Page 70 of Wish I Didn't Want You Back

She knew how much I looked up to him. It was no secret that I would do anything to make him happy. Even making sure we got engaged before he died.

“Are they doing anything to treat the cancer?” she asked, adjusting the blanket over his body.

He gripped the arms of his chair. “The treatments are rough. Worse than I thought they would be. Being hooked up to those machines only makes me feel worse.”

I forced a breath through my nose. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t feeling good?”

He leaned forward. “Because I know you don’t want to hear it, and I don’t want my family worrying about me. I’m fighting, doing the best I can. I don’t want to be treated any differently.”

Harlow leaned over and rested her hand on his arm. “You need to keep fighting. You have a wedding to go to.”

His eyes were misty as he stared at her. “I’m going to do my best to be there.”

Harlow swallowed tightly; I could tell she was fighting back emotion. “You better be there, because we are saving you a front row seat.”

The affection between them was as clear as day. He held her hand like he didn’t want to let go. “You remind me of my wife.”

She smiled. “That’s quite the compliment. I heard so much about her. I wish I had the chance to meet her.”

My grandma passed away when I was ten. I don’t remember much about her other than she was just as stubborn as he was.

I sat back and watched them. The way she leaned in and made him laugh, and the way he looked at her like she was already family. Something stirred in my chest.

I needed the wedding to happen before he died.

Not just for him, but for me, too.

She was it for me. She always had been.

My only problem would be convincing her to stay this time.

CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE

HARLOW

The rain was coming down hard as we pulled up to my house. Brooks grabbed my hand, and we bolted for the porch.

The wind picked up, howling so loudly that you could almost feel the windows rattle.God, please don’t let a tree fall on the house.That was the last thing I needed.

I kicked the door closed behind us and shook the raindrops off my shirt.

The house smelled a little musty from being under construction, but somehow it still felt like home.

Brooks ran upstairs to grab a few towels.

“Here,” he said, handing me one.

“Thanks.” I started drying off my arms, hoping my body would warm up soon. It was one of those wet, gray days when the cold seeped into your bones. It would have been perfect if the fireplace was lit. A little bit of warmth would do me good right now.

Brooks rummaged through the cabinets. “Do you have anything besides pretzels and popcorn?”

I wrinkled my nose. “No. I only bought a few snacks for when we were here working. I didn’t plan on getting stuck here.”

We were going to stop and grab a bite to eat on our way back, but when we saw how quickly the weather was changing, we decided to drive straight to the lake house because it was closer.

He glanced at the phone. “We are under a weather alert until midnight.”

I kicked my socks and shoes off. “I should probably take a hot shower.”

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