Page 110 of Forever and Ever

“Good,” I tell him. “You drink way too fucking much anyway.”

Rome rolls his eyes and hops up to grab a new drink.

“All right, who’s causing trouble?” Merry pops up beside me. She sits down between my legs with her back to my chest and I take in a deep breath.

Cassie sits on Sebastian’s lap and Eloise sets herself down next to them.

“Noah started it.” Sebastian points at me.

Merry looks over her shoulder and quirks an eyebrow.

“He deserved it.” I shrug. Hearing the back and forth play out in my head, Adrian’s right, we really do sound like children. I’m not sure how that guy puts up with us.

Merry sighs deeply, and I feel the whole weight of it leave her chest. With my arms wrapped around her, I want to feel every inhale and exhale. I want to forget about surgery and the album and everything else we’re obligated to. I want to plant us in the sand and stay here.

Everyone moves on to their own conversations. Eloise gets wrapped up in an argument with Rome while Adrian plays mediator, and Sebastian and Cassie are in their own little world. But my attention is on Merry and her warmth against me.

The sound of waves crashing.

The salt in the air.

“This is the beach where Cassie spread her brother’s ashes,” Merry says, tipping her head back against my shoulder.

I look over at Cassie and Sebastian and notice how quiet they are as they stare out at the bay, and I wonder how being here affects them.

“It’s pretty, right?” Merry says.

I nod. “It’s perfect.”

She sighs, and the gentleness in that noise sends my heart to funny places.

Places I can already see in my head. A future that it’s probably way too early for me to be thinking about. Marrying her, loving her. Growing old and watching how she changes with age. Being the only one who really knows her. The sounds she makes when she’s happy or upset. The things that bring her joy. The things that break her heart.

All of it.

“I want tomorrow to be over with already,” Merry says.

I look down and see that her eyes are closed as she rests the back of her head against my chest.

“Soon enough.” I kiss her temple.

“Are you going to stay the whole time?”

“I wouldn’t leave.”

We’ve already had this conversation, so I know she’s just asking for confirmation.

“Your parents are going to be there it sounds like.”

“Yes.” She sighs. “Things went okay at dinner, right? They seem like they’re okay?”

Merry likes to pretend that she’s tough and unaffected by her strained relationship with them, but there are moments like this she shows me the parts that aren’t as secure as she’d like.

“They seem worried about you,” I tell her honestly, breathing in the scent of her shampoo.

“Only because I’m shacking up with a deviant.” Her eyes open and she grins at me.

“Hey.” I squeeze her tighter. “It takes one to know one.”

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