“Please don’t lie to me,” he interrupted, the words tender as he lifted his free hand and touched her cheek. “Or yourself. I saw it in your eyes. You care for me too.”
Merry shifted her gaze away from him and allowed her cheek to rest against his hand for a second. She couldn’t let this go on. As she straightened, the ground seemed unsteady.
“Wedoneed to talk, Carlisle, but I doubt you’ll like what I’m going to say.”
She stepped away, but he extended his hand. Why was he making this so hard? If he could see in her eyes how she felt, why couldn’t he tell this would never work? Why would he force the issue?
When he continued to hold out his hand, she wrapped her fingers around his bicep instead. He bent his elbow and covered her hand with his other one. Together, they walked to the daycare to pick up their children.
Merry, I’m falling in love with you.
Her head still reeled at how quickly things had changed between them. For Pete’s sake, she’d lost her head and nearly kissed a client in her salon. In front of a crowd of Huckleberry Falls busybodies, no less. And he’d said the “L” word.
When they entered the daycare, the huge grin on Millie’s face made it clear someone from the salon had already been there. Holding his arm must have confirmed the rumor for the woman because she looked ecstatic.
“Mama,” Alex cried and ran to give her a hug, and Merry had a reason to let go of Carlisle.
“Papa!”
Grace skipped to her father, who picked up the little girl, but he put his free hand on Merry’s back. The man was definitely making a statement. Was this her fault? Had she led him on, made him think she cared for him as more than a friend?
Except it wasn’t leading him on; shedidcare.
He and Grace had wiggled their way so deeply into her life over the past months that Merry’s heart broke a little more each day to know they’d leave.
“Should we contact your mother about possibly tending them,” Carlisle asked, “or should we see if Lizbeth at the B&B will be available this evening?”
“My mother will be home, but she’s working on my dress for the ball.”The ball.When Merry broke things off with Carlisle tonight, all her mother’s work would have been for nothing.
“I’ll call her.” Carlisle already had his phone out and was dialing. He must have put it speaker on because her mother’s voice answered so everyone in the room could hear.
“Miss Linda, I would like to take your daughter out for dinner tonight to have an important conversation. Would you be available to watch our children?”
Millie sighed when he mentioned animportant conversation. Now the woman would be expecting something happy to happen tonight.
“Bring them over,” her mother said, her voice excited.
“Perfect,” Carlisle said, holding Merry’s gaze. “We’re just collecting the children now.”
If his take-charge attitude continued, she’d need to tell him that no man was going to step into her life and start bossing her around. She and Ray had struggled with the same thing when they’d first started dating, and she’d almost broken up with him. When he’d realized she was serious, he’d learned to stop assuming things and to ask her opinion.
Merry chided herself at the thought. It didn’t matter; she was breaking things off tonight. All she had to do was get through this dinner.
“Alex,” she said, “would you and Grace like to spend some time with Grammy tonight?”
“Yes! Yes!” the children said at the same time as they began dancing around.
“I’ll meet you there,” Merry said as she took Alex’s hand. She started to turn, but Carlisle clasped her arm.
“Please don’t be angry with me,” he said, his voice soft. “This has taken me by surprise as well.” The tenderness had returned to his eyes. It was doing something weird to her body, and her knees went a little wobbly. Maybe her blood sugar was low or something.
“I didn’t see it coming,” Merry admitted.
“I understand.” Carlisle touched her cheek with his left hand. “We can talk it all out.”
Merry forced herself to keep Alex’s hand in hers, resisting the urge to throw her arms around Carlisle’s neck and kiss him. Seriously, what was wrong with her today?
“We’ll talk,” she said, careful to keep her tone neutral. She’d already given him the wrong impression in the salon. Nothing she did tonight could reinforce that.
