Chapter 28
I was moments away from meeting Declan’s family, or I guess meeting them again. I wasn’t one to normally entertain serious relationships, or any kind of relationship involving me coming home with a guy. I was excited, anxious and nervous all at the same time.
Especially after the awkward moment back there in Declan’s truck.
He let the word love slip from his mouth, and even though he didn’t say he was in love with me, it felt like he was insinuating he had those types of feelings. Or maybe I was reading too much into that situation. Either way, it had my mind reeling. I’d never been in love before, but Declan was the kind of guy I could see myself falling for.
I’d deal with my growing feelings later. Right now, I had to focus on impressing Declan’s parents and not look like a hot mess express. My life may be slightly in shambles, but I refused to show it.
Not only was it my first time coming back to the Cooper’s residence in years, but my own family would be here too. Everyone besides my dad.
I had to admit the thought of my first holiday without my dad was a hard pill to swallow. I wish we could all celebrate Thanksgiving together because it was mine and Declan’s first holiday together and not because my family didn’t have plans after the last couple months we’ve experienced. Hopefully, this wouldn’t be a day where everyone witnessed me crash and burn.
Arriving at the front door, Declan had his hand over the handle, ready to walk in, when he leaned in my direction.
“You ready?” he asked.
“Guess so.” I let out an anxious sigh.
His hand was on my lower back as he motioned me through the front door and into the house through the entry way.
“Mom? Dad? We’re here!” he called out.
“In the kitchen, honey!” his mom hollered.
I couldn’t remember the last time I had a proper Thanksgiving meal. Where the family all sat around the table talking about this, that and the other, with a full turkey and all the fixings. We approached the kitchen, where Declan’s mom was hard at work and his dad was close by, sitting in the living room with the football game on.
“Paige, honey, long time no see. Look how beautiful you’ve grown up to be!” She wiped her hands on the dish towel, putting her task aside to greet me. I didn’t know what to expect but it wasn’t the tight, motherly embrace she gave me. It felt oddly comforting. I figured we would just say hello and have awkward small talk catching up on the last decade. But she was sweet and seemed genuinely happy to see me.
She finally let me go from her snug bear hug when her arms remained stretched out on my shoulders. She looked me in the eyes like no time had passed at all. “Mrs. Cooper, it’s good to see you too. It smells amazing in here. Your home looks just as gorgeous as I remember it.”
“Oh, honey, you can call me Laura. None of that Mrs. Cooper nonsense. But thank you very much. We are so happy to have you and the rest of the Wilson clan here with us today.” Declan’s hand remained possessively on my lower back, not afraid at all to show his feelings for me in front of his family. Something about that made my stomach flutter.
Declan greeted his mom with a kiss on the cheek. “Mom, it smells amazing. I can’t wait for Paige to taste your cranberry brie bites. I hope you made them; you know they’re my favorite.”
“Of course, honey. Appetizers are ready, feel free to dig in while I finish up with dinner.” I felt bad snacking while she was slaving away in the kitchen.
“Can I help you with anything, Laura? I’m not a great cook but I can peel some potatoes if you need me to,” I offered.
“No, that’s not necessary, sweetie. I’ve been prepping all week so there isn’t much for me to do anyways. Just have to stay in here and make sure I don’t burn the place down,” she replied sweetly.
I smiled in agreement as we made our way over to the counter, where plates of colorful appetizers were laid out. Veggie trays, stuffed mushrooms, caprese bites, hummus and other dips took up space on the large countertop. The spread looked like it could be featured on the Food Network or some home cooking magazine. I was torn, not knowing where to dig in first, when Declan made the decision for me.
“Baby, you have to try these cranberry brie bites. No one makes them better than Mom does.” He held one up toward my mouth, waiting for me to take a bite into the delicious pastry. The flakey crescent dough melted on my tongue, sweet and buttery in all the best ways. The little crescent dough cup was filled with perfectly melted brie cheese, a sweet and tangy cranberry sauce and topped with toasted pecans that paired perfectly with the cranberry sauce. It was the perfect Thanksgiving appetizer if I’d ever tasted one.
“Mmm, you’re not wrong. That may just be the best thing I’ve ever put in my mouth,” I moaned.
Declan moved in closer to me and whispered in my ear, “Don’t you mean the second-best thing you’ve ever put in your mouth?” My jaw dropped in a silent response, looking around to make sure no one heard his dirty remark.
Just as I was about to fill my plate with more sweet and savory treats, Declan’s dad tore his eyes away from the TV for a quick hello.
“Paige Wilson. Well, if it isn’t a blast from the past. I think the last time I saw you, you were babysittin’ the boys.”
