âDo I even want to know?â His voice was grim, but one corner of his mouth kept quirking up as he fought back a grin. Daniel was always one for the underdog.
âProbably not, though all will be revealed at our next family weekend.â The weight of that sentence hit Will as he said it. The next family weekend was in two weeksâbarely enough time to be settled into a routine, nonetheless proficient in love. Not that pretending to be in love with Hannah would be hard, but his family would know all the right questions to pick apart the situation.
Daniel stared at his phone as a series of large bells sounded. It was obnoxious, which was probably why Daniel had picked it. There was no way to miss those bells.
âWell, great. Something to look forward to then,â Daniel said, pocketing his phone. The determined look in his eyes made it clear his mind was already back in the hospital. He stood, the to-go container in hand and not even a bite out of his sandwich. âThat was the ICU. See you soon, big brother... and donât do anything too stupid.â
Will grinned up at him. âNever too stupid.â
Chapter 11Hannah
She scrolled through Willâs profile again, double-checking their mutual friendsâthirty out of fifty-two. His page was active, with most of those thirty mutual friends being fraternity brothers and other college acquaintances, and the timeline for the new account worked out based on the demise of Willâs last relationship. Theyâd broken up, and it had been awful. Heâd regrouped. Somehow Hannah had made the cut, and she was going to be his wife. She rummaged around her desk for the last Hersheyâs Kiss. Sheâd brought in five from the kitchen, but she couldnât find the last one, hidden in the mess of papers. Her hand alighted instead on their freshly signed marriage license. It had been processed at 4:37 p.m.âmeaning by five oâclock tomorrow evening, she could be married. She probably shouldâve vetted him before signing the marriage license. Too late now.
Hannah picked up the license again. William Anderson Thorne and Hannah Grace Abbott, Expected Wedding Date: October 16.
Married. Theyâd have to send something to the alumni magazine.
Social media made getting a marriage license seem more romantic. Signing the license and making sure it was at the ceremony was the final step in the long process of wedding planning. No license, no weddingâno exceptions. How many times had Stephanieâs officiant said that? Couples posted the obligatory town-hall picture hashtagged with their unique wedding name, a countdown to the event, and big dopey smiles on their faces. It was actually one of the parts Hannah always thought sheâd look forward toâthe moment when it was all officially happening, state sanctioned and everything.
Will had made them take the cheesy picture, but they couldnât exactly post it anywhere. And the process hadnât been romantic at all. A bored older woman had asked them a series of monotone questions, never once bothering to inquire about their story or why theyâd waited so long to get the license if the big day was tomorrow. If Hannah spent most of her days with giddy soon-to-be-married couples, she supposed the excitement would wear off too. It was probably the forced or shotgun weddings that caught that ladyâs interest, where she could concoct stories about the fighting couple or the pregnant woman and her scared-shitless guyâHannah couldnât be the only one who did that.
Hannahâs fingers finally unearthed the last Hersheyâs Kiss. She savored the slow melt of the chocolate, the sugar providing the necessary boost of energy to bolster her confidence for the final task. It was time to go see Kate.
LESS THAN TEN MINUTES later, Hannah stood outside Kateâs door. Kate hadnât answered her call on the way over, but sheâd given Kate more than enough space. She knocked, shifting her ring so it was centered on her finger. Will had gotten surprisingly close to her ring size, but it wasnât exact.
Kate opened the door, her cell phone tucked between her ear and her shoulder. She rolled her eyes at Hannahâs presence but stood back enough to let her in.
Hannah held out her hand, engagement ring flashing. âIâm marrying Will tomorrow.â
âPatrick, Iâm going to have to call you back.â Kate ended her call and took Hannahâs hand in her own. âExplain now.âÂ
âPatrick?â Hannah said instead. âIsnât he the Herpes?â
Kate shook her head. âHim being a Herpes wasnât the problem. I repeat, explain now.â
Hannah ran through the last few days at lightning speedâ the pact, Willâs sudden appearance with a ring, breaking up with Brian, and her decision to marry Will benefitting both of them. Three days ago, Kate wouldâve tried to talk her out of it. But when Hannah held up the signed marriage license, Kate only sighed, shook her head, and declared they needed wine.
