Page 80 of Forever and Ever

“Just tell me when the doctor calls back.” I try to flat-out ignore everything she just said, standing up and heading into the kitchen. “You hungry?” I yell over my shoulder.

Maybe we just need some food in our stomachs to take the edge off the grumpiness.

“Yeah, but there’s not much in there, I haven’t had a chance to go shopping.”

I shake my head because as much as she tries to pretend she’s not a settle-down kind of girl, she does way too much around my house and it makes me feel guilty. Every time I get back from recording with the band she’s cleaning, cooking, or organizing. It might be to keep herself busy, but hopefully, she knows how much I appreciate it.

Digging into one of the drawers, I pull out a stack of menus and head into the living room with them.

“All right, we’ve got pizza, Chinese, Thai, and Mexican.” I hand her the stack.

She quirks an eyebrow. “There’s no way any of these deliver this far outside of the city.”

“Perks of being a spoiled rock star and having an assistant who works all hours of the night.” I shrug.

She shakes her head in disapproval but starts scanning the menus. Once her craving for Mongolian beef kicks in, she no longer cares who we have to inconvenience to make it happen.

I text the food order to my assistant and put the menus back, climbing under the blanket beside her on the couch. She’s flipping through movies, and I slide behind her, pulling her back against my chest.

“You’re wearing the clear crystal again.” I reach for her necklace, spinning the stone between my fingers. “Is all this why?”

Merry shrugs one shoulder and covers my hand in hers. “Maybe. My mom gave it to me before my first surgery. Obviously new ones grew, so it didn’t work perfectly, but I like to think it helped do something.”

“I’m sure it did,” I say, appreciating this moment. Her showing a vulnerability I know makes her uncomfortable. Feeling her warmth. Having her near me.

My life up until now felt so cold, and I can’t imagine going back to that.

“Good thing for modern medicine.” She rests her head on my arm and nuzzles her body closer. “You know, for when faith is wasted.”

I let out a sigh and rest my forehead against the back of her head, breathing in the scent of her berry shampoo.

“I don’t think it’s wasted,” I say. “Just difficult when it doesn’t work out like we expect it to.”

“I guess.”

“Just because bad things happen, doesn’t mean things didn’t happen like they were meant to. It’s just more difficult to see the light in it.”

“That it is.” She sighs.

“But I like the stones,” I say, once more looking at the crystal she wears around her neck. “I’d like to think they do something.”

“I like that it’s tangible.” Merry shifts until she’s on her back, looking up at me. “Faith can feel so far away sometimes. I have a hard time grasping it. So, I try to focus on the here and now. The things I can control. Things I can touch. Makes hope easier to believe in.”

I lean over and brush my mouth against hers with a faint kiss, feeling the warmth of her breath from her parted cherry lips.

“Faith can be tricky like that. But I do believe in one thing.” I smile against her mouth, slowly swishing my nose back and forth to graze hers, which makes her giggle.

“Oh yeah? What’s that?”

“You were meant for me, Mercedes Lopez.”

She pushes on my chest playfully and tips her head back in a laugh. The smile is uninhibited and looks nothing like the girl that she usually shows people, so I can’t help but soak in it.

“Meant for you huh?” she says between laughs.

I shrug. “You’re my soulmate, I knew it the first moment I laid my eyes on you. My dark goddess.”

“You just thought I was hot.” Merry shakes her head. “Admit it.”

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