I cringed. I was really hoping we could just pretend I was never the babysitter. That maybe I was just a family friend or something. I don’t know why it was so awkward to think about. Maybe because it felt like a different lifetime ago. That was my old life here and I was ready for a redo.
“Yup. That’s me. The old babysitter,” I said awkwardly when Declan chimed in.
“Yeah, Dad, let’s not bring that up. It sounds weird considering Paige and I are… seeing each other.” He got choked up on his words, taking him a moment to finish what he was saying—like he was speaking before he could think and didn’t quite know what to label it as when he got to that point.
“Uh-huh,” Mr. Cooper responded and looked between the two of us, eyebrows raised.
“Your mom and I were once seeing each other too. No need to explain yourself to me.” He chuckled as he began making a plate of snacks for himself.
“And that’s our cue! Not sure I need to hear any more on this subject. Come on, Paige, let’s go out back for some fresh air.” He hauled me into his large frame, pulling me toward the sliding back door.
“It’s nice to see you again, Mr. Cooper!” I called as I was being pulled in the opposite direction.
“Call me Mark. No need for formalities around here,” he shouted back before Declan closed the door, separating his family from us.
I laughed at the stern expression on Declan’s face. “That wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be,” I admitted.
“Nah, just my dad being awkward as usual,” Declan answered sarcastically.
“Oh, don’t be dramatic. He’s just being a dad.” I giggled, reaching my hands out to find the woolly blond hairs that hung at the nape of his neck. The view in the backyard was stunning. I wanted to soak up every moment alone with him as much as I could before my family arrived and we were forced into more conversation with everyone around the dinner table.
The backyard looked endless. I looked out to tall mountain peaks and pine trees that seemed to extend miles long. The sun was already starting to go down for the day, just moments away from sunset, making for the perfect view.
Declan had me caged in. I leaned against the wood beams on the patio, his muscular arms wrapped around me, keeping me warm. It was the perfect view until the sun actually set, then we’d have to make our way inside so we wouldn’t freeze to death. Until then, I’d soak every bit of it up.
“I didn’t see Myles downstairs. I assume he will be spending Thanksgiving with your family, right?” I asked, treading lightly.
“Yeah, he should be here. I’m sure he’s just upstairs sleeping off the hangover from last night,” he forced out before he changed the subject.
“We should head inside. I’m sure your mom and Chase will be here shortly.” He leaned over, giving me a kiss on the cheek, followed by a peck on my shoulder before guiding me back inside.
Mom was right on time. We weren’t even inside for five minutes before we heard a knock on the door. Unless they were expecting anyone else, it had to be mom and Chase.
Together, we made our way to the front door. Sure enough, when we pulled it open, Mom and Chase were on the other side. I greeted my mom with a hug, rocking back and forth, like it had been days since I last saw her. Truth be told, I’d been keeping busy and so had she. She’d been working a lot and even picking up extra shifts. We didn’t see much of each other around, especially with me staying at Declan’s a lot more recently.
“If you squeeze me any tighter, I might break before I get the chance to taste Laura’s cooking,” Mom teased.
“Sorry, just feeling a little emotional today. Glad you guys could make it, and we could all spend Thanksgiving together,” I admitted. Letting up, I gave Chase a big hug just like I had Mom. I guess you could say with my dad not being here today, and it being the first holiday without him, had me feeling a bit sappy. Change was hard, and lately, my whole life had been turned around. In some ways more positive than others.
Declan approached Chase, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
“Sup, man? Happy Thanksgiving.” They clapped hands before giving each other a slight pat on the back. Making his rounds, he found my mom, giving her a gentle hug and a kiss on the cheek. “It’s nice to see you, Lisa. Glad you guys could make it.”
My stomach flipped upside down at the sight of him being so comfortable around my family. He was so sincere and real. Nothing about him was fake. He wasn’t one to put on a show to impress. What you saw was what you got with Declan. Just a nice, sweet guy—one of the good ones. The type of guy that didn’t come around often.
Maybe I was falling for Declan harder than I originally thought.
“Thank you for inviting us. I take it you’re one of the reasons I haven’t seen my daughter around the house as much lately,” Mom joked with Declan as if they’d known each other for years. Most of all, I noticed her playful behavior—she was smiling. Mom had some pep back in her step. She may not be fully healed on the inside, but she was brightening up on the outside.
Originally, I was worried about blending our families for the evening, but Declan made everything feel at ease. He was telling me the truth when he said I didn’t have anything to worry about.
