I grabbed his arm, stopping him. “Let me. I’m dying to brush my teeth. I want a proper kiss.” I smiled at him, trying not to run my tongue across my dirty teeth.
He collapsed against the mattress, staring up at the ceiling as he rested his hand on his chest. “I’ll be waiting.” He grabbed my arm with his free hand, sliding his palm down my arm. “Make it quick,” he said with a crooked, happy smile.
I groaned as my feet touched the floor. The after effects of an evening of overindulgence and wicked high heels, hit me. I swayed, grabbing the mattress to steady myself.
“You okay, sugar?” City asked as he sat up and touched my hand.
“Fine, baby. Just not as young as I used to be. Can’t party all night and bounce right back.”
“I doubt you partied all night too much even in your college years.” He laughed, covered his mouth with his hand.
“I didn’t sit in my dorm room and study all the time,” I said sarcastically. It was all bullshit. I rarely partied. The number of times I had been drunk in college I could count on one hand, but sometimes I didn’t like to be reminded of just how much of a good girl I had been.
“Uh, huh,” he said, resting his head on his hand as he watched me walk away.
I flipped him off, a small chuckle escaping my lips. He knew me too well. Knew I could never escape my good girl qualities even though I liked to pretend I had a badass side. I knew I was a cream puff and I accepted it even though I did so begrudgingly.
My mascara was smeared down my cheeks, the result of my crying last night over City. I looked as bad as I felt. My hair was a tangled mess, makeup half on but not in the right places, and my eyes were swollen. Thank God the wedding wasn’t today. I’d have to live with horrible wedding pictures for the rest of my life.
Grabbing the tube of toothpaste out of my toiletry bag, I stood on my tiptoes and leaned into the mirror. Shit, I looked horrible. I quickly backed up not needing the up-close reminder of last night. After washing him from my body, I filled my toothbrush with paste. I needed to clear the funk out of my mouth. My mouth felt drier than the Mojave Desert on a blistering summer day. Just as I stuck the toothbrush in my mouth and started scrubbing, I heard my phone chirp.
“Suzy, your mother sent you a text,” City yelled from the bedroom.
Fucking great. I loved my mom but she added an extra bit of pressure and stress to an already nerve-racking situation. Weddings are supposed to be blissful but no one seems to tell you about all the turmoil and decisions that need to be made. My mother could be judgmental at times and I often felt like my decisions weren’t good enough.
I pulled the toothbrush out of my mouth, balancing the paste remnants on my tongue as I yelled, “What’s it say?”
I scrubbed my teeth, my motions more feverish at the thought of my parents being in town. She always watched City with a suspicious eye when she didn’t know I was looking. She was happy that he had money, although it wasn’t the reason I fell in love with the man. I would’ve been with him even if he were only a tattoo artists. It’s a good job and he’s talented. She couldn’t get beyond his looks. He had a roughness about him and the tattoos didn’t exactly win him any points in her mind. She’d bust a cork if she knew about the piercing that decorated his lower extremity or if she ever found out that I had my nipple pierced.
“She just wants to know if she should be at the rehearsal dinner early to help.”
I spit the toothpaste into the sink, cupping water in my hand and swishing. The last thing I wanted was my mother there for her type of help. Everything was ready and all we needed to do was show up, including her and my father.
I washed my face quickly, erasing the nightmarish mess from the smudged makeup before returning to the bedroom.
“She’s become such a pain the last few months,” I said as I crawled in bed.
“She’s still your mom and she loves you,” he said, grabbing my hand, planting soft kisses across the top.
“You grew up with a different type of mother, City. You’re mom has made me feel more like a daughter than my mother ever did. Don’t get me wrong, I love her, but she doesn’t know how to make me feel loved.” I closed my eyes when they watered as I thought about what it would’ve been like to grow up calling Mrs. Gallo Mom. I always felt like my parents had to fit me into their schedule and often there wasn’t a slot for me unless I had called in advanced.
“Let’s just get through the next thirty-six hours and everything will go back to normal. You have the Gallo family now and they’re not letting you go.”