The songs for this chapter are:

One more night- Maroon 5

 Addicted - Kelly Clarkson

All of me- John Legend

Tessa's POV.

"What are the two of you planning to do today?" Kimberly asks when I enter the kitchen. She is busy filling out thank you cards for the guests who were present during the opening night of Christian's new club, making it a big success. As she signs his name on each of the cards, I wonder just how many business' he has invested in. The size of this house alone leads me to believe there is much more than Vance Publishing and a single jazz club.

"I'm not sure, we will decide when he's out of the shower," I tell her, and slide a fresh stack of small envelopes across the granite bar top.

I had to force Hardin into the bathroom to take a shower alone, he was still irritated with me for locking him out of the bathroom while I took mine. No matter how many times I tried to explain to him how awkward I would feel if the Vance's knew we were showering together in their home, he argued that we had done much worse in their house in the past twelve hours.

I stood my ground, despite his pleading. The events in the gym stemmed from pure adrenaline and were entirely unplanned. The love we made in my bedroom isn't an issue because it is my bedroom for now and I'm an adult having non-disruptive consensual sex with my.. whatever it is that Hardin is to me right now.

However, being the stubborn man he is, he still didn't agree, which led to me asking him to get  me a glass of water from the kitchen. I pouted and he fell for it. The moment he left the room, I jetted down the hall to the bathroom, locking the door behind me and ignoring his annoyed demands for me to unlock the door.

"You should make him take you sightseeing, maybe enveloping yourselves into the culture of the city will help him with his decision to move here with you."

The weight of this conversation is not something that I want to deal with right now. Hardin and I have come to a mutual agreement that satisfies both of our needs for now. "So Sasha seemed nice," I covertly move the conversation away from my relationship issues.

Kimberly snorts, "Sasha? Nice? Not so much."

"She knows that Max is married doesn't she?"

"Of course she does" she licks her lips, "does she care? No, not at all. She likes his money and the expensive jewelry that comes along with seeing him. She could care less about his wife and daughter." The disapproval in Kim's voice is heavy and I'm relieved to find that we are in total agreement on this.

"Max is a jerk but I'm still surprised that he would bring her around other people, does he not care if Denise or Lillian find out about her?"

"I suspect that Denise already knows. I'm sure there have been  many other 'Sasha's' throughout the years and poor Lillian already despises her father so it wouldn't make a difference if she knew or not."

"That's so sad, they have been married since college right?" I don't know how much Kimberly knows about Max and his family, but knowing her and her gossiping ways, she surely knows much more than I do.

"They married right out of college, it was quite the scandal." Kimberly's eye light up with the thrill of spilling such a juicy story to my unknowing ears. "Apparently Max was set to marry someone else, some woman who's family was close with Max's. It was basically a business deal, Max's father came from old money, I think that's why Max is such an asshole. Denise was heartbroken when he told her of his plan to marry another woman." Kimberly tells me as if she was actually there. She takes a sip of her water before continuing.

"Anyway, after graduation Max rebelled against his father and literally left the woman waiting at the alter. He showed up to Anne and Ken's place in the tuxedo he was set to marry the woman in and waited outside the door until Christian finally forced Denise to come out and talk to him. That same night, the five of them bribed a pastor using a fancy bottle of scotch and the little bit of cash in their pockets. Denise and Max were married just before midnight and she was pregnant with Lillian a few weeks later."

My brain has a hard time picturing Max as a lovesick young man, travelling through the streets of London in a tuxedo to track down the woman he loved. That same woman that he now repeatedly betrays by getting into bed with other women.

"I don't mean to intrude but was Christian's'-" I'm unsure what to call her, "I mean, Smith's mother, was she.."

With an understanding smile, Kimberly ends my awkward fumbling, "Rose came along  many years later. He was always the fifth wheel with the two couples. Once he and Ken stopped speaking and Christian came to America, that's when he met Rose."

"How long were they married?" I search Kimberly's face for any sign of discomfort. I don't want to intrude but I can't help but find myself fascinated by the history of this group of friends. I hope that Kimberly knows me well enough by now to know just how many questions I'm prone to ask.

