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Clark said yes, but deep down, he knew there was more to it, but Sam wouldn’t tell him the truth until he was ready.
“Where’s your brother?” Holly broke in.
“He’s watching a cartoon with Jace.”
Butch let out a howl and ran for the front of the house.
“I think Mom and Dad are back, so I’m going to see if they need help.” Holly took off at a jog, with Merry glaring at her back.
Clark grinned. “Not gonna go after her? Get some revenge?”
“I’ll wait until she least suspects it and then pow!” She opened her hands to mimic an explosion and Clark watched as the ball of pink in her hand elongated into a roughly seven-inch penis.
Balls and all.
“I thought she was joking.”
Merry’s face flushed and she clutched the stuffed shaft to her chest. “It isn’t what you think.”
“It’s not?”
“I-I—” Merry visibly swallowed before blurting, “My friend was dating this jerk who said some unkind things, and she jokingly suggested I make a voodoo peen. And I thought, hey, that would be funny and she needed a laugh, so I gave it a try. I finished it, left it alone on the couch for a few minutes and then, boom, Butch was running off with it, and the last thing I need is my parents to find a plush penis chilling in the yard.”
She was talking a mile a minute and when she paused for breath, he asked, “Did it work?”
“Did what work?”
“Did she laugh?”
“I haven’t shown her yet. I wanted to stick the pins in it before I sent her a picture. They’re two inches long with little red hearts at the end.”
Clark laughed. “Remind me not to piss you off.”
“As long as you don’t chip at my friend’s self-esteem, you won’t get one of these.”
He sobered. “Damn, sounds like she dodged a bullet.”
“She did, but in the moment, we don’t think of it that way. We wonder what we did to deserve it.”
Clark’s stomach clenched as a shadow passed over Merry’s face and he reached out instinctively, cupping her chin in his hand. He stepped closer, staring into her shimmering depths of gold and green, and murmured, “I’m sorry if I was being insensitive. I only meant that men who treat women that way don’t deserve tears. They need a swift kick in the ass.”
They don’t deserve you, he thought.
Merry briefly leaned into his touch, her lips tilting in a small smile. “Or testicles.”
“I’d say both.” His hand shifted, tracing along her jaw. “Any man you’re with should worship you, not make you cry.”
Merry’s eyes widened, her lips parting slightly. “I don’t need to be worshipped. I only ask for honesty and respect. Love.”
The way she said that single word, with such reverence and longing, settled like a heavy stone in his chest. He knew what love for his child and his brother felt like, but to fall in love? To find someone who could be his partner, his person? He wasn’t sure he was capable. He’d wanted to love Patrice simply for being the mother of his son, but in truth, once the initial lust wore off, she’d exhausted him and he’d been relieved not to have to cater to her tailspin of emotions. Love had never factored into their relationship.
Love meant letting his guard down, allowing someone to really know all of his insecurities and fears. The power to break him when they decided it was over. The benefits of romantic love didn’t seem worth the cost.
With KnottyGirl25, maybe they could build something comforting based on friendship and common goals.
Merry was a romantic soul and anything less than a love like her parents had wouldn’t satisfy her. Clark didn’t think he was capable of it.
After a moment’s pause, he stepped away and held up his phone. “I’d better get back to Jace and Sam. You’ll have to let me know how it goes with the…” Clark waved his hand toward the object she held.
