Chapter Nineteen – Harper
Harper
“If you slam a vase down any harder, you’re going to eventually break one.”
I looked at Aunt Olivia. “I’m not slamming anything down.”
She laughed. “You are, Harper. Tell me what’s going on.”
Sighing, I closed my eyes and shook my head. “It’s Declan’s mother.”
When I opened my eyes, Aunt Olivia was nodding. “What has she done now?”
I grabbed another vase and was about to put it down…when I slowly and carefully set it on the counter, causing my aunt to let out a soft laugh.
“Declan got the all-clear from the cardiologist last week. Which is a good thing because he was going crazy, even with the increased activity. The man cannot sit around and do nothing.”
“Evident by him hanging around here in the flower shop, making arrangements—which, by the way, he is really good at.”
I smiled. “I know! He really is. Anyway, he got the all-clear to return to work, and his mother stopped by last night and threw a fit. She demanded Declan stop being a cop. Said that he should just work for me in the flower shop, or for his father. I know the heart attack was from the smoke, but I still don’t want him getting upset or having any anxiety, and his mother is one giant anxiety…blob!”
“Blob?”
“I couldn’t think of anything else. Aunt Olivia, she’s driving me mad. Declan is good at ignoring half the stuff she says, but she had the nerve to call me this morning and insist I shouldn’t let him go to work.”
Her brows lifted. “And what did you tell her?”
“I told her I wasn’t the boss of Declan, that he was his own man, and the doctors had cleared him. She said if I loved him, I would talk him into another profession.”
“What a bitch!”
“I know!”
With a shake of her head, she asked, “What did you tell her after that?”
“I told her because I love him, I won’t stand in the way of whatever he chooses to do with his life. I put emphasis on his . Just to drive the point home to her. I honestly thought she’d be invested in Sean and Caroline’s relationship and leave us alone. I was so wrong.”
“She loves her son, so you can’t blame her for that.”
“I don’t, but she has no right to tell a thirty-five-year-old man what he can and can’t do. Thank God he stands up to her, though, unlike Sean.”
The bell above the door rang, and when I looked up, I cursed. “Son of a bitch,” I muttered.
Maddie walked in and made a beeline straight for me. “Olivia, how are you?”
“I’m doing well. How are you, Maddie?”
“Fine. I’m fine.”
Turning to me, she straightened her shoulders and lifted her chin. “May I have a word with you, Harper?”
“Sure.”
When I didn’t move, she looked at Aunt Olivia, then back to me. “In private.”
“I’m sure whatever you have to say, you can say it in front of my aunt.”
Maddie sniffed. “Fine. I’m disappointed in you, Harper.”
I folded my arms over my chest. “Really? Do tell?”
“You let Declan go off to that dangerous job this morning, and I want you to know I am not happy about it.”
Laughing, I slowly shook my head. “First of all, I ‘let’ him, as you say, because it’s his life. Not mine. I don’t own Declan, and neither do you, regardless if you’re his mother. Second, this is Moose Village, not New York City. Yes, something terrible could happen, but I can’t control that any more than you can. Third, you have no right to come into my store and try to bully me like you do your sons. It’s a wonder Sean even speaks to you, given how you spent years manipulating his life for your own happiness.
“Fourth…you’d better start treading water carefully, Maddie. Because I can promise you right now, if Declan and I ever get married and have kids, you will not have control of my children. Ever . Fifth, you’re obviously a great mother because you raised two amazing men…so why do you feel the need to control them? They’re adults, for crying out loud! Let them live their lives the way they want. They love you, Maddie. But if you keep acting like this, you’re going to push them both away and end up with neither of them in your life. Is that what you want?”
She lifted her head higher, and I prepared for her to unleash.
Instead, she said quietly, “No, I don’t want that. You have no idea what it’s like to be a mother.”
“You’re right, I don’t. But I have a mother and three sisters, and I can tell you right now, my mother has never once tried to control our lives. She lets us live and make mistakes. Because if we didn’t make mistakes, how would we ever learn? We know she’s there for us if we ever need her, but she doesn’t force her will on us. So yeah, I may not fully understand what you’re feeling, but I do know that your relationship with your sons is not healthy.”
“You need a hobby, dear.”
Maddie and I both looked at Aunt Olivia. “I’m sorry?” Maddie said.
