Mistakenly Married

by Victorine E. Lieske

  “She was afraid of being made fun of.” Harrison didn’t mean for it to come out as an accusation.

  “Well.” Marci’s smile was forced. “It’s not a big deal.”

  Arthur shifted in his seat. “Harrison Williams, as in CEO of Harrison Williams Investment Group?”

  Harrison wished another person would burst in and propose to take the attention off himself. “Yes.”

  Kimmy laughed. “Get out. You married a CEO?”

  Penny turned a deeper shade of red, which he didn’t think was possible. “I’m sorry we lied,” she said quietly.

  Clay stared at his phone, his eyes growing wide. “Oh man, you’re a billionaire?”

  Technically he was worth billions, but only because he’d inherit a billion dollar company when Patrice died. Right now he was cash poor. Harrison tugged at his collar, feeling like a broken record. “Yeah.”

  An awkward pause settled in until Clay said, “Hot da—”

  “Clay!” Marci said.

  “I was going to say dang.”

  Marci scowled at Clay, then plastered on a smile. “Well, we’re almost done. Who’s opening next?”

  HARRISON LAY ON THE floor listening to Penny’s even breathing. Well, that had been uncomfortable, but they’d gotten through it. Penny’s family had accepted the lie, and no one suspected her real mistake.

  He pulled out the ring box and opened it. The diamond he’d picked wasn’t large and flashy. It was understated, but elegant, like everything else Penny wore.

  “Are you awake?”

  Penny’s voice startled him and he snapped the ring box shut and stuffed it under his blanket. She wasn’t looking down at him. Maybe she hadn’t seen it. “Yeah. Just thinking.”

  She exhaled. “I can’t sleep either.” The bed made a noise and her face popped over the edge. “Sorry about earlier. I can’t believe I messed up and said your name.”

  “It’s okay. It all worked out.”

  “Yeah, thanks.” Her face looked troubled. “Sorry to put you on the spot. I hope it didn’t make things awkward for you.”

  “It’s fine.”

  The bed creaked again and her face disappeared. “My family can be a little overwhelming.”

  He smiled despite the awkwardness. Her family was warm and friendly, and even though they had flaws, they made him feel at home. “They’re perfect.”

  “Ha. You’re drunk.”

  “No, seriously. You’ve met my family, right?”

  Penny snort-laughed. “Okay, compared to Patrice, my house is full of angels.”

  Harrison’s smile faded. “They don’t mean to hurt you, when they tease you about things.”

  Penny’s voice came back, soft. “I know.” After a moment of silence, Penny said, “Why is Patrice the way she is?”

  Harrison squinted in the dark, trying to see beyond the pale shadows. “She’s very insecure. She wasn’t well received when she married my father.”

  Penny looked down at him again. “What happened to your mother?”

  “She died when I was young. Cancer. I barely remember her.”

  She reached out and took his hand, warmth spreading over him. “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s okay. Like I said, I barely remember her.”

  “It must have been hard, having Patrice come and replace her.”

  Harrison squeezed Penny’s hand. “Patrice let our nanny raise me. Lucy Perkins was her name, and she was everything Patrice was not. She became like a mother to me.”

  “What happened to her?”

  Harrison swallowed the lump in his throat. “Patrice fired her when I was twelve. Accused her of stealing, although I always suspected she was insanely jealous of our relationship. Lucy packed up and I haven’t seen her since.”

  Penny sucked in a sharp breath. “That’s terrible.”

  “It is what it is.”

  “Well, you’re right. My family is pretty awesome.” She pulled her hand away.

  “How do you feel about your sister marrying Rob?”

  Penny made a face. “I still don’t like it, but you’ve made a good point. I have to support her, or it will drive us apart.”

  “Maybe he’s changed.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” Penny paused. “What are you going to do once you have your trust fund? I mean, I know you’re going to move into a nice house, but have you ever thought about leaving the investment group? Doing something you love?”

