Free Fugitive: A Bad Boy Romance (Northbridge Nights Book 2) by Jackie Wang Page A

without a hitch.” Her terse tone sounded borderline abrasive.
    She didn't have to remind me of that. I knew what the stakes were.
    “Don't worry, Mrs. Li, everything will be perfect,” I said, forcing my lips to pull up into another smile. It had to be perfect. Reputations were at stake: not just mine and Rob's, but our families' reputations. The Lis were famous for their over-the-top weddings. In China, they spent a million renminbi (approximately $200,000 US) on Rob’s cousin’s wedding. Weddings were no fucking joke in China. It was all one big pissing contest, and the Li family cared about ‘face’ more than anyone else I knew. Now it was Rob’s turn and his American wedding needed to blow Cousin Mickey’s out of the water.
    “Mom,” Rob suddenly interrupted, “People will be talking about this wedding for years. It'll blow their minds.” His hand found mine and squeezed it under the table. I shot Rob a small smile.
    After dinner, the dance floor opened up and Rob invited me to dance, but I refused. I said I had cramps, but in reality, I was just trying my best not to think about the way Kieran ground up against me the other night. Rob was a great dancer, but he didn’t have Kieran’s savage, animal edge. Rob was just a safe and boring dentist, after all. Kieran? Kieran was half gentleman, half beast.
    Rob decided to dance with his grandma instead and I stayed in the dining area, nursing a glass of champagne. I sipped my drink slowly, watching everyone else have fun and berating myself for not enjoying the occasion. My moodiness was raining on everyone’s parade, even if they didn’t tell me outright.
    “I fucking hate gwai los,” someone said behind me.
    I furrowed my brows and turned around. “Excuse me?” The person speaking was none other than Micky, Rob's cousin and best man. The one who recently had a million dollar wedding. He was talking to Rob's other cousin and fellow groomsmen, Tian.
    “Nothing, Rachelle. Just talking about this asshole I once knew,” Micky said.
    “No need for racial slurs,” I admonished. “There are kids here.”
    “They can't hear us,” Mickey said. He continued talking to Liam. “Anyway, you know what that fucking bastard did? Fucking broke my goddamn arm and dislocated my jaw!”
    “No fucking way,” Liam replied.
    “Yeah, it was fucked up man...”
    I couldn’t believe how racist and immature Rob’s groomsmen were. Maybe it was the alcohol talking but…did they really need to use that kind of language at my rehearsal dinner? To think, these were the men Robert hung around with the most…Hardly a classy crowd.
    I decided to relocate so I wouldn't have to hear them vomiting expletives. Their hyena laughter sliced through the air, pissing me off even more.
    I set down my champagne flute and sat next to my mom again. She was nursing a glass of Prosecco and watching Dad make a fool of himself on the dance floor.
    “How are you, Mom?”
    “Rachelle, you should be dancing with Rob. He's a great dancer,” Mom said, eyes trained on her future son-in-law. “Look at those moves.”
    Everyone was Rob this, Rob that… Enough already!
    “I'm feeling a bit queasy and bloated,” I said, using the same excuse I'd given Rob.
    “You're not going to get your period on your wedding day are you?” Mom asked, panicky. “Because that pretty white dress cost a fortune—”
    “Relax, Mom, I have an IUD. I haven't even had a period for six months,” I said.
    Mom gasped. “Rachelle! You know those things will kill you! It's unnatural to put foreign objects in your body! Besides, shouldn't you already have it removed so you can have a honeymoon baby?”
    “Mom! We haven't even talked about when we want kids yet,” I said.
    Why was she always so in-my-face about everything? My mother had always been controlling of me when I was growing up, but most days I let it go. I just didn’t have the heart to stand up to her, and I didn’t want to upset the delicate