27. Declan
DECLAN
“How is Reese?” Luke asked instead of saying hello the second I stepped into his office. Travis and Tate were also there.
“I left her with the reporter. She seemed relieved to do it.”
“Good,” Travis said. “What exactly happened in the meeting? Reese only told Luke about the interview.”
I cleared my throat. “Malcolm wanted to blackmail me into getting his job back with the Halsey Group by threatening to give an interview himself.”
“What the fuck?” Tate exclaimed.
Luke looked murderous. “Shit! I wondered what made Reese decide to do this.”
Travis sat against the edge of the desk, frowning. “Please tell me you’re plotting revenge, not planning to lecture us on how not to lose our cool. Because I’m five seconds away from losing it.”
“Not at all. I told him, with his lawyer beside him, that he won’t be able to get a job anywhere anytime soon. That we have connections everywhere.”
Luke fist-pumped the air. “Yes we fucking do. We’ve got this. That fucking moron.”
“Then we have a plan,” I said.
“How is Liz?” Travis asked out of nowhere.
“I’m gonna stop by the bakery now and check on her. I wanted to drop by to update you all.”
She'd been on my mind all day. I wanted to sink inside her and forget the whole day happened. And I wanted to make it clear, once and for all, that her two-year plan would not end with her leaving. I would do whatever it took to keep her here.
"Dude, she's not in Chicago," Travis said. "Don't you know?"
I froze in my spot. "What?"
"I went by the bakery this morning. Thought I'd ask how business is going and if she wanted any more promo tips, but only her staff was there."
"What?" My heart pounded against my chest. "Why?"
"Liz had an urgent family thing."
"What kind of emergency?" I asked, bewildered. Is it something with her niece again?
“I don’t know. I thought you knew,” Travis said. “That’s why I was asking you.”
“No, I don’t.” I racked my brain, remembering that her niece had a fever. Had she turned worse?
"Maybe she messaged you," Tate suggested as I took my phone out of my suit jacket. I’d put it on airplane mode before I went with Reese into the meeting. I had a message from her.
Liz: Amy has the flu and is in the hospital. I’m going home for the day. I’m taking the bus. Rose is stressed out .
That was it. She’d sent it hours ago.
“She went home but hasn’t sent me any updates since this morning. Fucking hell, I need to find out what's going on. I need to be there for her. She’s having an emergency, and instead of reaching out to any of us Maxwells, she took the fucking bus to get home."
I swore again and dialed Liz’s number. She answered right away.
“Liz!” I said. “Are you okay? Where are you? How is Amy?”
“She’s severely dehydrated and needs an IV.” Her voice was shaking. “I’ve been on the phone with Mom the whole time, trying to calm her down.”
“Liz, babe?—”
“Oh no, she’s calling me again. Maybe she’s got an update. I’ll call you later. I’m going to be there in about half an hour.”
“I’ll—”
She hung up the next moment. I frowned, looking around at my brothers. “Her niece is sick. I'm going to grab the car and drive right there.”
“Can’t you fly?” Tate asked. “The car’s gonna take forever.”
“There’s no commercial airport nearby.”
To my astonishment, Travis laughed at me. "So you want to take the car?"
"Yeah."
He came up next to me, patting my shoulder. "You and Liz are a bit too alike."
“What do you mean?”
"You could also ask your fellow Maxwells if they have a better idea,” he said lazily, patting my shoulder again. "If only you had a brother who owned a helicopter."
I arrived in Sunnyvale an hour later. My head was spinning when I stepped out on the heliport.
I’d worn headphones on the ride, but my ears were still ringing.
This wasn't my favorite way to travel, but it definitely did the job. As a bonus, helicopters could land almost anywhere—they didn’t need airports.
The pilot waited until I was off the platform, and then I heard it take off. I told him there was no need to wait because I was going to spend at least one night here.
I immediately called Liz. I’d wanted to do it on the ride, but it was hellishly loud, and I had no signal.
"Declan!"
"Liz, where are you?"
"At the hospital."
"Text me the address, and I’ll be right there."
"What? How?"
"I flew in Travis’s helicopter. I’m currently on the platform, the one where you’ve got the ice rink in winter."