"Only two years. They were only dating a few months before she became sick," her voice cracks and she swallows with tears brimming her eyes. "He married her anyway, she was pushed down the aisle in a wheel-chair in her wedding gown," Kimberly breaks into sobs and I brush my own tears falling from my eyes.

"I'm sorry, I haven't told this story in a long time and it just makes me so emotional." She apologizes. "It truly shows that behind his smart mouth and brilliant mind, there is an incredible loving man." She reaches across and pulls a wad of tissues from the box on the counter and passes one to me.

"Shit, I got tears on the cards!" She quickly recovers.

I want to ask her more questions about Rose and Smith, Ken and Anne in their college days, but I don't want to push her.

"He loved Rose and she healed him, even in her dying days. He only loved one woman his entire life, and she finally broke him from that." She blows her nose and I follow her eyes to the doorway behind me.

"Well I obviously came at the wrong time," Hardin awkwardly glances back and forth  between Kimberly and I, taking in the scene in front of him. I can't help but smile at how we must look, crying for no apparent reason with a massive stack of cards and envelopes in front of us on the counter.

Hardin's hair is wet from his shower and his face is freshly shaven. He looks incredible in a plain black t-shirt and the jeans his mother bought him for Christmas. His feet are covered only in socks and his expression is wary as he silently beckons me to him.

"Should I expect you two for dinner tonight?" Kimberly asks as I cross the room to stand at Hardin's side.

"Yes," I respond at the same time that Hardin says, "No."

Kim laughs and shakes her head, "well text me when you two come to an agreement."

..

"What do  you want to do today?" I ask Hardin when we reach the door.

"It's freezing outside, where's your coat boy?" Christian stops Hardin with a grin.

"First off, I don't need a coat, second, don't call me boy." Hardin rolls his eyes and I laugh at their exchange.

"Here, wear this. It's like a damn heater itself," Christian pulls a heavy, navy blue pea coat from the rack  next to the door.

"Hell no." Hardin scoffs at the long jacket and I can't help but laugh.

"Don't be an idiot, it's twenty degrees outside. Your lady may need you to keep her warm." Christian teases and Hardin's eyes asses my thick purple sweater, purple coat, and purple beanie, that he hasn't stopped teasing me for wearing since I pushed it onto my head. I wore this same outfit the night that Hardin took me ice skating and he teased me then too, some things never change.

"Fine," Hardin grumbles and pushes his long arms into the coat.  I'm not surprised to find that Hardin pulls off the look, even the wide bronzed buttons that line the front somehow give it a masculine edge when mixed with Hardin's simple style. Hardin's new jeans that I have already grown fond of and his plain black t-shirt, back boots, and now this coat, make him look like he was picked straight from the pages of a magazine. It's simply  not fair the way he looks so effortlessly perfect.

"Staring?" I jump slightly at his words in my ear. I'm granted with a smirk and a warm hand wrapped around  mine.

"Wait!" Kimberly rushes through the living room and into the foyer, followed by Smith. "Smith wants to ask you something." She looks down at her soon to be stepson with a loving smile, "Go ahead sweetie,"

"Can you take a picture for my school thing?" The blonde boy looks directly at Hardin.

"What?" Hardin's face slightly pales and he looks at me. I know how Hardin feels about being photographed.

"It's sort of a collage he's doing, he said he wants your picture too," she tells Hardin and I look over to him, pleading with him not to deny the boy who clearly idolizes him.

"Uhm, sure?" Hardin shifts on his heels and looks at Smith, "Can she be in the picture too?"

"I guess so," Smith shrugs. I smile at him but he doesn't notice.

Hardin shoots me a "he likes me more than you and I don't even have to try" look and I discreetly elbow him. I pull the beanie from my head and use the band on my wrist to pull my hair back for the picture. Hardin's beauty is effortless, he only stands there with an uncomfortable frown and he looks perfect.

"I'll take it quickly," Kimberly says.

Hardin moves closer to me and lazily hooks his arm around my waist. I give my best smile while Hardin attempts to smile without showing his teeth, I nudge him and his smile brightens just in time for Kimberly to take the shot.

