diff --git a/lib/commit.js b/lib/commit.js
index 9a8a9a4fe..1bc92b8f2 100644
--- a/lib/commit.js
+++ b/lib/commit.js
@@ -116,7 +116,6 @@ Commit.prototype.history = function() {
  */
 Commit.prototype.getParents = function(limit, callback) {
   var parents = [];
-  var i = 0;
 
   // Shift arguments.
   if (typeof limit === "function") {
@@ -125,28 +124,13 @@ Commit.prototype.getParents = function(limit, callback) {
 
   // If no limit was set, default to the maximum parents.
   limit = typeof limit === "number" ? limit : this.parentcount();
+  limit = Math.min(limit, this.parentcount());
 
-  function processParents(commit, callback) {
-    var oid = commit.parentId(i);
+  for (var i = 0; i < limit; i++) {
+    var oid = this.parentId(i);
+    var parent = this.repo.getCommit(oid);
 
-    var parent = commit.repo.getCommit(oid).then(function(parent) {
-      if (--limit) {
-        i = i + 1;
-        return processParents(parent, callback);
-      }
-
-      return parent;
-    });
-
-    // Add this parent to the list.
     parents.push(parent);
-
-    return parent;
-  }
-
-  // Process all the parents.
-  if (limit) {
-    processParents(this, callback);
   }
 
   // Wait for all parents to complete, before returning.
diff --git a/test/tests/commit.js b/test/tests/commit.js
index dee52dfc7..8f5fe1ca6 100644
--- a/test/tests/commit.js
+++ b/test/tests/commit.js
@@ -215,6 +215,25 @@ describe("Commit", function() {
     });
   });
 
+  it("can specify limit higher than actual parents", function() {
+    return this.commit.getParents(2).then(function(parents) {
+      assert.equal(parents.length, 1);
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("can fetch parents of a merge commit", function () {
+    return NodeGit.Repository.open(reposPath)
+    .then(function (repo) {
+      return repo.getCommit("bf1da765e357a9b936d6d511f2c7b78e0de53632");
+    })
+    .then(function (commit) {
+      return commit.getParents();
+    })
+    .then(function (parents) {
+      assert.equal(parents.length, 2);
+    });
+  });
+
   it("has a parent count", function() {
     assert.equal(1, this.commit.parentcount());
   });