“You need a hobby. You need to get out of the house and do something for yourself. Your problem is you gave your entire life to raising your boys by being a stay-at-home mom—which I think that is wonderful. But when they left the nest, you kept trying to pull them back in. You need to let them go, Maddie. Why don’t you come to bunko tonight at my house.”
“What?” Maddie asked.
“Viola comes, and she loves it. I never did understand why you never came with her.”
Maddie started to wring her hands. “I didn’t think I was invited.”
“Bullshit,” Aunt Olivia replied, and I had to cover my mouth to keep from laughing. “This isn’t high school anymore, Maddie. I stopped inviting you because your answer was always no. And before you say the other ladies don’t like you, they do. Well, except Judith Turner, but she doesn’t like anyone.”
I lost the battle and laughed.
“Judith has always been a bitch.”
I gasped, looking at Maddie.
She shrugged. “Well, she is. The way she treats her daughter-in-law while she’s going through cancer treatments is appalling. Why, I should show up tonight just to make her mad.”
“No,” Aunt Olivia said, taking Maddie’s hand. “You should show up tonight because it’ll be good for you. You need a life outside of caring for your sons and husband.”
Chewing nervously on her bottom lip, Maddie nodded. “You’re right. You’re both right. I’ve dedicated my entire life to my boys, and I have to realize that they don’t need me anymore.”
“That’s not true, Maddie,” I said softly. “They’ll always need their mother. Just not in the way they used to.”
Drawing in a deep breath, Maddie slowly let it out. “I wouldn’t blame you if you hated me, Harper.”
I walked around the counter and embraced her. “I could never hate you for loving your sons, Maddie.”
When we stepped apart, she cupped my cheek and smiled. “Declan is lucky to have you care about him like you do.”
“I love him more than I can put into words.”
Tears welled up in Maddie’s eyes. “That’s all a mother can hope for.”
Aunt Olivia clapped her hands, causing Maddie and me both to jump. “Great! Then I’ll see you at seven at my place. Bring money…we like to have fun at bunko night.”
Maddie’s eyes widened as she watched my aunt saunter off to the back of the shop. When she looked back at me, I simply shrugged.
“Well, this should be an interesting evening.”
“I hope they got a table out on the rooftop tonight,” I said, as Declan and I stepped onto the elevator that would take us up to The Muddled Moose. It was trivia night, and I had to admit I was excited to get back to more of a normal life, now that Declan had fully recovered.
“With how hot the temperatures have been lately, it’ll be nice to be out on the roof, especially if a cool breeze is blowing.”
“I don’t ever remember it being this hot in August. How do you walk around in that uniform with all that gear and not sweat your ass off?”
Declan chuckled. “I do sweat my ass off.”
As we walked through the restaurant part of The Muddled Moose, I glanced around to see who was there. Most of the people I didn’t know were likely tourists. Once we stepped out onto the rooftop, I instantly spotted our large group of friends.
Declan took my hand, and we started toward them. They’d taken two tables and pushed them together. Sitting at one table were Cadie and Kian, huddled close together with smiles on their faces. Also sitting at their table were Gavin and James, and two women I’d seen before but couldn’t quite place.
“Looks like Gavin and James brought dates,” Declan said, as we worked our way toward the table.
“Are those…the two waitresses from Main Street Café?” I asked.
“ That’s where I’ve seen them before. You’re right.”
Aurora sat next to her brother, Nathan. At the other table, Brystol, Evelyn, and Denny, sat with a guy I didn’t know.
Slowing down, I asked Declan, “Who’s the guy sitting next to Brystol?”
“Not sure.”
As we approached, everyone looked up. “It’s about time you got here!” Brystol said, motioning to the two empty chairs at her table.
“Sorry we’re late. We got tied up,” Declan said, squeezing my hand. I could feel my face burn and prayed that no one else noticed. Our trivia warm-up involved Declan tying me to the bed and having his wicked way with me. He said he had a lot of missed time to make up, from when he was forced to relax and recover.
Brystol winked. “No worries, we haven’t started yet.”
Declan pulled my chair out for me, and as I sat, I caught a glimpse of Liam across the room. “Liam’s here?”
Nathan, who was sitting next to Declan, nodded. “Yeah. Hope’s sister Mary is back in town, so Liam came in to catch up on some work.”
“How’s Hope doing?” I asked.