  He knew what she was getting at, and truth be told he had thought about it. But it could never happen, especially now that Patrice had drained his account. “I can’t open a restaurant. I can’t leave the firm.”

  “I know your dad wanted you to run it, but couldn’t someone else do that?”

  “If I left, Patrice would be furious. She’d probably write me out of the will.”

  She patted his arm. “But you’d be happy.” She rolled over, letting the words sink in. Penny really didn’t care about his money. She’d rather he be happy and broke than a billionaire stuck in a life she hated. She had more courage than he did. He didn’t think he could walk away from it all.

  “Good night, Harrison.”

  “Good night.”

  Chapter 23

  Penny sat at the breakfast table with her parents, pushing cereal around in a pool of milk with her spoon. It was Christmas Day and all she could think about was how her family thought she was happily married to Harrison. She’d gotten what she asked for. No one knew she’d messed up. So why did it feel so sour?

  Harrison sat in the chair next to hers and gave her a smile. He looked like a model from a magazine, which didn’t make her feel any better. She stared down at her bowl and tried to push the horrible feelings away.

  “You okay?” her mother asked.

  “Fine,” she lied. She couldn’t tell anyone otherwise. What was wrong with her? She’d gotten away with her fake marriage. They would be leaving that evening, and no one would have to know the truth. She should have been elated, but instead she couldn’t eat because her stomach felt like it was full of rocks.

  Kimmy slid into the chair across from her and set a bowl down with a clink. “Who died?”

  Penny forced a smile. “No one. Sorry, I was just thinking.”

  “Well you’d better stop or you’re going to depress everyone.” Kimmy poured her milk and then passed it to Harrison. “What Christmas movies are we watching today?”

  “It’s a Wonderful Life is playing all day on the History channel,” Harrison said.

  “Oh, I love that one.” Kimmy shoved a bite of cereal in her mouth.

  The ring on Kimmy’s finger caught the light and Penny’s mood worsened. Even though she didn’t like Rob, her sister was happy. Getting married. She’d found love.

  All Penny had was a bogus relationship that would dissolve soon, and an overwhelming urge to throw up.

  “Hey, I’ve been thinking,” Kimmy said with her mouth full. She swallowed. “You two met in a chat room for Doctor Who fans, right? But you—” She pointed at Harrison. “Yesterday you said you’re not really into that. What were you doing there?”

  “I...uh...” Harrison’s wide eyes turned to Penny.

  “He was messing around online. Clicking on different things.” It was lame, but it was all Penny could come up with on the spot.

  “And I was also thinking...Penny said your last name was Tucker. Where did that come from?” Kimmy stared at Harrison, whose face drained of color.

  “Well, um...” Harrison coughed into his fist.

  Everyone around the table stared at Harrison, and Penny knew this wouldn’t work. If they lied now, she’d have to lie forever. Even after they divorced and Harrison went away, she’d forever be lying to her family. She could barely take another second.

  “I lied,” she blurted.

  As soon as she said it, she wished the words back in her mouth, but it was too late. Her parents looked at her with disappointment. They didn’t even know the half of it yet. And she had to te
ll them. There was no way she could get away with this. How had she ever thought this was a good idea?

  But as she sat there with her family looking at her, she lost her nerve. The room grew impossibly hot and she stood. “Excuse me.”

  She ran upstairs to her room.

  HARRISON SAT THERE frozen, his spoon hanging in mid-air. What was Penny thinking? He slowly set his spoon down.

  “What did she mean, she lied?” Marci’s face was stony.

  What should he tell them? He wasn’t sure what she meant. “I don’t know. I’d better go talk to her.” His chair scraped the floor as he stood.

  He climbed the stairs and entered Penny’s small room. She was on the bed, her head in her hands. He eased down next to her and put his hand on her back. “What’s going on?”

  She didn’t move for a moment before she faced him. He thought maybe she was crying, but her eyes were dry. “I can’t do this anymore. I want out.”

