Chapter One
Declan
Now
I glance around the restaurant. Maggie asked me to meet her here.
I loosen my tie as I look around. We don’t normally meet at places like this. It feels like a date. I’m confused as hell because Maggie and I don’t date.
Hook up. Yes.
Date. No.
I check my watch. She’s late. She’s never late. I pick up my phone and text her.
Me: You’re late. You okay?
Maggie: I know – I’m sorry. Things have been crazy recently. I can’t wait to catch you up.
Me: I’m normally the one who’s late.
Maggie: (laughing emoji) Oh, I know. My Uber is stuck in traffic. Be there soon. Promise.
Me: (thumbs up emoji)
I lean back in my chair and exhale slowly. I’ve ordered drinks and appetizers already. I know what she likes. Maggie and I have been friends for years, best friends – with benefits.
We get together – hang out and hook up – whenever we’re in the same town.
She travels as much as I do. It works for us.
Neither of us is interested in anything remotely resembling a committed relationship, which is why I’m a bit confused by the restaurant.
I furrow my brow and glance around. It’s also public, and we don’t do public.
Our friends with benefits thing is a complete secret.
Maggie’s sister, Elizabeth, is married to my brother, James, and they would absolutely kill of us if they found out about this.
More specifically - my brother would kill me.
Since he’s the President of the United States, I figure he can murder me and get away with it too.
I’m not sure why she’s chosen this restaurant. It seems so out in the open.
I scroll on my phone mindlessly while I wait.
When I look up, I spot her at the door. She floats across the room like a fucking goddess, and I stop breathing.
She’s wearing a black dress that hugs every curve and makes her legs look like they are miles long.
I drag my eyes down her body and back up again.
I’m just imagining myself pushing that dress up around her waist while she hooks her legs behind me – stilettos digging into my back.
“Stop looking at me like that,” she says as she gets closer.
I arch my eyebrow playfully. “Like what, Maggie?”
I stand up to greet her. She leans in for a hug and whispers, “Like you’d like to fuck me in the coat closet.”
She wraps her arms around me and squeezes me tight. She smells fantastic. I could stay here all night and smell her hair.
“Don’t wear a dress like that if you don’t want me to look at you like that,” I whisper in her ear.
She lingers for a minute, pulling me just a little closer. “Oh Dex, it’s been too long.”
We finally break our hug, and I motion for her to sit across from me. “It’s nice of you to finally join me.”
She smirks. “You’re welcome.”
She picks up her white wine and takes a sip of it, holding eye contact with me the entire time.
“How was your trip? I lost track. Where have you been?” she asks.
“Snowboarding in Pakistan.”
She chokes a little on her wine. “Pakistan?”
“Yup.”
“Couldn’t you just have gone to Colorado like a regular person?” she grins.
“Nope.”
Her green eyes sparkle. “Honestly, I’d be disappointed if you had. How was it?”
“Fucking amazing.” I pull out my phone and hold it up so she can see a picture. She reaches across the table and grabs it from me.
“That’s Pakistan?” Her eyes are wide.
“Yeah. Gorgeous, isn’t it?”
She’s shaking her head. “It really is. I’m glad you had fun.”
She hands my phone back just as the waiter brings the appetizers. “Declan, did you get me crab cakes? I’d kiss you but I’m too far away.”
I smile at her. She spears a piece of one of the crab cakes and brings it to her lips. As soon as it touches her tongue, she groans. Best fucking noise in the world.
“God, I love you,” she says as she goes in for another bite.
“Everyone loves me,” I quip.
She shakes her head. “That’s true.”
I take a sip of my bourbon and remember that we’re out in public on what looks like a date. I should probably ask about this, but before I can, she says, “Please tell me you have some new pictures of the twins. I’m dying to see them.”
I smile. “Of course.” I hand her my phone again.
She zooms in on the picture. “Oh my god, they are so tiny.”
She swipes to the next one of me holding both of the twins and then looks up at me. “Look at you, Uncle Declan. I need a copy of this picture.”
She airdrops it to herself, smiling the entire time. “How’s Brooklyn?”
I smile thinking about my sister. “She’s great. I mean twins are a handful, but it’s going great. Kip has taken time off work. They seem happy, and I’m happy for her – for both of them.”
Her face is buried in my phone, swiping through more pictures of the twins. When the waiter walks up, she clicks my phone closed with a sigh and hands it back to me.
After the waiter takes our order, I ask, “How do you think the campaign is going?”
She scrunches up her face. “Ugh. Not you too. It’s all Celeste and Elizabeth talk about. Really, it’s not like he’s going to lose.” Elizabeth, who is married to my brother, is the First Lady. Maggie’s other sister, Celeste, is James’ campaign manager.
I hold up my hands. “Fine. Fine. Did they rope you into doing any campaign events?”
She rolls her eyes. “Of course. You?”
“Yeah. I have this skateboarding thing next week. I don’t mind it actually.”
“No. Me neither. I just like to complain.”
We chat about the normal things until the waiter brings us our entrees. Maggie digs into hers, and I just watch her for a moment. I take another sip of my bourbon and lean forward. “Maggie, what are we doing here?”
Her eyes jerk up to mine. “What do you mean?”
I gesture around. “Here. Maggie. At this restaurant.”
I almost ask if we’re on a date, but I just wait for her answer.
She sets her fork down and inhales deeply through her nose. “I’m celebrating.”
I lean back in my chair. “Celebrating? What are you celebrating?”
She smiles brightly. “I got a new job.”
I frown. Now I’m even more confused. “You love your job.”
Maggie’s an artist and an art dealer. Her job takes her all around the world. She loves it. She lives for it.
“I do love my job, but...”
“But what? You get to travel, do all kinds of exciting things, meet amazing people. I don’t get it. Why would you leave?”
Her shoulders slump a little. “I’ve outgrown it, Declan. I’ve been on the road constantly the last few years. I sold my old place because I was never home. I’m tired of being a nomad. I just got an apartment.”
My eyes widen. “Here? In D.C.?”
“Yeah. You’ll have to come by.” She winks at me.
I stare at the table for a minute – running all of this through my mind. “What’s the new job?”
“At the university, artist in residence. I’ll get to do my own art and teach some. I’m really excited about it. I don’t start until the Fall though, so I have some time to get settled.”
I rub between my eyes. I don’t know why but all of this is bothering me.
“Declan,” she says, softly. “I’m ready to settle down.”
I don’t respond and she picks up her fork and resumes eating.
“Aren’t you worried someone might spot us here? Together?” I ask.
She pauses, her fork midway to her mouth. “Friends are allowed to celebrate together. Even at a nice restaurant. It’s fine.”
I pick up my knife and start cutting my steak.
I’m missing something here. I know it’s stupid, but this feels like a personal attack somehow.
It feels like she’s breaking up with me which is outrageous because we aren’t dating – and never have.
But if she’s settling down and I’m not, that can only mean one thing.
I can’t help myself. “Did you meet someone?”
Her eyes jerk up again. “No. You know I have no interest in that.”
Yes. Of course I know that. It’s the whole reason Maggie and I work so well together.
She whispers, “You’re acting really weird.”
I am. I really am. I’m not sure why all of this is bothering me so much. I don’t say anything else, and we eat in silence.
She finally takes a deep breath and says, “There’s something else I need to talk to you about.”
My heart starts racing. I pick up my bourbon and take a sip, bracing myself for whatever’s coming next.
“I’m going to have a baby.”
I nearly spit my drink all over her.
“What?”