Page 75 of Merritt and Her Childhood Crush
But there is another unspoken phrase scaffolding these kisses.I love you.This one I don’t say because it would be too soon, pushing too hard. But that doesn’t make it any less true.
When I brush my lips over hers, barely a ghost of a touch, Merritt’s whole body trembles. I pull her closer to me, aware of her warmth against my chest, her hands fisting my shirt.
“I never knew how much I needed to kiss you on a table I made,” I whisper against her mouth.
“You don’t bring all the women to your workshop for this purpose?”
She’s teasing, but I hear the question in her words.
I pull back enough to meet her eyes. “No other woman haseverbeen in this workshop. Not even Cass. And Merritt?” I pause, unsure how this next part will go over. “There wasn’t anyone else before or after. Only you, then Cass.”
If she’s seeking answers, looking for reassurance that this means something to me, she needs to know. I stop just short of telling her that when it comes to my feelings, it was only ever her.Alwaysher. Meanwhile, I have no idea how many guys she’s dated or kissed or saidI love youto. I find that it doesn’t much matter so long as she’s here with me now.
Forever.
I shove THAT thought away and, as a smile breaks over Merritt’s face, I return to her lips, taking her mouth with all the restraint I have.
Which, to be honest, is not very much.
We’re breathing heavy if we’re coming up for air at all, our mouths ravenous and greedy. Her hands trail over my arms and my chest and shoulders, like she’s trying to familiarize herself with the man I am now. Her touch is like fire, or maybe it’s more like an accelerant to the flames burning in me already.
And then—dogs barking. All of them at once, right at the door to the workshop.
I lean my forehead against hers, breathing heavy and ragged. “Like little chaperones,” I growl.
“Or, maybe like a warning bell?“ she says, and that’s when I hear it—Isabelle, calling my name.
Faster than I thought I could move, I lift Merritt off the table, set her down, and meet her gaze.
“Are you ready to meet my daughter?” I ask, this question feeling so much bigger and riskier than any other thing I’ve said today.
I expect hesitation or maybe reserve, but Merritt only smiles, making something turn over in my heart. “You really think she’ll like me?”
I chuckle and quickly kiss her soft cheek. “I think she’ll latch onto you like a tick.”
“Ew.” Merritt makes a gagging noise.
I wince. “Bad analogy. But what I mean to say is she’ll love you.”
And she’s not the only one.
SEVENTEEN
Merritt
Hunter holdsmy hand as we cross the workshop but drops it as soon as we’re outside. I immediately miss the contact, but I can’t really blame him. I have no idea what he’s told his daughter about me. Probably nothing at all. Definitelynotthat he planned to kiss me senseless in the middle of his workshop.
Which was … the highlight of my year.
Meeting his daughter requires a sudden switching of gears. Have she and Hunter talked about him dating again? He mentioned dating apps, so I’d assume so. But has he ever mentioned me specifically? Has Cassidy? She and I were never each other’s biggest fans because we both wanted the same thing: Hunter.
What if Isabelle doesn’t like me? What if I don’t like her? What if I meet her and still don't want to have kids? Is this just … the end?
“Mer.” Hunter’s voice, low and deep, is like an immediate off switch to my swirling thoughts.
“Yeah?”
He taps one finger on my forehead, right between my eyebrows, where I know there’s a crease of worry. “I’ve got you.”
