Page 97 of The Fake Husband Deal

“Come this way, I want to show you something,” he said when we got out of the car.

Sometimes we walked in the museum’s gardens, especially if the weather was nice. We would sit in the grass and chill. The house was surrounded by trees so there was less open space to do the same.

“Can we grab a shower first? I stink.”

He pulled me closer, buried his face in the crook of my neck, and inhaled.

“You smell divine. I’d lick you head to toe if you weren’t covered in hospital dust.”

“Ugh, and now I feel even more gross. Come on, show me your thing so I can get clean. Then you can make me dirty again.”

He took my hand, and we crossed to the gate to the garden.

I saw it before we got to it because it was majestic.

“What’s this?”

“It’s my grandfather’s gazebo. It went away to be restored because we don’t have a big enough workshop here. Some of the glass broke during a storm last year.”

I walked under it, the colors reflecting on my skin. My dusty white T-shirt was bathed in a rainbow.

“This is stunning. All the colors. Your grandfather made this himself?”

Lior put his arm around my waist, holding me close. “He did. It was a gift to my grandmother because she loved reading outside, but in the sunlight, she struggled to see properly. The glass helped, but it also made it a magical place. They used to have a couch under it, but with all the visitors we have, it’s not practical.”

“Maybe we should move it to your place, then we could sit under it all the time.”

He smiled. “Maybe. It’s always lived in the gardens, but I think you might be right. We’ll give it until the rest of the summer so visitors can appreciate it, and then we’ll find a place for it at home.”

At home.

I sighed.

As if his place was also somewhat mine.

“Oh, I also spoke to my mom earlier. She’s totally panicking about meeting your parents tomorrow.”

“Why?”

He laughed. “You don’t know how overwhelming your family is, do you?”

I raised a brow. “I live in it. I know how overwhelming they are, but she’ll be fine. She just needs to bring a big appetite because my mom is a feeder.”

“Come on. Let’s go get you clean. You’re going to chill tonight. Your husband is going to cook dinner for you, and then we’re going to watch a movie.”

“Oh…the perks of being married.”

Lior

Iput an arm around my mom’s shoulder and kissed her hair.

It was overwhelming meeting new people when you were recently widowed.

We’d talked about it when I told her about the invite to join Noah’s family at their weekly Sunday lunch.

Stepping into a new place alone was different from doing it with your life partner.

Mom and Dad had always done everything together. From functions to attending my school events or birthday parties, they were always together.