"Thank you," she smiles genuinely.

"Let's go," he says and I nod, giving Christian a small wave before following Hardin through the foyer to the front door.

"That was so nice of you," I compliment him.

"Whatever," he smiles and covers my mouth with his. I hear the small click of a camera and pull away from him to find Kimberly with the camera held to her face. Hardin turns his head to hide in my hair and she takes another shot.

"Enough, shit." He groans and drags me out the door. "What is with this family and their videos and pictures," he rambles on and I close the heavy door behind me.

"Videos?" I ask.

"Never mind."

The cold air whips around us and I quickly put my hair down and pull my hat back over my head.

"We'll take your car and get an oil change first." Hardin says over the howling wind. I dig into the front pockets of my coat to retrieve my keys for him but he shakes his head and dangles his keychain, equipped with one of my car keys, in front of my face.

"You didn't take your key back when you left all your gifts." Hardin reminds me.

"Oh," my mind turns with the memory of leaving my most precious possessions in a pile on our once shared bed. "I would like those things back soon, if that's okay."

"Uhm, yeah. Sure." Hardin climbs into the car without another glance my way.

Once inside the car, Hardin turns the heat all the way up and reaches across to grab my hand. He rests both of our hands on my thigh and his fingers trace a thoughtful pattern over my wrist, where the bracelet would normally rest.

"I hate that you left it there, it should be here." He presses against the base of my wrist.

"I know," my voice is barely a whisper. I miss that bracelet every day, my nook too. I want the letter back as well, I want to be able to read it over and over. "Maybe you can bring them when you come back next weekend?" I ask, hopeful.

"Yeah, sure." His eyes stay focused on the road.

"Why are we getting an oil change anyway?" I ask him. We finally make it out of long driveway and onto the residential road.

"You need one," he gestures toward the small sticker on the windshield.

"Okay.."

"What?" He glowers at me.

"Nothing it's just an odd thing to do, to take someone's car to get an oil change."

"I've been the only one taking your car for an oil change for months, why would that surprise you now?"

He's right, he is always the one to take my care for any type of maintenance it  may need, and sometimes I suspect he's being paranoid and has things fixed or replaced that didn't need to be.

"I don't know, sometimes I forget that we were a normal couple sometimes." I admit, nervously fidgeting in my seat.

"Explain."

"It's hard to remember the small, normal things like oil changes or the time you let me braid your hair," I smile at the memory, "when we always seem to be going through some sort of crisis."

"First of all.." he smirks, "don't ever mention that hair braiding fiasco again. You know damned well that the only reason I let that happen was because you bribed me with head and cookies." He gently squeezes my thigh and a rush of heat flares under my skin.

"Second, I guess you're right in a way. It would be nice if your memories of me weren't tainted by my constant habit of fucking everything up."

"It's not only you, we both made mistakes." I correct him. Hardin's mistakes usually caused much more damage than mine, but I'm not innocent either. We need to stop blaming ourselves or one another and try to reach some sort of middle ground, together. That can't happen if Hardin continues to beat himself up over every mistake he has made in the past. Hardin's past haunts him enough.

"You didn't." He fights back.

"Instead of the two of us going back and forth over who made mistakes and who didn't, let's decide what we are going to do after the oil change."

"You'll get an iPhone," he says.

"How many times do I have to tell you that I don't want an iPhone." I grumble. My phone is slow, yes, but iPhone's are expensive and complicated, two things I cannot afford to add to my life right now.

"Everyone wants an iPhone. You're just one of those people who don't want to give into the trend. That is why you were still wearing floor length skirts in college," his dimples indent and his laughter fills the car.

I playfully scowl at his over-used dig,  "I can't afford one right now anyway.I have to save my money for an apartment and groceries. You know, the necessities." I roll my eyes but smile back at him to soften the blow.

"Imagine the things we could do if you had an iPhone too. There would be even more ways for us to communicate, and you know I would get it for you so don't mention the money again."

"Like tracking my phone?" I tease, ignoring his overbearing need to buy me things.

