The sweet fragrance of the flowers filled the air. The gesture calmed a storm inside her, replacing it with a question that wouldn’t stay buried.
Jade forced a smile as she accepted the flowers, her eyes searching his face for any hint of deceit. “Thanks. Where were you?”
“I woke up early and didn’t want to disturb your beauty sleep, so I grabbed scoffee at the lounge,” Harry said as he headed for the bathroom to wash his hands.
Jade’s heart pounded in her chest as she followed him, “Did you meet anyone interesting?”
Harry shook his head, his expression casual. “Nah. Why do you ask?” He asked as he met her gaze in the mirror.
Jade bit her lip, torn between pressing the issue and letting it go. What if it was nothing? What if she created a scene out of thin air, tarnishing their idyllic vacation?
Harry paused when he saw the expression on her face, “What’s wrong?”
The knot in Jade’s stomach tightened, “It’s nothing. Nothing important. Thanks for the flowers,” Jade said as she turned to leave, but Harry caught her hand before she could walk away.
“Tell me,” he said firmly, placing a finger under her chin to make sure she was looking at him.
“I saw you. You were having coffee with a lady,” she confessed.
For a minute Harry didn’t say a word, and he sighed as he took her hand and led her back to the bedroom.
“Yes. I did have coffee with a lady,” Harry said and she looked at him.
“You lied that you didn’t meet anyone interesting,” she pointed out.
“What does having coffee with her have to do with her being interesting? She isn’t of any interest to me,” Harry said flatly.
“You both were together yesterday too,” Jade said and Harry realized where she was going.
“You think I’m interested in her and I’m cheating with her?” He asked and when she shrugged, he felt sort of hurt.
“You believe I call this way on a vacation with you, and I would cheat on you with srandom lady? Me?” Harry asked, and as much as Jade wanted to believe him, she knew just how guys loved to gaslight ladies.
She had fallen once for shit like this, and she didn’t want to fall for it again no matter how much she loved Harry.
“What did you both talk about? Why was she with you yesterday? Why did you leavein bed to go have coffee with her today?” Jade asked, and Harry sighed.
“I can’t tell you that,” he said, and she nodded, swallowing past the painful lump of hurt that had formed in her throat.
“I see,” she said and turned to walk away.
“What do you see?” Harry asked bringing her back.
“That you don’t want to tell me,” Jade said, too hurt to look at him.
“Don’t you trust me?” Harry asked, not liking that they were having this conversation in the first place.
“I don’t know. I want to. I’m trying to, but it’s so hard. I don’t want to be made a fool of again,” Jade said, her lips trembling as tears dropped from her eyes.
Harry embraced her, “No one is going to make a fool of you, baby. I will never hurt you. I don’t want to lie to you about who she is, hence I don’t want to tell you why I’m meeting with her yet, but trust me, esquire, she is nothing to me,” Harry whispered.
“Are you going to see her again?” Jade asked as she looked up at Harry with teary eyes.
“Yes. I have to. But if it will make you feel better, you can hang around whenever I have to talk to her. But you won’t listen in on our conversation,” Harry said, and Jade frowned.
“We agreed that you will leave work behind. Why are you still working here when it should be just the both of us?” Jade asked, assuming it was business.
“Because this is very important. You will understand better when I’ve sealed the deal,” he promised, and when she didn’t say anything, he asked, “Have I ever given you a reason to doubt that I love you? Or to doubt my commitment to you?”
Jade shook her head as she held his gaze, and he nodded, “So, can you please trust me?” Harry asked and she nodded slowly.
“Besides, if I so much as hurt you, Benne would have my head and I will also have to deal with my dad, Candace, Andy, Celsie, and everyone else too, you know? And guess who will buryalive if I hurt you? Me. Shouldn’t that make you more confident knowing that you haveand everyone else on your side?” Harry asked, and Jade smiled reluctantly.
“If you saw us together having coffee, why didn’t you cover?” Harry asked and she shrugged.
“I just couldn’t,” she said quietly.
“Were you really not going to askabout it had I not asked? Didn’t we agree to communicate clearly?” Harry asked and Jade looked down.
“I’m sorry. It’s just hard to think logically when such feelings come,” she explained.
“You have nothing to fear, esquire. I got you. For life. And maybe if you’re still having such a hard ttrusting me, we should wait for a year or two before thinking about getting married,” Harry said and Jade shook her head.
“No. I don’t want to wait,” Jade said immediately.
“Why not?”
“I think I might feel more secure after we get married,” Jade said and Harry shook his head.
“I don’t think so. I think if you don’t work on your feelings of insecurity now, it might only get worse as tgoes on, regardless of what I do or how I try reassure you,” Harry said softly.

New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.
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