Page 77 of The Wedding Hoax

“I mean, it’s a little different this time.” I looked up at him.

“How so?”

“You’re here.” I smiled. “I don’t feel so alone this time around.”

My face fell, just then, as a realization hit me. “Or is that completely pathetic? That I’m leaning on you so hard during something like this? Especially with how busy you are? And the fact that we’re not even—”

“I’m happy that you’re leaning on me,” Harry interrupted. “And I’m happy to be here, Simone. I like that you feel less alone with me.”

“I’m happy that you’re here, too.” It was the last thing I said before I closed my eyes, surrendering to the warm feeling of being pressed against him, losing myself in the moment. I rested my head against his shoulder, and sleep soon took me over.

When I woke up the next day, Harry was gone.

29

HARRY

I hadn’t been to the hospital in a few days.

I’d still been in contact with Simone but after hearing her say that Eileen needed physical therapy, I knew that there was something I needed to do at home. Thankfully, the same crew who had just finished the greenhouse were willing to do some extra work around my home, too.

For a lot of extra cash, of course.

“Simone? Is that you?” I heard something at the front door and quickly went to answer it. When I pulled open the door, Simone was smiling on the other side. Eileen was right in front of her, seated in her wheelchair and still in her hospital gown.

“Sorry. I should’ve told you that we were coming home,” Simone started. “I was going to text you, but I got so caught up in making sure everything was good before leaving the hospital.”

“You don’t need to give me a heads-up about you coming home.” I smiled back at her. “Come on. I have a surprise for both of you.”

I motioned for them to walk further into the house before I turned down the hall. “When you told me that Eileen would need rehab, I realized that the guesthouse wouldn’t be enough space for her.”

“That’s okay. We could always do her rehab at the hospital. Right, Mom?”

“Right. It might be a little bit of hassle, but Simi and I could make it work.”

“I don’t think that’s fair.” I shook my head as I continued to walk down the hall. “I don’t think you should have to go back and forth like that, not after the kind of surgery you had.”

I stopped when I reached a room with a closed door. “I think it’d be a lot easier if you could do your therapy here.”

I opened the door, revealing what used to be the first-floor library. Gone were the office supplies and moving boxes I’d never bothered to open when I bought the house. Everything had been replaced by useful things, things that Eileen was going to need for her rehab. There were parallel bars to help Eileen learn how to walk again, even a small set of steps for when she was ready to try tackling those.

There was also a resting space, complete with potted plants and calming artwork on the walls. I didn’t want the room to become symbolic of something painful and hard, so I’d instructed the guys who’d fixed it up and cleaned it out to make sure there was something calming in it, too.

“Harry, this is…” Simone’s eyes were wide as she took in the room.

“Wonderful,” Eileen said, her voice lined with awe. “Oh, Harry. It’s perfect.”

“You really like it?” I nervously asked. “Because if you don’t like it, Eileen, we can take out or put in whatever you want.”

“I love it, Harry.” Eileen turned to look up at me. “You have no idea how grateful I am for this.”

“I love it, too.” Simone walked further into the room. “But seriously, though, how big is your house? I didn’t even know this room was back here!”

“Maybe I just didn’t want you roaming around my home unsupervised.”

“Maybe you just didn’t want me to know how much I’d be able to claim in the divorce,” she joked, as she continued to look around the room. “Is this the only secret room? Or is this the part where you tell us there’s like, a whole other house behind that wall?”

“Actually, I do have one more surprise for you.”

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