Page 15 of Miss Merry and Mr. Bright
I finally catch up with the shambling figure ahead of me and grab her arm, jerking her around to me.
Her shimmering eyes, wet with tears glare at me. “Wh-what do you want?”
“What are you doing? Trying to kill yourself?”
“What do you care?”
“I care, dammit! I shouldn’t because I’m not good enough for you. You deserve so much more. But I can’t let you leave. I love you, Merry. I love you so damn much. It almost killed me when I saw you were gone.”
Her swimming eyes stare up at me and a single tear trickles down her perfect, pale cheek. “You wanted me gone.”
I reach down and tug her up tight against me, shuddering as I feel her shivering. I almost lost her. The best thing that ever happened to me.
“I was an idiot. I can’t let you go. I love you. I hope that one day you could love me as much as I love you. But until you do I’ll spend every day showing you how much you mean to me.”
“I love you too, you crazy man.”
I close my eyes and pull her tight. “Then I’m even more of an idiot.”
Her frozen lips turn up. “I didn’t say it.”
“You didn’t need to. Now let’s get you home and warmed up. I don’t intend to lose you to pneumonia either.”
I lift her up into my arms and she wraps her arms around me, shivering. I kiss her ice-cold lips and stumble home. It feels like no time at all because she’s here. She’s mine. I’m going to make sure that she never leaves me.
Stumbling through the door, I set her on the ground and deftly take her wet, cold coat off of her. Kissing her gently, I leave her there. “I’m gonna get some blankets and then we’re gonna sit by the fire and get you warmed up.”
I jog upstairs and gather what I need then race back downstairs. She hasn’t moved and she’s leaning against the wall waiting.
I lead her to the parlor in front of the fire and strip her, then myself, wrapping both of us in the blankets and sit us in front of the fire.
She turns her nose into my throat and I smile when her breath whooshes across my skin, the scent of peppermint clinging to her and I close my eyes, clinging to her.
Our breath slowly settles, perfectly matching each other. I lean down and kiss her gently. “I love you so much, angel. I’m an idiot and I can’t promise I’ll never be an idiot again. But Ipromise that if you tell me that I am, I’ll do my damnedest to change for you. I’d do anything for you.”
Her pale eyes look up at me, glistening with happy tears. “Just love me. That’s all I need.”
“Done.”
I hold her tight and listen to her breathe, feel her settle into my arms where she belongs and now, now I know that I have a person, a forever.
“I love you, Merry. You’re my person. Forever.”
“Same, Jasper. Same.”
EPILOGUE
FOREVER: MERRY
Everyone in the place is clapping and I can’t believe how good it all is.
Reese is grinning and moving among the people, her eyes glowing with happiness.
One of the paintings holds pride of place in the middle of the place and everybody is gathered around it, awed by how beautiful it is.
But there’s no sold sticker on it. It’s not for sale. It’s the one that my husband painted the first night we were together.
The lights glow in the painting on my skin and every stroke is a love letter from my husband, every shadow, every loving look.
