Page 76 of Merry with Me

“If you want to see me, you know where I’ll be.”

“Blake.” My voice cracks. Fuck, why can’t she understand that she’s the best fucking part of my world, and I don’t want her anywhere near the worst part?

“If I don’t see you at the party, I’ll call you when I leave. If it’s not too late, maybe you can come see me, or I can stop by your place.”

“Please come home. I’ll come to you. Just turn the car around and go back to your place.”

“I’m going to the party, Oliver.”

“Dammit, Blake. You can’t do this.”

“It’s just a Christmas party, Ollie. I’ll go say hi to your parents, mingle a little, and then I’ll come home. Okay?”

“No. Not okay, Blakely. Not okay.” My heart is racing, my mind is spinning, and my world feels like it’s about to unravel all over again.

“I’ll see you soon,” she says and ends the call.

“MOTHER FUCK!” I scream out into the room.

My hands tremble as I dial my mother. As soon as the call picks up, I’m giving her hell. “How dare you? How dare you call my Blake and invite her to that party? You know how I feel about it. How could you, Mother?”

“Oliver, sweetheart, it’s not the party you're upset with. It’s the two people you trusted. They are not the party. It’s your father and I. We enjoyed meeting Blakely and wanted to make sure that, even if you didn’t attend, she was still invited. I want to get to know the woman who my son is enamored with.”

“No. She can’t be there. Stop butting into my life, Mother.”

“Oliver, I love you, but you can’t keep living like this. You can’t keep letting the past control your future.”

“Turn her away.”

“I’m sorry, son, I can’t do that. We hope to see you tonight. If not, your father and I will see you for lunch tomorrow at noon.” She ends the call, and this time I toss my phone across the room.It bounces off the couch and onto the floor, and I don’t have it in me to care to check to see if the screen is demolished.

“I have to stop her,” I mumble to myself. I’ll go to the party and convince her to leave with me. Yes. Once I’m there in front of her, I’ll convince her to leave with me. Decision made, I rush to my room to change. I shouldn’t give a fuck what I’m wearing, but I refuse to let Hannah and Josh think they have some kind of hold on me—no matter how much it might be true. Another truth I don’t want to dissect right now.

Right now, I need to get to Blakely.

My eyes scan the room, looking for Blakely. I’ve been stopped no less than ten times by people telling me “Merry Christmas” and how happy they are to see that my work schedule freed me up to attend this year. I guess I know what excuse my parents have been making for me for the last four years.

When my eyes finally land on her, I take my first full breath since she told me this was what her plans were for the evening. I push through the crowd, not stopping for anyone else. I have a singular focus.

Blakely Kincaid.

Her eyes light up when she spots me. She’s talking to my dad’s partner in his cardiology practice and his wife, Sheila.

“Excuse me,” I tell them. “I need to steal my girl.” I don’t wait for a reply. I lace my fingers with Blake’s and lead her down the hall to the kitchen and into the mudroom. “We need to go.”

She pulls her hand out of mine. “No. I’m having a wonderful time. Thank you for asking.”

“Dammit, Blakely, you can’t be here. Not here.” I run my fingers through my hair.

She reaches up and does the same. “Looks like you’ve done that a time or two today,” she comments as she presses her hand against my cheek. “Did you leave this for me?” she asks sweetly.

I place my hand over hers. “I can’t be here, Blake. We have to go.” I try to keep my tone soft.

“I’m staying. You can go. I’ll come by your place in a little while.”

I exhale and pinch the bridge of my nose. “I’ll give you anything but this. Please, baby, let’s go home. I… I don’t know why you won’t come with me. I don’t know what you want. Why are you here when I need you at home with me?”

“I’m here because I was invited. I’m here because your parents love you and they miss you. They want you to be a part of this, their annual tradition. I’m here for you.” She pauses and steps closer. Her hands cradle my face as she peers up at me under long lashes. “As far as what I want? That’s easy, Oliver. I want you to be merry with me. I want you to be able to leave the past behind you and look toward the future… maybe even a future with me,” she says, and there is so much fucking hope in her voice, it’s heartbreaking. “If you can’t do that, Oliver, then I don’t know what we’re doing. I love spending time with you. No, it’s more than that. I’m in love with you. I’ve never said those words to someone who wasn’t family.”

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