"No, like we could video chat."

"Why would we do that?"

He looks at me as if I've grown another set of eyes and shakes his head, "Because, imagine being able to see me each day on your shiny new iPhone screen."

Phone sex and video chats come to mind and I shamelessly run through the mental images of Hardin touching himself on the screen. What is wrong with me? My cheeks heat and I can't help but glance at his lap.

"You're thinking about it, going over all the dirty shit I could do to you during it."

"No, I'm not." I keep my stubbornness about the new cell phone and change the subject. "My new office is nice, the view is incredible."

"Is it?" Hardin's tone immediately changes to a somber one.

"Yes and the view from the lunch room is even better. Trevor's office has-" I stop myself from finishing the sentence but it's too late, Hardin is already glaring at me, expecting me to finish.

"Continue,"

"Trevor's office has the best view." I tell him, my voice comes out much more clear and steady than I feel on the inside.

"Just how often are you in his office, Tessa?" Hardin's eyes flicker to me and then back to the road ahead.

"I've been in there twice this week. We have lunch together."

"You what?" Hardin snaps. I knew I should have waited until after dinner to bring up Trevor. Or never really, I shouldn't have even mentioned him.

"I have lunch with him, usually." I admit. Unfortunately for me, my car is stopped at a red light, leaving me no room to avoid Hardin's glare.

"Each day?"

"Yes,"

"Is there a reason behind it?"

"He is the only person I know that has the same lunch hour as I do. Kimberly has been so busy helping Christian that she hasn't even been taking lunch." Both of my hands move in front of my face to aide in my explanation.

"So have your lunch hour moved." The light turns green but Hardin doesn't move the car until an angry horn sounds from behind us in the line of traffic.

"I'm not having my lunch hour moved, Trevor is my co-worker, end of story."

"Well," Hardin breathes, "I would prefer you not to eat lunch with fucking Trevor. I can't stand him."

Laughing, I reach down onto my lap and place my hand on top of Hardin's, "you're being irrationally jealous and there is no one else for me to have lunch with, especially when the other two women that share the same lunch hour have been mean to me all week."

"What do you mean they are mean to you?" He glances sideways at me while switching lanes effortlessly.

"They haven't been mean exactly. I don't know, maybe I'm just paranoid,"

"What happened? Tell me." He urges.

"It's nothing serious, I just get the feeling that they don't like me for some reason. I always catch the two of them laughing or whispering while staring at me. Trevor said they like to gossip and I swear I heard them say something about how I got the job."

"They said what?" Hardin sneers. His hands are white-knuckled as he tightens his grip on the steering wheel.

"They made a comment, something like, we know how she got the job anyway,"

"Did you say something to them? Or to Christian?"

"No, I don't want any problems. I've only been there a week and I don't want to run and tattle on them like a school girl."

"Fuck that. You need to either tell those women to fuck off or I'll tell Christian myself. What are there names? I may know them myself,"

"It's not that big of a deal," I try to disengage the bomb I've assembled myself,  "every office has a set of catty women. The one's in mine just happen to dislike me. I don't want this to be a thing, I just want to blend in there and maybe even make some friends."

"Not likely to happen if you continue to let them act like bitches and hang out with fucking Trevor all day." He licks his lips, and takes a deep breath.

I take an equally deep breath and look at Hardin, debating whether or not to defend Trevor.

"Trevor is the only person there that makes any type of effort to be kind to me and I already know him. That's why I spend my lunch hour with him." I stare out the window and watch as my favorite city in the world passes through the window.

"I really miss Landon," I add when Hardin doesn't respond.

"He misses you too, your dad does too."

"I miss him, I want to know how he is but if I ask one question, it will lead to thirty, you know how I am." Worry blooms inside my chest and I do my best to push it back down and lock it away.

"I do know, that's why I won't answer them."

"How's Karen? And your father? Is it sad that I miss those two more than my own parents?" I ask Hardin.

"No, considering who your parents are," he scrunches his nose, "to answer your question, they are good I guess. I don't really pay attention."

"I hope this place starts to feel like home soon," I say without thinking and sink back into the leather seat.

