“My Jeep?”
“Yeah.”
At the mention of my Jeep, I longed for it again. Would it be too much to ask Hans and Sissy to drive it out here from Florida when they came to the wedding? I didn’t entertain his stupid question.
“It’s gone,” I said.
“Too bad.” He raised a brow.
“I’m keeping my eye on you,” I said.
“Oooh, sounds so ominous.” His eyes slotted. “Hard to watch when you’re so far away.”
He walked past me and headed toward the dock. I unclenched my fists. Even though Alaster had turned on his son and tried to kill him, I still didn’t trust Colin. And I certainly wouldn’t believe Alaster had died until I saw his bones first hand.
“Fin? Oh, Fin!”
I turned at the sound of a girl’s voice, one that wasn’t Ash’s.
“Brooke?”
She sauntered over like a deer in high heels that looked like they’d trip her, eyes wide. “What’s going on here?”
“What does it look like? We’re rebuilding.”
She looked upward at the merman hanging off the side of my parents’ house painting the trim. “Oh, that’s right. You were accused of starting the fire that burned this place down. Pity.” She flashed a smile.
I lifted my chin. “What’s up?”
“Rumor is, you’re too ill to be at school.” She eyed me up and down. “But you look perfectly fine to me.”
I clenched my jaw. Why did I promise Ash I wouldn’t sing? “You shouldn’t believe everything you hear.”
“When are you coming back?”
“I’m not,” I said as I headed toward the cottage.
“And why not?” she asked, following me.
“I quit.”
“Quit?” She propped her hand on her hip.
“Too much to do here.” I gestured to my parents’ house and mine.
“But… if you don’t take your finals, you won’t graduate.”
I smiled and leaned toward her. “The teachers love me. I don’t think I have anything to worry about.”
She stood taller and gave me a fake smile. “Well, it would help if you told that to Mr. Wellington because he won’t reassign me to someone new. We’re supposed to do the project together.”
“Oh, right.” I palmed my hair. “Well, I don’t know what to tell you.”
“Oh, Fin.” Galadriel sauntered up to me with a determined look on her face, clipboard in hand, that was until she saw Brooke. “Well, aren’t you cute as a fish fry. Who’s this?”
“This is no one you should worry about,” I sang to Brooke.
“Fin. That’s rude.” She stepped around me. “Are you on the guest list?”
Brooke rubbed her forehead. “Guestlist?”
“For the wedding,” Galadriel pressed.
“Who’s wedding?” Brooke’s brows pushed together.
Galadriel waited for a second. “Ash and Fin’s.”
“You’re getting married?” Brooke asked me.
I closed my eyes for a moment, feeling a headache set in.
“Oh, my mistake.” Galadriel turned to me. “Fin. Do you like gold or silver?”
“For what?”
“For the men’s vests.”
I let out a gust of air. “I don’t care. Whatever Ash wants.”
“She’s napping, you know, tired with the baby making and all.”
If steam could blow out of my ears, it would be happening to me.
“You didn’t hear that,” I sang to Brooke. “And you don’t know about the wedding either, and probably should be on your way.”
Brooke staggered backward, then toddled off in her too high heels, confused as ever.
“My,” Galadriel opened her eyes large, “your tune has definitely changed.”
I glared. “Don’t judge me.”
She saddled up next to me, threading her arm in mine. “I like the new you, well… the one that sings at the drop of a hat, until Ash comes around. But we all know who wears the pants in your relationship.” She playfully nudged her hip into mine.
I pulled my head back. “What?”
“It’s okay. Happy mermaid… happy life.”
“I think it's happy wife, happy life, but we’re a team. There are no pants.”
She laughed and busied herself with her clipboard. “Whatever you say. I’m choosing gold.”
“Silver,” I said.
“There. Now doesn’t that feel good? Putting your fin down? ‘Cause I think Ash wanted gold, too.”
I blew out a gust. “Then why did you ask me?”
She let go of my arm and waved before walking back to the dock. “Toodle-loo. It was nice chatting with you.”
I balled my hands into fists, wishing the guy who’d threatened Ash would show his ugly mug right now so I could throttle him.
TWENTY-THREE – ASH – May 27 – 5:31 p.m.
Something loud banged repetitively against the door. I startled awake to Mom’s panicked voice. “Ash! Open up!”
Quickly glancing at the clock, I rolled to my feet. My head swam for a minute. How long had I been asleep?
“Ash!”
“I’m awake.” My mouth felt like it was full of sand. “Hold on.”
The doorknob rattled, but she didn’t press the door open.
“Let me in.”
I groggily walked to the door and opened it, finding it wasn’t locked. Then the memory she was persuaded not to open the door when it was closed came into focus.
Rubbing my eyes, I refocused on her. “What’s wrong?”
“I…” She gave me that concerned mom look. “You didn’t answer, and I couldn’t go inside.”
“I was sleeping,” pretty hard, in fact.
“Coach called. She was concerned ‘cause you’d skipped practice today. She wants to know about tomorrow.”
I pressed my hand to my forehead. The meet. “Um.”
“I don’t think you should swim.”
“I feel a lot better,” I said.