"Oh my God. I can’t believe this.” Her voice was full of anguish.
"Liz, tell me the address."
“Umm, I don’t know it. But any cab will know. Or if you take an Uber, put in the name of the hospital. There’s only one in the area.”
“I’ll do that.”
“Declan… thanks. This means so much to me.” I heard her sniffle. My woman was crying and needed me.
“I’ll be right there, babe.”
I was surprised that there were any Uber cars in this little town. I got one in ten minutes, and the drive took another five. I used the time to double-check with my assistant that she’d managed to book me a hotel.
“Boss, when have I ever not come through?” Greta asked.
“It was short notice. Thank you, Greta.”
“I’ve booked you a room at the best B&B in town. I’ll send you all the details and make sure they’ve got everything they need and that someone will wait for you with the key.”
“Thanks. You don’t know how much I appreciate this.”
“And, boss? I’m extra proud of you today. Rumor has it that Ashburn is… burning up. Pun intended.”
“Serves him right. By the way, clear my schedule for tomorrow, please.”
“I already started. Consider it done.”
“Thanks. I gotta go.”
The car stopped in front of the smallest hospital I’d ever been in.
It only had two floors. Liz was on the first one.
I assumed the three people behind her were her family.
There was no one else around—patients, nurses, or doctors.
I walked straight to her. Her eyes were red, as if she’d cried a lot.
I hugged her, and she put both hands behind my neck, resting her head on my chest. She was shaking.
"I'm here, babe. I'm here with you," I said.
"Thanks so much for coming, I can’t believe you’re here," she whispered. Taking a step back, she looked behind her and said, "Declan, meet Mom and Dad, and this is Mark, my brother-in-law."
I shook their hands.
"Declan, it's nice of you to be here, son," her dad said. “I’m Jake.”
Her mom gave me a watery smile. “And I’m Danielle.”
"Is there anything I can do?” I asked. “Does anyone need anything to eat or drink? Do you want me to fly someone in from Chicago to consult?"
"No, the doctors here are just fine," her mom said, "but thank you for the offer. We’re waiting for them to let us see Amy and Rose. Rose is staying here with her daughter."
The three of them sat down. I looked at Liz, who seemed rooted to the spot. “Want to take a walk?”
She shook her head. "No, no, I want to stay here. I want to hear the news as soon as there is some."
"We’ll wait here." We went to the bench next to where her family was sitting.
"How long are you staying?" she asked.
"As long as it takes, Liz."
"Thanks." She stared into space as we sat down.
I held her right hand tightly in mine. I felt the weight of her anguish, and I knew there was nothing I could do to alleviate it.
All I could do was be here for her. If something like this happened to anyone in my family, I'd be in the exact same state.
She turned to me abruptly. "How did it go today with Malcolm? I didn't even ask."
"I can tell you later," I said.
"No, tell me now. It’ll do me good to think about something else."
"It was unexpected. He tried to blackmail me into getting his old job back by saying that he'd sell an interview to the press about how things really ended between him and Reese."
She gasped. "The bastard."
I laughed at the indignation in her voice. "My thoughts exactly. But Reese said she's going to do the interview instead."
"Is she okay?"
Fucking hell, I loved this woman with all I had. She was worried sick about her niece but still wanted to make sure Reese was okay. "I think this is generally a tough period for her, especially because it doesn't seem to end. But Reese is tough. She's going to get through it all."
"Yes, she will." Her stomach rumbled.
"You didn't eat anything, did you?”
"Um, I had a sandwich at some point. I think. Might have been just one bite."
"Liz," I said.
"No, don't try to boss me into eating."
"I'll get you something fresh."
"No, really, all I need is for you to be here with me."
"Fine," I said.
She leaned against me. I put an arm around her shoulders, feeling her body relax. She was breathing in and out slowly, but I knew she hadn't fallen asleep because she clenched my hand from time to time.
It seemed forever before a woman came out to meet us. She looked a lot like Liz, except she was taller, and her hair was short.
“Rose!” Liz said, jumping to her feet, along with the rest of the family. “How is Amy?”
I stood slightly behind Liz, my hands on her shoulders. Everyone else crowded in around them.
