Page 37 of The Wedding Hoax

“You ever met anyone who broke your heart? Who got your hopes up just to let you down?”

“Not really.” He hummed. “I mean, I don’t think I ever really got that serious with anyone.”

“Surprise, surprise.” I teased. “Of course, you’ve never had anything too serious. You’re already married to LA Now. And the last time I checked, people frowned on dating around when you’re already in a committed relationship.”

“It wasn’t always my choice.”

“Not always your choice?”

“Not being serious.” Harry faintly smiled. “There was someone. Once. Who I thought really could’ve been the one.”

“But?”

“But she wasn’t interested in going down that path with me. She didn’t want anything serious. She just wanted to travel around the world together, basically as friends with benefits, from now until the end of time.”

“That sounds amazing and awful at the same time.” I frowned. “Spending all that time with someone you love but none of it really meaning anything? That would be torture.”

“It was.” Harry shrugged. “Which is why it didn’t last too much longer after she told me that. Being with her did teach me a lesson, though. Something I’ll never forget.”

“And what lesson was that?”

“That I’m never going to have what my parents have. That I’m never going to have that once-in-a-lifetime fairy-tale kind of love. The kind you tell strangers about, just because it’s such a good story.”

“The kind you tell your kids about,” I added, even though it was a little painful to say. “Honestly? I don’t think I’m ever going to have that, either. My parents had a love story that’s completely out of this world. I don’t think that sort of thing happens anymore.”

“Then what’s the point of even trying? Why would we drive ourselves insane chasing after something that we know is never going to happen for us?”

“You’re saying it’s better to not even try at all?”

“I’m saying that if all we can get is a half-assed version of a beautiful love story, why bother?” Harry looked at me. “We could save that energy for something else. Something simpler. And we can keep our romantic commitments clean and quick.”

There was something suggestive in Harry’s tone, his eyes still on mine.

“I think we’re on the same page about that.” I smiled at him. “About keeping things simple. About keeping things clean and quick.”

“Good. I’m glad to hear it.”

* * *

“I think you left your panties in my bathroom,” Harry whispered as he passed behind me in the kitchen.

I’d been living with him for a week now, and nearly every night I’d ended up in his bed. I knew that it was a horrible idea, but ever since our balcony conversation, it felt like Harry and I really got each other.

Or at least, it seemed like we did. We never talked about hooking up, despite the fact that we’d been going at it for days.

Should we be talking about it?

Or would that ruin the whole mood?

“I’ll check on that later,” I replied to Harry, who was now standing by my side. He was shirtless, his abs glistening with sweat like he’d just come back inside from a jog.

“I think you should check on it now. We don’t want things to escalate.” Harry slid his fingers underneath my shirt, his fingertips resting on my stomach. “What’s going to happen if all your panties end up in my bathroom? That could be a national emergency.”

“I don’t think you know what counts as a national emergency.” I laughed before I looked up at him. “Is this a flimsy excuse to get me into your bed again, Mr. O’Donnell?”

“Who said anything about my bed? I was talking about the bathroom, Mrs. O’Donnell.”

“Ah. Of course. I’ll just grab my clothes out of your bathroom and pretend your bed doesn’t even exist, then.”

---