Chapter 22
TWENTY-TWO
ZOE
I’m not sure what’s going on.
We’ve been back a few days, and Declan has been on his phone for what feels like hours at a time. And he’s not talking to me.
I know he’s spoken to Josh—I’ve heard his name come up once or twice as he’s walked into the kitchen to make more coffee.
It’s bugging me that he’s being so secretive about it.
“We need to talk.”
My stomach sinks when he walks toward me, a cautious smile on his face and his hands clasped together.
Is this it? Has he decided that his career is the most important thing after all? What will happen to me? Us?
“What’s going on?”
He reaches for me, taking my hand in his. “Josh Carter’s offered me a movie role. A big one.”
I search his eyes. He’s not giving me any sign as to how he’s feeling about this. Is he happy? Excited? Unsure what I’ll think? “What kind of role?”
“One of the leads in an action film he’s producing. I don’t have all the details, but he wants to give me a chance to rebuild my career.”
I turn, walk to the couch and drop onto it.
Declan sits beside me and pulls me into his arms. “It’s been a while since I had an opportunity like this. He called me before Nikki because he knows Nikki will pile on the pressure to do it.”
“And this way you get a chance to think about it.”
He nods.
The last thing I want to do is push him away now. Do I like this? I’m not sure. His past is littered with moments where he’s gone off the rails, and that always seems to happen with him after a shoot. I’m not sure I could cope if that happened. But at the same time, I have to have faith in him.
“Maybe you should consider his offer.”
Declan scans my expression. “You really think so? I’ve found what I’ve been looking for.” He runs his hand across my baby bump. “You and this little one. You’re all I need.”
I chew my bottom lip. Are we really enough to keep him happy? I’d like to think so, but something keeps nagging me that he has unfinished business. And who wants to go out of their career on a low?
“You don’t think that’s true?” he asks.
Pausing for a moment, I draw in a breath. “It’s just …” I squeeze his bicep. “You’re amazing. You’ve been in all these wonderful movies, and I know that there have been a lot of ups and downs. ”
His lips quirk. “That’s an understatement.”
“Are you worried you won’t be able to keep your word about drinking?”
His gaze drops, and he nods. “Taking time away has really cleared my head. I worry about the temptation of it all. I don’t want to drink again.”
“Then don’t.” I shift a little so I’m closer to him. “If you work with Josh, you’ll be surrounded by people who don’t want you to go down that track. And I’ll be there too.”
His eyes meet mine. “You will?”
“There’s nothing stopping us from moving to LA. We can both be with you the whole way.”
His smile grows. “You’d do that? I thought you were considering going back to New Zealand.”
“Things have changed a lot since we had that conversation. We’ll be a family. I have a few ideas about things I can work on next, but there’s no rush. And there’s no reason why I can’t do that from home or wherever you’re filming.”
He leans over and kisses me tenderly. “I do love the idea of coming home to you.”
“I’m not telling you to do it, Declan. But I will be there beside you all the way if you do.” I run my finger up his arm. “Something tells me you’ve got unfinished business, and you’ve just found the right support crew to help you.”
He’s torn. I can see it all over his face. But I know a thing or two about unfinished business, and while I’m more than happy to just disappear with him and live our life together, I don’t want him to feel like there’s something missing.
“Talk to Josh.” I press a palm to his chest. “See what he has to offer. I don’t want you to live with regrets.”
“Whether I do it or not, I have zero regrets. I have you.”
“Sweet talker.” I smile.
“I love being with you, do you know that? I can be open and honest, and I know I’ll get that in return.”
My heart swells. Our relationship has gone beyond sex and even love. It’s a true partnership, one I never envisioned when Declan moved in with me.
We’re working together and it feels so good.
This isn’t going to be easy—trusting him not to fall back into bad habits is an exercise in patience.
But if he knows I have faith in him, maybe that will give him the extra incentive to succeed.
Won’t it?