So, I've been busy and uninspired lately. I'm trying to get back to this story but I'm really burnt out. I'll try to finish it in the next several days.

Chapter 20

Sully woke with a pounding headache. He sat on the edge of the bed rubbing his eyes and taking in his surroundings, he began to remember the previous day's events. The tux shop, the argument with Michaela, and then last night…drinking with the guys. Why did he go out again? He couldn't seem to remember now. He hadn't really wanted to go out in the first place. The way Michaela had began to order him about though drove him to go. He was not going to let her make all of his decisions.

He blinked his eyes again, groaned, and pulled himself out of bed. Stumbling into the kitchen, he went to make a pot of coffee. He walked over to the counter where his phone was charging to check for any messages. None. He began to feel grief and frustration wash over him. Why was Michaela acting like this? He knew he needed to talk to her. He decided as soon as he had his morning coffee, he'd go find her. They needed to sort this out, and before the rehearsal too. He did not want to have an argument in front of Elizabeth.

Michaela blinked at the morning sun. It took her a minute to remember where she was. Hers and Colleen's place. Why was she on the couch? She looked around. Colleen had passed out on the recliner, there were empty tubs of ice-cream on the coffee table along with an empty wine bottle. Lots of tissues littered the floor, and she was still dressed in yesterday's clothes.

Her memory began to come back to her. Sully and she had had a fight about the strip club, she had come over to talk to Colleen, and they had begun to stuff themselves with ice-cream. After finishing off the ice-cream, she had decided to polish off the wine too. Her conscious had warned her that it wasn't a good idea, but her heart was hurting and alcohol seemed to be a logical answer.

She rubbed her eyes and rose to a sitting position, her head was pounding and she felt grungy. Suddenly she remembered that today was the rehearsal. How was she going to face her family? What if Sully didn't show up? As fear and sadness began to grip her heart, she began to cry anew. The tears fell unchecked down her cheeks, and she grabbed a fresh tissue off the table. Colleen heard the sniffing and began to wake.

"It's going to be ok", she said as she slid over to sit beside Michaela. "You need to talk to him."

"What if he doesn't show up today, Colleen? I mean I was so unreasonable and controlling with him. He may decide that I'm not worth it."

"Are you crazy? You do realize that all couples go through this, right? I can guarantee that your friend Miriam had a few fights with her husband before they married. All couples go through this. Tensions run high, just wait. It'll work out, I promise."

"You're right, I just feel worn down, and angry all at the same time. Why hasn't he called me." As she began to sit and ponder Sully's whereabouts, her mind began to flash with images of Sully in some stripper's apartment, half naked. She shook her head trying to rid her head of the image. "You're just making it worse", she told herself.

"I'm going to shower and change. That will help some", she looked over at Colleen. "If he calls, you'll tell me right?"

"Yes, go shower. You'll feel a lot better if you do."

Michaela walked to her room, grabbed some clothes, and made her way into the bathroom. Once in the bathroom, she looked at herself in the mirror. She looked horrible. Puffy, red, tear stained eyes. Swollen cheeks, her hair was a mess, and she had ice-cream dribbles on her shirt. She shook her head as she leaned into the shower and turned it on.

Just then Sully knocked on the door. Colleen rose to answer it, opened the door, and stepped out of the way.

"Is she here?", he asked.

"Shower", was all Colleen said as she made her way into the kitchen to get some coffee. "You really screwed up", she grumbled.

Sully stood in the living room taking in the site before him. The tissues still littered the floor, wine bottle on the table, blankets everywhere.

"Did she sleep here?", he asked.

"Yes, she was a mess last night. I wasn't going to let her leave." Colleen made her way into the living room with her mug of coffee in one hand and a trash bag in the other. She began picking up the remnants of last nights girl talk and placing them into the bag.

"You need to talk to her", she grumbled. "She thinks you're not going to show tonight. I spent all last night trying to convince her that you loved her. Where were you? Other than looking at naked girls.", she rolled her eyes.

"We didn't look at naked girls. I convinced the group to shoot pool instead.", he shot her a fiery gaze.

"Talk to her please, and you look awful. Have you been home?"

"Yes, I slept there, but I came straight here this morning."