Nathan smiled. “She’s feeling a little better. We’re really hopeful.”
“That’s wonderful!” I said, as I reached for his hand and squeezed it.
“Declan, Harper, this is Roger,” Brystol introduced. “He’s friends with Denny, and he just moved to Lake Placid recently.”
Reaching his hand out, Declan said, “It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Same. I’ve heard a lot about you all,” Roger said before shaking my hand. “Nice to meet you, Harper.”
“Pleasure’s all mine,” I replied, looking from Roger to Brystol, who simply grinned.
The rest of the evening was spent laughing, drinking, and enjoying time with our friends. Now and then, Declan and I would catch one another’s gaze, and for those moments, it felt like it was just the two of us. Our group didn’t end up winning trivia night, it was another group of people from Florida who were all here for a family reunion. But no one seemed to mind.
“That was fun, as usual,” I said, as I hugged Brystol and Evelyn goodbye. Turning, I looked for Cadie and Aurora. They were talking to James and Gavin’s dates.
“Who’s the girl with Gavin?” Brystol asked quietly, so only I could hear.
“Um, I believe they’re both waitresses at Main Street Café. Declan said they go in a lot for lunch there.”
She nodded.
“Why, Brystol? Are you jealous that Gavin’s on a date?”
She scoffed. “Don’t be ridiculous. I’m on a date myself. I was just curious, that’s all.”
I raised a brow. “Just curious, huh?”
“Yep.”
Glancing behind me, I saw Evelyn and Denny saying goodbye to Declan. I focused back on Brystol. “Have you thought any more about what Evelyn and Denny asked you?”
For a second, she seemed confused, then her eyes snapped over to her two friends. “To be honest, no. They haven’t brought it up, either. I think they don’t want to pressure me, but I’ve kind of pushed it from my mind.”
“Brystol, you’re going to have to give them an answer. Don’t you think they deserve to be able to move on if you decline? Find someone else who’s willing to carry their child for them?”
She dug her teeth into her lower lip and nodded. “You’re right.”
Roger walked up to us and smiled. “You ready to head on out?”
Brystol forced a smile. “Yep! See you later, Harp.”
I nodded. “See ya. It was nice to meet you, Roger.”
“You, as well.”
After saying our goodbyes to everyone, Declan and I walked hand in hand down Main Street…back to our apartment. He’d moved out of the apartment above Memory Lane Toys a couple weeks back, and officially moved in with me. It was bliss to wake up and go to sleep with Declan by my side every single day.
“I talked to my mom earlier today. She told me about her chat with you.”
“Oh, really?” I said, looking at him to gauge how his conversation with his mother had gone.
“Yep. She said you gave her some tough love, and then she apologized to me for trying to tell me how to live my life.”
I stopped and faced him. “She did?”
He laughed. “She did. Then she said something about bunko and kicking Judith Turner’s ass.”
It was my turn to laugh.
“I don’t know what you said to her, but thank you.”
We started to walk again. “I think Aunt Olivia helped more than I did. But I’m glad she’s seen the light, for lack of better words.”
“Let’s hope she keeps this new side of herself. I like it. I’m sure Sean will as well.”
“One can only hope.”
We walked for a few minutes in comfortable silence until Declan asked, “Do you think you could get someone to work the shop on Saturday this weekend?”
“I’m sure Aunt Olivia would, and I’ve got a new high school girl starting this week. She’s going to work each Saturday once she goes back to school. She wants to go to college for botany and loves all things plants and flowers. I think she’ll make a great addition. She’ll have a few training days before Saturday, so I’d feel comfortable leaving her and Aunt Olivia. Why?”
“I thought we could have a little staycation. There’s a place on the other side of the lake that I rented out this weekend. The weather will be beautiful, and what better way to spend it than on the lake.”
“Is the house on the lake?”
“Yep, has a boat ramp, as well. Not that I have a boat.”
Laughing, I replied, “That sounds like a lovely idea. When are you thinking of heading there?”
“I thought after the shop closes on Friday, we could head over and return Monday morning, before you have to open. That’s the great thing about having a vacation in town; we’re not far from anything.”
“I like this plan of yours.”
“Me too. I’m glad we can make it work.”
Declan unlocked the door, and we walked up the steps to our apartment. “Truth be told, I could use a few days off. With only one day off a week for the last few years, the burnout is strong.” Once inside, I kicked off my shoes and headed to the kitchen. “Beer?”