“Mom.” I gritted my teeth. I loved that she was joking around, but Declan and I hadn’t put a label on anything, and I didn’t want people making a big deal about it. I didn’t want either of us to feel the pressure.
“What? He’s a nice guy and we are all here spending the holiday together. Is it wrong for me to assume he’s been taking up your extra time lately? Plus, why else would you be wearing a Cooper Construction sweater around the house?” she shot back obliviously.
Declan, being the charmer that he was, chimed in, “Paige and I have been spending a lot of time together, and I assure you I’ve been taking really good care of her.” Yeah, my mom had no idea how good , but there was no need to dive into that.
Her hand reached out for Declan’s arm, giving it a subtle squeeze with an appreciative look on her face. “It’s about time someone took care of her the way she’s been taking care of everyone else.” I swallowed the lump forming in my throat, slightly emotional that my mom had noticed the little things I’d done around the house to make her and Chase’s life easier.
Chase stood by looking through his phone, most likely getting the latest updates on the football game. “Hey, I think Declan’s dad is watching the game in the living room. Feel free to join him if you want.” I pointed in the direction of the open sitting room.
“Sounds great. I’d rather watch the game than hear about your love life anyway.”
“Yeah, yeah, just you wait. One day, you’ll have a girlfriend and I’ll be there to give you shit about it,” I teased him right back when Declan must have overheard.
“Does that make me your boyfriend then?” His gaze lingered, wiggling his eyebrows up and down.
“I, uh, well…” My tongue was tied, not sure how to respond, feeling the pressure of saying the right thing with my family standing around. I was completely caught off guard.
“I’m just messing with you, Paige. It doesn’t matter what you refer to me as, I already know you’re mine,” he whispered in my ear.
And if that didn’t make my stomach drop, I didn’t know what would. The way he was so confident. The way he claimed me as his. The possessiveness in the way he touched me and talked to me. When he said stuff like that, it made me think ahead, into the future. I wanted to be Declan’s, and I wanted him to be mine. I wanted more nights spent in his bed. His bed that’d recently felt more like my bed than the one I was borrowing from my mom. Her house, my old childhood home, it felt temporary. But Declan felt like something more permanent. He felt like forever .
My daydream was cut short when we entered the kitchen.
“Mom. Dad. The Wilsons have arrived,” Declan spoke up as we walked in while his mom was putting the finishing touches on the turkey.
“Lisa, it’s so good to see you again. This time under much better circumstances. I’m so sorry about Anthony. I do hope you have been holding up okay,” Laura greeted my mom with a hug. I hoped the mention of my father’s passing wouldn’t dampen the mood. Luckily, my mom was doing much better as the days had gone on and devised the perfect response.
“We are handling everything as well as we can. Just doing our best day by day. I don’t think I ever had the chance to thank you for all of the food you sent over. It was such a huge help. I may have to get a couple recipes from you before we leave,” Mom said, guiding the conversation in a different direction like she had addressed my dad’s death a few too many times lately.
She was probably used to people sending their well wishes and condolences over the last couple of months. I have to admit, after a while, it does get exhausting hearing people say, sorry for your loss . Eventually, you just wanted to put it behind you. I’d never forget about my dad and all our memories as a family, but I could relate to the feeling of wanting to move on.
Chase and Declan’s dad came around the corner from the living room, taking a break from the football game on TV to say hello to everyone. My head turned when I overheard the interaction between the two of them.
“Chase, bud. You’ve sure grown up! You gotta be playing some sort of ball, I’m sure,” Mark said.
“Yeah, I’m on the varsity football team,” Chase answered politely.
Looking around the kitchen, I noticed everyone engaging in small talk. A subtle smile found my face when I took in the sight around me. The Wilsons and Coopers hanging out like one big happy family on one of the biggest holidays of the year.
“Why don’t you boys go watch the game? Let me and Lisa handle the food, and Declan, why don’t you guys get the table set? Dinner is about ready!” Laura cut into my day dream as she began carving the turkey. “Oh, and Declan, do you mind calling up for your brother to join us?” I didn’t miss the expression change on his face as his smile was replaced by a slight scowl that he immediately traded for a forced grin before his mom could notice.
He nodded in his mother’s direction as her and my mom got right to work getting all the food on their proper plates and dishes ready to be placed on the table.
“Hey, mind placing the silverware at the table? I’ll be right back, baby.” He gave me a quick kiss on the cheek, and the handful of forks he had in his hand found mine as he walked away toward the stairwell.
I finished placing a spoon, fork and cutting knife at each spot at the table as Declan came down the stairs, Myles jogging right behind him. The energy between them was a little tense, but I hoped no one else would notice and it was just me who felt it.