Page 39 of Merrily Mine
I didn’t know exactly what we were—we hadn’t labeled it, but I was happy. Waking up next to him, the way he rested his hand on my thigh as he drove, even the way he held my hand. All of it was new, and yet, we’d slipped into it as easily as breathing. Honestly, this felt like our first official date, and the thought had me giddy.
“What about that one?” He asked for the fifth time, sipping from his cup. “Shape looks nice.” Before we’d left the house, he’d pulled on a red flannel button-up that had hugged his biceps, as well as a pair of Wranglers that made my pussy weep.
Yeah, it was unfair how attractive he was. Especially when he topped it off with a Carhartt jacket, boots and cowboy hat.
I hadn’t packed my entire wardrobe, but I’d grabbed my thick, fleece-lined tights, pairing them with my favorite turtleneck sweater and skirt, throwing on a thick plaid pea coat overtop and a pair of pearl earrings. It felt like me. But somehow, it also felt like the old me. Like I was trying to be the girl that I’d been—the influencer who hundreds of thousands of people followed on social media, instead of just… Emily.
I paused for a moment, frowning at the blue spruce. “I don’t know. It just doesn’t feel right.”
He just nodded, and we continued strolling along.
There were tons of varieties of trees on the lot—all kinds of firs, pines and spruces, but I was looking for the perfect one. Luckily, Mason didn’t seem to care how long I took, wandering down the aisles. Maybe because this was our first time out in society in almost a week, neither of us was in a rush to go back inside. His buddy Jonah had been there when we’d gotten to the lot, patting Mason on the back before he officially introducedhimself to me. It felt good to have him introduce me to his friends. Like he really was in this for the long haul.
“Emily?” A voice called out. Turning, I found Hannah and her husband, Anthony, all bundled up and walking towards us. He had their son, Brandon, strapped to his chest. Anthony was tall, at six feet. Not as tall as Mason, of course, who practically towered over my five-foot-nine. At six-four, he was a giant. In more ways than one.
“Hi, Han.” I grinned. “Didn’t expect to see you here.” I looked up at Mason, who squeezed my hand. “You remember Mason, right?”
My best friend smiled at him. “Of course. How could I forget?” He quirked an eyebrow, and I just shook my head. “Mason, this is my best friend Hannah and her husband, Tony. And their little boy, Brandon.”
“It’s good to meet you both. Wow. Look at this little cutie, huh?” Mason said, grinning down at her baby. Brandon had brown eyes, just like Antony’s. “How old is he?”
I could see in his eyes how badly he wanted that. He’d told me, but I hadn’t felt the longing until now. God, this man would be an incredible father. I knew it just from the way he took care of me. I squeezed his hand, just letting him know I was there. That I saw him.
“Seven months,” Hannah beamed, tugging on Brandon’s tiny hat. “And thank you. We’re both so obsessed with him.” She booped his little button nose.
“Me too,” I agreed. “I’m going to need more godmother time in the new year,” I said to Hannah.
“So, you’re staying?” She asked, looking between us expectantly.
Mason curled an arm around my hip almost possessively. My face flushed, and I was grateful for the cold that most definitely had already made the tip of my nose pink. “Um. Yeah. I don’thave any travel plans anytime soon.” Sure, I’d had offers, but I was burnt out. I didn’t know what was next, but I was ready for something more… stable. “What are you two doing here? I thought you already had a tree?”
“We do,” Anthony said, grinning down at his wife. “But after being cooped up with the storm for so many days, we thought some fresh air would do us some good, so we took a walk around downtown.”
“And that’s when we spotted you,” Hannah added. “I was going to text you to make sure you were alive this afternoon anyway.”
“Well, here we are.” I knew she noticed how I saidwe,and I tried to hide my blush.
“So, you two are…” My best friend trailed off, waiting for me to finish her thought.
I looked up at Mason. “We’re?—”
“Together,” he answered, no hesitation.
My heart swooned at the declaration. “Yeah,” I confirmed, leaning into his side and squeezing his hand back. “We are.” Not a label, but it was even better, somehow.
Hannah grinned. “How’dthathappen?”
“Mason came to check on me when the snowstorm hit, and we sort of… hit it off, I guess.” I looked at him, wondering if that was an adequate answer.
“Took one look at her in that bar and knew I had to make her mine,” he confirmed.
“Mason,” I said, blushing harder.
He dropped his lips, brushing them against my cheek. “What? It’s true. Just had to get out of my head first.”
Hannah just smiled. “Well, we’ll leave you two lovebirds to it. Have fun picking out your tree.”
We exchanged hugs, promising to hang out more after the new year, and then it was just Mason and me again. Heinterlaced his fingers through mine once more, pressing a kiss to the back of my hand.
