Chapter 16

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.

She moans, and the sound goes straight to my cock, where it throbs behind the zipper of my shorts. It also pulls me out of the fog she has me in, and I slow the kiss and release her. "Missed you," I tell her, pressing my lips to her temple before picking up the discarded bags and once again tossing them over my shoulder. "You have everything you need?"

Wearing a dazed expression, she nods and takes my offered hand, allowing me to lead her out to my truck. Once she's inside, I wait for her to buckle up. Just as I'm about to close the door to toss her bags in the back seat, she speaks.

"I missed you too."

That earns her another kiss, just a quick one before I close the door, and open the back to place her bags inside. I love that there are two and that I know for certain she'll be in my bed and in my arms later tonight. I love spending time with my family, but suddenly, I'm ready for this day to be over so I can have her all to myself.

Today has been nice. We're all at Deacon and Ramsey's, swimming in their pool. We all chipped in to order pizza so no one had to cook, and we all brought drinks to share. My nieces and nephews are having the time of their lives. Well, all except for the twins. Ryan is currently snoozing away in Courtney's arms, while Lacey is doing the same in Scarlett's. They're the only two here without kids of their own and latched onto the twins immediately. Scarlett is expecting her first with my brother Archer. She's still early in her pregnancy, but she's already glowing.

"Your girl looks pretty good holding my son," Maverick tells me.

He and I are lounging on the back side of the pool, just watching everyone. Well, I'm watching Courtney, and if I had to guess, Maverick has been keeping his eye on his wife, Stella, and their daughter Ada, all while checking back with Courtney and Scarlett, who are holding the twins. He's a papa bear through and through. Not that I expected anything less from my twin. He's a goofball, but he's also one of the best men I know.

"She does," I finally answer my brother.

"Well damn," he muses. "I didn't expect you to agree with me."

"She's... pretty fucking incredible," I admit.

"Something's changed. I got this feeling on the way over here. Everything okay with the two of you?"

I huff out a laugh. "Yeah, you know, it was just me thinking in my head that I'm in love with her right before I knocked on her front door to pick her up."

"Freaky twin shit," we say at the same time as we laugh about it.

It really is freaky as hell, but by this point, we're used to it. "We're still pretending."

"Are you, though?"

Exhaling, I rub my hands over my face. "I don't know."

"Yes. You do know. Now tell me, Mer, are you still pretending?"

"No. I don't have to. Not with her. Fuck, Mav, everything is easy. We get along well. We enjoy each other's company. I can't stop kissing her and touching her and holding her. I'm losing it."

Maverick reaches over and places his hand on my shoulder. "There isn't anything wrong with any of that. You're not losing it, brother, you love her. Big difference."

Warmth fills my chest as his words take root. "But is she pretending?"

"No way." Maverick shakes his head. "Not a chance in hell any of her actions are pretend. Her eyes tell you everything you need to know. Take it from me. You have to look at what's going on around you as an outsider. Stella was— is my best friend, and I could have lost her because I was ignoring how I felt, and keeping her at arm's length."

"We could all see it clearly," I remind him.

"Pot meet kettle."

"Fuck," I mutter, and he roars with laughter.

"It's scary. I get it. Falling in love and giving the most vulnerable piece of you to another to hold in the palm of their hands is a big deal. However, the reward far exceeds the risk with the right person."

"How do you know it's the right person?" I keep my voice low, not wanting anyone to hear us. We're sitting over here by ourselves, but you never know when someone might walk up on you.

"I'm going to ask you a few questions. Don't tell me the answers out loud. You don't have to. I already know what they are. I need you to admit that to yourself."

"Get on with it," I grumble. I hate being vulnerable like this. But if I'm going to be this open with anyone, it's going to be Maverick. I love all my brothers, but our connection is different. Kind of like my connection with Courtney.

"When you have a good day, who do you want to call? When your day sucks ass, who do you want to call? Six months from now, who are you calling in both of those scenarios? One year? Five years? Ten years?" he continues.

"I get it."

"I'm happy for you, Merrick. Truly. Courtney is a great girl. Stella and all the ladies have nothing but incredible things to say about her, especially Jordyn, who has spent the most time with her. She fits in well with our family. Almost as if she was meant to be a part of it."

"Now, what do I do?" I'm struggling to keep up with the emotions coursing through me.

"You keep doing what you're doing. If you're not ready to tell her, that's fine. There are no rules to follow. Just don't wait too long to tell her. You don't want to lose her."

"No. No, I don't want to do that."

"Sit on it for a few days. Give yourself time to accept it."

"Is that what you did?"

"Nah, it hit me like a fucking lightning bolt, and I had to tell her. I needed my girls to know they were mine. But that's my story. Ask any of our brothers, and you'll hear something different. The biggest hurdle is understanding that you're in love with her. Allow yourself the time to adjust and then tell her when the time is right. You'll know. I knew, and I can assure you they all knew too." He motions around the pool where all of our brothers are hanging out in different areas with our family.

"Happy for you, man."

"Thanks," I reply as Blakely comes rushing over to us. She's dripping with water from where she just climbed out of the pool.

"Why aren't you swimming?" she asks, tilting her head to the side.

"We're just talking."

"Well, Daddy says it's rude not to join the party."

"Your daddy is right. We're going to go take the twins and let Aunt Scarlett and Courtney have a break."

"Is Courtney my aunt too? I still need one more, you know?" She plants her hands on her hips as she waits for a reply.

"Courtney is not your aunt. She would need to be my wife for that to happen," I explain so that she can understand. At nine, she's whip-smart, but I still want to break it down as easily as I can for her.

"Oh, okay. Wait, why don't you just marry her? I like her. I pick her to be my last aunt."

"Come here, you." I pull her into my arms, not caring that she's going to get me wet. I'm in my new swim trunks Courtney bought me. I tickle her until she threatens to pee on me and then relent.

"I was kidding!" she yells as she takes off racing toward the pool.

"Don't run!" every adult outside yells at the same time.

"Come on, let's go give the ladies a break." Maverick rises from the lounge chair and makes his way toward Courtney and Scarlett, and I follow along behind him.

Maverick scoops Lacey out of Scarlett's arms and coos to her, while I settle on the lounger next to Courtney and offer Ryan my finger, which he latches onto immediately. "You trying to steal my girl, little man?" I ask the baby.

My eyes find Courtney's and she smiles. "He's doing a good job of it."

"That's not going to work for me." Leaning forward, I press a quick, soft kiss to her lips before scooping Ryan out of her arms. "She's already taken," I tell my nephew.

Scarlett laughs. "Come on, Court, let's go cool off."

"Do you need anything?" Courtney asks as she moves her legs to the side of the lounger. "A drink or something before I get in?"

"No, baby. I'm fine. Go cool off. I'll be right here in the shade."

"Okay." She winks, and my cock stirs. She knows I love it when she says that to me, because great things happen when she agrees so easily.

"You're sunk, brother," Maverick says, as soon as the ladies are out of earshot.

"Yeah, I think I am." I don't think I am. I know that I am. Today has been eye-opening. Maverick said it hit him like a lightning bolt, and it did me as well. I never imagined it would be this way. One minute I'm ready to pick her up to go hang out with my family and the next, she's holding my heart in her hands.

I guess if I'm being honest, it's been coming for a while now. All these weeks we've been hanging out together, I've kept reminding myself that we were pretending. Somewhere along the way, I stopped.

Now, all I have to do is convince the love of my life that we should stay real.