“We…. Uhm… I dated a colleague last Friday and the next day…. Declan decided he wanted me. He said he couldn’t stand me moving on with someone else.”
Gwenn clanked her fork at her plate. “He said ‘thinking about you with another man made him crazy.’ Don’t know why that’s so bad? You’re being difficult and looking for faults. Just when you two finally can be together, you’re pulling away from him. Life’s too short, sis. This is exhausting.”
Shauni eyed the Ryan sisters sitting at her kitchen table. She picked up her napkin and wiped at the corner of her mouth. “I agree with Gwenn; life’s too short. But Bree being difficult? That’s news to me. Now I haven’t seen you in a while, so maybe things have changed…” Shauni smiled and reassured Bree she didn’t think she was looking for faults in her nephew.
“She’s been in love with Dec for ages. And I meanages…” Gwenn said while fisting her straight brown hair to put it in a ponytail.
“I mean, sure. His timing is off. But come on. What else do you need him to do? Sign an agreement that—”
Bree leaned in across the table with her palms flat on the table. “What I needis to be able to trust him. To know that his intentions are true. I need him to love me like I love him!” Bree almost shouted the last words at her sister.
She closed her eyes and winced at her pounding head. A warm hand patted her arm. “Shh, it’s okay, Bree.”
Bree opened her eyes and returned Shauni’s smile with a watery smile of her own.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to shout in your home.”
Shauni busted out laughing and slapped the table with her palm like it was the funniest thing she’d heard in a long time.
“Darlin’, the day nobody shouts in my home is yet to come. You know my kids, right? And if they’re silent for once, Pops shows up and makes a ruckus.”
Gwenn laughed , and Bree giggled along. She wiped an escaped tear away. All the pent up frustration came out now. Just Bree’s luck that it happened at Shauni’s kitchen table.
“Shauni, can you please tell me what to do? I’m stuck. I love Dec. I… I’ve always loved him. But he hurt me so bad when he said he didn’t love me. My heart turned into stone after that night. The moments we saw each other, he seemed happy while I was withering away. Now suddenly, he wants to have his best friend back. He came overoncein all of those months, and that was after having a bad date. I can’t have him toying with my emotions….”
“Darlin’, if it were up to me, I would drag you with me into Tara’s rattling junk of a car and drop you off at Dec’s immediately. But life doesn’t work that way, honey. You need to know in your heart that you’re Declan’s choice. That he loves you for you and nothing else. Not because he misses a friend, or he hates the idea of you being with someone else. And quite frankly… I’m proud of you, darlin’.”
Shauni held up a hand when Gwenn shifted in her seat, probably to give her opinion. “I know, Gwenn. We both know my nephew is head over heels. I see it as clear as you do. But what’s important here is that Dec has his work cut out for him to get Bree to see and feel it. Dec has this thing that he always wants to do the right thing. But in this case, he messed up because of it.”
“Thanks, Shauni.”
Hearing from Dec’s aunt he loved her felt good. Bree suddenly stood from her seat and hugged Shauni, who gave Bree a playful swat for causing the surprise.
“I want to get one last thing off my chest, if you’d let me.”
Bree stood still in Shauni’s arms. The dark blue eyes of Shauni misted over and she cleared her throat. “I heard your mother hasn’t been around much lately, but I want you to know that you can always come to me.”
She looked over Bree’s shoulder and nodded at Gwenn. “All of you, Ryan girls. I respect Joan, because I know your mother didn’t have it easy on her own. But deep down, Bree,” Shauni looked Bree straight into her eyes again, “I know all your doubts are coming from something deep inside of you. Something that happened a long time ago to your family that has made you girls the way you are.”
Of course, Shauni knew about Bree’s father walking out on them when Bree had been only eight years old. Bree could have argued with Shauni that her past or her mother had nothing to do with Bree being so hesitant to trust Declan. But they would both know that would be a lie.
Shauni nodded. “I know we can’t change the past. But you are in charge of your future, girls. Think about how you see yourself in twenty years from now. And if things need to change to reach that goal; go for it.”
Bree hugged Shauni once more and held on even stronger. Bree wanted to be with Declan. It has always been him. But could she give him another chance while he held her fragile heart in his hands?
“Come on, man. You’ll have to do better than that!” Ronan said before he put his black mouth guard back into his mouth.
“Fuck you,” Declan said, and he turned his back on his brother. Declan walked over to his gym bag and threw his mouth guard inside. He slowly unwrapped the tape from his knuckles.
“If you can’t stand the heat…” Ro bounced on his feet and added, “Come on, brothers. Who’s next?”
It was Monday night, and he’d been at Duncan’s dojo for their traditional Mills brothers fight night. Only his brother Donovan was at home with his Kate. They had just been together for a few weeks now, and Declan guessed it would take another more weeks for his brother to come up for air.
Luckily his brother Duncan, the former MMA-fighter and champion, got in between the ropes and took Declan’s spot. Duncan matched Ro’s physique the most out of all Mills brothers. And as his coach, Duncan could still give Ronan an ass whooping.
“Go knock him on his arse, Dunc,” Declan said.
Declan acted like a moody bastard ever since Bree crept out of his home. He couldn’t talk with his brothers about it. Bree wanted to keep things a secret. Like she was ashamed of their night together. Ashamed of him.