Page 110 of Merritt and Her Childhood Crush
It takes me a minute to catch on, probably because I’m still caught up in the reality of finally feeling secure about having her in my life, of seeing my future the way it always should have been. And also, her kisses are very good at making me forget everything else.
“Mytables?”
“Your tables. I mean, if you want to. But I’m going to make sure I convince you that you do want to.”
I process for a moment, then meet her gaze. “It might take convincing.”
She leans closer, kissing my neck, just under my ear. “I’m told I can be very persuasive.”
“And I’m told I’m very stubborn.”
“Mm. Guess I’ll have to do my very best persuading, then.” Another kiss, this one ending in a little nibble on my earlobe. My hand tightens a little in her hair, and she grins at me.
“I love you, Mer. It was true then, it’s been true since, and it’s true now. It’ll be true forever.”
She sighs and slides her hands around my back, pulling me close, her head resting on my chest. Right over my heart where her hands just were, where she always is, always has been.
“I love you, too, Hunter. I never stopped.”
The words fill me near to bursting. I’ve wanted to hear them for years, not that I thought I ever would. Now that I have, it feels like everything in my life has changed, is changing.
Or maybe a better word issettling.It feels like my life is finally settling into what it was always meant to be.
I know better than to think it will always be easy. That Merritt and I will always be on the same page. That life won’t be messy and complicated and hard.
But if life is going to be hard, at least we’ll be facing it together. Side by side. Hand in hand. Not exactly like our MASH game, but close enough and even better than what we dreamed of so many years ago.
EPILOGUE
Merritt
Fasteninga bow tie when the wearer does not want said bow tie is not for the faint of heart. Full-contact bow-tying is also not what I imagined doing on my wedding day.
“Hold still,” I tell him, but he ignores me. “Stop your wiggling.”
He doesn’t. And then, like magic, Sadie appears next to me on Hunter’s porch with a handful of Fruit Loops. “Here you go,” she croons.
And suddenly, all resistance is gone.
“Those aren’t good for you,” I scold as Banjo shovels them into his mouth.
“But it allowed you to tie the bow tie,” Sadie says. “That’s why they pay me the big bucks.”
“Again—you aren’t getting paid. Being a maid of honor is a free gig. Also? These will make his poop green. It’s the color additives.”
“Ew! Gross. Why do you know about his—never mind. You know, one change I don’t love since you moved here is how you’ve become positively …” Sadie pauses, searching for a word.
“Uncouth?” I offer.
“No, but that works too.” And then Sadie is throwing her arms around me in a tight hug. “I love you. I’ve always loved you. But you’re a lot easier tolikenow, Merritt.”
“Gee, thanks?”
“You’re welcome. Now—let’s get this wedding started! Where’s the champagne?”
Eloise materializes, as though she could scent trouble on the wind. “No champagne until after the ceremony.”
“Boo! We don’t need a new no-fun sister,” Sadie says.