"You don't seem to like Seattle so far, so what the hell are you doing here?" Hardin pulls my car into the lot of a small building. Plastered on the front is a massive yellow sign promising fifteen minute oil changes and friendly service.

I don't know how to answer him. I'm afraid to share my fears and doubts about my recent move with Hardin. Not because I don't trust him, but because I don't want him to use them as an opening to push me to leave Seattle behind. I could really use an encouraging pep talk right now, I'd settle for silence over the "I told you so," I'm most likely to hear from Hardin.  

"It's not that I don't like it here, I'm just not used to it yet. It has only been one week and I'm used to my routine and Landon, and you." I explain.

"I'll park and meet you inside." Hardin tells me without a word about my response.

With a nod, I climb out of the car and hurry out of the cold and into the small mechanic shop. The scent of burnt rubber and stale coffee fills the waiting room. I'm staring at a framed photograph of an old fashioned car when I feel Hardin's hand rest on the small of my back.

"It shouldn't be too long." He tells me and takes my hand in his to lead me to the dusty leather couch in the center of the room.

Twenty minutes later, Hardin is on his feet pacing back and forth across the black and white tiled flooring. A bell chimes through the room, signaling that someone has joined us.

"The sign outside says fifteen minute oil change." Hardin snaps at the young man wearing oil stained coveralls.

"Yeah, it does." The man shrugs. The cigarette tucked behind his ear falls down onto the counter and he quickly retrieves it with a gloved hand.

"Are you shiitting me right now?" Hardin growls, his patience has clearly grown thin.

"It's almost done." The mechanic assures him before exiting the waiting room just as abruptly as he entered. I don't blame him.

 "It's fine, we aren't in a hurry." I turn to Hardin and stand to my feet.

"He's wasting my time with you. I have less than twenty four hours with you and he's fucking wasting it."

"It's fine." I walk across the tile floor to stand in front of him. I push my hands into the pockets of Christian's coat and he presses his lips into a tight line to keep from breaking his frown into a smile.

"If they aren't done within ten minutes, I'm not paying for this shit," he threatens and I shake my head at him and bury my head into his chest.

"Don't apologize to that guy for me either," he reaches under my chin with his thumb and lifts my head to his, "I know you are planning to," he places a soft kiss against my lips and I find myself greedy and anxious for more.

 The topics of discussion in the car have proven to be sore spots for us in the past, yet we made the entire drive here without either of us yelling. I'm surprisingly giddy over that, or maybe it's Hardin's warm arms wrapping around my waist, or his usual minty scent laced with Christian's cologne he borrowed.

Whatever it is, I'm aware of the fact that we're the only people waiting in the small shop and I'm surprised by Hardin's open affections as he kisses me again, this time his lips press much harder and his tongue swipes out to meet mine. My hands find their way into Hardin's hair and I tug gently at the ends, making him groan and tighten the grip his arms have on my waist. He brings my body flush to his, his mouth still claiming mine, until he shrill sound of the bell goes off, making me jump away from Hardin and smooth my hand over my beanie out of nervousness alone.

"It's all done," the cigarette toting man from minutes ago announces.

"About time," Hardin rudely remarks and pulls his wallet from his back pocket, shooting me a warning glare when I do the same.

..

Hardin's POV.

"He wasn't staring at me," she tries to convince me as we finally reach her car that I was forced to parked in the furthest possible spot away from the restaurant.

"He was panting over his lasagna. There was a line of drool hanging from his chin to prove it." The man's eyes were glues to Tessa the entire time that I tried to enjoy our overpriced, over-sauced, pasta plate.

I want to press it further but I decide against it. She didn't even notice the man's attention on her, she was too busy smiling and talking with me to give him a second glance. I've behaved quite well today, it's obvious that Tessa has noticed too.

Her smiles are bright and honest, her patience with my annoyed remarks for waiting too long for a table, was remarkable, and she seems to always find a way to touch me.  A hand on mine, a soft brush of her fingers over my arm, her soft hand brushing the overgrown hair off of my forehead, she's constantly touching me and I feel like a fucking kid on Christmas. If I were to know how being excited on Christmas as a child actually felt.

