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“Hurry and get dressed. You have a busy day,” she announces. “And try to look fucking decent,” she snaps.
Frowning, I clear my throat as my gaze searches hers. “A busy day?”
Her eyes brighten, and I swear to God, it looks like she’s being possessed. “Your new sister-in-law is coming over, and you’re going shopping for wedding things. Your dress is on the way here, but you need things to wear for the rehearsal, the bachelorette party, and then the honeymoon.”
I open my mouth to tell her that I already have all of that. They’re packed in the boxes that are somewhere secret. It must be a secret location because I’ve yet to know where it was all sent. “I have all of those things. They were sent here weeks ago,” I say.
My mother’s eyes narrow, and she leans forward, her gaze sharp and angry. “You don’t have shit,” she snaps. “At least you don’t, as far as you know. You need to get in with them. That is your only way to ease this. Sure, the man you marry is going to take what he wants, and you need to make him happy, too, but this is different.”
She’s right. This is different. And it’s also not anything I want to do. Not just because I don’t want to spend the day with this strange woman… or women, I’m not even sure how many people I’ll be going with, but also, my body hurts. Every single muscle inside of me aches.
“Get your lazy ass up,” she snaps. “And clean yourself up. You look awful.”
Without another word, she stands and walks out of the room. I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as I stare at the ceiling and wonder, again, why the fuck I didn’t run away when my mystery man showed up, even though he scares the shit out of me.
I should have followed him, but I fell asleep. Tears spring to my eyes and slowly slide down my temples and onto the pillow. This is all too real. Far too real. It’s happening, and there’s nothing I can do to stop it.
Then something flashes through my mind. An idea. What if I tell this woman, this sister-in-law, and whoever else joins her that I am no longer a virgin? Wouldn’t she be bound to tell Coleman? It would be a way to tell him without having to actually tell him.
I think it could work.
With a newfound burst of excitement, I throw the comforter off and slide my legs over the side of the bed. I hurry toward the bathroom and take a quick shower. It doesn’t take me long to get ready for the day, considering I decide to forego makeup and just brush my hair without styling it.
I tug on a pair of leggings, throw on a clean T-shirt, and tie it at the waist before slipping my feet into sandals and grabbing my practically empty purse, hitching it over my shoulder as I make my way out of the bedroom.
The hotel room isn’t empty this morning. My brothers are at the table eating. My mother is standing in the kitchen with her coffee in hand, and my sister is sitting on the couch watching television, a Coke in her hand.
My father is nowhere to be seen, but that doesn’t surprise me. He usually doesn’t stay in one place for long. I’m sure he’s somewhere he shouldn’t be, spending money he doesn’t have.
Moving toward the table, I sink down on the cushion of one of the chairs, hissing when I land and reach for a croissant.
“No,” my mom shouts. I freeze, lifting my gaze to meet hers. “Don’t eat that.”
“Why?” I ask.
Her eyes widen, and she shakes her head once. “No carbs. You have to fit in that dress and get naked for that man. You don’t want to look fatter.”
Fatter.
That’s my mom.
Placing my hands in my lap, I lace my fingers together and stare at them for a long moment. I hear something in front of me hit the plate at my place, and I lift my head, looking at the plate to see a croissant sitting in front of me. Shifting my gaze to my mom, I notice that her back is to me.
“Yeah, you don’t want a repeat of middle school when you looked like a fucking beached whale,” Bryson says with a hearty laugh.
My eyes flick over to his, and I blink. He’s looking at his phone as if his words didn’t just cut me to the core. I glance at the buttery bread, drooling slightly at the sight of it. Shaking myself out of the longing for carbs, I decide to think about my future. About this man, his sister-in-law, and what all of this means for my family and their future.
I don’t think I would care if something happened with my parents’ finances or even if anything happened to them personally, but that means Bryson, Shelby, and Andrew would be without.
And not just money, but a home, school, and whatever else they would need in life, to succeed in life.
I can’t let that happen.
ChapterEleven
COLEMAN
LeavingClaire again was fucking horrible. I know that in a few days, she will be mine—forever. I can’t stop my inward smile at that thought. It’s too good to be true. I wasn’t excited for this marriage, for this union between us, not until I saw her in Vegas, not until I tasted her at that club. Now I can’t wait.
