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Of course, him being the brother of her best friend’s husband meant they’d run into each other sometime in the future, but she’d figured she would deal with that when the time came.
Mae drew up short as she thought of the test buried in her bathroom garbage.
Unfortunately, this morning, the future had arrived in the form of two pink lines.
Chapter 2
“Sorry, this one is declined, too.”
Merit Diamond’s frown deepened as he took his second credit card back from the barista across the counter at Brew For You. The pretty brunette offered a sympathetic cringe.
What the hell is going on?
An impatient huff from some yuppy behind him prompted a glance over his shoulder. When the guy motioned for him to get on with it, he bit his tongue and turned back to hand over a ten.
“Keep the change,” he said as he moved to the side to wait for his latte.
His cards had no limits, or if they did, they weren’t ones he’d ever come close to reaching, so two separate cards being declined in one morning didn’t make any sense. Unless his numbers had been stolen, and the card company had shut them down to avoid additional theft? That had to be it.
But two different cards?
Maybe it was identity theft, not just stolen cards. He had some sort of security in place for that. He thought he did anyway. All his finances went through his trust fund, so he’d have to deal with it tomorrow.
Right now, he needed his caffeine before Sunday brunch at his parents’ house. Dad and Mom had flown home from Washington D.C. for the Fourth of July weekend, so everyone would be there this morning after having gathered at the house the previous night for their annual fireworks display.
He had hoped to see his new sister-in-law’s best friend at the cook-out yesterday, but when he’d managed to casually ask Honor if Mae was coming with her little boy, she said they always went to Boulder to her family’s picnic for the Fourth. She’d given him a quizzical look, but he masked his disappointment with a long pull off his beer.
Mae Lockhart had caught his attention good and hard the night of his father’s senatorial election back in November. Petite, blond, and fantastically feminine, she’d worn a black dress that clung to all her sexy curves.
But she’d shot him down without blinking an eye, and talked about the guy in her life named Ian, so he’d put her out of his mind. He enjoyed women, but never another man’s woman.
Two months later at Honor’s bakery opening in January, he’d met Mae’s Ian—her six year old son. She looked mildly guilty for duping him, but it hadn’t kept her from turning him down when he asked her out again. Then, and every other time they ran into each other—until Asher’s wedding at the beginning of May.
That night…holy shit that night.
Except, she’d left his bed before seven a.m. and ghosted him ever since. He found himself thinking about her every day. Dreaming about her at night. It wasn’t like he’d never had great sex before, and it wasn’t like she’d done anything crazy wild or kinky, but something about the blond beauty had gotten under his skin like no woman ever had.
“Here you go, Merit.”
He shook off the memories to take the coffee cup Lyssa offered across the counter. The brunette gave him an inviting smile, her brown gaze telegraphing clear signals like every other time he’d stopped at the shop since she’d started back in May. Had she started a few months earlier, he’d have gladly taken her up on the obvious offer. A few months ago, he hadn’t had the night of his life with Mae.
The woman had ruined him in the span of about six hours.
Somewhat annoyed he didn’t even feel a spark of interest for Lyssa, he gave the barista a cool smile and headed out. By the time he got to his parents’ house, everyone was seated out on the sunny patio, waiting for him before starting to eat.
“Sorry I’m late,” he said as he slid into his seat between Asher and his baby sister, Shelby. “I had an issue with my credit cards this morning.”
“You haven’t been on time since you moved out,” his dad grumbled.
He shot him a quick look. The credit cards were a valid reason, not a bullshit excuse he’d cooked up at the last minute.
“He wasn’t always on time before he moved out,” Shelby teased.
See?
“Your mother and I had hoped when you bought your own place you were finally growing up. Learning to become responsible.”
Merit sat back in his chair and arched his brows. “Can we at least say grace and start eating before this turns into a pile-on-Merit fest?”
