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Damn.
If she only knew the effect that look has on me, and those big brown eyes of hers, I could easily get lost in them. If I were to allow myself that luxury.
“Hey, Courtney,” the hostess greets. Her eyes flash to mine, and I feel Courtney stiffen in my arms as the hostess takes her time, letting her eyes roam over me.
“Hi, Becca,” she replies. “We have a reservation for six.” Her voice is polite, but she’s not the carefree Court that I’ve become accustomed to since this started.
“I saw your parents' name on the list.” She smiles, her eyes going back to me. She runs her eyes over me yet again, and it pisses me off.
“This is my boyfriend, Merrick,” Courtney introduces, and she leans into me further, and I smile. She’s doing exactly what she should have done with Tammy. Make it known that I’m hers. I’m fucking proud of her in this moment. I pull her a little closer, hoping she understands the meaning without me saying the words. I’ll tell her, though, as soon as this Becca girl isn’t around.
I shove my free hand into my pocket, giving this Becca girl the not-so-subtle reminder that all I need is standing beside me. “Good to meet you,” I say.
Her face falls. “You too.”
“Babe, do you want to wait on the family, or do you want to sit?”
Courtney looks up at me, and the appreciation in her eyes gives me this feeling inside my chest. It’s one I can’t explain, but it feels a lot like a squeezing sensation. “Let’s sit.”
My answer is to press a kiss to her forehead. “We’d like to go ahead and be seated,” I tell Becca. Not that she didn’t hear us, but she needs to understand that the woman in my arms runs the show, and I only have eyes for her. It’s not a hardship to be the man who gets to play this out with her. In fact, this is the most fun I’ve had with a woman—ever.
Becca grabs menus and cutlery and asks us to follow her. I drop my arms from around Courtney’s waist and lace my fingers with hers, allowing her to walk ahead of me, putting her between me and Becca.
We reach the table, and I move to pull Courtney’s chair out for her. She tilts her head back and smiles, and without thinking, I lean in and kiss her before pulling the chair out next to hers and taking a seat.
“Right,” Becca says, her tone not as cheerful as it once was. “I’ll bring the others back when they get here.”
“Thank you,” Courtney says politely.
“Who was that?” I ask. I’m leaning in close and whispering the words in her ear. It looks intimate, and I guess it is, but no one would know we’re gossiping about the hostess.
“My cousin. Well, cousin by marriage. Her mom married my uncle.” I can tell from her tone they’re not exactly the best of friends.
“She’s a joy,” I tease.
“She thinks you’re a joy,” she says, her face twisting in annoyance.
Again, I lean into her, placing my lips next to her ear. “I’m proud of you, Court. You showed her who you are to me without confrontation.” This time, I kiss just below her ear, and I’m rewarded with a slight shiver that courses through her.
When I pull back, she’s watching me. Her eyes are sparkling, and it takes everything I have to keep from leaning in and pressing my lips to hers. Her smile changes as her eyes go over my shoulder, and I know her family is close.
“You and me, baby,” I whisper, tucking her hair behind her ear. “I’m in this with you, Court. For however long we’re here, we’re not pretending.” I wink, and she smiles, while her cheeks turn the most beautiful light shade of pink. I assume it’s due to my easy affection that her family can see.
Good. Let them see how incredible she is. Surely, they already know. Courtney tells me they’re good people. She assures me her mom is just a helicopter mom. She claims her mother loves her hard and wants her to be happy. I can relate to that. I know how to love hard. I’m refusing to pass judgment until I can see for myself. Either way, I might be here to meet them, but I’m here for her. I won’t let them walk all over her. My girl might not want to stand up for herself, and that’s okay. In those cases, she has me.
“Hey!” Her mom beams as she comes to Courtney and gives her an awkward hug while she’s sitting. She releases her daughter and does the same to me. “It’s so nice to see you again,” she says, releasing me, and taking the seat her husband has held out for her.
“Dan.” Her father pushes his hand across the table, and I shake it. “My wife,”—he nods toward Courtney’s mom—“Tina.”
“Merrick. It’s nice to see you.” I turn to Tina. “You as well.”
Her reply is a blinding smile.
“You too.” Dan smiles kindly.
“Is Chloe still coming?” Courtney asks.
“Yes. She called and said they hit some traffic coming from Atlanta, but they’re close.”
