Page 13 of The Wedding Hoax

“You mean, the fact that we literally met at a coffee shop? Because that’s not much of a story.”

“We can say it was love at first sight. Although, we should probably be vague about the timeline.”

“Right, because getting engaged to a woman you met two days ago is less romantic than it is concerning.”

“You get it.” He chuckled, relaxing against his seat. “Fuck. I never know how I make it through these dinners, but I always manage to. Somehow.”

“Please. How bad could dinner with your family be?”

“You’ll see.”

“I’ll see what? A bunch of perfectly lovely people who love and support you?”

“Are you forgetting the whole reason you’re here tonight? Because they’re completely unreasonable people?”

“Wanting to carry on the family line isn’t the worst thing in the world.”

“How are you on their side when you haven’t even met them yet?” He scoffed. “Or are you so anti-me that you’d be on anyone’s side? As long as it isn’t mine?”

“I’m not against you, Harry. And I’m not for your family, either. Not without meeting them first.”

“Could’ve fooled me.”

“I just think you don’t always appreciate what you have. What you’ve been given. People would kill to be where you are.”

“Only because they don’t have the full picture.”

“I think you’re the one who doesn’t have the full picture, Harry.” I shook my head. “I don’t think you know what it’s like for people who don’t just get to inherit a whole company.”

“Are you seriously blaming me? For something I have no control over?”

“I’m not blaming you. I just think you could be more appreciative—”

“Mr. O’Donnell, we’re here.” Harry’s driver had stopped the SUV in a driveway.

And when I looked out the window, I could hardly believe what I was seeing.

Whoa.

We’d parked in front of a huge mansion, the kind of place I’d only ever seen on reality TV featuring very wealthy and very catty housewives. The lawn was perfectly manicured, with a large fountain right in its center. There were also small lights illuminating a path to the front door, so long and so glamorous it could’ve been a runway in Paris.

My breath caught in my chest, even as Harry opened my door for me and took me by the hand.

“For what it’s worth, I appreciate every single thing I have,” he muttered as we walked down the path.

“Could’ve fooled me,” I murmured his words from earlier right back to him.

There was a tension between us, our argument from the car still simmering even as he rang the doorbell. But as soon as an older woman pulled open the door, the tension seemed to disappear into thin air.

Time to pretend.

“It’s you! It’s really you!” The woman’s eyes went wide and she grabbed me around the waist and pulled me into a tight hug. “You’re real!”

“Mom. Please.” Harry groaned. “You’re going to do permanent damage holding on to her like that.”

“Sorry, sorry.” She let me out of her embrace but kept her eyes on mine. “It just feels like a miracle.”

Harry’s mom smoothed down her clothes and went on. “I’m Grace.”

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