Page 17 of Her Kensington
The farther we drive, the more opulent our surroundings become. The houses are bigger and the cars more expensive. I’m under no illusion that Harrison has money but even still, the street we’re making our way up shocks me.
“You live in Kensington? Isn’t it like, one of the most expensive parts of the city?”
“It’s not cheap, that’s for sure.”
I stare out the window as he slows the car and my chin drops at the sight of the building he parks in front of.
“This is your house?” I ask in amazement. Although calling it a house seems wrong; mansion would be more suited.
“This is our house,” he corrects, and I continue to sit there staring at the immaculate cream building with black ironwork and huge bay windows. A nervous laugh falls from my lips at the thought of this being my home now. “Are you okay?” he asks, sounding concerned about my sudden fit of laughter.
“Yeah…it’s just…All of this is crazy. I’m not entirely sure how I ended up here.”
“You rammed a tray full of glasses into me, and here we are.”
Shaking my head, I turn back towards the mansion in front of me, still in total disbelief.
“You are okay, though, aren’t you?” The sudden serious tone to his voice has me turning towards him. His brows are drawn together and he looks like he’s got the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. “You do want this…don’t you?”
My heart aches as I stare into his concerned eyes. Everything he feels for me is right there, staring back at me, and as crazy as this whole thing is, I know it’s right. This is exactly where I’m meant to be.
Reaching over, I take both his hands in mine and squeeze as I look him square in the eye, wanting him to see how much I mean the words I’m about to say to him.
“I’m scared, Harrison. I grew up in this tiny apartment that was way too small for five people, and most nights of the week we lived on noodles or toast because my parents were always working just to keep a roof over our heads. I’ve worked tirelessly from the first day I could to earn my own money, to look after myself and to attempt to build a better life than the one I was born into. Watching my parents struggle with money every day made me determined I wasn’t going to spend my life doing the same. I wanted to give myself the opportunity to get a good education, to be successful and live a life where I wasn’t desperately waiting for my next pay check.
“I had a plan, I knew where I wanted to go, and I was hell-bent on doing it. I’m not naïve, I know I’ve hurt people along the way, but I will not fail, Harrison. I refuse to. But then you came along. You were like a roadblock. Everything’s changed since that day. And it’s changed fast. Suddenly, I’m a wife. With a house like that,” I say, nodding to the building beyond. “I’ve got this whole new family I’m about to meet, and I have no idea if they’re going to accept me. I’m so much younger than you, and this has all happened so quickly. I couldn’t blame them if they were apprehensive about our relationship. Everything about your life seems so…stable, normal, perfect. I feel like I’m almost waiting for the other shoe to drop, like I’m about to walk into that house and be introduced to all your kids or something. Everything just seems too good to be true, and it’s a lot to take. What if this doesn’t work? Where will that leave me?” I didn’t mean for all my worries to tumble out of my mouth, but the minute I started, I was powerless to stop them.
I glance back up at Harrison to find his eyes wide with panic. My words haven’t done much to change the look on his face but I need him to know the truth about how he’s affected my life. How he’s changed everything I thought I wanted in almost the blink of an eye. But after a second, he swallows it down and reaches for my hands.
“Relax, Summer. I’m not about to thrust anything crazy at you. I told you we can do this at your pace, and I meant it. I don’t want to overwhelm you with everything and scare you off. This might be where I live, but you’re my world now, beautiful. This isn’t just my life anymore; it’s ours, and we can make it however we want it to be.”
Nodding, I look back at the house before finding his eyes once again. “It’s going to take me a bit of time to get used to all this.” I gesture to the lavish car and house beyond as I watch Harrison’s features relax and a small smile tug at his lips. “I love you, Harrison. I’m excited about our new life together. Please don’t think my apprehension means anything different. This is just all a bit…crazy.”
I’m just looking back toward the house when the warmth of his fingers wrapping around the back of my neck stops me. He stares at me for a few seconds before his full lips press down against mine. The kiss is gentle, and it’s exactly what I need in those few moments as I begin to process what my new life is going to be like.
“Come on, I want to show you around your new home,” he says excitedly when he pulls back.
Leaving our suitcases in the trunk, he jogs around and opens the door for me before reaching in for my hand and tugging me from the seat. Together we walk hand in hand towards the giant black door. I wait for him to unlock it before going to step in, but at the last minute he turns and sweeps me up into his arms.
“What?” he asks when he sees the shocked look on my face. “I’ve got to carry my wife over the threshold.”
We’re both laughing as he walks us into the most stunning entrance hall with the grandest staircase I think I’ve ever seen.
“This is a dream, right? I don’t really live here.”
“Come on, let me show you around.”
So it seems that the place I now call home is an impressive five bedroom, five bathroom mansion with a home gym and sauna. I swear Ireland’s duplex is smaller than the master bathroom alone. My breath catches with each and every room he leads me into, each one even more stunning than the last.
“What about those two?” I ask as we walk past two closed doors, which I can only presume are two more bedrooms seeing as I’ve only seen three out of the five he said there were.
“They’re full of my grandparents’ old stuff that my mum wanted to keep. It’s not like I need them,” he says with a shrug as we begin descending the stairs.
“What kind of stuff?” I’ve no idea why I feel the need to ask but I’ve got a nagging feeling that something isn’t right.
“Antiques, mostly. A few pieces of furniture. This house has been in my family for generations.”
“It can’t have always looked like this,” I say, glancing at the modern features that fill the place.
