Merlina read the note twice, once with her eyes, and once with her heart.
'There's no one else I'd rather be here with.'
The words were simple, but her throat tightened. It wasn't a grand declaration. It wasn't flowery or overdone. But it was him. Honest, steady, and quietly certain.
She glanced up, and Craig was still deep in conversation with Drew. He hadn't looked at her then, hadn't tried to gauge her reaction yet. He'd just said it, written it, and let her sit with the truth of it.
But when he finally did glance over, maybe sensing her eyes on him, his voice slowed just a fraction. And there it was, the smallest smile tugging at the corner of her lips, quiet and unguarded.
His eyes held hers for a beat longer than necessary, and there was a flicker in his expression, something soft, like he was fighting the urge to smile back in the middle of his conversation with Drew. He didn't want to ask for anything more than her just being there.
