13. Liz
LIZ
Over the next couple days, I only saw Declan once in the morning. I wasn’t entirely sure what was happening.
Was he busy, or was he giving me space, or… had he changed his mind about me? I couldn’t believe it, not after the romantic outing we’d had and the amazing way he’d treated me.
On Friday afternoon, I noticed his car in the driveway as I was getting ready for my evening shift. My stomach jolted with hopes of seeing Declan, but the reality was I didn’t have time to talk to him.
I only had half an hour until I had to be at the bar. I was just about to leave the house when my phone buzzed. My mom’s name popped up on the screen. I hadn’t spoken to her in a while and needed to take her call.
I answered, bringing it to my ear. "Hey, Mom."
"Darling!" Her voice was high and alert. It instantly set me on edge. I straightened my shoulders in anticipation of what I assumed was bad news.
"Mom, what happened?"
"I'm calling to tell you that…." Her voice was shaking so badly that she didn’t finish the sentence.
"Mom, tell me."
"Your sister and your niece have gone to the hospital."
"What, why?"
"We’re not sure what happened. Amy, she had fever and wasn’t getting better."
"Oh my God." I put a hand over my mouth. My eyes were burning. "Is she okay?"
"We don't know. We don't know anything. They were taken away in an ambulance about an hour ago. I didn't know what to do. I don't want to panic you, but you always want to know what’s going on."
"No, Mom, I’m glad you called. Thanks for telling me." I rolled my free hand into a fist, trying to gather all my strength so I could console my mom, but my whole body was shaking. My thoughts were a blur.
I couldn't be strong now, not at all.
"Call me when you've got more news.”
"Will do, honey. Stay strong."
"You too, Mom."
As soon as the call disconnected, my vision faded at the corners. I could barely breathe. I tried to steady myself, pressing a palm to my chest and taking a deep breath, but I simply couldn't.
My little nugget. Oh my God, I couldn't believe it.
I opened the door to the house and stepped outside, hoping the fresh air would help. It didn't. I was still struggling to breathe.
"Liz?" Declan said. He was about to get in his car, but instead he closed the door and came to me. "Liz, what happened? Babe, what happened? You look like you saw a ghost."
"My niece," I said. He put a hand on my waist, the other on my shoulder, and I instantly felt as if my airways were free. I took a small breath, then a second and a third.
"That's it. You’re doing fine," he said gently, rubbing my shoulder with his thumb. "You're scaring me. Are you feeling okay? Should I call a doctor?"
"I'm good," I said. "Mom called. My sister and my niece are at the hospital. Amy, her baby, isn’t well." My voice completely broke on the last word. “I don't know what’s happening. No one does yet."
" First, let's try some more of that breathing. You look really pale, like you’re going to faint," he said. "Come on. Let's sit down."
He put an arm around my shoulders, leading me to the outdoor seating area behind his house where he’d kissed me the first time.
We sat opposite from the two rattan armchairs, on the rattan couch.
He took my hands, putting both of them on his chest. He was taking in deep breaths, and they were calming me down.
Just sitting with him like this was amazing.
One second later, panic kicked in as a realization dawned on me.
"Oh my God, my shift is about to start."
"Liz, you’re not going anywhere," Declan said in a strong voice. "You can't even breathe, let alone work."
I was shaking. Knowing he was right, I nodded frantically. "I'll call work quickly to tell them I won’t be in."
"Do that."
While I dialed the number, he rose from the bench, taking out his phone. I instantly felt more jittery the minute he moved away. Just having him near me had calmed me so much.
"Hi," I said as soon as my boss picked up. "It’s Liz."
"I know. What's happening? You sound like you're crying."
"I am. I have a family emergency. I can’t make it in. I'm so sorry for the short notice."
"That's no problem. I'll cover it today. I'll see what I can do. Focus on your family. You need anything?"
"No, thanks so much, Dora."
My hands were shaking when I finished the conversation. While putting my phone away, I focused on Declan.
"Cancel the meeting or reschedule it," he said in a strong voice. “Yes, I don’t care. Thanks.”
He disconnected the call. Pocketing his phone, he sat next to me.
"Declan, you don't have to cancel your plans for me."
"Yes, I do."
"Please, I'll be fine.”
“I’ll be here with you. I won't leave you alone."
He put his hands on my arms, and I felt my body calm down. I needed him.
"But you have things to do."
"Liz." He moved his hands to my face. "I'm staying with you, no discussion."
I smiled shyly. "Thank you. I'm so stressed out because I don't know what’s going on. Waiting is terrible.”
“I’ll wait with you.” Putting an arm around my shoulders once more, he simply held me against him.
I didn’t know for how long we simply sat there, intertwined.
“Better?” he murmured, caressing the back of my head.
I straightened up, looking at him. “I want to go home and be with my sister. We've always been together through thick and thin."
"Then let's get you home."
“The bus ride is four hours, and it only leaves once a day, in the morning. I’d have to let Richard know I’ll be out tomorrow….” I was thinking how to handle this, and it seemed to be virtually impossible.
Declan knitted his brow. He looked off into the distance, as if he was pondering something. Then he trained his gaze on me again. "Travis owns a helicopter, and he's got a license. I can talk to him. He can fly you over."
I was utterly and completely shell-shocked. He wanted to what?
“I don't know what to say, Declan. I kind of want to take you up on the offer, but it's too much. And I?—”
My phone beeped in my lap. I grabbed it quickly.
"Oh my God. It’s my sister. I'm so afraid to answer."