“You shouldn’t push yourself after being sick like that.”
I braced myself, waiting for her lecture to kick in. “It’s my last meet, and I don’t want to let anyone down.”
She dipped her head down, eyes narrowed. “Are you sure?”
“Very sure.”
The smell of garlic made my stomach rumble. “And I’m starving. Is that—?”
“Dad is making pasta, meatballs, and garlic bread. Carb loading, right?”
I smiled, my shoulders relaxing as I imagined that first bite. In fact, I’d probably eat the entire dish if they set it in front of me.
Out of nowhere, Mom pulled me into a hug and squeezed tight. I worried she’d see Desirée’s crown on the bed, so I inched us further into the hall.
“Mom?” I asked when she didn’t let go.
“Not too many more days like this,” she said with a sniffle. “I’m going to miss you not living here.”
Regret hit. I closed my eyes and relaxed into her. “I’ll be next door.”
“I know.”
Part of me wished she knew about the baby, giving her something else to look forward to. But then again, we’d have to persuade them from the get-go: the fast pregnancy, fast maturation and of course, the shifting mishaps of a merling. More secrets.
Once the hug became awkward, Mom ushered me downstairs. “Let’s go eat.”
Lucy sat in the front room watching TV, surrounded by an explosion of bows, tulle, and decorations hanging from the curtain rods on hangers. Mom disappeared into the kitchen, asking Dad if he needed help.
A happy, loving family.
“It’s not good enough that your wedding has taken over the house. Now you’re taking over the beach?” Lucy gestured to the windows with a smirk. “Where does it stop?”
Scratch that.
I pulled in a cleansing breath, determined not to argue with her. Glancing out the windows, I noted several more tables had been added since last night�
��s feast. “Sorry about that. Luckily things will get back to normal in a few weeks.”
“You act like you own it,” she drawled, not looking at me.
“Where else is everyone going to eat?”
“At their homes, maybe?” Lucy lifted a brow.
“You didn’t seem to have a problem eating with everyone last night.”
She glared. “I didn’t have a choice.”
“There’s my girl,” Dad said from the kitchen. “You’re looking a whole lot better.”
“Feeling better,” I said with a smile. “When’s dinner ready?”
“Just give me 10 more minutes.”
I pulled out my phone and texted Fin.
ME: Eating here. Family dinner. I PROMISE I won’t [fish emoji] again.
His reply came quickly.
FIN: You better not.
I chuckled to myself. I’d never ever do that again.
Lucy sulked all through dinner, ruining the mood. Was she upset because the attention was on me or was it because I was Mom’s favorite for once? I tried not to let it bother me. Once I moved out, she’d have them to herself, and one day, she’d understand.
Slipping out of my bedroom window and sneaking across the lawn, I stopped for a moment. That same white van I kept seeing was parked up on the ridge between our houses. A big black spider was painted on the side this time. The red glow from a cigarette lit up in the darkness.
What was this creep doing?
I boldly decided to walk toward the van and ask him what was up. The red glow vanished. Then the engine rumbled to life, and the van drove away.
I put my hands on my hips, satisfied. Neighborhood watch to the rescue.
TWENTY-FOUR – FIN – May 27 – 7:12 p.m.
I hovered in the water and waited anxiously for Ash to show up, eyeing the sunset. Was she being serious right now? Especially after last night?
The water around me bubbled from the heat rising off my skin, one out of anger and two out of fear. This was getting ridiculous. A promise that I’d personally escort her to her room for a good night kiss just to make sure she got out okay, crossed my mind. But that evaporated once her window opened and she crawled down the lattice to the ground, her gown blowing in the wind.
I swam over to the dock.
“Ash,” I whispered, motioning her over. “Over here.”
She hesitated, turned to face something I couldn’t see. Then she ran toward me, her red hair catching the setting sun’s rays, her short nightgown bouncing around her thighs. In all honesty, she shouldn’t be shifting here. We both should be using the hatch like everyone else, but my parents had stayed in the pool doing Poseidon knows what.
She turned and looked over her shoulder one last time, concerned about something.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I thought I saw someone.”
“Who?”
“Oh, it’s no one.”
She lowered her long sexy legs into the water, her nightgown hitching up, and I forgot my anger. Her feet morphed into a fin and unfurled — delicate and green, and all I wanted was her.
Without a splash, she slipped into the lake. My arms encircled her waist, and I smothered her neck with kisses, my desire for her building. “Stop cutting things so close or I’m going to have to punish you.”
She giggled. “I’m not trying to. I’m actually early.”
“Early?” I blew bubbles on her neck because I knew they drove her crazy.
She wriggled next to me, then moaned softly, and snuggled into me, entwining her fin around mine. “Well maybe if this is the punishment, I might be late every night.”
My voice grew husky. “Not funny.”
I continued to kiss her deeply, pulling her farther into the lake for some private time, but her body tensed under my hands.
Her gills flapped faster than normal. “Are you sure we’re alone?”
“What do you mean?”
“Don’t you smell that?”
I stopped kissing her and scanned the water. “Smell what?”
“All the other mers. It’s like they’re here, somewhere… watching.”