While the conversation was occurring in the living room, Michaela was completely oblivious in the shower. As she stood under the hot water, it felt heavenly on her tired sore body. Sleeping on the couch had not been comfortable, and it was restless. The thoughts of Sully and the anonymous stripper plagued her mind. She knew she needed to stop, but she couldn't. She turned off the shower and got out. She began rubbing the towel over her damp body, trying to make quick work of it, and wrapped her hair in a towel. She pulled on her sweats and a tee shirt and took one last look in the mirror. Sighing she opened the bathroom door and made her way to her room. As she walked through her bedroom door, she stopped in her tracks. Sully was sitting on her bed. She turned away from him and began to plan a quick exit.

"Wait!", he pleaded. "We need to talk."

She slowly turned back around, tossed the dirty clothes on the floor, and crossed her arms across her chest.

"So talk", she huffed.

"I'm sorry. I don't want to fight with you. I love you", he slowly rose from the bed and walked toward her.

She raised her hands as if preparing to defend herself, "I don't want to fight either, but right now my nerves are so raw I don't know if I can do this.", she sobbed.

"Do what? Talk to me or marry me?", he choked out as tears rose to his eyes. He swallowed the lump in his throat and continued to move toward her.

"Just don't", she shook her head. "I'm so hurt by the fact that you went there last night. You have no idea how insecure you make me feel when you go off with your friends. I was in a relationship with a guy that made me feel like I had to allow him to look at women, and talk about women, and do what he wanted to me. It made me feel used. I'm not going through that again.", she began to cry and turned away from him.

"Michaela what are you saying?", he pleaded.

"I don't know. I want to trust you, I really do. But when you spring something on me like that, and act like you're trying to hide it, it makes me think horrible things. You have no idea the thoughts and images that have plagued my mind for the last twelve hours."

"Ok, first of all, we didn't go to Paradise Lost. We went to Stix. It was my idea. I knew you didn't like the idea of me at a strip club. I felt awful at the way we parted." He had made his way over to her and tentatively reached to hug her.

She fell into his embrace and sighed into his chest. This was what she was missing. She nuzzled into his chest and listened as he rambled on.

"We shot pool and had a few beers", he continued. "Daniel brought me home. I had to take a cab to pick up my truck this morning, then I came straight here. You see", he picked her chin up. "I love you and I would never purposely hurt you."

She blinked a few times to clear the tears from her eyes and returned his hug. The two of them stood there for what seemed like forever enjoying the closeness.

Finally Michaela broke the silence, "promise me that the next time we have an argument about something, that you won't walk away. Promise me that you'll stay until we work it out."

"Promise", he whispered as he bent down to kiss her softly on the lips. "You look exhausted. Come lay down before tonight. You look as if a nap would do you good."

"Stay with me until I fall asleep?", she asked.

"Sure, then I need to go home and get myself cleaned up. I can't show up at the rehearsal tonight looking like this. Plus, I don't smell to go right now.", he chuckled.

Some hours later, the Quinn family along with all their friends sat around several tables in Grace's. The rehearsal had gone well, everyone was there on time, and Claudette and Maureen's flight had made it. Michaela was feeling more confident about the wedding, but was exhausted from the previous night's events. She was standing quietly to the side of the group admiring the fact that everyone was getting along when Sully came up behind her. "

"You look beautiful", he whispered in her ear. He hugged her to him.

She blushed, "why thank you", she giggled.

"Party's going well", he mused.

"Yes, everyone's getting along. I hope everything goes ok tomorrow.", she sighed.

"It will, your mom's in charge remember? Do you think she'd let anything go wrong?", he chuckled in her ear.

"No, but not everything is in her control you know."

"Well, I for one am not worried. Tomorrow will be perfect." He leaned closer to her ear and whispered seductively, "And tomorrow night will be even better".

She giggled, "Whatever do you mean Mr. Sully?"

"Guess you'll have to wait and see", he wagged his eyebrows.

She gave him a quick peck and immersed herself in the group again. "Yes, tomorrow is going to be perfect…and tomorrow night, well she had plans of her own.", she thought to herself.

So there you go. I know it's short. One more chapter. Enjoy!