Page 63 of Not Yet Yours

“Mine too,” I say. “And I can’t even begin to imagine my Aunt Dorothy’s reaction.”

“Oh, she will burst with excitement,” Harriet says. “Maybe we should invite her too?”

I shake my head.

“No,” I say. “It’s nothing personal that I don’t want her there, but if I invite her, then it becomes a thing of where do we draw the line? I like the idea of something small and intimate. I think it means more than putting on a show for everyone. But don’t worry. The party we will throw for everyone will be a show and a half.”

“That’s ok if that’s what you want. I guess I feel like your Aunt Dorothy was kind of instrumental in us getting together, even if she doesn’t know it,” Harriet says.

“Yeah, I guess she was. God don’t tell her that, she’ll think she’s some sort of matchmaker extraordinaire, and who knows who her next victim will be,” I say, laughing.

Harriet laughs too and she links her arm through mine as we go into the mall, and I lead her toward the jewelry store there that I like.

“So how long will the others be staying?” Harriet says.

“We’ll have to work out the exact details depending on what wedding dates are available, but I was really hoping that we could all fly out together on Thursday and we could get married on Saturday or Sunday and have our guests stay until Tuesday so they can clear their hangovers and then we can take the rest of the time as a honeymoon,” I say. “Unless you’d like them to stay longer?”

“No, that sounds perfect,” Harriet says.

“But don’t worry, that won’t be our only honeymoon. You will still get the surprise romantic one after the party at home too,” I say.

“What? No,” Harriet says. “I don’t need two honeymoons.”

“Ah but really, the Maldives wasn’t planned to be a honeymoon,” I say.

“All the same though,” Harriet says. “It will be more than enough.”

“I think there’s something we need to clear up here,” I say. The jewelry store is right in front of us now, but I think we need to have this conversation first or Harriet is going to be grubbing about looking for the cheapest ring for herself. I nod to a bench. “Let’s sit down a moment before we go in there.”

Harriet sits down and I sit beside her. I notice she looks a little bit nervous.

“Don’t worry,” I say. “It’s nothing bad.”

She smiles at that, and I’m glad I reassured her before I start to explain this.

“I don’t really talk about money because I don’t want to sound crass or braggy, but I am rich, Harriet. Obscenely rich. Like a multi-millionaire level of obscene. I worked hard for thatmoney, and I deserve some joy from it I think,” I say. Harriet nods her agreement which is good. “The only real enjoyment I get out of it is being able to spoil you.”

“But I don’t need spoiling,” Harriet says. “I…”

Chapter Thirty-Five

Liam

Igently put a finger on her lips, and she stops talking and peers at me from beneath her eyelashes.

“The fact that you are so reluctant to have me spoil you is one of the reasons I want to. I have known girls who want to date me simply because they want gifts and the lifestyle I can give them. I love that you are not like that. But I need you to meet me halfway and allow me to spoil you a bit because that’s what I want to do. And if it makes you feel better, let me put this into perspective for you. I am going to sound like an absolute asshole here, but I think you need to hear it,” I say.

Harriet nods for me to go on. She doesn’t look nervous anymore, just curious as to what I’m going to say.

“By the time I book the extra rooms for our moms and for Cullen and Max, plus pay for the wedding ceremony, the rings, the dress, and my suit, Cullen’s suit, and Max’s dress and something for our moms to wear, plus all the other things we’ll need for the wedding, like flowers, the buffet and so on. I have probably missed stuff but are you with me so far?” I ask.

“Yes,” Harriet says.

“Right, so the wedding, the trip, and the epic party we’re going to throw when we’re back home,” I say. “I don’t know exactly how much it will all cost, but going off a reasonable guess, the amount it will cost is about the equivalent of you buying me a coffee.”

Harriet blinks at me a couple of times, but she doesn’t say anything, and I hope I haven’t sounded too much like a douchebag.

“And not even an artisan coffee at that,” I add in an attempt to lighten the mood a bit.

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