I clear my throat. “Hi, Mom,” I call out.
“Breathe, cupcake,” I hear Declan sigh into my ear, and it’s then I realize I’ve been holding my breath. I’m nervous. He’s not the first boy my parents have met, but he is definitely the first man. The only man that matters.
Two days and the bossy jerk already owns my ass, and I’m loving every minute of it. “I don’t know how to do this,” I murmur back to him. I’m a ball of nerves and am sure everyone can tell.
“Come on.” Cec grabs my hand. “I brought dessert, and I’m dying for you to try it!”
I love her enthusiasm but hope to hell she doesn’t see my scowl at the thought of her baking. She made me my favorite lemon poppy seed muffins when I was released, and well, let’s just say, I have a paperweight should I need one. Or ten.
“Umm, great,” I try to sound eager except I think it fails.
Her laughter confirms it. “Don’t worry, you’ll like it.” She winks at me.
I don’t believe I’ll ever understand why she’s so nice and forgiving towards me; however, I’ll be grateful for it the rest of my life. I made her world a living hell, and when mine turned to shit, she became the support I never knew I would need.
Declan
I watch as Cecilia pulls Ashley behind her, chattering happily about dessert. I know my woman’s nervous; I could feel her anxiety as she left my side. I also know that she’s holding more on her shoulders than her family realizes.
“You the guy Zach told me about?” Landon demands.
While I admire his bluntness, I won’t put up with his shit either. “I am,” I confirm. Ash knows, so there’s no use denying it. I was hired to do a job, not find the other half of my soul; nonetheless, I did. I’m not going anywhere, no matter what her brother throws at me.
“Should you be mixing business with pleasure?” He crosses his arms, trying to intimidate me.
My stance remains casual as I tell him, “While I can appreciate your concern, I think you’re a little too late where she’s concerned.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?” I can tell he’s shocked by my comment.
I consider filling him in nicely then decide, fuck it. “When she was growing up, did you know everything she did was for attention of some kind?”
“Yeah, she was a tad spoiled.”
He doesn’t get it. “No, man. You guys tossed shit at her to shut her up. Did you ever think maybe, just maybe, she needed love more than material things?”
I see their father come outside as Landon thinks about what I said.
“We gave her everything she ever needed,” her father growled, charging down the steps.
“Not saying you didn’t.”
“Then what exactly are you saying?” he demands, while Landon seems to have caught on, and guilt crosses his features.
“Your son gets it,” I say pointing to him.
“Fuck,” Landon pinches the bridge of his nose.
“Yeah, you see it now, don’t you?”
“See what!”
“You treated her like an accessory rather than a person,” I reply to him. “Everyone thinks she’s a selfish brat, but if you would have spent five minutes with her, listened to her, then you would have known the only thing she ever wished for was to be wanted. To be loved.”
“We did love her…do love her. She knows that,” her father combats.
“She knows? Really? When’s the last time you told her?” He says nothing.
“And you,” I pointedly look to Landon. “When was the last time you treated her like anything other than a fucking problem?” I can see my words resonate with them both, but I’m not done yet. “She fucked up in a huge way; she knows that. Fuck, we all know it, but no one is punishing her more than herself. When you guys look at her, speak to her, she sees and hears the pity and disappointment you feel for her. There is nothing you could say that she hasn’t a thousand times over.” I’m so fucking pissed I need to explain this shit to them.