Page 93 of Forbidden Dark Vows

I still gape in the windows of Tiffany’s whenever I walk past, but that’s something that will never change.

Harry managed to get my dad transferred to a private clinic in the city, where I can visit him every day between physio sessions. He has stopped asking what happened between me and Mom. He understands that it was bad enough for me to leave Chicago, but he also knows that I’ll tell him when I’m ready.

I’m seeing him today, but Harry already knows this.

What he doesn’t know is that Melanie is in New York for a couple of days, and I’m meeting up with her. She isn’t ready for me to tell Harry yet, and I have to respect her wishes. I feel bad for keeping it a secret when he has been so honest right from the first time we met, but I have a plan, and if it works, I know that he’ll forgive me.

I wrinkle my nose now and roll away from him. I stand, pick up the damp towels he dropped on the bedroom floor, and hold them at arm’s length. “Not today. I’m busy.”

He stands and retrieves a pair of boxers from the chest of drawers, turning his back while he pulls them up like I haven’t seen him naked before. “Wedding stuff?”

“Uh-huh.”

He takes out some black socks and pulls them on too. “You’re not going to tell me what it is, are you?”

“Nu-huh.”

Without warning, he tackles me onto the bed, tickling the tender spot on my sides until I curl up into a ball, giggling and begging him to stop.

“Not until you tell me what it is.”

“No…” I choke out between bouts of laughter. “Stop, Harry. I can’t breathe.”

“Tell me.”

His cast has been removed, and it feels as if he has eight arms like a spider rather than two. His fingers are everywhere, and I give into them, my body twitching of its own accord every time he hits the spot.

“I’m going wedding dress shopping,” I blurt out.

He stops and sits on the bed beside me, offering his hand to help me upright. “Fuck. Sorry. I shouldn’t have pressured you into telling me.”

“It’s fine, Harry.”

I’ve left it a bit late, and who knows if I’ll be able to find the dress I want and have it altered in time for the wedding which is only three weeks away, but I’m going to have fun trying. I didn’t leave the apartment for the first week, and when I finally felt well enough to venture outside alone, I couldn’t bring myself to think about it. Not after my mom’s betrayal.

I know it’s my dad who should feel betrayed, but she lied to me too. All these years, she didn’t even want to be with us. I don’t even know who she is anymore.

I should’ve been shopping for a wedding dress with my mom, but instead, I’m going with Melanie. I only met her briefly before I left Chicago, but we have spoken almost every day since, and she is already starting to feel like the sister I never had. Besides, I’m marrying her brother.

Harry kisses my lips. “I promise I won’t ask again.”

“It’s fine,” I repeat. “It feels kinda weird doing all this without you.”

“I know I’ve been busy with work, but it will be worth it when we’re on our honeymoon and you have me all to yourself. You’ll be begging me to leave you alone after a few days.”

“A few days?” I frown at him, lips tugged into a lopsided smile. “Two days, max.”

He laughs out loud, pinching his thumb and forefinger together like pincers. “I’ll tickle you again if you’re not careful.”

I watch him get dressed in an expensive gray suit, waiting for my favorite part of the morning ritual: fastening his tie. My dad taught me how to do it when I was a little girl, and I would riseearly every morning just to help him fasten his tie in front of the full-length mirror in the bedroom he shared with my mom.

Now, Harry stands by the bed, and I kneel in front of him, tucking the tie beneath his collar, measuring the lengths on either side to make sure they’re equal. I fold and tug until I’ve made a neat knot at the front and a perfect dimple just below, sitting back on my heels and surveying my handiwork.

“How do I look?” He spreads his arms wide and gives me a twirl.

“Ready.” I allow my gaze to drift pointedly down to his pants. “Apart from one thing.” I stroke the bulge of his erection through the material.

He smiles and pulls away. “Much more of that, and you’ll be walking down the aisle naked.”

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