Page 108 of The Merger

“We’re meeting at six thirty, but I’m going to run to the lab and get my bloodwork done for my life insurance first so Mom will get off my back. I imagine we’ll be at dinner for maybe an hour. Dad is usually ready to escape me as quickly as possible.”

My jaw flexes. “If you need me, call me. Anytime.”

“Okay,” she says softly. “I’ll talk to you soon.”

This woman owns me. There’s no denying it. I want to be with her as she faces her father. I want her to be at Brewer Group three days a week so I can see her more. I want her to be in my bed every night, and I can’t imagine a future without her.

I need her.

Carys Johnson went from being my little brother’s best friend to quickly becoming my entire world. Somehow, though, it’s not surprising. She might say she’s not a relationship person, but her actions say otherwise. No one has ever made me feel seen, valued, and appreciated as much as her.I know how lucky I fucking am.

An awkward silence sits between us, and my heart pounds. There’s a phrase on the tip of my tongue—one I want to say so badly. It would be so natural to say it. It would feel right.

But it’s not the right time.

I just hope there will be a right time.

“Goodbye, Miss Johnson.”

“Goodbye.”

Chapter Twenty-Five

Carys

“Yes, I stopped by the lab. Relax, Mother,” I say, turning into the restaurant parking lot.

“I can’t relax. I’myourmother.”

“Not for long if you don’t stop obsessing about things. You’ll have a heart attack. Just something to consider.”

“Be careful, little girl, or I’ll change my new whole life policy’s beneficiary to someone else.”

“Ha! You have no one else, so good try.”

She scoffs. “And whose fault is that? Yours. Give me a grandchild so I can cut you out of my will.”

I roll my eyes and laugh, finding an open spot not too far from the entrance. I slide the Gremlin between two trucks and put it in park.

“I’m here,” I say, cutting the engine. “I gotta go.”

“Okay. Protect your peace, Carys. And don’t hesitate to call me if you need anything at all.”

“Love you, Mom.”

“I love you, baby girl.”

The evening sun is still uncomfortably warm as I trudge toward the restaurant. My stomach groans as if protesting my choice to join Dad and Aurora for dinner instead of going home to Gannon.I hear you, and I concur.

I grip my purse strap as my thought echoes in my head.“Instead of going home to Gannon.”

How quickly things change.

Every day, we grow closer, and every day my emotions grow more tangled. I wake up beside him each morning and am hit with overwhelming feelings. I’m scared to put a name on them or think about them too much. The fact that I acknowledge that I have feelings for Gannon and don’t feel like bolting out the door is terrifying enough. There’s no need to make it more complicated.

I take it one day at a time.

My phone buzzes in my palm as I tug the door open.