“What was that about? Not that I’m complaining,” he asks when I eventually pull away and he lowers me back to the ground.
“You look hot.” Heat creeps onto my cheeks, but I’m starting to learn to be honest with my feelings about Harrison. “I’ve only ever seen you in suits…or nothing,” I add when he raises an eyebrow.
“I’ve worn shorts this week.”
“That’s not the same. I was starting to think you didn’t own any casual clothes.”
“I work a lot so I don’t usually get to wear them. Something I intend to change now I’ve got you, especially if you react like that to me dressing down. Come on, we need to get moving—the car’s outside.”
Smoothing down the fabric of one of the dresses I found waiting for me in the walk-in wardrobe, I follow behind him before sliding my feet into my flip-flops and looking back, committing our honeymoon to my memory one last time. My hands tremble and I feel a little sick at what I’m about to do. Go to my new home and meet my new family. Being in this little sanctuary helped me push some of my worries aside, but now, as we leave, they hit me full force once again.
“We can come back one day if you want,” Harrison calls out from the front door when he hears my sigh.
“I’d like that.” I follow behind him to the waiting car and whatever my future might hold for me in London.
Coming to a stop in the middle of the parking lot when Harrison walks up to a ridiculous car, my eyes almost bug out of my head.
“What’s wrong?” he asks, turning back to see where I’ve gone.
“You could have told me you were James Bond, you know.” I can’t help but laugh as I run my eyes over the sleek lines of his gunmetal grey Aston Martin.
“I wish,” he says with a laugh as his eyes drop to my legs. “That would get me all the women.”
Shaking my head at him, I follow towards his car, taking in its beauty. I’ve never been overly interested in cars—as long as they drive, I’m happy, but even I can admit this is pretty nice.
Being a gentleman, he opens the door for me and the scent of new car immediately hits me before I lower myself to the softest leather my ass has ever had the pleasure of sitting on.
It’s only a few minutes later when Harrison joins me. Thankfully, his presence means the small confines of the car are less suffocating. I’m trying not to show him how scared I am about what the rest of the day holds. He looks hot as shit, sitting behind the wheel, and it only gets better when he slides a pair of aviator glasses on.
“How were you single before meeting me?” I seriously have no idea how he didn’t have women practically tearing his clothes off.
“I worked a lot,” he says. It seems to be his answer for everything.
“She really did a number on you, didn’t she?” I hate to bring up his ex again, especially when I’ve already got enough to worry about, but I’m dying to know the whole truth about their relationship. It’s going to tell me a lot about the person he is, the husband he is.
“Yes, she did. Are you ready to see your new home?” I know he’s just trying to change the subject and I’m happy to allow it, for now.
“Can’t wait,” I say, adding as much excitement into my tone as possible. In truth, I’m scared shitless. I might believe that I’m making the right decision, that Harrison is the one for me, but moving halfway around the world and starting my life over once again isn’t what I expected to be doing. The thought of being introduced to his parents as his wife has my entire body trembling.
“It’s going to be okay, you know?” His soft words and the warmth of his palm resting on my thigh drag me from my thoughts. “We can do this at your pace.”
I nod, although he’s concentrating on driving so he probably doesn’t see. I try to focus on keeping my breathing steady and taking in everything around me as Harrison maneuvers his fancy car through the London traffic.
The farther we drive, the more opulent our surroundings become. The houses are bigger and the cars more expensive. I’m under no illusion that Harrison has money but even still, the street we’re making our way up shocks me.
“You live in Kensington? Isn’t it like, one of the most expensive parts of the city?”
“It’s not cheap, that’s for sure.”
I stare out the window as he slows the car and my chin drops at the sight of the building he parks in front of.
“This is your house?” I ask in amazement. Although calling it a house seems wrong; mansion would be more suited.
“This is our house,” he corrects, and I continue to sit there staring at the immaculate cream building with black ironwork and huge bay windows. A nervous laugh falls from my lips at the thought of this being my home now. “Are you okay?” he asks, sounding concerned about my sudden fit of laughter.
“Yeah…it’s just…All of this is crazy. I’m not entirely sure how I ended up here.”
“You rammed a tray full of glasses into me, and here we are.”
Shaking my head, I turn back towards the mansion in front of me, still in total disbelief.
“You are okay, though, aren’t you?” The sudden serious tone to his voice has me turning towards him. His brows are drawn together and he looks like he’s got the weight of the world resting on his shoulders. “You do want this…don’t you?”
My heart aches as I stare into his concerned eyes. Everything he feels for me is right there, staring back at me, and as crazy as this whole thing is, I know it’s right. This is exactly where I’m meant to be.
Reaching over, I take both his hands in mine and squeeze as I look him square in the eye, wanting him to see how much I mean the words I’m about to say to him.
