Page 60 of Their Tracked Obsession

“All of it.” I pulled my mom and Raven closer for a group hug. “This is too much.”

“No, it’s not. Anything for my girl,” Mom whispered in my ear and pulled back to pinch my cheeks. “My daughter is getting married tomorrow.”

In less than twenty-four hours, I’d become a wife. I couldn’t believe it. Someone pinch me. Wait… My mom was, and she was hurting my face.

“Mom. Quit fussing over me.” I swat her hands away. “My cheeks are going numb.”

“Oh, sorry, sweetheart.” Gloria stepped back and adjusted her skirt. “Sometimes I don’t know my strength.”

Raven broke our connection. Her arms flew up in the air, and she giggled with a hop. She took my hand.

“Come on!” Raven beamed, her eyes lit up like a jack-o’-lantern. “The night awaits.”

“Whoa!” I laughed.

Raven pulled me toward the party bus door and knocked on it. Immediately, the entrance opened, and music blasted out into the street. Multi-colored lights danced, and there was a driver seated at the front of the bus. She wore a sparkling pink wig and blew bubble gum with a loud pop.

“Is this the bride-to-be?” She held out her hand and kept her butt parked in the seat. “My name is Genie.”

Raven shook the bus driver’s hand. “Yes. This is the bride. I’m Raven. The maid of honor and best friend.”

“Pleasure to meet you, bestie.” Genie nodded with an annoying chewing sound and pointed at Gloria. “And this is Mom, I take it?”

“Yes. This is my mother, Gloria,” I answered.

“Perfect. Is this everyone?” Genie asked as she moved back and forth in her seat. “I don’t want to miss anyone.”

“This is it.” I glanced around with a smile.

“Precious.” Genie picked up a speaker and blasted into it. “Let’s get this party started!”

The unexpected sound startled us. Everyone jumped, gasped, and hurried onto the bus. Raven went ahead first, but my mom and I went in together. Genie shut the door behind us.

“Genie is quite the character,” Mom whispered loudly in my ear with her hand covering it. “Isn’t she?”

“One of a kind.” I giggled.

“Okay, listen up carefully to the rules of my party bus.” Genie spun around in her seat and spoke into the megaphone. “No drinking, no nudity, no sex, no drugs, and no gambling.”

What?

I stared at Genie as if she had lost her marbles. This was a goddamn party bus where anything was bound to happen, and the restrictions would make the night a total loss. I glared over at Raven, whose mouth was wide open in shock, and she appeared dumbfounded. Obviously, my maid of honor hadn’t done her homework.

“That’s it, everybody off!” Gloria yelled.

Raven snapped her mouth shut and stomped toward Genie. “What the fuck kind of party bus is—”

“Ha-ha! Kidding!” Genie shouted with laughter and slapped her knee. “You should’ve seen the looks on your faces!”

Genie snorted through the speaker. Annoyance crept up my bones, but I stuffed the frustration down. This lady had some nerve. Raven wanted to strangle the bus driver’s neck, and I wanted to grab her damn wig only to stomp on the pink flashy fake strands. My mom stepped forward and got ready for a tense confrontation with the ignorant bus driver.

Genie shut up, chomped loudly on her gum, and blew another bubble.

“Pull a stunt like that again, and I’ll have your manager on the phone before you can blow another bubble.” Gloria popped the giant bubble, and the gum stuck to Genie’s mouth. “Now. Spit the gum out the window, get your damn hands on the wheel and drive, Genie.”

“Dang…” Raven exhaled with an impressed expression on her face. “Your mom isn’t playing around.”

My mom walked toward us as if she owned the damn bus.