"I'm here with you, Liz." He put a hand on my thigh. "I'm here with you."
"I know." I tried to ignore the nausea and the burning sensation in my eyes. The last thing Rose needed was my panic.
Taking a deep breath, I answered. "Rose, how are you?"
"It's all good. She's not in any immediate danger. I know Mom told you. I figured you’d be freaking out."
“Mom said something about fever.”
"They tested her, and she has RSV. It’s a respiratory virus. Looks far worse than it is." Her voice was shaking. "Oh God, Liz. She was burning up, and I was panicking. It was awful."
"But she's gonna be fine, right? That’s what matters."
"We're going to be in the hospital for a few days so they can administer medication, but know that she's not in any immediate danger. I've got to go now."
"Of course. Keep me posted.”
"I will."
My body was still on edge as I hung up.
“Good news?” he asked.
“Yes. It’s not life-threatening.”
"You're still trembling. Come on, let's get you inside the house. Get you something to eat."
"I don't know why I can't calm down," I said.
“It’s the adrenaline, Liz. It’s going to take a while. Come on. I’ll take care of you.”
We both rose at the same time. He was holding me by the waist. I loved being here in his arms. I felt protected, like nothing could happen to me.
As soon as we entered my place, he led me to the kitchen.
"You have any food?" he asked.
"I have some leftover casserole in the fridge. You can heat it up in the microwave."
"I'll do that. Sit down.”
After heating the casserole, he sat down next to me. "Come on, eat. Just a few bites."
I did as he said because, honestly, I felt like some comfort food would do me good. He sat next to me patiently while I ate.
"Do you want some?" I asked.
"No. I already had dinner. You seem better now."
"I am. Thank you, Declan, for this evening. Honestly, I don't know what would have happened if you hadn’t been here. I was in such a frenzy. I couldn't even breathe."
“You were afraid. It’s normal."
I put my fork down, sighing. "You know, when I was talking to Mom on the phone, I wanted so much to be strong, and I couldn't." I blinked back tears. He put his fingers on my face, catching them.
"We can't always be strong, Liz. And that's not a bad thing. I don't think your mom called because she wanted you to be strong. She just wanted you to know."
"I feel better now.” I sniffed, then gasped. “Oh my God, your work thing. You should go. Really, I'm fine.”
“I'm not moving from here tonight."
"What?”
“I want to stay here with you, take care of you, make sure you're okay."
"But that sounded important."
" You are more important."
What could I say to that? Then I remembered I had a shift too. I was all over the place tonight.
“My shift. I could probably try to get there, help out."
"No," he said in a no-argument-accepted tone, looking straight at me. "I'm serious. I let you go to work when you burned yourself, but I won't now."
To my astonishment, a chuckle rolled out of me. Two minutes ago, I felt like I might never laugh again. Any other man wouldn’t get away with this bossy behavior, but for some reason, since it was Declan, I was oddly okay with it. "You won't let me?"
"That's right."
I narrowed my eyes. "How exactly are you planning on doing that?"
"You want to know?"
"Yes," I said.
He leaned forward the next second, kissing me. My body was on edge once again. I felt hot and cold at the same time, like my body couldn't decide. Before, he made me feel safe, but now I was feeling alive. And I was burning for him.
He deepened the kiss, and I moved from my chair onto his, straddling him, resting my hands on his shoulders. He growled against my mouth, a deep sound that seemed to shake him.
"Liz, fuck," he said before kissing me again.
I needed him. When I felt his erection through his jeans, I was the one moaning.
He lifted me, putting me on the table without even taking his mouth off mine.
His breath was heavier now, coming in short bursts.
His hand was at the small of my back, the other one on my shoulder.
I was melting under his kiss, feeling secure in the way he held me, like he wanted to protect me and devour me at the same time. It was overwhelming.
Pulling back a notch, he said, "Liz, this is not what I came here for tonight."
"I know, but I want you, Declan. I want you so damn much."
"You're emotional."
"No, I was . And now it’s just about you. Now I want you with every fiber of my being." To prove my point, I grabbed his shirt, tugging it up.
He clasped my wrists. "Liz."
"I want you, Declan," I said.
"Are you ready for this?"
"Yes, I am."
He let go of my wrists, and I took off his shirt. He was so glorious to look at. I undid the button of his jeans, tugging them down. Holy fuck , he was commando. I blinked, drawing in a deep breath. I wasn't expecting that. He lifted a brow.
“You’re not wearing underwear,” I said in shock.
“Yeah.”
“But… you’re a lawyer. That seems so out of character.”
He chuckled and said, “I take it that you like what you see.”
“Oh, I fucking do,” I said.
"You can still change your mind, even though I'm buck naked and so fucking hard that I can barely see straight. You can change your mind at any time, you understand?"
It was obviously taking all his self-restraint not to have his way with me.
I nodded, and then, to prove my point, I pushed him farther away, getting down from the table.
I quickly undressed, pushing off my pants and my panties both at once.
His eyes darkened and zeroed in on my pussy, and I swear I got wet from the way he watched me.
Taking a deep breath, I grabbed the hem of my shirt and pulled it over my head.
I wasn't wearing a bra, and I now stood completely naked in front of him.
I was acutely aware of my scar. I didn’t need to glance down at it to remember the pink-and-white skin stretching between my belly button and my sternum. But the way Declan looked at me… God. He was drinking me in and didn’t seem to care one bit about the scar.
And to my astonishment, neither did I.