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)
“Who’s ready to roast some marshmallows?” Mom claps and scurries inside to get the tray we put together earlier. She’s back in a flash and handing out sticks.
Merrick pushes a marshmallow onto the end of my stick and gathers the graham cracker and chocolate bar, setting them on the small paper plate before grabbing the same for himself.
I catch my mom's eyes, and she nods her approval. She doesn’t need to tell me that my fake boyfriend is a good man. I know he is. He’s proven that to me over and over again.
I wish things were different. I wish that after the wedding, we were going to stay real.
CHAPTER
SIXTEEN
Merrick
I’m early. I’ve learned that I need to be in order to catch Courtney off guard. She’s usually waiting outside for me and rushes toward the door so I don’t have to get out and open her door for her.
She thinks it’s a hardship. It’s not.
In fact, nothing where Courtney is concerned is a hardship to me. I love spending time with her. I love having her in my bed in my arms and waking up the same way. I love sitting and talking to her over dinner. I love showers with her, and yeah, the list could go on and on.
Basically, I’m in love with her.
I’m in the midst of opening the door to my truck to knock on her door, and I freeze. Did I really go there? Did I really just think that? What the fuck? I’m not, though, right? It was just my line of thinking about all the things I enjoy with her. That doesn’t mean I’m in love with her. I can’t be. Can I?
My heart slams against my chest. I’ve never been in love.
I’m startled out of my thoughts when the neighbor next door slams their car door. The older gentleman waves, and I wave back. It’s fine. It was just a crazy thought. Climbing out of my truck, I take slow steps to reach her front door, giving my heart a little time to recover from the shock of my thoughts. When I knock and she pulls the door open, all the breath leaves my lungs.
She’s standing before me in a pair of cutoff shorts and a tank top. Her long dark hair hangs down her back, and she’s not wearing any makeup. She’s beautiful, and I can’t stop staring at her.
“Is this okay?” she asks, her nerves getting the better of her.
“You’re perfect.” Not giving a single fuck that her neighbors or anyone else can see us, I slide my arm around her waist, tugging her close and pressing my lips to hers. “You look beautiful,” I whisper against her lips.
Her body relaxes into my hold as she releases a gentle sigh. “Thank you. Are you okay?”
Who me? The man who just realized that he’s in way over his head for his fake girlfriend? “I’m great.”
“I’m almost ready. You’re early.”
“I have to keep you on your toes.”
“You mean you wanted to be able to open my door for me,” she sasses.
“Pretty much.” I laugh.
“Why is that so important to you?”
“I don’t know. I guess I just like making sure you know that when you’re with me, you come first.”
“You’ve never made me feel anything less.” She walks back to the couch and grabs her bag. “I’m bringing clothes to change into in case these get wet. I have a towel and sunscreen too.”
“Grab what you need to stay at my place.” We’ve stayed over with each other several times up to this point, but I’ve never told her to pack a bag. She studies me for a few seconds, before nodding and going back to her room. A few minutes later, she’s once again standing before me, this time with a second bag.
“I’ll keep this one in the truck, and this is what I have that we might need for today.”
“We?” I ask, taking both bags from her and tossing them over my shoulder.
“Yeah. I might have picked you up a pair of new swim trunks while I was buying sunscreen. You made the comment you needed a new pair, and I was there.” She shrugs as if her act of kindness isn’t a big deal.
It’s a big damn deal. Just like the fact that my heart can’t seem to stop racing as if I just ran a marathon. She’s standing before me with that same familiar worry in her eyes, but she doesn’t speak of it. Knowing she probably thinks she overstepped, I lean in and kiss her. It’s meant to be a soft press of my lips to hers, but she opens for me, and I’m never going to pass up the chance for more of this woman.
Dropping the bags to the floor, I pull her into my arms and show her with my kiss what her thinking of me means. Any other woman and I’d be figuring out ways to cut her loose. With Courtney, all I can think about is that this is something my sisters-in-law would do for my brothers, or my mom for my dad. Something about the beauty in my arms has me seeing life, seeing her, and this chemistry between us differently than ever before.