And So It Goes (Stevens Book 10)

Chapter 16

"Park the car, Merrick. You owe me an explanation after the evening I've just had," Agatha insisted as he drew close to her house.

Merrick didn't object as he found a parking spot near the back gate and waited for her to lead the way. Once they were in her apartment, she turned on a few lights and closed all the blinds before getting a container of ice cream and two spoons.

"Is this supposed to comfort me?" Merrick asked, accepting the spoon.

"No, it's for me. I didn't want to be rude and not offer you any, and I thought eating popcorn for the very dramatic story you're about to tell me would be in poor taste." Agatha kicked off her heels. "Take off your jacket, Merrick. Make yourself comfortable."

Agatha sat back on the couch and watched him take off his tie and jacket, then slowly roll up his shirt sleeves. She admired the way he could make such simple tasks look so sexy.

When he finished, he looked over at Agatha, watching him. She smiled and patted the cushion next to her in an invitation, but he hesitated.

"Are you scared of little ole me, Merrick?" Agatha asked, making a production of licking her spoon.

He frowned before moving to sit down next to her.

"Start at the beginning, please." Agatha grabbed a pillow to hug as she curled her legs under her. She was sure she wasn't going to like whatever it was he had to say, so she wanted him to get right to the point.

After a few moments of collecting his thoughts, he began. "I met Jade when I was an undergrad. We had fun, and I fell for her, so we got married. I decided to become a doctor and not take up the family business. Rudolph took my place in both the company and Jade's bed. When it became apparent that I was dead set on a medical career, my step-father tried to entirely cut me out of the family. It wasn't a surprise because he wasn't my birth father, and he wanted his son to inherit. My birth father died shortly after I was born. When my step-father married my mother, he married into the company, which meant he couldn't cut me out of anything, but he made enough of a stink about it that Jade got nervous and switched allegiances."

"So you hate women because of what Jade did?" Agatha questioned.

Merrick thought about her question. "No, I love women, but I don't trust them." His voice was hard as he thought about why he didn't trust them.

"So you don't trust me either." It wasn't a question.

Merrick met her eyes. "I trust you more than I have trusted anybody in a very long time."

Agatha guessed it was as good a place to start as any.

"Is this one of the reasons why you don't want a relationship with anyone? Are you afraid it will happen again?" Agatha watched him closely.

"One of the reasons," he agreed, meaning there were others that he wasn't talking about. "I don't trust myself either. I should have seen that marrying the head of the Livingston family was Jade's ultimate goal by the questions she was always asking me." His voice was emotionless.

Agatha felt herself freeze. She knew that name. she cleared her throat. "As in Trisha and Anthony Livingston?"

"Yes." Merrick looked at her with narrowed eyes. "When Uncle Tony died, Rudolph took over the family."

"As in Aunt Trisha?!" Agatha sat up and placed the ice cream on the table in front of her. This was not happening.

"Yes, she's my Aunt," Merrick confirmed.

"My aunt is Lizzy Alexander." Agatha waited, watching Merrick's eyes widen at the news. "I used to spend a few weeks every summer with Aunt Lizzy, and she and Aunt Trisha would take me all over New York with them. How have we never met before?"