AllFreeNovel
Share Us
While I've been excited for the wedding anniversary, the fact that Jessica is coming has been weighing on Jared. Despite his attempts to maintain a brave face, especially for my mom, deep down, I know he's dreading her presence.
The majority of the remaining setup will be done tomorrow, so I'm looking forward to having some time to myself and relaxing on the island.
I consider myself fortunate this time because I have my own room, separate from Jared's. It will help me in resisting the temptation to be physically intimate with him.
Everyone goes upstairs to place their belongings in their respective rooms. The spacious home allows Maria and Tyler to have a room to themselves, while Lyla and Caden have their own shared room. Jared shares a room with Archer, and our parents also each have their own rooms.
Once upstairs, I place my bag by the bed and settle down on top of it, running my hands across the neatly arranged sheets.
"I hope you haven't gotten too comfortable," my mom says, lightly knocking on my already open door.
"Just getting there," I reply, sensing that this conversation might not go in a direction I like.
"Good, because I need your help with setting up the table arrangements," she says, her excitement evident as she claps her hands together.
I let out a groan at the thought. "Can't that wait until tomorrow?"
"The sooner we get things done, the sooner you'll be able to relax," she responds pointedly, though her answer doesn't exactly address my question.
Groaning, I reluctantly rise from the bed. "Fine."
I follow Mom to the back of the house and discover that two of the tables set up are filled with empty vases and various flower bundles.
"Mom, are we actually making flower arrangements? What do you know about flower arrangements?" I ask incredulously, not understanding how she could think either of us is qualified to do this.
"Nothing. But how hard can it be? I wanted to go for muted colors, and I wanted them to look very natural, so I got a lot of Baby's Breath and Italian Ruscus," my mom says excitedly.
"I don't even know what that is," I tell her as I pick up a white carnation.
"This will be fun, let's grab a vase," my mom says, clapping her hands together again as we grab an empty one. Despite my certainty that Mom isn't a seasoned flower arranger, she has a knack for creating beautiful centerpieces. I, however, don't have an eye for this sort of thing at all.
"Why don't you try adding some of the mums to it?" she suggests, finishing up the second arrangement. She points to a group of white and light-yellow flowers with small petals.
Without protest, I dutifully follow her direction. My mother is meticulous about achieving the final look, which is fair, considering how haphazardly I bunch flowers together. The whole process takes nearly three hours of endless arrangement and rearrangement. By the time we're finished, my mom has made half of the arrangements and guided me through making the other half. Each one is unique, filled with lightly colored flowers that complement the light green and white color scheme she has chosen for the tent's decorations.
"Aren't these just beautiful? It's even more special since we did it together," my mom proudly remarks as she fills the vases with water. I smile at her mounting excitement for the celebration.
"Yeah, it was nice," I admit sheepishly, reflecting on my previous lack of desire to participate. The smile on my mom's face falters slightly as she looks at me.
"Monica, you know if anything is going on, you can talk to me about it." While she doesn't appear worried, there's something about her expression that feels like she's peering into my soul, seeing all the things I've been hiding these past few months. For a moment, I'm tempted to tell her the truth. Despite not being eager to share intimate details about my sex life with my mom, I do trust her.
However, unraveling this complex issue less than forty-eight hours before a celebration she's been planning for months doesn't seem like the best idea. So instead, I earnestly assure her, "I know, Mom."
I can sense that she wants to ask me more, but she restrains herself, putting on a beaming smile meant to conceal any concern she may have about me. "It's getting late, so let's head inside," she suggests as she starts walking towards the house.
As an afterthought, she adds, "I hope everyone got something to eat."
It had been getting dark, and by the emptiness of the living area, I can tell that everyone had been exhausted from the day and the trip up here, despite it only just being eight o’clock.
"Look, Mon, they ordered pizza," my mom says, pointing to a box of pepperoni pizza. She takes a slice, placing it on a paper towel before heading upstairs, appearing as though she's ready to fall asleep herself. I grab two slices of my own, following her example as I make my way to my room. I should get some rest since tomorrow will be a busy day with setting up all the decorations. Additionally, we have a surprise family dinner planned for tomorrow night in honor of my parents.
I devour my pizza, satisfying the hunger in my stomach that I had put off while helping my mom. It gives me the energy I need to complete the rest of my nighttime routine and take a much-needed shower. By the time I'm out of the shower, my teeth brushed and wearing a long T-shirt to sleep in, I'm ready to collapse into bed. I only manage to place one knee on top of the covers before I hear a soft knock at my door. Grinning and knowing who's likely behind it, I open the door, and Jared wastes no time slipping into my room.
"Archer?" I ask, as Jared starts peppering my neck with kisses.
"Already asleep," he says, following me over to the bed.
" I wanted to sleep too." I chuckle, pulling away from him to climb into my bed. I lie on my side, facing away from him, while he stands at the side of the bed. Despite feeling tired, a part of me wouldn't mind a late-night hookup.
