I try not to show my disappointment visibly. “You go on without me,” I say. “I’ll stay here and hang with Mom.”
“All right,” he nods. Crossing to me, he plants a kiss on my lips. “You two have fun. I’ll be back tomorrow.”
My heart hammers, the feel of his lips lingering on my skin as he turns, grabs his duffle from the floor, and opens the door.
“See you later, Jayce!” Mom says, waving at him.
He chuckles. “See you later, Mrs. Holloway.”
“Bye,” I say, and the next moment, he’s gone.
Mom turns to me and claps her hands together. “My goodness, he’s so handsome, isn’t he? Okay, now that it’s just us girls, I have a whole day planned for us!”
“What do you mean?”
“Shopping, spa treatments, and of course, wedding planning!” She uses her fingers to tick off the items on her list. I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from groaning at the mention of wedding planning. I knew she’d be all over it, but I didn’t expect her to fly halfway across the country like this.
“That sounds great,” I say.
“You go on and get changed.” She waves her hands at me, as if shooing me along. “I don’t think that you should be going around like that all day. Oh, and wear your hair down, sweetie.”
I’m wearing jeans and a Night Hawks jersey with Jayce’s number on it, and my hair is bundled up in a high bun so the teal is on full display. All things considered, this would be a pretty normal thing to wear out in the city, especially on a game day,but I know in Mom’s thinking, this is barely better than walking around in my pajamas. Also, I know she wants me to wear my hair down to hide the teal.
“Give me a minute. Wait right here.” I don’t want her to realize that Jayce and I are sleeping in separate rooms. I hurry down the hall, leaving her behind in the kitchen and quickly change into slimming black slacks and a pink blouse.
Before leaving my room, I shoot a text to The League of Extraordinary Bitches.
Sutton: Hey, guys. Change of plans. My mom surprised me and is in town, so I’m not going to make the trip for the game.
The responses arrive immediately.
Rylee: Your mom’s in town?! What the hell??? What’s she doing here?
Grace: Ahhhh, we’re gonna miss you!
Skyler: Boooooooo!! We were gonna get shitfaced and catcall the guys from the press box!
Sutton: I know, I’m bummed, but there will be other games! Mom wanted to surprised me because of the engagement.
I don’t want them to know that I’m actually dreading being alone with Mom, terrified that I’ll slip up and tell her the truth about my relationship with Jayce. I also don’t want to ruin their good time and make any of them worry about me.
Grace: That’s kind of sweet. I know your mom can be a lot sometimes, but she really does care.
Rylee: Are you really okay with her randomly dropping in like this?
Stacey: Sorry! I was napping. You’re mom’s in town, Sutton? That’s nice!
Skyler: Want us to call and fake an emergency? I totally will!
Sutton: Lol, I appreciate the offer, but it’s not necessary. Mom and I will have a good time together. You all have fun at the game and cheer the guys on for me!
Sighing, I tuck my phone in my pocket, knowing Mom’s likely getting impatient. When I return, Mom gives an approving nod.
“That’s so much better,” she declares. “Remember, sweety, just because you’re engaged doesn’t mean you should stop putting effort into your appearance. You don’t want Jayce to think he’s not worth it, right?”
I know she doesn’t really mean for her words to stab me like they do, so I keep a forced smile in place, even if it feels brittle and my heart sinks as my anxiety returns full-force.
My peaceful reprieve is officially over.
