The Neighbors

Chapter 29

“Yeah, Mom. It's Harry,” I whispered. Then I didn't say anything else. There wasn't really anything to say. I could tell her that nothing happened between us, but that would only be true of the past 24 hours.

“Would you care to explain?” She asked, her voice on edge.

“I don't think I need to explain," I said calmly. "I'm an adult, and so is he.” I didn't want to continue the conversation, but I finally said, “We were going to tell you when we came back from England.”

My mom just sighed and I couldn't really tell what she was thinking. “Okay,” she said politely. We said our good-byes, and I decided that I just had to let it go for now. I couldn't force my parents to accept that I was in a relationship with a younger man.

I woke up the following morning to Harry groaning.

“What's wrong?”

“My head is killing me,” he grunted.

“Well, that's no surprise,” I said, getting out of bed. I found a glass in the bathroom and filled it with water. Then I dug into my bag and found some acetaminophen. “Take these and drink all the water in the glass,” I instructed.

“Yes, Mum,” he smirked.

I wasn't surprised when Harry asked me to attend the meeting with the lawyers. It would involve the reading of the will, as well as updates on the trial that was supposed to happen this week. I remembered that he was fearful about the family losing their estate. It would be devastating to him if that happened, especially after he just buried his father.

The lawyers began the meeting with their sincere condolences on Harold's passing. Then they began by saying that they would read a statement from Harold's company before reading the will.

In the event of the untimely passing of Harold Thomas Styles, Stepworth Technologies Incorporated cancels all charges against Mr. Styles. In addition, Stepworth Technologies hereby releases the family and heirs of Mr. Styles of any financial obligation to repay Mr. Styles' debt.

Everyone in the family let out a collective sigh of relief, knowing that their estate was now safe. Harry was visibly relieved, and I squeezed his hand, letting him know I was thrilled for him.

When the reading of the will was complete, I wasn't surprised to find out that the estate was willed to both Charlie and Harry as joint heirs. It only briefly occurred to me that my children might one day be part of the family that owned the prestigious piece of property.

After lunch, Harry asked, “What now, my love?” He seemed more cheerful than I would expect for a man who was still grieving, but I know he was ecstatic to have closure on the matter of the estate before we left.

“Do you have any more family obligations?”

“No, not really. Nana wants to treat us all to dinner again tomorrow night, before we leave. Otherwise, we're free.”

“What would help you, Harry?” I asked. “Would you like to stay home with your family? Or would you like to go out and do something to take your mind off of things?”

He grinned widely and said, “Let me show you around London.”

Half an hour later, we were in a Rolls Royce with Harry telling Leonard, the chauffeur, “Buckingham Palace.”

We spent a whirlwind afternoon seeing all the prominent sights: Big Ben, Kensington Palace and the Tower of London. We rode the London Eye, and finally Harry asked Leonard to drive us out to O2 Arena.

I couldn't imagine what it must be like for Leonard, to simply drive people around all day. It was certainly more exotic than being a cab driver, but still, I imagined it would be quite boring.

We pulled up outside of O2. Harry looked at me and smirked. “Some day, I'll headline here.”

I kissed him and said, “I know you will.”

Harry took me out to dinner at a beautiful, romantic restaurant. Afterward, we took a tour of London in an open top bus. It was extremely cold, but Harry and I had no problem huddling close together for warmth. We saw some of the same sights we had seen during the day, but they seemed far more magical by night.

"When we come back, we will make time to see all the sights properly," Harry promised. "But how was this for a first date?"

"It was perfect," I sighed.

We got off the bus near the Ritz Hotel, where Leonard was parked and diligently waiting for us. Harry asked him to take our picture in front of the Ritz. "Maybe we can stay here on our honeymoon," he whispered, making me laugh for the photo.

On the way home, Harry leaned his head on my shoulder and said, “I'm gonna miss my dad.”

“Yeah, I know,” I said, kissing him on the forehead and holding him close.

Soon, we were on our return flight to the US. I was thrilled that I would see my girls in twelve hours. I missed them so much it hurt. As sad as the trip had been, I couldn't help but feel excited about my future with Harry. I had made up my mind that my parents would just have to accept my relationship with Harry. They knew him well enough to understand that he was solid. And they knew I loved him.

But then I realized that I still had to win over one member of my family, and this one was going to be the most difficult by far.

Ryan.