Chapter 28
twenty-eight
QUINN
We did, indeed, eventually make it to bed last night. After another round in the living room and one more in the shower, we finally collapsed into bed.
I don’t consider myself a cuddler. I like my space while I’m sleeping, but as we climbed into bed last night, Declan pulled me into him, my back to his chest, and I fell asleep instantly.
As with everything about him, having his heat at my back brought a comfort I hadn’t known I was craving. I didn’t only like having him in my bed and life; I was growing to love it.
I wake up to the sun shining through the open blinds of my bedroom window. I don’t feel Declan pressed up against my back anymore, but when I roll over, I find him still on the other side of the bed, lying on his stomach, arms butterflied under his pillow. The sheets have fallen right above his ass, leaving his toned back completely exposed to me. I fight the urge to reach over and touch him, and instead focus on his face. He looks so peaceful while he sleeps. I want to freeze this moment in time and never leave it.
I do the next best thing. I slowly get out of bed, making my way to the living room, where I grab Declan’s flannel from the floor, slip it on, and move toward the coffee table to grab my camera.
I quietly return to the bedroom and thank my lucky stars Declan hasn’t moved. Making my way around the bed, I gently climb in and start taking pictures. I only get a few clicks of the button when Declan shifts in his sleep, his eyes slowly opening.
“What are you doing?” His voice is raspy with sleep, making me smile. Right now, I’m the only one who gets to know what that sounds like, and I love it.
“Taking your picture.” I lift my camera and take another with him looking right at me.
“Why?” He rolls onto his side, the sheets shifting slightly, almost exposing him.
I take another picture before responding. “Because I wanted to capture this moment and keep it forever.”
“Hmm,” he hums. “Well, what if you put the camera down and capture the moment in your head?”
“Where’s the fun in that?” I laugh as he reaches for me, grabbing the camera from my hands and turning it on me.
He laughs as I try to block him from taking my picture. “How do you like it?”
“Okay, okay! We can put the camera down.” He lets me take it from him as we fall back onto the bed. Declan is on his side, pulling me into his chest while I look at the display on my camera to see what pictures we took.
“Hmm,” Declan hums again, looking at the camera over my shoulder. “There are some good ones in there.”
“Thank you.”
“I was talking about the ones I took.” He tickles my side, causing me to squeal.
“Fine. I’m putting it away.” I laugh, pushing him away to put the camera on my nightstand. When it’s safe, I roll back to face him, and he immediately reaches for me, pulling me back into him.
“You sleep okay?” he asks quietly.
“Yeah, better than I have in a while.” I run my fingers over the stubble on his face. “What about you?”
“Someone wore me out yesterday, so I slept like a log.”
“Jerk.” I push him in mock annoyance.
“I’m kidding. I did sleep quite well, though.” His eyes close as he pulls me closer, bringing us nose to nose.
“Good,” I whisper, my eyes closing. We probably would have stayed like that, falling back to sleep, if it hadn’t been for a knock on the cottage door.
“Get up, you lazybones. It’s time for breakfast. Also, let’s never talk about the fact Declan is probably naked in your bed right now,” Caleb shouts from outside.
We laugh as we hear his steps move back across the porch.
“I guess we need to get up now,” I say.
“Probably. I’m going to need my shirt, though,” he says, unbuttoning the few buttons I had done to keep the shirt closed, his fingers trailing over the exposed skin.
I arch into his touch. “We can be a little late.”
“Glad you could finally join us,” Ava says with a smirk as we come in the open back door.
“How’d you get here?” Declan pulls her into a quick hug.
“We picked her up on our way.” Emily smiles knowingly from the stove where she’s flipping pancakes.
“Well, that was nice of you,” I say as I reach for an apple slice from the fruit salad on the counter.
“I could have walked, but I’m unsure if you noticed—it’s a little cold out there.” Ava grabs the plate of bacon and takes it over to the table where Max and Caleb are already sitting, talking to each other. “I called Emily to see if she would mind giving me a ride when I woke up and saw you never made it home.”
“Hey! There’s no need to continue this conversation.” Caleb sits straighter in his seat. “You already sent me to get them out of bed this morning. I don’t need any more reminders.”
“What’s wrong with them having a sleepover? Dad lets me sleep over at Ethan’s house,” Max asks, confused.
“Nothing, buddy. Caleb just isn’t any fun,” I say, knocking Caleb’s shoulder lightly with a smile on my face, a smile I can’t seem to get rid of since Declan picked me up for our date yesterday.
“All right, you two. That’s enough,” Dad says, laughing from his spot in the living room.
“Do you need help with anything else, Emily?” Declan asks, changing the subject.