I turn the heat in the car to the highest setting, wanting to get her warmed up as quickly as possible. Her nose and cheeks are an adorable shade of red and I can't help but lean over and run my cold hand across her quivering lips.

"Well, it's a shame that he will be paying so much for that lasagna then huh?" She giggles after the moment for a comeback has passed. I lean over to silence her corny remark by pressing my mouth to hers.

"Come here," I groan. I gently pull her onto my lap by the sleeves of her purple jacket. She doesn't protest, instead she climbs over the small barrier of arm rests and onto my lap. Her mouth is steady on mine and I possessively stake my claim on her by pulling her body as close to mine as this small car will allow. She gasps when I pull the lever on the seat to cause it to lay back and her body falls onto mine.

"I'm still sore," she tells me and I gently pull away from her.

"I just wanted to kiss you," I tell her.

It's true. Not that I would turn down making love to her in the front seat of her car, but it wasn't on my mind at the time. 

"I want to though," she shyly admits, turning her head slightly to hide from my view.

"We can go home, well to your place-"

"Why not here?"

"Hello? Tessa?" I wave my hand in front of her face and she looks up at me, bewildered. 

"Have you seen Tessa around anywhere, because this hormonal, sex crazed woman wiggling in my lap is certainly not her." I tease and she catches on, finally.

"I'm not sex crazed." She pouts, pushing her lower lip out and I lean up to catch it between my teeth. Her hips move against me and I scan the parking lot. The sun has begun to set already, the thick air and cloudy skies make it appear even later than it actually is. The parking lot is nearly full of cars though, and the last thing I want is someone catching us fucking in her car.

"I'm stressed, and you've been gone, and I love you," she pulls her mouth from mine and moves her lips in a trail down the column of my neck. Despite the blasting heat pouring from the vents, a shiver rakes down my spine and she reaches between us to palm me through my jeans.

"So maybe I'm a little hormonal, it's almost .. you know, that time," she whispers the last two words as if they are a dirty secret.

"Oh, now I get it." I grin, concocting vulgar jokes in my mind to tease her the entire week, the way I do each month.

She reads my mind, "don't say a word," she scolds me, gently squeezing and kneading my cock while her mouth  moves against my neck.

"Then stop doing that before I come in my pants. I've already done that too many times since I met you."

"Yeah you have," she bites down on my flesh and my hips betray me by lifting to meet her torturous swirling movements.

"Let's go back, if someone sees you like this, riding me in the middle of the parking lot, I would have to kill them."

Thoughtfully, Tessa glances around the parking lot, surveying the surroundings and I watch as the realization of our location sinks in. "Fine," She pouts again and climbs back into the passenger seat.

"Look how the tables have turned." I wince as her hand cups me again and squeezes.

"Just drive." She sweetly smiles as if she didn't just make a mild attempt to castrate me.

"I'll run every red light so I can get you home and give you your fix." I tease her. She rolls her eyes and rests her head against the window. 

By the time we reach the next red light, she's fast asleep. I reach over to make sure she's still warm,  small beads of sweat litter her forehead in her sleep, making me cut the source of the heat off immediately.  

I decide to enjoy the soft noises of her muted slumber and take the long way back to Vance's house.

"Tessa, we're back." I gently shake her shoulder to wake her. Her eyes pop open and she blinks rapidly to asses her location.

"It's already so late?" Tessa's voice is thick with sleep as she glances at the clock on her dashboard.

"There was traffic." I tell her.

Truth is, I drove around the city, trying to find whatever it is that has her so captivated. It was a lost cause. I couldn't find it through the freezing air or the bumper to bumper traffic. The only thing that made sense to me was the sleeping girl next to me. Despite the hundreds of buildings that light the skyline, she's the only thing that could make this city worth a damn.

"I'm still so tired, I think I ate too much," she half smiles and pushes me away when I offer to carry her to her room. The moment her head hits the pillow, she's asleep again. I carefully undress her and pull the duvet over her half naked body,  laying my worn t-shirt next to her head in hopes that she will pull it on when she wakes.

