Page 19 of The Wedding Hoax

“I think it’s all I can say right now. You just look so incredible.” His eyes widened like he was in complete awe. “You’re beautiful, Simone. Please tell me that I’ve told you that before.”

“First time for everything.” I beamed back at him. “You clean up pretty good yourself.”

“Did you write your own vows?”

“I was supposed to write vows?”

“Don’t worry about it.” He laughed. “I’ve got both of us covered. I’ll just do mine and you can pretend like you’re so overwhelmed with tears that you can’t read the ones you definitely wrote.”

“You wrote vows?” I was still shocked by the revelation. “But we barely know each other.”

Before he could respond, the officiant began to speak. He went through the ceremony as Harry’s mom gently wept in the front row. My own mom had a concerned look on her face the whole time, like she was waiting for the other shoe to drop.

When the time came for us to recite our vows to each other, Harry quickly volunteered.

“My dearest Simone,” he started. “You’re the light of my life. You’re the reason I look toward the future with hope, which is new for me. I’ve got a reputation for being more pessimistic than most, but when I’m with you? I can’t be cynical. I can’t be anything other than in love with you.”

He looked at me as he said the rest. “From the first moment we met, I knew that you were different from anyone I’d ever met before. You’re honest with me, in a way few people are, probably because of said pessimism.” He smiled, and a few people in the audience laughed. “And you’re brave. I think because you’ve had to be, with everything that’s happened in your life. I just wanted you to know that I see that bravery, and it makes me love you even more.”

I swallowed a lump in my throat and wiped at my eyes.

Was I crying?

I knew that I was supposed to cry to sell the moment, but these weren’t fake tears. Harry’s words had managed to touch my heart, even if he didn’t mean them. I’d never had someone speak about me like that before, and I obviously hadn’t been prepared to hear it.

The rest of the ceremony was a blur of tears and celebration. We were pronounced husband and wife, and everyone cheered as Harry took me in his arms and kissed me.

That kiss was amazing.

I breathed in his scent, feeling dizzy as he pressed his mouth to my lips. I wanted to melt in his arms. I wanted him to never let go of me. When he pulled back, his eyes locked on mine.

And for a second, I thought maybe something was there.

Get it together, Simone. This is all an act. He’s acting right now.

The next thing I knew, I was dancing at our reception, doing a conga line with Ruby, Sean, and Taylor. Then I was sitting at a table next to Harry, holding his hand, listening to Paul and Sean take turns telling embarrassing stories about him.

I was cutting into a slice of cake, with Harry’s arm wrapped around my waist. I was kissing him, hard, in front of our family and friends, like the world was going to end if we didn’t.

And even though none of it was real, the smiles were. So were the tears, and the happiness, and all the overflowing joy that took up so much space in the room it felt like we were swimming in it.

* * *

“Honeymoon suite, party for two.”

Harry had just finished swiping his card at the hotel room door, giving us both access to the space. We were in a five-star hotel in Malibu. Harry’s parents had insisted we take a honeymoon, even if it wasn’t very far from home.

“Oh, wow.” I was stunned as I looked around the room. “This place looks like it costs more money than I’ve ever made in my life.”

“Courtesy of Mom and Dad.” Harry set our suitcases down in the corner. “They pretty much demanded that they pay for our honeymoon. I tried to tell them that I make my own money, but they refused to take no for an answer.”

“Tell them I said thanks!” I giggled, running toward the bed. I happily flopped down on the comforter before letting out a satisfied sigh. “Ugh. This is the most comfortable mattress I’ve ever been on in my life.”

“Yeah? Let me know how it sleeps.”

“What do you mean?” I squinted in confusion. “There’s only one bed. Where do you plan on sleeping?”

“Right here.” Harry patted the back of a nearby couch. “Or if it’s too uncomfortable, maybe I can get a room next door—”

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