  Pain stabbed in his chest. Was she saying what he thought she was saying? He needed her to clarify. “Out?”

  “Yes. I’m done.” Penny picked at her bedspread. “I need to get on with my life.”

  Harrison’s mind reeled. Penny was ready to get a divorce and go separate ways. Panic filled him and he glanced at his pillow where the ring was hidden.

  Penny continued. “This was a bad idea. I shouldn’t have agreed to do this in the first place.”

  Great. She regretted the last two weeks with him. Here he was falling in love with her, and she was wishing the whole thing hadn’t happened. “I’m sorry.”

  Penny avoided his gaze. “It’s not your fault. I just need to be done. Maybe you can call your attorney and see how the trust fund is going.”

  Guilt for not telling Penny crept up into his chest. “He called. Patrice surrendered the funds.”

  “Really? That’s great news.” Penny smiled, although it didn’t reach her eyes. Her face grew sober. “There’s no reason for me to go to California with you, then.”

  The words smacked him in the face. She couldn’t wait to get away from him. “I guess not. I’ll get your check ready.” Except he didn’t have enough. He’d have to pay her half of what he owed until he could straighten out what Patrice did with the rest of the money.

  Penny shook her head. “I changed my mind. I don’t want it.”

  She...didn’t want the money? Harrison didn’t understand. How would she get on with her life without it? “What do you mean?”

  “This whole thing was a mistake. I wouldn’t feel right taking your money.”

  Figures. The first girl he found that didn’t care about his money didn’t care about him either. He wiped his palms on his pants, unable to look at her. “What will you do?”

  “Get a job here I guess. Live with my parents until I get back on my feet. Maybe con someone into going with me to get my car at the Las Vegas airport.” Penny took in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “I’m going to tell my parents. Everything.”

  He’d assumed that was where she was going with this. And a part of him admired her for owning up to her mistake instead of hiding it. She had come to terms with it and realized the truth was better than keeping up with the lies. An urge to support her came over him. “We can tell them together.”

  Another small smile formed on her lips. “Thanks, I appreciate the offer, but I need to do this myself.”

  “You can tell them. I’ll just come with you for moral support.”

  She slowly nodded. “Okay.”

  He got up and held out his hand to her. “Let’s go get this over with.”

  As they descended the stairs, he tried to ignore the way her hand sent zaps of electricity up his arm. They’d be saying good-bye in a few minutes. He had to face reality. It was over.

  PENNY GATHERED HER family in the living room, her nerves shot. They were going to have so much fun with this one. Stories of this would be told at family events for years to come. She didn’t even want to think of what would happen this summer at the Ackerman family reunion. Aunt Ida’s horse-laugh filled her mind.

  She glanced around the room and cleared her throat. “I want to tell you something, but please wait until I’m done to say anything.”

  Her mother twisted her hands together, a look of concern on her face. “Of course, dear.”

  Kimmy nudged Clay and motioned for him to put away his phone. Clay rolled his eyes but stuffed his cell in his pocket.

  Penny wiped her hands on her jeans. “Harrison and I got married by accident.”

  Confusion swept over her father’s features. “What do you mean?”

  “The man I was chatting with online was named William. He asked me to marry him, and I accepted, but he stood me up at the altar. The limo driver picked up the wrong guy.” She made a lame gesture toward Harrison sitting beside her.

  Clay made a snort-laugh and picked up a magazine to hide behind.

  She steeled herself for the laughter and the jabs, but when no one else said anything, she continued. “I was so embarrassed that I’d made such a colossal mistake, I asked him to come home with me and pretend to be William.”

  Clay shook with laughter. “Oh, man, that’s—” Kimmy pinched his arm. “Ouch!”

  “Shut up!” Kimmy hissed.

  Penny’s tongue felt like sandpaper in her mouth and heat flamed her face. “No, go ahead and laugh. It’s funny.”