I stare over at her, her lips parted slightly and her arms are wrapped around one of mine like she is holding a pillow instead of my hard arm. It can't be comfortable for her but she is sound asleep, holding onto me as if she's afraid I'll disappear.

I think, maybe, if I continue to not be a fuck up during the week, I will be rewarded with times like this every weekend and that is enough for me to hold onto until she can see it too.

..

"How many times are you going to call me?" I bark through the line. My phone has been buzzing all night and morning with my mum's name flashing on the screen each time. Tessa keeps waking up and in turn, waking me up. I swear I put the damn thing on silent the last time.

"You should have answered! I have something important to talk to you about." Her voice is soft and I can't remember the last time I spoke to her.

"Get to it then," I groan and lean up to turn the lamp on. The light from the small lamp is much too bright for this early hour so I tug the string to return the room back to it's original state of darkness.

"Well, here goes.." she lets out a deep breath, "Robin and I are going to be married." She squeals into the phone and I move the device from my ear for a moment to save my hearing.

"Okay?"

"Why aren't you surprised?" She questions, obviously disappointed in my reaction.

"He told me he was going to ask  you and I figured you would say yes. What is there to be surprised about?"

"He told you?"

"Yeah."

"Well what do you think about it?"

"Does it matter?" I ask her.

"Of course it matters, Hardin." My mum sighs and I sit up from the bed. Tessa stirs in her sleep and she reaches for me.

"I don't care either way. I was a little surprised but what do I care if you get married?" I whisper, wrapping my legs around Tessa's smooth legs.

"I'm not asking for your permission. I just wanted to see how you felt about the whole thing so I could tell you the reason I've been calling you all morning."

"I'm fine with it, now tell me."

"As you know, Robin thought it would be a good idea to sell the house,"

"And?"

"Well it's sold. The new owners won't be moving in until next month, until after the wedding."

"Next month?" I rub my temples with my index finger. I knew I shouldn't have picked up the damn phone this early.

"We were going to wait until next year but neither of us are getting any younger and with Robin's son  going off to University, there is no better time than now. It should start warming up the end of next week, right in time for the first days of Spring. You'll come won't you? And bring Tessa?" She rambles.

"So the wedding is next month or in two weeks?" My brain doesn't function this fucking early.

"Two weeks." She responds.

Fuck.

"I don't think I can.." I trail off. It's not that I don't want to join the joyous festivities of a sealed love and all that shit but I don't want to go all the way to England and I know Tessa isn't going to come along on such short notice, especially given the state of our relationship right now.

"Why not? I'll ask her myself if I-"

"No you won't." I cut her off. Realizing that I'm being a little harsh on her, I backtrack, "she doesn't even have a passport."

It's an excuse, but a truthful one.

"She can get one within two weeks if they expedite it. You're making excuses." She calls me out.

I sigh, "I don't know mum, give me a little time to think about it. It's seven in the damn morning." I groan and end the call.

From down the hall, I hear someone scrimmaging through fucking cabinets. I pull the thick duvet over my head to drown out the noise of slamming and the obnoxious beeping of a dishwasher but the noises only seem to echo under my fort.

"Who was that?" Tessa asks me.

"My mum, go back to sleep baby." I lay back down next to her, pulling her body to my chest.

(One quick thing before my author's note, I get tons of comments after each "mature" chapter about the spelling of the word "come". "Cum" is slang, it is never used when written in print. So I am not spelling it wrong! I know this is an awkward thing to bring up lol but literally I get so many comments telling me I spelled it wrong and it's been driving me crazy! I have a lot of grammar issues but "come" isn't one of them :P so anyway, Thank you all so much for voting on the last chapter, many, many more of you voted so please, please, do it again! I really appreciate it and it makes me really happy! I've been taking a little longer between updates because I really like the way the chapters turn out when I take my time to write them, so that's why it seems like I don't update as much as before! And the chapters are much longer this way so really it's like two updates in one:) I will be traveling again Monday and Tuesday so I'm hoping to update Sunday but I'll be updating at least once before then!