I sit beside her while Elle sits across from me.
“Fajitas! My favorite,” Elle squeals. Elle flashes a serious look to Mercy, “Tell me about Ivy.”
Mercy beams from ear-to-ear, “Oh my God, she’s amazing. She loves princesses more than anything in the world.”
I interrupt, “No, I think she loves you more than princesses.”
“Maybe,” she giggles.
She continues, “Ivy is a normal little girl. She loves getting her nails painted and playing dress up. She hasn’t had an easy life but still she’s this pure soul so filled with love. If you want, I’ll show you her room after we eat.”
“I would love that so much.”
After we finish eating, Mercy looks at me with pleading eyes, and I can’t help but chuckle.
“Yes, baby girl. Go. I’ve got this.”
She jumps up and kisses me on the cheek, goes to the other side of the table, grabs Elle’s hand, and pulls her to Ivy’s room. I can hear them laughing and carrying on, over everything that Mercy bought for Ivy today. As I clear the dishes off the table and clean the kitchen, I’m overcome with raw emotion. This is more than I’d ever thought I’d have. A crazy young woman set her sights on me and changed my fucking life.
Eleven
MERCY
I walk upbehind him as he does dishes and wrap my arms around him and he turns around, gazing down at me, pulling me into his arms.
“Everything okay?” I ask when I notice the emotion in his eyes.
He swallows hard, “Perfect.”
I lean my face into his chest as he strokes my hair.
“Elle’s getting ready to leave. She has a mountain top photo shoot.”
He groans, “In her underwear, no doubt.”
“Max is here,” Elle yells as she runs to the door.
“I’ll be back,” he says.
He walks Elle to the door and raises an eyebrow at me when she yells, “Text me, Mercy. We’ll plan that girl's day after Ivy gets settled.”
I wave to her, “I will!”
I hope she gets settled. I have no idea if they’ll let us be her foster parents. I’m sick at the thought of her going somewhere else.
I’m finishing cleaning the kitchen, which Liam had started when he comes back.
My back is to him as I clean out the sink. “Well, my sister is kind of in love with you.”
I turn so I’m facing him, “Is that so?”
Placing my hands on my hips, I feign a serious expression, “Dr. Lexington perhaps you didn’t know but I’m pretty fabulous.”
He snickers, “Oh, baby girl, I’m more than well aware of that fact.”
“Is that so?” A smirk crawls up my face.
Liam walks slowly to me, his eyes dark, like a hungry animal stalking its prey. He comes around the corner of the kitchen island, and I run around the other side towards the bedroom.