“That is honestly the sweetest thing I’ve ever heard.” Declan has always been an intensely loyal friend. He may be relationship averse, but the people he cares about always come first with him.
Declan shrugs. “She always gave me a treat to pack in my lunch, like a chocolate bar, or something my parents never would have been okay with. It’d never make it to my lunch, either, because I’d eat it on the walk to school and be all hopped-up on sugar.”
“Still, that’s pretty awesome. You two must have been tight.”
Declan nods. “Oh yeah, I spent a lot of time there, and she was really patient with me about the braids. They turned out like shit for the first few weeks, but after a while I got good at it. When she was ninety, she fell again and broke the same wrist she sprained with the first fall. That was when my parents decided she should probably go into a home. She was super pissed, like man, she felt betrayed, but they got her a spot in the place right down the street from us, so I still went and visited her a lot. She was an awesome great-grandmother and a safe place for me growing up.”
In all the years I’ve known Declan, he’s never really opened up about his family, and maybe now I understand a bit better as to why. With parents who fought and philandered on each other relentlessly, I can only imagine how desperate Declan would have been to have some kind of stable role model in his life.
“She sounds like a wonderful woman.”
“You would have loved her, and she would have loved you. I still miss her, even though she’s been gone more than a decade.” He turns off the hair dryer, unplugs it, and sets it on the vanity to cool. “Okay, you’re looking sexy as hell, and Harley is going to be here any minute. You want me to help get the rest of your stuff ready, so you don’t have to keep her waiting?”
“That’d be great.” I let him gather my purse and my crutch and wheel me out to the living room, a little sad that he’s so quick to turn off his emotions, especially when I feel like he’s given me a little piece of himself after such an intimate morning together.
He rushes to change into a pair of jeans and a T-shirt before Harley arrives, and insists on helping me to the car.
“Don’t let her overexert herself, and twenty minutes max on the crutches at a time, or she’ll fatigue her muscles too quickly and she’ll be sore,” Declan tells her on the trip down to the lobby.
I’m a little annoyed by all the mother bird restrictions Declan is laying out for me. “I’m not a kid. I know my limits.”
Harley and Declan exchange a glance.
“Knowing and abiding by them are two totally different things,” Harley says.
“Whatever, I’ll be fine.”
Declan squeezes my shoulder. “I know you will, because Harley won’t let you push yourself too hard today. Have fun, be safe, and don’t overdo it. Send me dinner requests, and I’ll make sure we’re all stocked up.” He helps me into the back seat—I’m still not particularly comfortable in a car, let alone the front seat, not that I can fit in easily with my cast. “Message when you get to Spark House, so I know you’re safe, okay?”
“Okay.”
For a moment I think he’s going to lean in and kiss me, but he backs out and closes the door gently. He and Harley have a brief conversation. They’re too quiet for me to make out what they’re saying, but I assume it’s about what I can and can’t do.
A minute later Harley slides into the driver’s seat. Her gaze meets mine in the rearview mirror. “You okay back there?”
“Yup.” I give her a thumbs-up as she pulls away from the curb and heads for the exit.
I glance back at Declan, still standing on the sidewalk, one thumb hooked into his jeans, the other sweeping back and forth across his bottom lip before he lifts it in a parting wave.
The way my heart skips a beat makes me question how big the can of worms I’ve opened is after this morning. Especially considering how much I already want it to happen again.
16
BACK IN THE SADDLE
AVERY
“So.” I don’t have to see her face to see the arch in her brow. “How are things going with Declan?”
“Fine. Why?” My voice is pitchy, and I spit the words out too quickly. I can also feel my face heating up.
Harley chuckles knowingly. “Your poker face needs a lot of work.”
Now that the orgasm is over, and I’m no longer riding the high, I can see how this could be a new level of complication for Declan and me to deal with, particularly since he’s currently my primary caregiver. But I’m starting to get my mobility back, little by little, so I won’t need to rely on him quite as much.