Page 101 of Merrily Ever After
‘I want it to be true, I want to be his daughter.’ Merry turned to face her. ‘Mostly because I want to be your sister.’
‘I want that too.’ Emily saw her own wishes reflected in Merry’s eyes.
‘Then maybe that’s enough,’ said Merry, shrugging a shoulder. ‘If in the future we need definitive proof for medical reasons or whatever, so be it.’
Emily nodded. ‘But for now—’
‘We’re sisters.’ Merry grinned.
They hugged again and then the sound of male laughter made them both glance towards the foyer. On the far side of the Christmas tree, the rest of their bodies hidden from view, were two sets of stretched-out legs.
Emily’s heart pinged. She recognised one of the voices straight away. ‘Will’s here!’
‘Sounds like he and Cole have hit if off already,’ said Merry.
Both men stood up as the two women came into view.
‘How did it go?’ Cole asked.
‘Brilliantly!’ Merry was triumphant and brimming with energy. She threw herself at Cole, who laughed and caught her. ‘Today has been one of the best days of my life. Hey,Will, good to see you again! And Emily, this is Cole, my betrothed.’
‘Great to meet you, Emily.’ He leaned forward and kissed her cheek.
He was handsome and charming, just as Emily knew he would be. ‘You too. And congratulations on marrying my … sister.’
She and Merry laughed with delight. It was probably going to take a long time for either of them to get used to saying that.
Emily gave Will a hug. ‘This is a lovely surprise,’ she said.
‘Good surprise?’ He mirrored her body language, pulling her close. From behind the reception desk, Kylie gave a little gasp of surprise, making them both smile conspiratorially.
‘The best,’ she confirmed. ‘What happened at your work do, did it finish early?’
A bashful smile twitched at his lips. ‘As far as I know, they’re all still playing beer pong and drinking themselves under the table.’
Emily looked askance at him. ‘So you’re here because …?’
He picked up a strand of her hair and twirled it through his fingers. ‘Because I couldn’t stop thinking about you and Ray and how it was going with Merry, and it felt too important not to be here.’
Emily’s heart leapt. She thought back to how Gavin had rolled his eyes whenever she needed to change her plans to be with her dad. How he’d seen Dad as an inconvenience standing in the way of his fun. She gave herself a shake; there was no need to keep comparing the two men. Gavin was history. Will, on the other hand, was her present – in more ways than one.
‘Thank you,’ she said simply. ‘I’m so glad you came.’
‘Basically,’ he admitted, ‘I’m kinda nosy.’
They both looked at Merry, who was telling Cole in animated detail about the things Ray had revealed to them, the photograph of her and her mum in her hand.
‘We got off to a rocky start when Dad wouldn’t let her in,’ Emily told him. ‘But I think Merry got what she needed.’
‘And did you?’ he asked gently.
‘Yeah, definitely.’ Emily slid her hands to his chest. ‘And finding you here is the perfect ending.’
‘Ending?’ He raised an eyebrow.
‘To that particular chapter,’ she corrected. ‘And now I’m all yours for the next one.’
His eyes flared and a flame of longing flickered inside her. This man stirred emotions in her she hadn’t felt for … possibly ever before.
