Page 96 of Make Out With A Merman

And that?

That hits me straight in the sternum.

Because he means it.

Every nail he hammered into this platform.

Every lantern he hung.

Every berry in this little cracked ceramic bowl.

It’s him sayingI love youwithout the need for a stage.

And I do something I rarely do.

I go quiet.

Just watch him.

The way he tilts his head when he listens. The scar on his forearm. The way his fingers twitch like he’s still adjusting to calm.

“I didn’t know you could be romantic,” I murmur.

“I didn’t know I wanted to be,” he says. “Until you.”

I take his hand.

It’s warm, calloused, steady.

Like the lake finally learned how toholdinstead of pull.

And right there, under the canopy he built, floating over the water we conquered

I fall in love with him all over again.

CHAPTER 30

RYDER

The wind howls outside, whipping snow against the windows of our tiny cabin. But here, curled up in front of the fire with Callie, it’s the coziest place on earth.

I’m sprawled on the couch, tail preening from the warmth, and Callie’s draped over me like a blanket of her own. She flicks a marshmallow at my mouth, and I catch it with my teeth.

“Observe, ladies and gentleman,” she proclaims. “Ryder doesn’tmiss.”

“Nope,” I say, still chewing. “Except that time the ghost moss knocked you off your paddleboard.”

She huffs. “Are weevergoing to move on from that?”

I pull her closer, kiss her nose. “Not until you admit I was right about the creatures in the shallows.”

“You were right, and I was swimming too fast to notice.” She sticks her tongue out. “Satisfied?”

“Not even close.”

She swats me, and I catch her wrist before she can inflict real damage. But then, because I’m me, I hold it steady, and tuck a stray piece of red hair behind her ear. She softens at that, leaning in like she can’t help it.

“I missed you,” she murmurs, barely audible over the fire crackling. “Even when I saw you at lunch, I still missed you.”

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