Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75775 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
It’s an incredibly slippery slope I just let my mind travel down, and I know I can’t allow for moments like this again. I can’t let my mind take this pretend relationship and run with it. I can’t dream of a future with a man who’s not really mine.
“Uncle Merrick!”
We turn to see his niece Blakely rushing toward us.
“There’s my girl.” Merrick steps away from me and opens his arms to catch her. He lifts her onto his hip as if she were a toddler. “What’s up?” he asks, placing a kiss on her cheek.
“I just needed an Uncle Merrick hug.”
“I love your overalls,” I tell her. They’re pink denim, and she looks adorable.
“Thanks. These are my wiener pants.”
A laugh bursts from my lips, and I quickly bite down and sway to soothe Ryan as my laughter startled him. Poor baby, I just got him to sleep, and between Merrick and me, he’s never going to rest.
“Blake.” Merrick tries to scold, but you can hear the laughter in his tone.
“What? They are. I wanted to wear them ’cause Daddy has to go to the shop later to check on something, and I’m going with him.” She looks over at me. “I have to wear my wiener pants when I go to the shop ’cause I get dirty like my daddy.”
I nod as I reach over and squeeze Merrick’s arm, because I can see he’s about ready to burst with laughter. “That makes sense,” I tell her.
She eyes where my hand is, and I immediately drop it. “Do you like the arm porn too?” She tilts her head to the side. “My mommy and my aunts do. Since you’re Uncle Mer’s girlfriend, you better like the arm porn. All the girls in this family do.”
I’m biting down on my cheek, trying my hardest not to laugh. “All right, let’s go.” Declan swoops in and takes his daughter into his arms. “Can’t take you anywhere,” he says, tickling her and making her squirm.
“So, that was Blakely.”
“She’s—something else.” I laugh.
“Yeah.” He rubs the back of his neck. “She was the only grandchild for several years, and her mom wasn’t in the picture, so she had a lot of male influence in her life.”
“She’s great.”
“The things kids say,” Merrick says. “Come on, let’s get you off your feet. I’d tell you to let me take a turn, but I have a feeling that’s not going to happen.” He places his hand on the small of my back and leans in close. “Baby hog.”
My body reacts to being near him, just as it always does, but I pretend otherwise and let him lead me to the couch. We spend a few more hours talking to his family. Kennedy, Declan’s wife, fills me in on the wiener pants and arm porn, while the others promise me there are more hilarious stories they can tell me about their niece. Jordyn assures me that when we have downtime at the boutique, we’ll have Blakely story time, and I plan to hold her to that.
It’s been a great day with incredible people, and when it’s time to leave, I don’t want to go. That’s not like me, not in these kinds of social situations. The Kincaid family, Merrick especially, has gone out of their way to make me feel welcome. It’s a day I’ll never forget.
CHAPTER
EIGHT
Merrick
“What’s up?” I answer my phone as I check my back pocket for my wallet. It’s Maverick, and I’ve had this weird feeling for the last hour or so. A call from my twin isn’t surprising, because that feeling, it’s not about me.
“What are you doing tonight?” Maverick asks.
“I’m having dinner with Courtney and her parents.” I look around the mail on the counter for my keys. I find them and grin, gripping them in my fist. “What’s going on? You need me?” As much as I don’t want to let Courtney down, if my brother needs me, I’ll be there. I know there’s something on his mind. It’s not just his tone, but it’s this gut feeling that I have. One that I only get with my twin.
“Nah, just calling to see what you’re into. Stella and the kids are napping, and I can’t seem to shut my mind off.”
Glancing at the clock on the wall, I have a few minutes before I need to leave. I sit down on the couch. “I’m listening.”
“It’s surreal, Mer. How is this my life?” he asks softly.
“You deserve all of it,” I tell him, meaning every single word.
“I’m supposed to be sleeping when the babies are, and all I could do was stare at my wife. Ada is curled up at her side as they sleep in our bed, and damn, Mer, I love them so fucking much. It’s... overwhelming sometimes.”
His confession makes me smile. “They love you too. You’re the center of their world, Maverick.”