Page 53 of The Wedding Hoax

Mom began to ask her some questions about the surgery, and I tried my best to listen to the doctor’s responses.

But inside, I was a mess.

* * *

“Do you think she’s right, Simi? Do you think you’re pregnant?”

The cab ride home from the doctor’s office had been mostly silent, except for the occasional song on the radio or a honking horn. I’d been lost in thought as I imagined my mom getting her mobility back and being in less pain.

“Do I think I’m pregnant?” I playfully scoffed. “I don’t know, Mom. That’s like asking me if I think the moon is made out of cheese.”

“You really don’t think there’s a chance?”

“No. I don’t,” I said. “After all those doctors I saw with Jace? All those tests and ultrasounds? Every one of those doctors told us the same thing, Mom. Getting pregnant naturally just isn’t in the cards for me.”

“Doctors can be wrong, Simi.” My mom sighed. “They were wrong about me, weren’t they? They didn’t think there was anything that anyone could ever do for me. And here we are, talking with Dr. Jimenez about surgery.”

“That’s different, Mom. That’s about there being advances in technology, you know? In my case, there’d have to be some kind of technological advance in my womb. And unless there’s a little robot inside of me that I don’t know about, I don’t think that’s happening anytime soon.”

“You really don’t think there’s a chance?” Her voice was low. “As in, you and Harry haven’t…?”

“Mom!”

“Listen to me, Simi.” She leaned closer to me, like she was telling me a secret. “I don’t need to know any of the details about you and Harry. And technically, you’re a married woman so you’re free to do what you want. I just want to make sure you’re being realistic about things.”

“Okay. Yes. There’s a chance,” I murmured back. “But it’s such a small chance that it doesn’t matter.”

“I knew it.” My mom bit into a smile as she moved away from me.

“You knew what?”

“That you liked him.”

“You’re not upset about it?” I was puzzled by her response. “I thought you wanted me to find true love or have some kind of epic romance.”

“You think I don’t have eyes?”

“Mom, what are you—”

“No one knows they’re in the middle of an epic romance until they’re on the other side of it, Simone.” She gently patted my hand. “You and Harry have some potential. I wouldn’t count him out just yet.”

“Harry doesn’t feel that way about me, Mom.”

“And you’re sure about that?”

“I’m sure that it doesn’t matter, even if he does. I’m sure that this is just a business arrangement for him and once it’s over, I’ll go back to being one of his employees like nothing ever happened.”

“I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.” It was the last thing she said before she looked out her window, her mind already somewhere else.

I couldn’t know for sure, but I had a feeling that she was back in Paris, taking a stranger up on his offer to show her the way to the Eiffel Tower.

* * *

After I dropped my mom off back at the guesthouse at Harry’s place, I added a stop to the cab ride.

The pharmacy.

It didn’t take long for me to grab a pregnancy test and hop back in the cab. I held the plastic bag close to my chest, like I was transporting national secrets.

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