before she barrels past my mother and hits me with delighted blue eyes. “Aren’t you dressed yet?” She sets a tray on the wooden chest. She looks fabulous in an ivory satin dress, her long curls a mass of red flames surrounding her pale face—my only bridesmaid, but with the enthusiasm of ten.
“Just about to.” I stand myself up and adjust my boobs in my cups.
“Here, have one of these.” She thrusts a glass of pink liquid at me.
“Oh, yes, you must!” Mum chants, closing the door and hastily making her way over to scoop one up for herself. She takes a long sip and gasps. “Oh, that little Italian knows how to keep a lady happy.”
I shake my head at the glass that’s floating in front of me. “No, I’m fine.” I don’t want alcohol breath under Jesse’s nose.
“It’ll sort your nerves,” Kate insists, taking my hand and placing the glass in it. “Drink.”
She nods at the glass with raised eyebrows and I relent, taking a generous swig of Mario’s Most Marvelous. It tastes as marvelous as ever, but no amount of alcohol is going to settle me.
“Where’s Jesse?” I ask, setting my glass down. I’ve not seen him since last night. Knowing my mum’s traditional views, I insisted we sleep separately on the night before our wedding. He refused to leave my room until one minute to midnight, and then he did so in a mighty huff when my mum was banging on the door. I could see he was dying to trample all over her, but, surprisingly, he conceded without too much fuss, just a ferocious scowl at my mum as she guided him from the room.
“I think he’s getting ready.” Kate downs a Most Marvelous.
“Katie Matthews, take it easy!” Mum scolds, taking the glass from her. “You’ve got all day to go.”