I sniffed but knew I wouldn’t be able to smell anything, being smell blind and all.
“Everyone’s gone and my parents are in the basement pool,” I said to reassure her. “It’s just you and me.”
My lips traveled down her neck to her cleavage while my hands ran up her sides in an attempt to remove the impinging nightgown.
Ash yanked away from me, pulling the fabric down. “I’d like to go somewhere more… private.”
At the giggle to my right, I turned. Jax and Galadriel were spinning in the current, oblivious.
“Holy crawfish,” Ash shielded her eyes and turned away from them.
My face burned with anger. “What are you two doing here?”
“Oh, hey,” Jax said. “We… uh…”
“Oopsie.” Galadriel pushed her tail in the current, and the two darted out of sight, but they weren’t headed toward the gate.
“I guess we’re not alone,” I said apologetically.
“You think?”
“Did I ever mention that I’m smell blind?”
She quickly adjusted her nightgown and crossed her arms. “No. But seriously? Here? In our lake? Do they have no tact?”
“It’s a big lake.” I took her hand, knowing a better solution. Only problem was I’d wanted to wait and surprise her on our wedding day. Apparently, that wasn’t going to happen if I wanted to have some alone time. “Come on. I have a surprise for you.”
“Surprise?” Her frown softened.
I started to swim toward the house when Ash redirected me.
“Wait!” Ash tugged on my hand. “Jax and Galadriel just swam this way.”
“Oh. Right.” After we had taken a huge loop out of the way of where Jax and Galadriel might be, I took her toward the porthole leading to our house.
She flared her tail to stop us. “I thought you said your parents were in the basement.”
“No. Here.” I pointed to another tunnel — our tunnel.
Her eyes widened. “Is that…?”
“I’d wanted to wait until our wedding night, but considering…” Her nightgown gave me an idea. Tugging on the hem, I silently asked permission to rip off a piece. “May I?”
“May you what?”
“I need a blindfold.”
She cracked a sexy smile, heating my parts that craved her. “Seriously?”
“I’ll buy you another nightgown.”
“Why can’t I see inside?”
“It’s not finished yet.”
She pursed her lips, then finally nodded. I knew she was enjoying every minute of this, so I tore off part of the hem and blindfolded her while purring in her ear.
“You like teasing me, don’t you?”
“Maybe.” I pulled her close to me, extra hard, and swam into the hatch.
“Oh,” she rasped.
Once we reached the porthole, I opened it and slid out. Her head surfaced above the water. She inhaled. “I smell paint and fresh wood.”
“No peeking.”
Sliding my arms under her armpits, I lifted her out onto the deck. She slithered over and lay to rest on her side. Her tail flipped over and splashed into another body of water.
“We have a pool in our basement, too?” She slid her hands forward until she reached the edge, her fingertips dangling in the water.
“Not exactly.” I slipped into the pool, then grabbed onto her hands, helping her in. We dove under, spiraling down together.
“The water is salty,” she said.
I curled around her, anxious to know what she thought of our private oasis. “So…?”
Her fingers grazed over the blindfold, then reached forward, touching my face, then caressing my lips. “Can’t I take this off?”
My stamina waned. If she asked for the moon, I’d give it to her.
“Please?” she begged.
; My fin shivered.
“For a minute,” I said before I changed my mind. “But don’t tell anyone.”
“Our secret,” she whispered against my lips.
She ripped off the blindfold and blinked. Though I’d wondered if she’d be disappointed because our pool wasn’t very big in size. I’d compensated by making it deep. The walls had inlaid designs of abalone and gems I designed myself, like that of Natatoria. On the bottom were elevated platforms with weighted blankets for beds. She studied everything, her fingers trailing the designs on the walls.
“This is incredible.”
She then glanced upward and gasped. Large windows that covered the pool’s ceiling revealed the night’s sky beyond. She kicked her tail to get a closer look, but I held onto her waist.
“Whoa there… that’s for another time.”
She pouted. “You’re mean.”
The side of my lip curled up and I returned the blindfold to her eyes.
“I have to save something for a wedding gift.”
Bubbles trickled from her mouth, and I covered her lips to trap the air.
“You’re not disappointed, are you?”
“No. It’s amazing, Fin. So much better than I imagined.”
My happiness soared, and I swirled with her in my arms.
“Now where were we?” she asked, wiggling against me.
I slid my hands once again up her sides, and the nightgown floated off on the current with ease. She giggled, but this time, she didn’t resist me.
“I should blindfold you more often,” I said in between kisses.
“Only if I can blindfold you,” she promised.
I growled in pleasure and pulled her down deeper.
TWENTY-FIVE – ASH – May 28 – 10:10 a.m.
I stood on the block, water dripping down my legs. The thought that I’d never get to do this again rolled through me. My last meet. The last time swimming with my peers.
My little merling zoomed around in my tummy, bouncing off the walls like a pinball machine. I touched my growing pooch afraid people might see. Did he sense my nerves?
Meredith Hamusek stood on my left, shaking out her arms and legs, already in her zone. After the incident with Meredith’s family accusing me of doping, I wanted to beat her once again to prove myself. But if I did that, the attention wouldn’t be off me.
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