Blake cleared his throat, offering Declan a grimace. “Sorry about before. I thought I was being a good cheerleader, and instead, I was being pushy and the opposite of helpful.”
“No.” Declan shook his head. “I would have kept running and hiding if you hadn’t believed in me. You helped me believe in myself and youcared, Blake. No one’s ever cared or wanted me to have something good enough to push me like that.”
“We love you and you deserve the world, Declan,” Blake said, pulling Declan into a tight hug. He clapped Declan on the back, giving him a moment to recover. “Now, let’s get in there before they take all the bacon!” Blake winked at Declan, then dashed across the kitchen and into the dining room.
“You don’t have to run anymore, Declan,” he whispered. His vision blurred and his lip wobbled as he became overwhelmed with gratitude and joy. No more “fight or flight.” He could let go of the hypervigilance and stop listening for cruel whispers and watching for sneers. “You’ve got a real family now,” he said.
He found his new family gathered around the dining room table, passing dishes, sharing punchlines, and planning a new operation. A seat was waiting for Declan next to Atlas and they smiled knowingly at each other as he sat. Both had found their place and their purpose within this unusual and dangerous family. But if Declan had asked Atlas, he would probably say that he had never been made to feel like an outsider, that he’d been welcomed from the moment he set foot in Lake Cliff.
“Have you given any thought to what Lavender said earlier?” Atlas asked Declan out of the side of his mouth.
“About being Mickey’s heir and joining forces with Lake Cliff?” Declan asked with a snort. “I don’t know what it’s worth or how much use I’d be, but I’ll follow Speed and Lavender into battle any day.” He said and held up a finger. “Not literally, though. Nobody wants me by their side in an actual battle and I don’t want to be anywhere near a fight,” he specified, making Atlas shake with laughter.
“I don’t know, you handled yourself pretty well with that mugger,” he said, then sat up and waved to get everyone’s attention. “I didn’t tell you all about the best part yet! This kid pulled a gun on us when we were coming off the Blue Line. He called Declan a bitch and got laid out!” Atlas bragged as he held up Declan’s hand like he was a prizefighter.
Declan tugged his arm down and shook his head. “It wasn’t a big deal. And it’s one thing to be a thug, you don’t have to be a homophobe and a misogynist too.”
Everyone laughed and raised their glasses to Declan. Speed reached around Atlas so he could slap Declan on the back. “That’s my boy. No way you’re getting a jump on a kid from Hell’s Kitchen.”
“Nope. No way,” Declan agreed. He caught Lavender smiling at him and raised a brow.
“And you thought you were too tame,” Lavender said, clicking his teeth at Declan.
“I don’t know…” Reginald said. His tongue pushed against the inside of his cheek as he waved his fork at Atlas and Declan. “He might be if that was thebestpart of their week together.”
Atlas shot him a flat look. “You might have just got here, but the rest of us know what would happen if I sharedthat,” he said. It wasn’t enough to cause Declan to push his chair back and bolt from the room, but his face became hot.
But he wasn’t feeling all that tame. And perhaps Declan had truly changed while he was away because his chin tilted back as he accepted a platter of cheese omelets from Atlas. “I have never been a show-off, but you would have been proud if you had been there, Reginald,” he said haughtily.
Atlas choked and beat on his chest as he nodded. “He would have made you proud.”
The room erupted into laughter and there was another round of congratulations. And some “helpful” suggestions from Reginald that Declan pretended to ignore.
“How are you doing?” Atlas asked softly, turning Declan’s chin so he could see his face and his eyes.
“Really, really good,” Declan said. He leaned in close, forgetting the conversations around them for a moment and swiping his lips against Atlas’s. “I’ve finally found my way and I have the man of my dreams. This time, I get to live happily ever after.”
The End