âYou think Iâm making a mistake,â Hannah said when Kate returned with two glasses of Malbec.
âYes, I do,â Kate said, her eyes going from Hannahâs face to the ring on Hannahâs finger. âI also think itâs a mistake both you and Will need to make.âÂ
Hannah took a sip of her wine. âMeaning?â
âYou and Will spent so much time talkingâI mean, you two talked about everything and absolutely nothing. You never told him sophomore year when you liked him. And it was hard for you. I know it was because I was there all the nights you cried.â
Hannah couldnât argue that point. She had fallen hard for Will when heâd transferred to U of I. Sheâd spent months forcing herself to bury those feelings as he went on to date Ana and Eva and Lilly and so on. So sheâd dated, too, until eventually, the universe had given her her own love story.
âWill was so clueless about the whole thing. When he finally saw youââ
âWhen he what?â Â
âTwenty-two-year-old boys donât just make marriage pacts.â
Hannah disagreedâmarriage pacts were basically created by scared twenty-somethings.
âI think that maybe this marriage isnât just about convenience for him.â Kate paused and put a hand on Hannahâs arm. âJust something to consider.â
Was she suggesting that Will was in love with her? Hannah tried to pick a memory and reframe it with that information, but it didnât compute. Will had never looked at her as more than a friend. She wouldâve noticed.
âDid he ever tell you anything about his life in New York?â Kate asked. âAbout his family?â
âJust that his mom died, and it really messed him up. And that his dad was kind of overbearing.â She thought of everything she knew about Will. He had two brothers and a difficult relationship with his dad, both then and now. âNothing out of the ordinary. Is that not the truth?â
âBut you know about Wellington Thorne, right? He told you?â Kate asked.
Hannah only nodded, unsure where the conversation was going. âYes. I saw it on his social media, and he mentioned that he works for his family, and obviously, Wellington Thorne is a huge luxury-hotel developer. But I donât see why it matters.â
âWealth changes people. I just... I know you didnât know about it back in college. He never spoke about his family like that, but heâs a socialite, and there are expectationsââ
âHeâs still Will. He had money in college. He has money now. It doesnât change anything.â Hannah took another small sip of wine. She meant what she said. The social media roundup had been more for her curiosity than to check him out. She didnât require the specifics beyond what she had asked and what he had willingly provided, because he was Will Thorne, the last boy sheâd truly trusted.
âI know that. Itâs part of why I love you.â Kate motioned for Hannah to follow her to the bedroom. Once there, Kate started pulling dresses out of her closet. âIâm not going to lie to you and say Iâm completely on board, but I know when youâve made up your mind. If youâd wanted to be talked out of this, you wouldâve forced your way into my apartment sooner instead of letting me be a bitch about the Oh Timmy.â
âI am sorry,â Hannah said, sitting down on the bed.
âAs you should be,â Kate said, but a smile played across her lips. âIâll give you the details another time. All Iâm going to say about this marriage of yours is that itâs going to make an amazing episode of Bitching about Boyfriends. It might even get its own arc.â
âYou canât, Kate,â Hannah said slowly. Her explanation had made it clear that the pact could not be mentioned again. âItâs a secret. In no way, shape, or form can you put me and Will in your podcast.â
Kate held up the cornflower-blue A-line dress sheâd worn to Stephanieâs wedding against herself and frowned at Hannah through the mirror. âFine, but you owe me. I have one more question.â
âGo on,â Hannah said, preparing herself for the worst.
Kate put down the A-line and picked up an eggplant high-low gown. âHave you even thought about what you are wearing?â
âProbably just one of my sundresses. Something with a hint of white?â She knew there were at least two options in her closet that should fit, though neither was appropriate bridal attire.
âThatâs what I thought.â Kate pulled an off-white fit-and-flare from her closet. It was not a wedding dress but the kind of dress every bride-to-be donned at smaller events. It had lived in Kateâs closet for yearsâfor her own eventual engagement.
Hannah shook her head. She couldnât. But Kate only smiled and pressed the soft material into her hand with a nod.
Chapter 12Hannah