“I’m scared, Harrison. I grew up in this tiny apartment that was way too small for five people, and most nights of the week we lived on noodles or toast because my parents were always working just to keep a roof over our heads. I’ve worked tirelessly from the first day I could to earn my own money, to look after myself and to attempt to build a better life than the one I was born into. Watching my parents struggle with money every day made me determined I wasn’t going to spend my life doing the same. I wanted to give myself the opportunity to get a good education, to be successful and live a life where I wasn’t desperately waiting for my next pay check.
“I had a plan, I knew where I wanted to go, and I was hell-bent on doing it. I’m not naïve, I know I’ve hurt people along the way, but I will not fail, Harrison. I refuse to. But then you came along. You were like a roadblock. Everything’s changed since that day. And it’s changed fast. Suddenly, I’m a wife. With a house like that,” I say, nodding to the building beyond. “I’ve got this whole new family I’m about to meet, and I have no idea if they’re going to accept me. I’m so much younger than you, and this has all happened so quickly. I couldn’t blame them if they were apprehensive about our relationship. Everything about your life seems so…stable, normal, perfect. I feel like I’m almost waiting for the other shoe to drop, like I’m about to walk into that house and be introduced to all your kids or something. Everything just seems too good to be true, and it’s a lot to take. What if this doesn’t work? Where will that leave me?” I didn’t mean for all my worries to tumble out of my mouth, but the minute I started, I was powerless to stop them.
I glance back up at Harrison to find his eyes wide with panic. My words haven’t done much to change the look on his face but I need him to know the truth about how he’s affected my life. How he’s changed everything I thought I wanted in almost the blink of an eye. But after a second, he swallows it down and reaches for my hands.
“Relax, Summer. I’m not about to thrust anything crazy at you. I told you we can do this at your pace, and I meant it. I don’t want to overwhelm you with everything and scare you off. This might be where I live, but you’re my world now, beautiful. This isn’t just my life anymore; it’s ours, and we can make it however we want it to be.”
Nodding, I look back at the house before finding his eyes
once again. “It’s going to take me a bit of time to get used to all this.” I gesture to the lavish car and house beyond as I watch Harrison’s features relax and a small smile tug at his lips. “I love you, Harrison. I’m excited about our new life together. Please don’t think my apprehension means anything different. This is just all a bit…crazy.”
I’m just looking back toward the house when the warmth of his fingers wrapping around the back of my neck stops me. He stares at me for a few seconds before his full lips press down against mine. The kiss is gentle, and it’s exactly what I need in those few moments as I begin to process what my new life is going to be like.
“Come on, I want to show you around your new home,” he says excitedly when he pulls back.
Leaving our suitcases in the trunk, he jogs around and opens the door for me before reaching in for my hand and tugging me from the seat. Together we walk hand in hand towards the giant black door. I wait for him to unlock it before going to step in, but at the last minute he turns and sweeps me up into his arms.
“What?” he asks when he sees the shocked look on my face. “I’ve got to carry my wife over the threshold.”
We’re both laughing as he walks us into the most stunning entrance hall with the grandest staircase I think I’ve ever seen.
“This is a dream, right? I don’t really live here.”
“Come on, let me show you around.”
So it seems that the place I now call home is an impressive five bedroom, five bathroom mansion with a home gym and sauna. I swear Ireland’s duplex is smaller than the master bathroom alone. My breath catches with each and every room he leads me into, each one even more stunning than the last.
“What about those two?” I ask as we walk past two closed doors, which I can only presume are two more bedrooms seeing as I’ve only seen three out of the five he said there were.
“They’re full of my grandparents’ old stuff that my mum wanted to keep. It’s not like I need them,” he says with a shrug as we begin descending the stairs.
“What kind of stuff?” I’ve no idea why I feel the need to ask but I’ve got a nagging feeling that something isn’t right.
“Antiques, mostly. A few pieces of furniture. This house has been in my family for generations.”
“It can’t have always looked like this,” I say, glancing at the modern features that fill the place.
“No. I had it gutted before I moved in. But there was a lot of stuff in here that holds a lot of memories so I couldn’t get rid of it all. Hence—”
“The storage rooms.”
“Do you want a drink?”
“Sure. What time is it?” I ask as we walk back into the giant kitchen. Almost every wall and surface in this house is white, and this room is no exception. It’s not quite the style I was expecting. Knowing Harrison’s love of antiques, I had a feeling I was about to walk into a time warp, but it seems he’s more of a minimalist when it comes to his home.
“Just gone eight. I have wine,” he says, pulling open what I presume is the refrigerator.
I jump up on one of his bar stools and watch as he bends over to see what’s inside. It’s only then I realize what he’s opened isn’t a refrigerator like I expected. “Is that full of wine?”
“Uh…yeah. It’s a wine cooler. Why?”
Laughing to myself, I wave him off. “Nothing. This place is just a bit of a culture shock. I’m used to a refrigerator with just a moldy bit of cheese at the back.”
“You’ll soon get used to it. The actual fridge is over there if you want to check it out.”
Getting up, I walk over to the cupboard door he pointed at before pulling it open. He’s been away for over a week yet it’s fully stocked, and when I check the packaging it’s all in date.
