Page 34 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

My parents were upset. Her leaving didn’t just hurt me. It hurt them, too. They hated seeing me so broken, but they always had a soft spot for her.

“They don’t hate you, Harlow. They might not have been happy with what you did, but they have always cared about you. Look at how happy Tuck was to see you. I’m sure Hayes will be just as thrilled.”

“Your brothers don’t count.”

I laughed. “I can’t wait to tell them that.”

“You better not.”

I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel while she stared blankly out the window. She looked like she was ready to jump out of my truck.

“You need to relax, or they will know something is up.”

She twisted in her seat to face me. “I hate the thought of lying to them.”

“I’m not crazy about it either, but the more people that believe our story, the more real it looks to everyone else.”

She tilted her head to the side. “I know we have to keep up with appearances, but this is your family.”

“I’m aware, but my mom would not be able to keep this secret, so she has to believe it’s true.”

I loved my mom, but she was the last person I trusted when it came to keeping things quiet. She would call her best friend, Laura, who would then call their friend Janet. Then, the next thing you knew, the entire town would know before we even finished dessert.

“What about your dad and brothers?”

“Tuck and Hayes, yes, but not my dad.”

If I told him this whole thing was fake, he would worry. Things were still new and uncertain. I needed to keep the real reason why we were getting married close to the vest. I didn’t want everyone I cared about weighing in and giving me their opinions.

The truth was, I wasn’t the type of guy who avoided tough conversations. I dealt with crap head-on, but this was different.

“I still feel guilty, but you know your family better than I do, so I’ll follow your lead.”

I’d spent the entire car ride trying to reassure her that everything would be fine. However, by the time I turned into my parents’ development, an unexpected tidal wave of nerves rolled over me.

Their driveway was packed with cars, so I found a spot on the street behind Tuck’s squad car.

I killed the engine and glanced over at her. Harlow wore a pretty blue sundress that reminded me of summer and old memories. She looked carefree and beautiful, more like herself than in those pictures I saw of her online. Dressed to the nines, expensive-looking jewelry, perfectly styled hair, and manicured nails. I could almost see the girl she once was before becoming a pawn in her father’s twisted world. There wasn’t a trace of makeup on her face, and no dark shadows under her eyes.

I forced myself to glance away. Seeing her like this and with the soft scent of her familiar perfume stirred up old memories.

Memories of late-night kisses under the stars, stolen kisses down by the creek, and dreams we shared, before life took her away from me.

I cleared my throat, trying to shake off these feelings. Taking a trip down memory lane wasn’t helping me keep my emotions in check. I was still trying to get over kissing her the other night in my kitchen.

I didn’t know what the hell I was thinking.

“Come on, let’s get this over with.”I opened the door and slid out.

She fell into step beside me, so I threw a hand over her shoulder as we walked toward the house. It was the same house we moved into when I was fourteen, right after Dad’s construction business took off.

Rocking chairs sat on the wraparound porch of the large two-story white colonial, which was decorated with an American flag on the post.

It was warm and inviting, but the closer we got, the more nervous I became. I had to remind myself that it was just my family. The same people I’ve known my entire life, but with Harlow by my side, nothing about this felt normal.

I tried to ignore the heat from her body and the scent of her perfume as she glared at my hand on her shoulder. She tried to move out of my hold, but I only tugged her harder.

I looked down at her with a scowl. “You need to act natural and not recoil whenever I touch you in public.”

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