Page 109 of Merritt and Her Childhood Crush
“Youare what I want.” I want to kiss her right now. To finish this conversation and begin another kind altogether. But there are still a few things I want—no,need—to know. “Are you really okay with leaving the city behind? Are you okay being here? I mean, if I had to, I could probably relocate to Savannah and still be involved with Isabelle—”
“I want to stay here.” She grins. “I want all of it. You, Isabelle. Even Banjo.”
I chuckle. “He’ll be happy to know he made the list.”
“Oh! I almost forgot!” She pulls a worn slip of paper out of her back pocket and hands it over. “Just so you know exactly what my expectations are.”
I slowly unfold the paper. It’s soft and thin, like it’s been unfolded and refolded dozens of times. I recognize the swirly handwriting the moment I see it. It’s Merritt’s handwriting. A game of MASH we played when we were kids. My smile grows as I read.
“A garbage truck driver, huh? I might have to disappoint you on that one.”
She waves a hand dismissively. “But sometimes youhaultrash with your truck, right? It totally counts.”
“But a mansion?”
She rolls her eyes. “There’s noactualsquare footage requirement, is there? They say a man’s house is his castle, so … yeah. It counts.”
I swallow, my eye catching on the one thing I’m afraid to say out loud. But I’m too far in now. If I don’t bring it up, Merritt will realize I skipped it.
“Two kids?” I say, hoping she doesn’t notice the catch in my voice.
I’ve already given it a lot of thought after Cassidy told me what Isabelle told her. If any of that was true and Merritt doesn’t want any kids of her own, I’ll find a way to be on board. I have Isabelle. She’s enough. I’d love to have more children—ones with Merritt’s ocean eyes and her smile and her brains. But if that’s what she wants, I’ve made peace with that because more than anything, I wanther.
“Or three,” Merritt says a little shyly. “Maybe four? But not yet. I’d like you all to myself—well, to myself and also with Isabelle—for a while. Okay?”
“Okay.” I can’t help my smile as tension leaves my chest. “I can’t believe you saved this.” I fold up the faded sheet and hand it back, watching as she carefully tucks it back into her pocket.
“Says the guy who has all of my paintings hanging in his house?”
“Notallof them. There’s a few that were really awful. I left those in the closet.”
She smacks my arm and lets out an indignant scoff. “I painted most of these when I wasn’t even out of high school. Give me some credit!”
I catch her hand and pull it back to me, wanting the feel of it flat against my chest. “You deserve all the credit. The fact that you were this good when you were just a kid …” I press a kiss to her temple. “I’m glad you started painting again, Mer. Are you going to do it full time?”
“Um, sort of? Not really. But I have a plan.”
“Of course you have a plan. Want to tell me about it?”
“Very much. But not quite as much as I want to kiss you right now.”
“Is that so?”
Merritt looks like she’s going to answer, but instead, she lifts up on her toes and presses her mouth to mine.
Her lips are soft and slightly salty from her tears. Her hands slide from my hips up my chest, resting right over where my heart is doing its best to break free from my chest. I keep one hand on her jaw, angling her head exactly where I want it, and slide my other hand through her hair.
When she pulls back, we’re both breathing hard, both smiling. “I hope you mean this,” she says. “Because I just signed a contract with Benedict King to lease a property on Main Street.”
“You don’t want to live in the carriage house anymore?”
What I really want is for her to live here, but that’s a big step—and one I’d prefer to make once she’s wearing my ring.
“Not to live,” she says, suddenly looking shy again. “For a gallery.”
“To sell your paintings?”
“Maybe, eventually. I need to get back in my groove. But I want to sell art, especially local art. For the high-end clients who are moving onto the island and want unique pieces for their homes. I’m hoping”—her look turns devious—“I could sell some one-of-a-kind tables there.”
