Page 28 of The Wedding Hoax

“You didn’t get my texts?” I was confused.

“My phone didn’t charge overnight.” She motioned for us to come inside the apartment. “Willow didn’t read through all of your instructions, I think, but she was still a lovely girl.”

“She didn’t keep your phone charged?” I tried and failed to hide how upset I was. “Mom, that’s a really big deal. What if something happened to you while she was gone? What if you fell out of your chair or—”

“Nothing happened, Simi,” she interrupted. “Everything’s fine. See?”

I took a moment to look around the apartment, my rage boiling even hotter inside of me. It looked like Willow had done the bare minimum when it came to taking care of my mom, including leaving dirty dishes in the sink. There were also folded clothes resting on the couch, instead of in a closet or laundry hamper where they belonged.

“Yeah. It looks like nothing happened, all right,” I murmured. “Mom, you have to tell me if someone’s not doing their job—”

“Why? So, you can fly all the way back home and ruin your honeymoon?”

“It’s not real, Mom. You know that.” I frowned. “And you should also know that you always come first. Always.”

“I didn’t want to bother you for no reason, sweetie.” My mom sighed. “Besides, Willow did her best. I think she just has too many clients to handle. I’m sure she’ll do better next time.”

“Next time?” I looked over at Harry, suddenly feeling desperate. “Harry, we can’t leave my mom here like this. I know you want me to move in with you, but I can’t just let someone else treat her like—”

“It’s already handled.”

“What?”

“I already took care of it.” He nodded toward my mom. “Eileen, there’s a guesthouse on my property that’s being outfitted to support wheelchair use. It should be ready by now.”

“Really?” My mom’s tone was hopeful.

“Really.” His smile was warm. “I’d be happy to have you live with us.”

“That’s…” Mom stopped and started. “That’s so wonderful, Harry. Thank you so much for thinking of me. Thank you for letting me stay with my daughter.”

“Of course. I’d never want to come between you two. Ever.”

“I’m going to go pick out a few things to take over,” Mom said, already motoring her wheelchair out of the room. “I think we still have that brown suitcase somewhere. I’ll pull it out.”

“Mom, hold on! I’ll help you pack,” I called out after her before turning my attention back toward Harry. “Thank you! Seriously. You have no idea how much this means to us.”

I pulled Harry into my arms, instinctively hugging him. I was so thankful for his generosity in that moment that I’d forgotten about my own rules, about how much I wanted to keep him at arm’s length.

I felt Harry hug me back, his arms tight around me. When we pulled away from each other, he was staring down at me, his dark brown eyes boring into mine. Without thinking, I leaned in toward him, so close our lips could almost touch.

But instead of pressing my mouth against his, I whispered, “I need to go. I need to help with the suitcase.”

“Right.”

“And I should really get my stuff packed, too, so I can get all moved in.”

“Of course,” Harry said, not moving an inch away from me. It was like we were frozen in place, moments away from falling into each other, moments away from making a huge mistake.

I took in a deep breath, finally moving away from him.

And I felt his eyes on my every move as I walked down the hall to find my mom.

11

HARRY

Fuck.

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