Chapter 14
Declan
The kids went absolutely feral over the temporary tattoos. I thought they would be a hit, but I didn’t think they would be that big of a hit. And Autumn wouldn’t stop telling me thank you or that she loved them, so I call it a win.
“You would make an absolute killing doing kids' parties with this stuff,” Lucas says as I finish putting away the supplies. There were enough tattoos left over to give each kid a sheet to take home, plus a few more for Autumn.
“Yeah, maybe. But I’m wiped, and it’s only been a few hours. I’m not sure it’s worth it.”
He chuckles. “True that. So, what do you have planned for the rest of the day after Autumn finishes opening her presents? It’s still early.”
I look at my phone and it reads one in the afternoon. Plenty of time left to go get a birthday beer and some dinner later.
“Just head home and chill.”
“Mommy, look! It’s another unicorn!” Autumn yells from her place on the floor in the middle of the living room.
She just opened the drawing I did for her, and it’s of a unicorn lying in bed, dreaming of candy and sunshine. It’s an ode to the other drawing and the magical dreams she asks it to give me.
Penny catches sight of it and takes it from her daughter, and Briana leans over her shoulder to look at it too.
Both women's gazes snap toward me, and I look away. It makes me slightly uncomfortable to have any type of attention directed at myself, but especially the Whitehall women’s attention.
When I look back at them, they’re in a heated conversation, and Briana shakes her head while Penny blows out a breath. I have no idea what that’s all about, but I put all my attention on Autumn as she opens the last of her gifts.
Jordan, Lucas, Penny, and I help clean up the remnants of Autumn’s birthday as the last of the guests leave.
“Declan, can you help me take this to the garage and dismantle it?” Alex asks, pointing to the balloon arch we so meticulously put together. Seems like a waste, but I nod anyway.
“Should we save any of these balloons?” I ask when we get into the garage.
“That’s a good idea, let me go get some garbage bags. Autumn can take them home then.”
He leaves the garage, and I start pulling balloons from the arch.
All in all, it looked like Autumn had a hell of a birthday.
The number of people who surround her with love is something I would have killed to have had as a kid.
And even though I still have no idea about why her father isn’t in her life, she’s not missing out.
It’s better to have one loving parent than two who don’t even realize you exist.
Once I’m done taking the arch apart, I realize Alex hasn’t returned. I head into the house to find him, but it’s deadly quiet. When I round the corner to the living room, my eyes go wide in shock. That’s when a collective chorus of voices yell out, “Happy Birthday!”
Becca and her girlfriend are here along with Preston, Jude, Penny, Autumn, Jordan, Lucas, Briana and Alex. Penny is holding up her phone, and I can see Kate on the screen too, smiling wide.
I clear my throat while stepping further into the room.
“Wow, you guys. Thank you.” I didn’t even realize anyone knew it was my birthday.
It’s not something I advertised. Kate mentioned it out loud before Christmas, but I didn’t think anyone remembered, not that I care all that much.
I’m a thirty-three-year-old male. I don’t need a birthday party or for anyone to fuss over me.
To say this is a surprise is an understatement, though.
“I about had a coronary waiting to say something,” Briana says out loud. She looks relieved, and I give her one of my dimpled smiles.
“Are you surprised, big brother?” Kate’s voice asks from the other end of the phone.
I nod my head and rub the back of my neck. “I am,” I say, looking around the room. I’m surprised, shocked, and bewildered. No one has ever thrown me a surprise party before, and it’s… extremely thoughtful.
“I can’t believe you guys did this for me,” I say honestly. When I look around, Preston has a shit-eating grin on his face, and Becca looks like the cat got the cream.
“Oh, we didn’t do this,” Becca chimes in, “Penny did. She snuck into the shop on Thursday to tell us her plan and invited us all over.”
My eyes snap to Penny’s, and her cheeks turn pink while she gives me a small smile. I think my mouth flounders open but no words come out.
After our chat on the stairs, she didn’t give any indication that she had at least thought about forgiving me. The rest of the week, she was short with me, too. She answered my texts, but it wasn't what I would call friendly. For her to do this… I have no words.
“We have a cake for you, Dec!” Autumn says excitedly and runs towards me.
I bend down and wrap my arms around her, and she does the same, giving me a tight squeeze. When she pulls away, she puts her little hands on my cheeks and says, “We can have our birthday parties together next time.”
Heart meet stomach.
This little girl’s soul is so pure, and I don’t deserve her blatant kindness.
