Page 114 of The Merger
She leans back, looking up at me through wet lashes. I brush her tears off her face.
“Aren’t you supposed to be there?” she asks.
I press a gentle kiss to her lips. “You need me. So I’m supposed to be here.”
She buries her face in my chest again, fisting my shirt in her hands.
“Let’s go inside before the neighbors start asking questions,” I whisper, not wanting to let her go.
She hands me her keys and I unlock the door, and as we step inside, I finally get a good look at her.
My sweet girl.
Her cheeks are stained with mascara, and her beautiful eyes are puffy. I don’t know what her father said to her, but I’ll get to the bottom of it.Later. Right now, that’s going to have to take a back seat.
She’s the priority. My priority. The only priority.
“What do you need?” I ask her, searching her face.
Her bottom lip quivers, so I kiss it to make it stop.
“I can’t believe you’re here,” she whispers.
“Where did you think I’d be? You answered the phone crying, for fuck’s sake.”
“I’m sorry for scaring you.”
I lift her chin, tilting her head back and peering into her eyes. “Never be sorry for needing me. Got it?”
A slow smile slips across her face.
“Do you want to talk?” I ask, not sure what to do in these uncharted waters. This isn’t a situation I have much experience in, and I don’t want to say or do the wrong thing. “Do you want a drink? A shower?”
Her shoulders fall. “A shower would be great. Crying makes me feel sticky.”
“Then let’s go.”
I take her hand and lead her down the hallway to her bathroom. I turn on the shower to warm it up, and then shift my attention to Carys. She’s watching me hesitantly, like she’s waiting for a bubble to burst.Has anyone ever treated her right?I don’t think so. The thought kills me, but I’m happy to be the one to show her what that looks like.
It’s a fucking privilege.
“Lift your arms,” I say.
She holds her hands over her head, and I remove her shirt. I unfasten her bra while she steps out of her shoes and pants, then I work quickly to rid myself of my clothes, too. She peels a cotton ball and bandage off her arm from her blood work and tosses it in the trash, and I place my watch on the vanity.
Her eyes sparkle as I step into the shower, taking her hand and pulling her in with me.
I want to fix her, to erase whatever hurt her tonight. I need her to know that she’s not alone in it. I’m here in whatever way she needs.
“Is that too hot?” I ask.
“It’s perfect.” She traces a line down my sternum as I brush her hair off her face. “You make things better. Do you know that?”
“I’m glad.”
She takes a long, shaky breath as tears gather in the corners of her eyes again. “He was really awful to me tonight.”
I grab a bottle of shampoo and squirt a bit in my hand. I focus on spreading it over her hair in an even layer to keep myself calm.
