Harley Merlin and the First Ritual (Harley Merlin, #4)

by Bella Forrest

There is much to tell, and not a lot of time to tell it, but I can’t write to you and not say this—I love you, sweet girl. I have loved you since the moment you were born and I held you in my arms for the first time. I cannot replace Hester, and I would never attempt it, but I have felt like part of your life for so long, though you didn’t know I existed.

“Stay where you are. Don’t move a muscle,” he replied. Frozen to the spot, I didn’t move as he scooted his stool closer to mine and pulled me toward him. His arms smoothed around my shoulders, folding me up in his embrace, his chin resting lightly on the top of my head. Slowly, I let my arms wrap around his waist and buried my face in his neck, inhaling the spicy-sweet scent of him as I let him hold me. Time seemed to slow down, the rest of the world falling away, leaving only the two of us.

That was life. It was messy and wonderful,

Remember who you are, and what you stand for, and everything else will fall into place.”

Fortunately, my angel, you’re my true love—the only one I’ll ever need. Men can suck it, quite frankly. I’m happier without one.” She giggled, taking a sip of her cup of coffee.

“Listen to me carefully, Astrid,” my mom replied. “In matters of the heart, you have to trust your own judgment. Only you know how you feel, and only you know what Garrett is like with you. All I’d say is, make sure he’s in it for the right reasons. Make sure he adores you the way you deserve and is respectful of you as your own person. If you start to doubt him, in any way, you need to listen to your gut instinct. It will never set you wrong. That little voice knows us better than we know ourselves. For a long time, I didn’t listen to mine, and it ended with a lot of broken hearts.”