“She’s much better. Her fever is still up. They’re keeping us here for the rest of the day and overnight. She needs lots of fluids, and it’s easier for her to get them through an IV. And they need to monitor the meds. You should all go home, honestly.”
She blinked, looking at me as if it was the first time she’d seen me. “You’re Declan, aren’t you?”
“Yes I am. Nice to meet you.”
“And you.”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to stay, darling?” her mom asked. “You don’t have to be here by yourself with her.”
“It’s fine. I’m exhausted, so I’ll probably just crash. It makes no sense for you all to be here. I’ll text you updates.”
“Are you sure you want everyone to go? Even me?” Liz asked. “I can stay out here in case you want to talk to someone in the middle of the night.”
Rose patted Liz’s cheek, then pointed at me. “Take her away from here. Make her relax and rest.”
“Yes, ma’am.”
“Everyone, let's go,” Mark said. “You heard Rose. No reason to linger here.”
“Declan, where are you staying?” Danielle asked me.
“My assistant booked me a B&B.” Looking at Liz, I asked, “Want to come with me?”
Liz nodded. “Yeah. Mom, Dad, no offense.”
“None was taken, sweetheart,” Danielle said, looking absolutely thrilled.
The family lingered a few more minutes in the waiting room until Rose practically shoved us out.
Danielle and Jake rode in one car. Mark drove Liz and me to the B&B. Liz felt soft in my arms. I suspected she was going to crash when we arrived. Right now, she was a chatterbox, but I had the distinct impression she was only talking for Mark’s benefit. He was keeping his answers short.
“And this is you,” he said as he stopped the car. “Best B&B in town. Liz, thanks for coming over today. You were a lot of help to your folks and Rose. And me. I was kind of… lost there.”
“Mark, that’s normal,” Liz said softly.
He shook his head. “No one tells you before you’re having a baby that their health will make you spiral out every month.”
“It gets better,” I said. “I have a niece. She’s ten. Gave us a lot of scares over the years.”
Liz widened her eyes. “How is this supposed to help him?”
“Just giving my honest opinion,” I replied.
Mark chuckled. “Thanks, dude. See you both tomorrow.”
“I can't even feel my body anymore,” Liz murmured when we got out of the car. She yawned. As we stepped into the B&B, I eyed an armchair.
“Come on, pretty girl. Sit down there while I check us in.”
“Okay.”
She sat down, yawning again. I knew she'd fall asleep the second she lay down in bed. Good. She needed to rest.
“Hi,” I greeted the woman behind the reception desk. “I'm Declan Maxwell.”
“I spoke to your assistant earlier. We’re all done. I need your credit card.”
“Here you go.” Taking it out of my wallet, I handed it to her. She tapped at her keyboard, returning the card along with the key.
“It's on the second floor. Do you have any luggage?”
“No. Nothing.”
“All right, call if you need anything.”
“Thanks.” I went straight to Liz.
She held up one hand. “Please help me up. I feel like a giant marshmallow.”
I pulled her up by her hand and then put an arm around her back as we went up the staircase. The room was the first on the left. I unlocked it using the huge, bulky key. I was used to swiping cards, but it worked just fine.
The room was big, with a small dresser, but the bed was unexpectedly large. Liz went straight to it, sitting down on the edge of the mattress. She yawned yet again.
“I'm so tired. What time is it?”
“Four o’clock.”
“Hmm… maybe I can take a nap, and then I’ll be fresh. I don’t understand how I can be so tired.”
“You rode the bus for hours and were worried sick. That’s going to drain your energy.”
I sat next to her, and she leaned her head on my shoulder.
“Declan, do you want to talk about today?” she asked.
I kissed her forehead. “We'll talk later, Liz. You're tired now.”
“Yes, I am. Help me take off my clothes?” She smiled wickedly.
“Come on, hold your hands up.”
I took off her shirt and her bra, then removed her jeans and her panties. The sight of her naked tested all my self-restraint, but I knew she was completely tired. I could see it in how she crawled on the mattress, pulling the covers over her.
“I can't even keep my eyes open.”
“I know. Sleep. I'll be here when you wake up.”
She nodded, sighed, and then immediately fell asleep. She and I were going to have a serious conversation, but it was going to wait. Right now, my woman needed to rest.