“I have something else in mind.”
Turning, I let out a small yelp. Declan was right there . “Oh yeah? Like what?”
He placed his hand on my cheek before slowly letting it move down the side of my body, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me close.
“Oh, I’ve got all kinds of ideas.”
Smiling, I wrapped my arms around his neck. “I’m game to try them out if you are.”
His hands moved to the front of my jeans, where he slowly unbuttoned and unzipped them. “Take these off, Harp.”
I stepped back, shimmied out of my jeans, and tossed them aside.
Declan leaned back against the counter. “Now, the panties.”
Hooking my thumbs in the waistband, I slowly peeled them down my legs and kicked them away.
Licking his lips, Declan whispered, “The shirt.”
I lifted it over my head, dropping it to the floor.
“ Fuck, if you’re not stunning.”
My entire body heated, and a slight shiver ran up my back as he pushed off the counter and motioned for me to turn around. After I did so, he moved in close and placed his hands on my arms, smoothing them up and down in a warm caress as he placed soft kisses across my back.
“Your skin is always so soft, and you constantly smell like roses.”
A breath of air left my lungs.
Declan unclasped my bra and pulled it down my arms, dropping it on the building pile of clothes. He reached around and cupped my breast, pulling my body back against his. He pinched each nipple and moaned as I pressed my ass against his erection.
“Do you like that?”
“Yes!” I gasped, my head falling back against him.
“What else do you like, Harper?”
“Your mouth on me.”
A low chuckle caused his chest to vibrate, and I swear it traveled through my entire body and straight between my legs.
“Do you want my mouth on your nipples?”
I whimpered as he pinched them harder.
“Or do you want my mouth on your clit?”
“Declan,” I whispered, pressing against him harder.
He turned me around and, before I knew what was happening, picked me up and set me on the counter. “Spread your legs, Harper. I want to see how wet you are for me.”
I did as he said, and when he ran his thumb through my lips and pressed on my clit, I gasped and dropped my head back. My hands covered my breasts, and I picked up where he left off.
“That’s it, baby. Make yourself feel good.”
“I need you, Declan.”
He moved his thumb in circles, and I wanted to groan in frustration.
“You look agitated.”
“I want your mouth , not your thumb.”
A low growl came from his throat as he pulled me to the edge of the counter and put his mouth where I desperately needed it.
“Yes! Yes, that’s it. Oh God, that feels so good.”
My hands dropped to his head, my fingers grabbing his hair. I loved his short hair, but since he’d grown it out a little more, my fingers could run through it and find more purchase, and there was something very sexy about that.
“Yes, Declan, yes!”
I knew it wasn’t going to take me long to come. I could already feel my orgasm starting to build. When he sucked and started to flick my clit faster, my breathing picked up, and I pulled his head closer.
“Fuck me with your mouth and tongue. Yes! Like that!”
I wasn’t sure where those words came from, but they definitely got the results I was looking for. My orgasm hit so hard, I thought I might’ve died for a moment.
When I could stand, Declan put me back on the floor, turned me around, and draped me over the counter before he positioned himself at my entrance and plunged in.
I cried out, and he immediately stopped.
“Shit, did I hurt you?”
“No! Don’t stop!”
Gripping my waist, Declan moved hard and fast.
“Come on, baby, come for me again.”
He moved his hand between my legs, and all it took was a few swipes of his thumb, and I was falling over the edge once more. Lost in the blissfulness that was lovemaking with Declan.
I was still coming down from my orgasmic high when I felt him wiping me with a warm cloth. Still leaning over the counter, I was trying to catch my breath, and I glanced over my shoulder to see Declan was still fully dressed, with just his pants unzipped.
“Wow. That was hot.”
He chuckled. “It was. Sorry I didn’t get undressed. I needed to be inside you.”
I turned and smiled. “Does this look like the face of a girl who’s upset?”
Rubbing his nose against mine, he said, “It looks like the face of a woman who’s been thoroughly fucked.”
I giggled and took my shirt, which he was holding for me. After yanking it over my head, I reached down, swept up the rest of my clothes, and started upstairs. My cheeks were beginning to ache from the smile on my face.
I’d never in my life felt such blissful happiness—and nothing or no one could ever take this feeling away from me.