Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 117506 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117506 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
“It feels like when you look at me, you’re trying to look into my soul, Merit.”
Butterflies swarmed in my stomach, and I had to pull in a slow, deep breath to calm myself. “And if I was, what would I see?” I softly asked.
For a moment I thought he was going to lean over and kiss me. I steeled myself for it, but it never came.
“Most likely a lot of regret.”
“Regret?” I asked, raising one brow in question. “Regret about what?”
He sighed and shook his head as he stared down at his food. “Merit, I regret that night that we—”
His phone rang, and he pulled it out and glanced at the name. My breath stilled at the name that came up. Kaylee.
Without a second thought, he accepted the call. “Hey, good morning, darlin’.”
Suddenly, my appetite was gone. Once again I was pushed to the side for someone else. I slid off the stool and dumped my food in the trashcan and then rinsed my plate and put it in the dishwasher.
What night had he been talking about? Back in high school, or when we were together in his truck? Guess it didn’t matter since Kaylee calling trumped the rest of what he was going to say.
My mind raced as I heard bits and pieces of Dirk telling Kaylee what happened the night before. He drank too much, he didn’t want to go home, so he crashed at my house.
“If Ty can’t figure out how to put the baby crib together, I’m sure I can,” he said with a lighthearted laugh.
The glass I had been holding nearly slipped from my hands. Instead of putting it in the dishwasher, I placed it in the sink and then turned to Dirk. “Let yourself out, I’m going for a run.”
He frowned, and as I turned to walk away, I heard him say, “Kaylee, I need to go. I’ll talk to you later, but don’t worry, I’m fine. Okay. Bye.”
I was almost to the front door when he called out for me. “Merit! Wait. You didn’t even finish your breakfast.”
“I’m full.”
He walked up to me, standing between me and the door. “You can’t be; you hardly ate a damn thing.”
“I’m fine, Dirk, you don’t need to worry about me. If you need to go help Kaylee with something, you can use my car. I’ll have Michael drive me over to pick it up at your house later.”
A deep frown formed between his brows. “What’s the matter?”
“Nothing,” I lied. I inwardly cursed when I heard the crack in my voice.
He searched my face with his eyes. “You’re upset about me helping Kaylee.”
“I’m fine, and even if there was something wrong, I’m very capable of handling it on my own.”
He nodded, and his eyes drifted down to my mouth. “I’m sure you are.”
I squared my shoulders and lifted my chin. I was furious at myself for being jealous. Of what, I had no freaking idea. But I couldn’t lie to myself and say it didn’t sting knowing Dirk and Kaylee now had what I used to have with him. Kaylee had clearly become my replacement, and I hated it. That ugly beast of jealousy gripped me tighter. It was clear that when it came to Kaylee, he put her first. He had obviously felt like it was more important to take her call than it was to tell me about whatever freaking night he was about to bring up.
Again, I had been pushed to the back.
I cleared my throat to keep it from shaking. “Let me know about the car later, will you?”
When I went to walk around him, he blocked me once more. “Why did you bring me here last night?”
Panic suddenly filled my entire body, and I found it hard to breathe. I had been asking myself that very question since we stepped into my house. Why had I brought him here? What in the world did I think would happen?
My voice trembled. “Wh-what?”
The corner of his mouth lifted slightly in a sexy-as-sin smirk. “Why did you bring me home last night, Bugs?”
“Stop calling me that!” I practically shouted.
“Fine, why did you bring me home last night, Merit?”
“You didn’t want to go back to your house. You were drunk out of your mind, Dirk. If your mother had seen you—or anyone else, for that matter—God knows what they would have thought. I mean, I’m sure they wouldn’t have blamed you, but you were hiding in Ty Senior’s office drinking with your cousin.”
He looked confused. “My cousin?”
Suddenly I felt sick and forced myself to swallow the lump in my throat. “She wasn’t your cousin, was she? Were you honestly going to have sex with someone in Ty Senior’s office? At your father’s memorial?”
His eyes looked as if he was replaying last night over in his head. “What in the hell are you even talking about?”