  After she’d given them permission to laugh, the room grew silent. Her mother tugged at the hem of her shirt. “You...aren’t really married?”

  How could she explain? This was too complicated. “No, we’re married.”

  “But, you’re not in love?” Her mother blinked like she was going to cry.

  Oh, dear. She expected laughter, not tears. The look on her mother’s face stabbed a knife into her chest. And what a question. She had strong feelings for Harrison, but how could she talk about them when she didn’t understand them herself? She took a deep breath, and decided to go with the simple answer, even if it wasn’t altogether true. “No.”

  She thought Harrison winced, but when she turned, his face was unreadable.

  Her father looked like he wanted to punch someone. “You mean you...and he...”

  She also wasn’t prepared for anger. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”

  “What were you thinking?” her father said, one decibel lower than a shout.

  Her mother wiped a tear from her cheek. “Are you going to get a divorce?”

  The pit of her stomach hardened. “Yes.”

  An uncomfortable silence settled in the room, and Penny shifted in her seat. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have tried to cover up my mistake.”

  Another span of awkward silence stretched out. “Well,” her mother finally said. “Thank you for telling us the truth. It couldn’t have been easy for you.”

  Her father still looked like he wanted to hurt someone, and Penny wasn’t sure if his anger was directed at her or Harrison. Maybe both. Just to be safe, she tugged on Harrison’s arm and they stood. “We’ve decided it’s best if Harrison goes back to California alone.”

  Her mother looked down at her lap. “That’s wise.”

  “I’m going to go help him pack.” Penny practically dragged Harrison out of the room and up the stairs. When they got back in the bedroom she leaned up against the door and swiped a hand over her face. “Glad that’s over.”

  Harrison looked like he wanted to say something, but he stayed silent. Instead, he pulled out his suitcase and started packing.

  Seeing him getting ready to leave sent her heart into a near panic. She’d been so focused on clearing up the lie that she hadn’t thought about Harrison leaving. About never seeing him again. Her stomach clenched. “Do you...need any help?”

  Oh, why had she said that? It sounded like she was shoving him out the door. Like she couldn’t wait for him to leave. Nerves assaulted her and she had to wipe the sweat off her hands.

  “No.”

  He glanced at her, and he
r breath caught. He was leaving. Really going, and she didn’t want him to. In fact, an incredible urge surged in her to grab hold of him and give him another sucker-fish kiss until he fell in love with her.

  He shoved items into his case while she fretted about what to do. Should she tell him she loved him? Did she love him? Her feelings had been so mixed up since William broke her heart, she wasn’t sure. All she knew was she had this horrible empty feeling in the pit of her stomach watching him pack.

  Harrison had his trust fund now. He didn’t need her. He’d be better off without her dragging him down, embarrassing his family. Marrying her had been a mistake. He’d wanted some rich girl. Someone who could step into his world and make him look good.

  She was not that someone.

  He’d probably go back to living in that mansion, going to fancy parties. Maybe he’d meet a girl. He deserved to be happy. Thoughts swirled around in her head, making her dizzy, and she sat down on her bed.

  Harrison zipped up his suitcase. “That’s everything.”

  “I’ll...uh...see you to the door.” She followed him down the stairs and across the living room.

  He opened the door and stepped out onto the front stoop, then turned to her. “Penny—”

  “Harrison—” She interrupted. “Sorry, you go first.”

  He shook his head. “No, you.”

  She swallowed the lump forming in her throat. She wanted to tell him to wait, that she’d made another mistake, and she wanted to go back with him. But it wouldn’t be right. “I just wanted to tell you...to have a safe trip.”

  He nodded. “I will.”

  The cold December air brushed past her and she knew she had to close the door soon. “Bye.” The word almost choked her.

  “Bye, Penny.”

  He turned to go and she gripped the door. “Wait!”

  Slowly he faced her. “Yes?”

  Her heart beat so loud she worried he’d hear it. “You didn’t tell me what you were going to say.”