“That sounds good to me,” I tell her.
When I go to stand, Penny is holding a two-tiered cake. It’s black with gold icing dripping down the sides from the top. It has a gold number thirty-three on it and a shit ton of candles.
“Make a wish,” she says softly to me. Her face is glowing on the other side of the candlelight, and she looks like an angel come to life.
I place my hands under hers to support the cake and blow out the candles. The entire time, I keep my eyes on her.
And the wish I make, I know will never come true.
But I wish for it anyway.
~ ~ ~
Penny
Autumn is dead asleep on the couch from today’s festivities and I’m packing up leftovers from the cake and food.
“I swear to God, Declan was going to eat your face off if there weren’t people in the room,” Jordan tells me from my left while I place pizza bites in a container.
“You saw that too? Oh my god, I’m not a voyeur, but I would pay to see them kiss for the first time,” Becca tells her from my other side.
“And did you see the way he placed his hands under hers on the cake? Like he had to touch her,” Jordan replies.
“Ugh,” Becca groans. “That was so hot. It was like the ultimate foreplay.”
I drop the container on the counter, loud enough to get their attention. “I’m right here, you guys.”
“Oh, we know. And what do you have to say for yourself?” Jordan crosses her arms and faces me while leaning a hip against the counter.
“Yeah, I thought he was on our shit list,” Becca says, coming to stand next to Jordan.
I pull my sweater sleeves over my hands and say, “Yeah, well, he told me his reasoning for saying what he said, and I forgave him.”
Jordan quirks an eyebrow. “Just like that?”
I nod my head. “Yup.” I pop the p for effect.
“Must have been a really fucking good reason,” Becca says.
“It was.”
“He'd better thank you with some clit rubbing… and I don’t mean with his fingers. That tongue piercing needs to be put to good use,” Becca says, and my eyes go wide.
“Um, no!” I exclaim. “We’re just friends. Plus, I have a date on Wednesday. I plan to get some action then.”
A throat clears and has all three of us turning our heads. Declan stands off to the side, with Lucas and my dad flanking him.
Shoot me now.
I can’t get a read on Declan’s face, but my dad looks like he would rather be anywhere but here right now.
And Lucas, he’s holding back a laugh.
Asshole.
I can feel my cheeks heat and decide I need to make an exit. “I’ll be right back,” I say with a tight-lipped smile. I don’t look at anyone as I leave, completely mortified by what they heard.
Luckily, the door to the front porch has a clear path, and I make my way outside.
“Shit, fuck, dammit,” I whisper as soon as the door shuts behind me. Could that have been any more embarrassing?
I put my hands on the top of my head and fill my lungs with the crisp, cool air. How the fuck am I ever supposed to face my dad or Declan again? It’s one thing for Lucas to hear me say those things; it’s another for my dad and Declan to hear them.
My stomach turns at the thought of Declan knowing I’m going out on a date to get an orgasm. I shouldn’t care. I don’t. It’s not like he likes me like that. Our friendship is purely platonic. But why do I feel like I just betrayed him in some way?
I shake the thought from my head and turn when I hear the door open.
Declan steps out onto the front porch with me, his eyes narrowed in on mine.
Why does he have to be so good-looking? It would make it a lot easier if he weren’t, because my body might finally get the memo that she needs to back down.
Unfortunately for me, my body is on a whole other wavelength.
“Oh no no no, you go back inside. I’m out here to drown in my embarrassment,” I say while pointing to the door behind him.
He licks his bottom lip, and I can see his tongue ring peek out, like it’s taunting me.
Was he standing behind me long enough to hear the tongue ring part, too?
“Eyes on mine, Penny.”
My gaze snaps to his, and he has the audacity to smirk.
Maybe he didn’t hear me in the kitchen. Maybe I don’t have to go live on a secluded island until I die.
I plant the fakest smile on my face and force out a laugh. “You know what? All is good. I’ll just be heading back inside,” I say while trying to move around him.
I don’t know how, but I end up pinned against the house, caged between Declan’s arms.
“Were you just talking about getting laid by some random guy at my birthday party, Penny?”
His eyes are smoldering, and he’s gone from the silent man I’ve gotten used to knowing, to hot and dominating in seconds flat.
I swallow hard and look away from his gaze. So, he did hear about me wanting to get laid.
Shit.
One of his hands wraps around my jaw as he brings my face back, forcing me to look at him.
“Answer me,” he growls.