“I organized for it to all be here for when we got back.” He must see the confusion on my face.
“Of course you did.”
“Here,” he says, placing a glass down on the counter, but I walk past in favor of the photographs I see at the other side of the room.
Running my eyes over each frame, I take in his family while trying to keep my panic buried at the thought of meeting them.
“What happened to Zach?” I ask when I see him in one of the photos.
“Your guess is as good as mine. He’s a bit of a nomad. He just turns up when he wants to.”
“So he doesn’t work with you then?”
The laugh he lets out answers that question for me. “So what does he do?”
“No idea. He’s probably a porn star or something.”
I nod as I continue looking at the younger versions of my husband in front of me before turning back when I hear him banging about.
“You hungry?”
“A little.” Sitting back up on a stool I watch as he effortlessly works in his kitchen and puts us together a simple salad.
“Who taught you to cook?” I ask, desperate to learn more about my husband and his life here.
“My gran.”
“Is she still…” I trail off, not wanting to voice the question.
“No, both her and my grandad passed away a few years ago.
“I’m sorry. What about you? Any of your grandparents still going?”
“Just my dad’s, but they haven’t spoken for years. I’ve only met them a couple of times. What about the basement?” I ask, changing the subject.
“There isn’t one.”
“But there are windows,” I say, remembering looking down at them as I waited for Harrison to unlock the front door.
“It’s a self-contained flat. Danni lives down there.”
“What’s that face for?” I ask when I see him shy away a little.
“I wasn’t sure how you’d feel about it,” he admits.
“As long as she doesn’t expect me to tuck her in every night and read her a bedtime story, I’m sure it’s fine,” I say with a laugh, although knowing his family is so close does have a fresh wave of nerves running through me. It’s too easy to imagine this lavish home is just another holiday.
“I just know you’re nervous about meeting them.”
“I am, but I’m trying to tell myself that you’re right.”
“Good, because I’m always—” He doesn’t get to finish off his sentence because there’s a crash and a commotion at the front door before someone calls, “Welcome home.”
Harrison groans in frustration and my stomach drops. Shit, I’m meeting the family now.
Downing my wine in one, I just put the glass down as they appear in the doorway.
“There she is,” a lady who I can only assume is Harrison’s mom announces when her eyes land on me.
My heart pounds and my palms sweat. Fear that she’s about to ask me how old I am, or what I’m doing with her son engulfs me. My body trembles as I stay exactly where I am.
I soon realize that my panic is for nothing because the second she’s in reaching distance, her arms widen, and she pulls me into a hug.
“It’s so good to meet you. Harrison’s told us so much about you.”
Her words shock me. I know he came back home for whatever reason that I’m still to get to the bottom of, but I wasn’t expecting for him to have talked about me.
“Don’t look so surprised, sweetheart,” she says when she pulls back and looks into my eyes. “I knew the moment I saw him that he’d fallen in love, and a man in love is powerless to his mother’s questioning.” She winks at me and I instantly fall in love with her. Her English accent is so warm and friendly that I know we’re going to get along.
“You must be Summer,” a deep male voice says before he steps in front of his wife. “I’m Robert, and the woman molesting you here is my darling wife, June. Sorry about her,” he says with a cheeky wink, one I recognize from his youngest son.
Harrison
I panic the moment I hear Mum’s voice ring out around me. Living in our little bubble has been so perfect. I’m not ready to get back to real life, and I’m also not r
eady for Summer to learn the truth. Just seeing the look on her face when we were out in the car had me already second-guessing if being here is what she really wants. I’m worried that when she finds out the truth she’s going to be running back to America quicker than I can catch her. I tried to reassure her, but I also don’t want to lie to her.
I stand and watch as Mum embraces her and I don’t miss the nod and smile of approval I get from my dad as he also watches them. As my marriage to Rebecca started nearing its final stages, it’s safe to say that any love my parents once had for her vanished fairly quickly. None of us expected her to change the way she did, not even her own parents.
I’m pulled from my thoughts as Mum steps up to me. “I’m so glad you got her, Harrison. She seems so sweet.”
“She is.” I can’t help the wide smile that splits my face as I look over to my beautiful wife. “Have you told her?” Mum whispers.
Dragging my eyes away from Summer, I look down into Mum’s loving face. “Oh, Harrison. You’re making a bigger deal out of this than needs be. That girl loves you. Anyone can see that. Hiding this from her is going to do you no favours.”
“I didn’t mean to keep it from her. I never expected this,” I say, nodding over to where she’s now being introduced to Danni.
“I know, but it’s happened and she’s here. You’re not going to be able to keep it secret forever.”
“I know; I just need to find the right time. Anyway, what happened to me bringing her to meet you when she was ready?”
“We figured she might never be. We decided to make the decision for you both and bite the bullet, just like you need to do.”
I wave Mum off and turn to get them all a drink before we head towards the living room, the lie I told in the car sitting heavy on me.
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