“If you can take the rest of those dishes to the table, I’ll be over with the pancakes in just a minute.”
“You got it.”
Dad gets up from the living room and takes his seat at the table. “How are you feeling, Emily?”
“I’m good. I lucked out. I haven’t had any morning sickness, so it’s been a relatively easy pregnancy so far.” She sets the plate of pancakes on the table and sits while the rest of us move around, helping bring everything to the table before taking our seats. “I’m eager for our appointment next week. We get to find out the sex.” Caleb reaches over to grasp her hand in his, an excited smile on his face.
“Good, I’m glad to hear it.” Dad smiles at her from the other end of the table.
Emily shifts in her seat, uncomfortable with all the attention on her. “Well, all right, dig in.” She doesn’t need to tell this crowd twice. We all jump in and start passing dishes around, breaking off into our own conversations, enjoying the time together.
“I have some news,” Ava says later after we’ve finished eating and are sitting around talking. She looks briefly at Max before shifting her eyes to Dad as if silently asking if talking in front of him is okay.
“About Nicole?”
“Yes.” The tension in the room grows, all of us shifting in our seats. I feel Declan’s hand, which had previously been resting along the back of my chair, move to rest on the back of my neck, under the cover of my hair.
“It’s okay. Max knows what’s going on. We’ve talked about it.” Dad offers a comforting smile to Max.
“We received the court date for preliminary hearings,” she tells us. “I’m honestly shocked we heard back as quickly as we did, and I’m even more surprised by how soon the hearing is. They’ve set the date for next Friday afternoon. It will likely be the last hearing before the holiday closures.”
“Do I have to go?” Max asks.
“Well, you aren’t required to be there, but if your dad is okay with it and you want to be there, it’s allowed,” she answers him hesitantly.
Max turns to Dad but doesn’t say anything. “What do you want to do?”
“I don’t want to go. I don’t want to see her.”
“Okay, then you won’t go. You might have to hang out with Lucy that afternoon, though.”
“That’s fine,” he says immediately. “Lucy always makes the best hot chocolate.”
Dad laughs. “Okay then. You’ll hang out with Lucy. I assume the rest of you will be joining Ava and I?”
“Where else would we be?” Caleb answers for all of us.
“Okay. What do you need from us, Ava?” Dad turns back to her.
“Nothing at the moment. This is for the judge to review everything he’s been given. This is likely where he will order mediation to see if you and Nicole can come to an agreement before moving forward with any future hearings.”
“All right. Just let us know where to be and when to be there,” Dad tells Ava before turning to the rest of us, moving on from the conversation entirely. “What does everyone have planned for today?”
“Absolutely nothing! And nobody is changing that. Not even you,” I rush to tell him.
“I wasn’t asking because I needed anything. I was just curious about what everyone was doing. But it’s good to know where I stand.” Dad laughs.
“Sorry, I haven’t had a day of doing nothing for a long time now, and I’m very much looking forward to it.”
“Emily and I are finishing our Christmas shopping before our shifts at the hospital this evening,” Caleb offers.
“Who do you still need to shop for?” Dad asks.
They continue the conversation, but I stop paying attention when I feel Declan lean into my side, whispering in my ear, “You’re doing absolutely nothing today?”
I turn to him, putting us almost nose to nose, and speak quietly. “Well, nothing unless it involves you and me with no interruptions.”
“I think that can be arranged.” The smile that forms on his lips makes me instantly wet.
I squeeze my thighs together, trying to get some relief. “Do you have to take your sister home?”
One of Declan’s hands falls to my leg, lightly stroking the inside of my thigh. “I probably should, especially if Caleb and Emily have plans, but I’d be happy to come right back.”
“Maybe you could pack a bag and stay the night?”
“I like the sound of that.”
“Well …” Dad lays his hands on the table harder than normal, bringing Declan and me back to the rest of the group. “I think we should probably get this all cleaned up so Quinn can get to doing absolutely nothing for the day.” I instantly feel the blush when I look at my dad, but the smile and wink he sends my way shows me how happy he is for me.
I look back at Declan as he stands to help clear the table. He bends to press a kiss to my forehead, giving me a secret smile before walking to the sink. I watch him as he laughs with Caleb about something, and I’m overcome by so many emotions at once. Happiness for this life I’ve somehow built here. Regret for not doing it sooner. Sadness for what this will look like a year from now. And something else I’m scared to name. Naming it makes it real, and what happens when I make it real?
I watch Declan for another minute. When he looks over his shoulder and catches me watching him, I finally get up from my seat to help clean up.
I’ve still got time to figure it all out, but I can’t avoid it forever because time is running out much faster than I want, and a decision will have to be made soon.