Page 28 of All In

God, how am I gonna be married to Harlow?

“Better now?” he asks, flopping down on the bed beside me with a glare. He’s got a pair of baggy sweats on under his stupid tux shirt now.

“Yes.”

Hurt flashes in his eyes. God, I should just tell him. Should tell him he’s beautiful, and I’m losing my fucking mind because I want to kiss him again. I want to slow down time while I do it. So I can memorize every single millisecond in hopes that this time I won’t forget it.

“We should make calls,” I say instead.

He nods. “Alright.”

I press my mom’s contact. She answers before the first ring is even done. “About time you answered.”

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Harlow leans closer to me. “Hey, Momma Ren.”

She scoffs, and I smile. “Don’t you dare Momma Ren me.”

He chuckles, and so she does. He’s always had her wrapped around his finger. I used to joke that my parents liked him more. Not a soul alive can deny those beautiful blue eyes a single thing.

“So,” she says. “Do you boys have something you need to tell everyone?”

I mute my phone quickly. “I feel like we should have talked about a plan first.”

“I’ve got this.” Harlow unmutes the phone. “Yeah, we’re married.”

There’s a beat of silence. “Yeah, I think everyone under the sun has seen that. What I don’t understand is why you did it in Las Vegas. With none of your friends and family around. Oh, and also twenty-four hours after your last wedding.”

And right on cue, Harlow’s teeth sink into his lip, his eyes widening. He’s got this, my ass.

“Well, you see… it’s…”

“And a better question,” Mom says, cutting him off. “Is why your ex-fiancé is defending you to everyone who dares say something negative about you. What’s going on here, boys?”

Yeah, the Josh thing is confusing to me too, honestly.

I mute the phone again. “Are you sure you want to do this?”

Harlow nods. “Are you?” he whispers. “This is your out if you really want it.”

God, I’m gonna fucking regret this. “No. I don’t want an out.”

“Boys,” Mom snaps. “I know you have yourselves muted. I’ve been watching you try to get your stories straight for over two decades. Y’all haven’t gotten any better at it.”

Harlow reaches forward, unmuting her once again. “The truth…” He settles brilliant blue eyes on mine, then sighs. “The truth is that we love each other. I think we always have.” My heart nearly stops. They’re the right words, but they’re all wrong, wrong, wrong. “And maybe we shouldn’t have gotten married like this… and maybe not after everything with Josh, but… I don’t regret it.”

I clear my throat, my pulse hammering. “Me neither.”

His lips quirk up into a grin, and my mom sighs. “I love you both very much, and you know we all support you no matter what.”

“Thank you,” I breathe. I think my mom, at least, has suspicions about my feelings for Harlow. She’s never said anything outright about it, but I still think she knows. “We’ll talk to you later. I love you.”

She hums. “Make sure you call your mom and dad too, Harlow. Enjoy your honeymoon.”

She says that part with a laugh that I can’t help but echo. Friend trip to honeymoon in a matter of a single night. I wish I could remember what happened. God, I hope I’m not the one who suggested it, but it seems like something I would do. Drunk me has a harder time keeping my feelings to myself.

I really hate that I don’t know for sure.